Atomic Habits

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones is a 2018 self-help book by writer James Clear on habit reversal. Its general assertion is that the willpower a person needs to overcome a negatively-affecting habit, such as an addiction, is most easily developed by slowly replacing it with a small and minimally exerting positive habit—"getting 1% better each day". The book was a major financial success. By February 2024, it had sold nearly 20 million copies and topped the New York Times best-seller list for 260 weeks (nearly 5 years). Many figures in the field of business have embraced the book as helpful, such as Entrepreneur's John Rampton, who listed it as one of the best-ever books on time management and productivity. Atomic Habits' critics include The Guardian's Steven Phillips-Horst, who wrote that it was pseudoscientific for allegedly using unsound methodology and circular logic.