i read "atomic habits" and hated it. here's why

one week of vacation and one week of covid later, i present you with a video that was supposed to be uploaded two weeks ago. basically, i posted an IG story about how much i hated this book and i got so many questions about it that i figured i might as well make a video abt it. hope u enjoy!
timestamps:
0:00 - introduction
1:41 - things i liked
5:09 - things i disliked
14:22 - summary and conclusion
♡ atomic habits: amzn.to/3wKKOx7
i personally feel like these videos are better summaries and demonstrate james clear's potential as a motivational speaker far better than his abilities as a motivational writer.
♡ atomic habits summary: • How to become 37.78 ti...
♡ atomic habits motivational talk: • Atomic Habits: How to ...
♡ ali abdaal's video: • Tiny Changes, Remarkab...
these are links to food/obesity/research related stuff:
♡ dr. thorndike's article: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
♡ maintenance phase: maintenancephase.buzzsprout.com/
♡ episode about brian wansink: maintenancephase.buzzsprout.c...
♡ episode about zombie statistics: maintenancephase.buzzsprout.c...
♡ atlantic article i screenshotted: www.theatlantic.com/health/ar...
♡ top 10 reasons why the BMI is bogus: www.npr.org/templates/story/s...
♡ the racist history of the BMI: / the-bizarre-and-racist...
♡ how and why weight stigma drives the obesity ‘epidemic’ and harms health: doi.org/10.1186/s12916-018-11...
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♡ / tbhstudying
💕 mental health info 💕
♡ usa: suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ & www.thetrevorproject.org/ & translifeline.org/
♡ canada: www.crisisservicescanada.ca/en/ & kidshelpphone.ca/ & suicideprevention.ca/
♡ uk: www.thecalmzone.net/ & giveusashout.org/ & www.samaritans.org/
♡ aus: www.suicidecallbackservice.or... & www.beyondblue.org.au/
♡ germany: www.telefonseelsorge.de/
♡ france: suicideecoute.pads.fr/accueil & sos-suicide-phenix.org/
♡ singapore: sos.org.sg/ & www.samhealth.org.sg/
(these are the main countries that you guys are from according to analytics, but please let me know if you would like me to include more for other countries!)
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[@tbhstudying]

I am so tired of people being ignorantly horrible in my comments, so here we go. 1. People are allowed to dislike and critique books. Critical thinking is a skill. People have different opinions. Please don't blindly read books without thinking lmfao... 2. Some of you are so blatantly fatphobic, and so, I have compiled a response to many common complaints y'all have (with citations!) We are not experiencing an obesity epidemic. Epidemic implies that there is an exponential pattern of growth (think COVID-19), but in the United States, we are only seeing a slight shift to the right of the distribution curve over the last half of the 20th century (Flegal et al. 1998). The average American's weight gain can be explained by 10 extra calories a day (Campos et al. 2005). Most of the people in the "overweight" or "obese" BMI category are at weight levels only slightly higher than in the past. In addition, BMI is a flawed measure that doesn't take into account age, sex, fat distribution, metabolism, etc. This results in the misclassification of patients and introduces bias into studies on body fat, which throws off the estimated effects of obesity on health outcomes (Rothman 2008). The association between mortality rates and obesity are weak, and most studies on obesity do not adequately control variables or have reliable data collecting methods and thus, are poor studies. You would have to have a BMI in the upper 30s or higher to see an increase in relative risk for premature mortality (Flegal et al. 2005). This data is from the USA but it's consistent with other countries' data (Troiano et al. 1996). In fact, thin people (BMI < 18.5) had more deaths than the overweight people in the Flegal study, even when you control for illness, smoking, etc. Mortality rates are associated with weight cycling, meaning that overweight people with stable body weights were NOT at risk (Dia et al. 2005, Lissner et al. 1991). Weight loss by itself is not a beneficial factor (Gregg et al. 2004). Although obesity is a risk factor associated with conditions such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension, it is only a risk factor and "does not necessarily equate to poor health" (Stoner & Cornwall 2014). Diet and exercise contribute more to health than the actual loss of body fat (Yoshino et al. 2022, Klein et al. 2004, Lamarch et al. 1992, Philips 2017, Volp 2008). Some types of body fat are even good for you and provide health benefits (Terry et al. 1991, Yang et al. 2020). High body mass is even protective in older populations (Flegal et al. 2005, Pes et al. 2019). Essentially, the "war on obesity" or "the obesity epidemic" is a social, political, and economic movement that benefits off of the demonization of fat bodies. For instance, major obesity task forces such as the International Obesity Task Force and the American Obesity Association are heavily funded by the pharmaceutical and weight loss industries, making them biased against fat people (Moynihan 2006). Many leading obesity researchers are funded by the weight loss industry, and thus, have an economic interest in furthering the moral panic about obesity. Obesity also provides political opportunities to send messages about morality and societal decline. There are also multiple socioeconomic factors that contributed to increased body mass (ex: food deserts and food insecurity, lack of affordable healthy food, feast/famine cycles of poverty, differential effects between minorities) and the so-called obesity epidemic enables people to hold others morally accountable for situations out of their control. Some of you are so obvious about your distaste for fat people. You don't actually care about someone's health. You care about the way someone looks. I am arguably far less healthy than someone who is overweight or obese on the BMI scale because I have multiple different illnesses and have shitty bloodwork, but you wouldn't bat a single eye if I ate a chocolate bar in front of you. But god forbid a fat person dares to eat in front of you or even dares to appear in front of you. Ask yourself what kinds of messages you have internalized about fat people. Ask yourself who benefits from the demonization of fat people, most of whom end up being minorities within the population already. Just admit that you hate fat people and move on. I don't tolerate that kind of behavior.

[@elenapicone9238]

I think your argument is more based on formalism and definitions (and university indoctrination couff couff) rather then better judgement. For example: it's not a pandemic, by definition!!, and still adult overweight people is about 40% of the population in the US. Call it however the fuck you want. Also: obesity not correlated to illness, because it doesn't mean you don't diet and exercise.... that's because people who diet and exercise lose weight, get better, feel better. Your argument is full on biases. I would link you the video by Nova Lectio that tells about obesy in the USA, but you don't know italian, that's a shame.

[@tbhstudying]

@@elenapicone9238 have you actually read the studies and do you understand how data sets from different nutrition studies are analyzed? please refer to the third paragraph where i cited the 5 studies. one of the studies that focused on liposuction and fat reduction demonstrates that pure loss of body fat is not the source of improved health but rather, diet and exercise. many people maintain a stable body weight while eating healthy foods and exercising, even if that weight is categorized as overweight on the BMI scale. i also highly recommend the flegal studies - she was a statistician working for the cdc and worked with a variety of data sets from both the US and other countries, controlling for many different factors. i also recommend learning more about how metabolism works and how our bodies strive to maintain homeostasis. i’m more than happy to discuss the studies, different experimental methods, and different sociological factors behind the conception of the obesity moral panic. it is alright to not know a lot on matters that are new to you, and sometimes, you learn something new about something you’ve thought to be fundamentally true for your entire life. learning takes time and privilege that many do not have. however, i will not entertain this blatant anti-intellectualism and the flawed rhetoric that comes along with it as well as the fatphobia that frequently accompanies replies of your like.

[@minaka8228]

Omg yes yes yes ALLL OF THIS and fat people have been screaming this from the rooftops for years. Also! Idk if you listen to Maintenance Phase the podcast but it’s absolutely brilliant about this topic!!!

[@storyrewrites]

First off, like it, don't like it. I don't care. I do agree with you about the studies not being evidence-based enough to be used as a basis and that the results might have been cherrypicked and altered. But that's about it. You, yourself, is guilty of doing the exact same thing in your own review. Lots of cherry picking and no substantial evidence to support your claims. You said the writing is robotic and repetitive, but gave no examples. You said it doesn’t have “any sort of editing to help improve its flow.” Did you give any examples of bad editing? Nada. You even pointed out that there is some structure to the chapters. There you go. That's evidence of "any sort" of editing. Ease up on the hyperbole. We get it. you hate the book. For someone who complains about the book being repetitive, you, yourself, isn’t doing any better. You repeatedly emphasize that it is so terrible twice: once at 05:17 and then at 06:00. You sounded like a broken record on it being robotic and repetitive, mentioning it three times at 05:33, 06:04 and at 06:35. And need I even go into the number of times you mentioned that “it’s so bad” and it’s so triggering”. So, is this a review of the book or how much you think strangers on KZbin give a shit that you think you can write better? You said the writing has “no redeeming quality that makes it entertaining to read on paper”. First of all, this is a self-help book not a novel. Secondly, what is it that are you after? To be entertained or to gain a different perspective? Make up your mind. Also. In the introduction titled “How and why I wrote this book”, it was mentioned that the book started out as blog articles he wrote online in November 2012. Then he started doing business workshops. Then eventually he was offered a book deal by Penguin Random House in 2015. So, I don’t know if you clearly skipped that section or you simply refuse to see the obvious. “So much better of a motivational speaker than a motivational writer.” Again, you’re projecting your own expectations on the book without letting it be what it is. It’s a book about habit change, not a Nike/Adidas ad or a TED talk. You said, “he weirdly uses food and losing weight as examples in every single chapter without fail as something to restrict…” It’s not weird because in those chapters, he also mentions about other habits, not just food and losing weight. But because you had body dysmorphia and eating disorders in the past and reading about it triggers you, you chose to project your own securities onto his writing. Whose fault is that? 08:28 page 104: “If you eat a chocolate bar every morning, acknowledge it, almost as if you were watching someone else. Oh, how interesting that they would do such a thing. If you binge-eat, [simply] notice that you are eating more calories than you should.” You’re “simply” cherry picking and deliberately misinterpreting his use of the word “simply” to accuse him of depicting binge-eating in a simplistic way. In context, the section is about one of the many steps in achieving habit change through something called a habit scorecard, and one of it is [simply] notice what is actually happening without passing judgement on yourself. It did not trivialize binge-eating. Did you pass English comprehension in high school? 08:48 Page 145: “Bad habits are autocatalytic: the process feeds itself. They foster the feelings they try to numb. You feel bad, so you eat junk food. Because you eat junk food, you feel bad.” Again, you are cherry picking and taking things out of context. In context, he said negative emotions trigger you to eat junk food which feeds into the negative emotions in a vicious cycle. He didn’t say junk food = bad. So, I don’t get how you came to the nonsensical conclusion that he is assigning moral values to food. It’s a stretch of logic for someone who lectures others on how to read the studies and how to understand how data sets from different nutrition studies are analyzed. 09:00 on Page 165: “He was, in the words of one fan, eliminating obesity one Netflix binge at a time.” Again, in context, it was about Ronan Byrne, an electrical engineering student who hacked his laptop and tv to play Netflix only if he cycled at a certain speed on his stationary bike. James Clear wasn’t being anti-fatness as you claim. The quote wasn’t even his words. It was said by someone else who was a fan of this dude, and the fan clearly was being hyperbolic and referring to Ronan Bryne’s own struggles with “eliminating (his own) obesity” instead of referring to the obesity of many others. Again, cherry picking and failure in comprehending simple sentences. You must be fun at parties, deconstructing every stupid joke thinking you're a nerd genius when no one gives a shit. 10:13 You said, “just the way he talks about food and the talks about weight gives off this air that it’s bad to be fat. It’s bad to eat foods that you enjoy. It’s bad to be big.” Any examples? Because the ones you gave before gives off this air that it’s bad simply because it makes you feel bad. I don’t see any concrete evidence of “this air” you talk about. 10:30 “There’s nothing wrong with being fat” Nothing? Really? What about higher risk of heart diseases? Stroke? Diabetes? Are those nothing? The referrals to his website are not in the e-book version I bought except towards the end. And they are additional resources like habit templates that people may or may not need. You clearly don't like the book, hence it bothers you. But I'd imagine some readers would appreciate that these supplementary materials are not inside. Having said all that, ultimately, I'm not convinced you are the person in this video: a hubristic, self absorbed, narcissistic idiot who thinks she knows everything just because she can string together words into a sentence. It's all just a persona for fanbaiting. More comments, more drama, more controversy, more views and more clicks. Good job on that, creating an echo chamber of 320K subscribers to milk that KZbin money. So be it. That's the world we live in. Or maybe you're just one of the many idiotic KZbinrs out there, which are plenty. Who knows.

[@olivia-mp2sl]

@@storyrewrites as someone who says you “don’t care” you yourself wrote an awful lot abt a video of a person on the internet expressing their critiques on a book pls go outside 💀

[@tbhstudying]

i forgot to mention this in the video lol but one of his hot tips to use social media less is to get ur personal assistant to lock u out of ur social media every weekend.... tysm but we don't all have personal assistants to do that for us lmaoooooo

[@khalilahd.]

Lol true but I actually really liked the book 😅

[@aryelle7396]

I feel like this is a bit nitpicking because it’s not like that was the only advice or example he gave. And like you can always adapt it. For example a friend used to give his xbox controllers to another friend during exam season so he won’t waste time playing video games. Or like when he had an important exam or dealine he would ask one of his roomates to hold his phone so he wont use social media.

[@buildbycode6227]

But he also mention we have friends and family or classmates

[@tbhstudying]

@@aryelle7396 i think it's wonderful to work with other people and help other people out. that's a fundamental tenet of mutual aid and community building, and i think it's integral for a healthy society. however, james clear chose to present this tip of asking other people for help in a very classist way. not everyone has a personal assistant nor can they afford that kind of lifestyle that he's describing. there are so many other ways to write about this tip or to present this information, but he just chose the classist way :/

[@KathrynOliver_1321]

I do understand that not everyone has an assistant but I believe this is directed towards people who are in business or have their own office and they would have an assistant. As for people who are in school or who don’t have an office, I’d believe it could be to have someone who can hold you accountable and someone you trust. He could have worded it differently, or maybe write a book that’s specifically for students. Overall, I get you.

[@Patrick_from_Youtube]

"catnip for people in business school" lmao

[@tbhstudying]

there's truly no better way to describe this book

[@daryariddle9072]

Oh, I've actually read this book last month! I've rated it 3/5 - it's easy to read, and some things are really helpful, but overall, it just feels like I've better watched atomic habits' summary on KZbin (Ali Abdaal actually have one - it's his book club #2 video, I find it quite comprehensive and way more useful; also I hope that's fine that I directly mention another creator's video), so totally agree with you, it makes a better podcast than a book.

[@tbhstudying]

ooh i'll leave a link to ali abdaal's vid in the description then! thanks 💕💕

[@sophiagonzales8974]

Yeah Ali abdaal has a summary of a lot of self help books for his book club

[@annaissodone]

Atomic Habit's is the bible of productivity-bro's.

[@cristyramirez7641]

OMG, you are the first person I find that comment about the obvios eating disorder comments that James Clear mentions in this book, I just finished the book today and I was reading all type of reviews looking if someone would mention this!! thank you for making people aware of this type of content in the book, because obviously it could be triggering and its not for everyone.

[@geographconcept7523]

our book club read at work was "how to win friends and influence people" and everyone was like "this is so great!" and i was like "well, this is an interesting piece of historical fiction"

[@tbhstudying]

HAHHAHHAA NO WAY PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT WAS GREAT?

[@khalilahd.]

Lol I didn’t like that book either 😭

[@zidk720]

Stoppp I was gonna read that but couldn’t get through the first couple of pages

[@ya-like-jazz]

my mom tried to force me to read this because shes mad that i dont have friends i do want more friends but this isnt it

[@craigmalcom6294]

why dont you like the book

[@annamastryukova3695]

So grateful to hear this take! I knew this book made me really uncomfortable and I think the points about him talking about being thin in every chapter was at the crux of it. Put it down halfway through. Thank you for making this video!

[@khalilahd.]

I know that not every point is relatable but k personally really liked the major ideas but I get why you don’t like it 😅

[@mirandawalker6600]

If it made you start thinking about your habits then the book served its purpose. Triggering doesn't mean it's a bad book.

[@ave_smirnova]

totally agree !!!!!!

[@Lili-ey1nd]

We all think about our habits which is why we bought a book on how to improve them? Which is kinda outdated? There’s many issues with it if you know a decent bit on psychology

[@Ventus277]

​@@Lili-ey1ndI'm pretty sure "Lili-ey1nd" knows more about psichology than the actual author who's an international best-seller. I'm sure you can correct him with anything bad from the book with your tiktok psichology knowledge. Where 's your book may I ask?

[@Saphia_]

​@@Ventus277 LOL just because someone is an international bestseller doesn't mean others can't be better at their job. It just means they could market their book better. The person you're replying to may be someone who has know knowledge of psychology but they could also be a student of psychology, someone who has a career in it or someone who has a genuine interest in psychology (as in, they read/watch/learn a lot about psychology from reputable sources). And having knowledge about a field doesn't mean you have to write a book about it. Not everyone has new stuff to share. In the end, just because you (general use) like a book doesn't mean there's no flaws with it or people can't criticize it.

[@Ventus277]

@@Saphia_ You need professional help asap.

[@iterumm]

other people have said this before, but the best “self help” books are often fiction or other types of nonfiction like science nonfiction. so many of these types of books are just … too long to go along with your comment that it could be a ted talk. the “this meeting could have been an email” of books

[@tbhstudying]

HAHAHAHAH YOU'RE SO RIGHT, THIS BOOK COULD HAVE BEEN AN EMAIL

[@collettescott1371]

I read the book and I actually enjoyed the book for the value it added to my goals. In school and in general conversation with others (both corporate and personal) a lot of people talk about goals and how you have to work hard to get to the goal, but no actual emphasis is placed on the systems you need to put in place or the action steps required to obtain said goal (or even how to evaluate what steps or actions to put in place or need to occur to reach the goal). I do feel that this book did a decent job of putting it in perspective and in shifting the focus to how to figure out what to do and how to implement that into daily life. That said, this video does sum up all the annoyances and unwelcomed parts of the book. As a fitness coach, I understand he has a background as an athlete (which he clearly states in the beginning) and in that kind of competitive environment food is often the center of conversation and most of the conversation and actions around food in the fitness community is unhealthy and fat-phobic (a trend I and many other trainers and coaches are trying to end). That coupled with the repetitive examples and constant self promotion throughout the book did make it a very eye-rolling read and I found myself jumping sentences and whole paragraphs to get to his actual point. It works as an audiobook in this format (if you listen to only bits at a time) but not written. I will say however, by going to his website he does offer other free tools to couple with the books "teachings" and I found that the "30 days to better habits workbook" and other templates on his site were much more useful than the book itself. He does state these things are geared towards readers of his book, however, I feel it is not necessary to read the book with those tools. It takes all the good parts of his book and puts it into actionable steps and processes for you to evaluate what you want to do with habits/systems/goals and where you want to be in your life, with less of the self promotion and unhealthy food comments.

[@vesnakatic4056]

I think similarly. My impression is that the book explains the creation of habits in a very effective and simple way. Very applicable in practice; the tools it offers give great results. This video is probably intended to discredit the author of the book and his work. How miserably!

[@chrisheartman9263]

I normally already don't like the term "fat-phobic", but in this video I feel like it was misused. And this is because, from what I can see in this video, you are describing the author as a person who clearly has had, or STILL HAS disordered eating habits. Fat-phobia is one thing, having psychological problems that affect your eating habits is another. Can they still coexist? Yes. But I would rather express the disordered eating of the person themselves, instead of their "hate" if they fall in both categories, and this is because most of the times they're gonna be less fat-phobic when they also fix their disordered eating. Still, amazing video. I honestly like the fresh air and new perspective not only on the book, but around the highly toxic self-help and productivity spaces, and honestly feels like you kind of acknowledged the elephant in the room of those spaces, aka that the extremization of "clean living", "aesthetic living", "minimalistic living" etc not only (like other people have already pointed out) brings the depersonalization, disinfection and deculturalization of the spaces through f*scism but it's also connected to disordered eating. The only thing that I don't like about this video specifically is the point at around 10:35 / 10:40 where you say that "it's good to be fat and eat whatever you like". I do not agree fully. It's also why I hate the modern body positivity movement, like I've hated the early 2010 and 00's movement (where the opposite was said, aka "skinny is good and you should look like a skeleton"). NOONE, and I repeat, NOONE seems to actually say "moderation is good", which is what actually should be said until we're all fucking blue in the face. A treat, even every day, even a couple, are fine, GOOD even. What's not good is justifying eating whatever the fuck you like until you're starting to have health problems through what you're eating, and this goes for everybody. I know you've had problems with eating, Seo, but I really don't like how you used your words in that place in the video, and I'm tired of hearing extremes every time we talk about food. Everyone should think about what their body *needs* not what their brain *wants*, and this also applies to people with both the extreme spectrums of disordered eating (aka both eating too much and too little).

[@chrisheartman9263]

Like, don't get me wrong, I have LOVED this video. LOVED it. It's just that, because I've loved it so much, I just nitpick it so much, I'm sorry.

[@Nick-cp3sr]

This was such a great analysis of this book! I’ve read a few of the books in this ‘wheelhouse’ & they all tend to rely heavily on anecdotes. I’m sure that’s motivating for some but I find anecdotes such a lazy way of espousing a theory or an argument. The only book I’ve read in the space that I actually found realistic and useful was Oliver Burkeman’s 4000 weeks, which actually debunks a lot of this productivity shenanigans! Great Vid! 🙌🏼

[@harlastra]

I’ve never read the book (I try to avoid ‘self-help’ books because they are very much geared to neurotypical people) but I’ve seen soooo many summaries that I may as well have read it lol. Your critiques only further the vibe I get from the book, that most of the words in the book are just padding, and that summaries provide the most value. I’ve never seen anyone mention the food thing?? and that feels so important? Clear definitely needs to change the way he sees food, maybe he’s struggled with weight in the past or something but that’s not really an excuse to trigger people who struggle with food :/

[@tbhstudying]

i think the tough thing about diet/food is that it's normalized to fat-shame and restrict. i don't think we, as a society, have a healthy way of conceptualizing our relationship with food and our bodies 💀 the things mentioned in the book (ex: calorie counting, dieting, body shaming, etc) are things i see other people frequently talk about, both irl and on social media, without critically thinking about it.

[@user-of1wz6dc5e]

I think you might like Elizabeth Filips if you haven’t already checked her out. I think she has very nd-friendly tips

[@SaltedMallows]

Read the book yourself before deciding if clear is focusing on food in this book. Just because this person posted a video hyperfixating on their personal problems doesn't mean thats true about the message of the book. Have your own opinion.

[@williamcripfoe6754]

😂 never read the book and still had the gall to make an opinion

[@user-wp3re3cc9t]

I think you have a good point during your video, though I didn't really like the part "being fat is normal". I understand your background and how it affected you and the way you think, but isn't it simply jumping from on corner to another with very radical way of thinking? I always encourage people to eat more, but it is not ok for your body to be fat, just as it is not ok to be dysmorphic. It is of course everyone's choice of what they want to do, but we should always encourage people to try to keep their body fat on not too low or too high level. I don't try to be disrespectful, and just share my opinion, and will be happy to hear yours. Thank you!

[@tbhstudying]

this is a copy-paste of my reply to someone else but: my main point regarding obesity is that i don't think we should attach moral value to bodies or to food, which results in discrimination and disordered patterns of thinking. for example, if i eat a chocolate bar, no one would bat an eye but if someone larger than me ate a chocolate bar, they would face far more stigma for eating something "bad" and for eating something that would make them more fat. of course i'm not advocating for people to purposefully get diabetes; that's silly. however, i don't believe in the dehumanization and discrimination of people just because of their body size. i would highly recommend "the body is not an apology" by sonya renee taylor and maintenance phase, which is a podcast by aubrey gordon and michael hobbes for further education on fatphobia, scientific understandings of nutrition and fat, and mass hysteria about the obesity "epidemic".

[@windowdresser1643]

thank you for making this measured criticisim of the book. I feel like other people also have a criticism of this book but they would just shove it because it feels like the author is much more knowledgeable. This is much worse to people who have low self-esteem and only rarely gets their voice validated. Thank you for being brave enough to say this because its really important.

[@nerd26373]

Hi Seo. It’s definitely been a while since I last visited your channel. I hope you’re doing well. Juggling priorities in life can be difficult, but it seems like you’re handling everything the best you could. Keep reaching for your goals and dreams. Wish you the best of luck.

[@tbhstudying]

oh it's so nice to have you back around! thanks for watching and hope you're doing well too 💕💕

[@jroycefit]

I think this book got a lot of good reviews because it provides a key idea of changing your life and taking control of it through habits. I respect and understand your personal feelings towards the "food + weight loss examples" were a sensitive subject, but I don't think you clarify the context of those examples. Nowhere in the book was James attacking anyone with obesity. Fitness/living a healthy lifestyle is generally considered an admirable thing and is generally viewed as something people want, but don't achieve cause it's difficult. Another example he used a lot in the book was people who smoke cigarettes, but because you didn't have an emotional response to that you didn't find that "triggering." The writing being bland for your taste is a fair point, but picking out one study he used in an over 200+ page book is kinda nit-picky, in my opinion. And as you stated in another comment to another person, being fat does have consequences and is unhealthy, but I agree not everyone needs six pack and fitness doesn't need to be obsessive, but to ignore your health completely in the name of body positivity or whatever is just ignorant. And about your chocolate point, I think regardless of weight when you say breakfast or first meal of the day, no one says chocolate or cake or ice cream on top of the fact that he didn't say that it was a good or bad behavior, but to rather acknowledge what the behavior is and a very short-sided view with no context of that chapter as a whole. This book is about diagnosing where you are in life, acknowledging where you want to go, and giving you the reasoning behind/tips on how to better yourself and that you are in control to do so. Very positive message hence why people liked the book. The overall message is net positive and you reviewed it with feelings which are fine, your channel your views which I respect, but this wasn't an opinion/fiction book, I believe your take was slightly more personal than a natural view and a little exaggerated telling your 300K subscribers that they probably wouldn't like it, is a bit over the top, but hey. Respect the video.

[@pamelaponciano3386]

I agree with you. I liked the book. It may not have worked for her but it does help me. I am fat. I have eating disorders, I can’t control sometimes. But I don’t really find anything offensive or triggering after reading the book. Maybe I have read the book with an open mind instead of trying to find words of James Clear which I think I could nitpick? I’m okay with body positivity but hey, it still won’t change the fact that I’m fat and unhealthy.

[@deliastan1159]

OMG yes!! Felt so personal. Also wild seeing ND ppl bash this book. I’m ND and I’m finding it very useful

[@homeartangel2000]

small comment on the readability point! i recently read the audiobook version and it was a lot more paletable. he really does make a better speaker than a writer, but big agree with the other points you made, great vid!

[@STRWBRYSDY]

your review about his writing and incorporation of studies sounds like my profs’ opinions about my undergrad essays - which is kinda sad for him

[@shefoundwonderland]

Personally haven't read it because i hate self help books but I did watch this video by Elizabeth Filips (also a youtuber) and she mentions some of the tips from atomic habits and how they're not very useful. She then gave her own tips which I found way more helpful and useful (i suspect I'm somewhere on the ADHD spectrum) and so did alot of other people! If you're neurodivergent i highly recommend her channel! And thank you seo for doing this video! I loved hearing you break it down

[@TarraKlasen]

Thank you for the recommendation

[@coda5934]

what is the video of Elizabeth Filips?

[@cx3622]

So you hate self help books because they are not meant for you? Do you also hate clothes of the opposite gender because it's not meant for you?😂

[@TarraKlasen]

@cx it's probably not that serious

[@shefoundwonderland]

@@TarraKlasen exactly! Not gonna reply them because I can’t be bothered to pay attention to trolls

[@mus6926]

Not sure what you mean when you say being fat isn't unhealthy. "Obesity increases the risk of several debilitating, and deadly diseases" Other than that I actually completely agreed with your points, especially the "catnip for people in business school" lol

[@tbhstudying]

my main point regarding obesity is that i don't think we should attach moral value to bodies or to food, which results in discrimination and disordered patterns of thinking. for example, if i eat a chocolate bar, no one would bat an eye but if someone larger than me ate a chocolate bar, they would face far more stigma for eating something "bad" and for eating something that would make them more fat. of course i'm not advocating for people to purposefully get diabetes; that's silly. however, i don't believe in the dehumanization and discrimination of people just because of their body size. i would highly recommend "the body is not an apology" by sonya renee taylor and maintenance phase, which is a podcast by aubrey gordon and michael hobbes for further education on fatphobia, scientific understandings of nutrition and fat, and mass hysteria about the obesity "epidemic".

[@Vasya648]

I have the same relationships with this book and with "Getting Things Done". It's contains a lot of little advices and things I didn't know or understood before, so it's really helpful for someone with the base level knowledge on a subject or even lower. But I'm not its target audience, lol, I'm not rich and I'm not neurotipical. So thank you for explaining me something that was obvious for anybody else but me, like, wow, you need a working place like a desk or something to actually do work! Makes sense now! But all this small tips is all I've got from the text. The rest just wasn't made for me and I don't have any use for it. But to be fair it was so worth it to gather those tips though, they massively improved my life in the long run!

[@aryelle7396]

"There's nothing wrong with eating things you enjoy eating" this is a kind of simplistic and idealistic view. To give you a personal example: I enjoy drinking soda and yes it gives me pleasure drinking it more than water. But i also understand that it's bad for me, i used to get really bad acid reflux and after that i indeed needed to restrict it. I feel like people look at restriction as either 100% bad or 100% good and i feel like its in the middle.

[@elenapicone9238]

Yeah, she has an extreme view about fat, saying it's good

[@tbhstudying]

perhaps it wasn't clear in the video, but i'm advocating for food and body neutrality. i never said that people should only eat fast food and only drink soda. instead, i think that it's unhealthy and harmful to equate certain foods like fast food, soda, chips, candy, etc with moral failings. food is food and bodies are bodies. any ethical or moral projection that we make on different foods and different bodies are a reflection of our own attitudes rather than a reflection on the food itself.

[@minaka8228]

@@elenapicone9238 saying that there are no foods that’s are inherently bad, is not a “radical view of fat” like omg please unpack your fat bias

[@SaltedMallows]

@@tbhstudying The problem is you speak in absolutes and now you're backtracking. You said there's nothing wrong with eating certain foods. There's nothing wrong with being fat. If that's the case that bodies are bodies and foods are just foods. Then why do certain foods correlate to forming certain body types? Pretending these correlations don't exist doesn't help the problem it just makes it harder to find a solution since you refuse to listen to doctors. How about, your body is your body. The choices and outcomes of what you do you own that. And bodies of actual obese people are their bodies and if they want to change that's ok for them too. They have their bodies you have yours, speak to your own problems not theirs unless you're a medical professional.

[@thinkingthoughts24]

Finally, someone with an original and raw review on this book! I myself have never read it cuz as some people mentioned already I as well try to avoid "self-help" books; one: cuz they're boring to read, two: they're written for neurotypical people, and three: ppl "over mention" them so much online that the books literally lose their appeal. Last I read one of those was like two years ig and it honestly feels so unrealistic to me that I couldn't even finish reading it. Also I had never seen ppl talking abt this food part which they should! I myself for years had problems with controlling way too much my diet which led me to some disorders, so that's def something that should be brought up more. Great video!

[@weeb6316]

I have ADHD has been diagnosed since I was 5 but this is silly reasoning “Avoid all self-help books” because they are written for neurotypical people you have to show how him not being neurodivergent hurts people who aren't

[@shar__]

I respect the honesty because I agree. I felt I was in a boring college class with a outdated professor and that was with the audio😅. A hard read so I didn’t care to finish it. Great video

[@notagazebo5818]

Ooooh, finally someone looking at this book critically instead of just regurgitating it! I felt the same way about a lot of the diet and exercise examples he used. Like, his whole system is about categorizing things as good or bad, and he did not stop to think for even a second about why he was categorizing things the way he did, or if those categorizations are true for everyone. Which they're obviously not, as you discussed! He also had such a grade 9 biology level understanding of health and weight loss, and I think he's utterly convinced that all fat people really do things like eat a chocolate bar every morning and that's why they're fat. Like, James. Buddy. Please go out into the world, talk to people, discover some nuance!

[@sophiagonzales8974]

I think a good example for his critique is the documentary super-sized me

[@johngilmore697]

Possibly the worst book I've ever read. Stating the obvious and drawing it with examples. No real solutions, though.

[@swagsukeuchiha7599]

lol

[@becks13x]

OOOH I've been waiting for this video lol. I'm currently reading this book and I'm only on chapter 4 but what you're saying about it is already evident by this point. I still want to read the whole thing so I can form my own opinion but I don't want to waste my time. So I'll probably start with reading the chapter summaries like you said. I also really hate those examples on food as I'm currently struggling with body image issues. Have you read "12 rules for life" by Jordan B. Peterson perhaps? If you have, I'd really love to here your opinion on that book.

[@notnat4435]

it’s so crazy, I listened to the audio book and it completely changed my perspective on life. But I get all your points, i couldn’t imagine reading all the points myself as opposed to listening to them. Personally, I find that with some books, listening to the audio version just works better. I also listened to I’m glad my mom died, and it was just a completely different experience than reading it. Mostly because Jenette Mccurdy the author was reading it herself, and as a reader I assume thats how she intended for it to be read (did that even make sense lol?) anyways, my point is that I THINK sometimes audio books are better. Don’t gatekeep reading pls, I use very strong prescription glasses and it hurts my eyes to focus hard for long periods of time

[@clau6972]

Omg I love igmmd, I didn't know Jennette herself was the narrator of the audiobook. I just read the book. Edit: forgot to ask..so you like atomic habits?

[@notnat4435]

@@clau6972 I definitely recommend listening to the audio book as well, it’s a completely different experience. And I enjoyed atomic habits quite a lot as well

[@clau6972]

@@notnat4435 I'll definitely do it then. It's by far my favourite memoir and I was planning to read it again soon anyway. Guess I'll listen to it! Atomic habits also sounds promising, honestly

[@LeticiaAnaiTorres]

Yes! Thank you! That’s how I feel about “The Power of Now” too. I was recommended it and gosh I was so bored while reading and kind of found it too repetitive despite the good content bits here and there.

[@sk.y8870]

also i adore your videos sm! you’re my comfort youtuber and i just play your videos in the bg when i’m feeling terrible

[@tbhstudying]

this is literally so sweet omg 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 thank u so much and i hope u are feeling better!

[@geographconcept7523]

this video is so well-researched and thought out!!! incredible work!

[@tbhstudying]

thank u so much!! glad u enjoyed it 💕

[@SaltedMallows]

Research where? I don't see any

[@stephanie-xs1fp]

@@SaltedMallowsdid you even watch the whole video? she literally read the case studies that james clear used in his book and points out that even the case studies are flawed 🙄

[@reese_beez8236]

This video was really interesting to watch and it also had some parts that made me laugh on some of your criticism regarding it. Love the video!! Hope you have a great day~ 💗✨ Also not connected to anything, but do you have tips on how to start on achieving a certain goal or like starting something new (in my case, a youtube channel 😗)~

[@danielgonzalezcruz3842]

I saw a review-video about this book and wanted to read it. Now I have it and I honestly feel the same about regreting having bought the book. I also think is boring most of the time. Good to see your video. Now I can focuse on the places of the book that might be good. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

[@lmcarter1024]

I just started the audiobook and you are spot on about how robotic it is. He has some really great points, but after the first chapter, I’m already over the antidotes. I may try to finish listening to it. But I think I’d rather just focus on the chapter summaries. And honestly the writing seems very elementary.

[@gustavoteles5994]

I think your criticism is on point here! Really good points. I even changed my review of this book from 3/5 to 2/5 because i was really convinced by you. As an autistic person, i read the whole book and didn't know what bothered me so i just used what i found nice. But you made the arguments that i couldn't made myself.

[@falnairaar]

I also ended up reading this book a few days ago because of how praised and recommended it was. Overall, I found an entertaining piece of writing but it felt like a filler book and only some specific points were really valuable, at least for me. Some points _feel_ useful although I'm no one to judge them, honestly. Moreover, as I read the book I had the sensation some anecdotes were problematic in some way, I'm glad you could put them into words here 😊 pd: sorry beforehand if this comment looks weird, I'm not a native speaker

[@Claw.00]

I just finished the book today and I agree with a lot of your points. I did takeaway a few things that I think have/will benefit me in the long run, but it did feel like I had to sift through for the best info and reading the little summaries would have been a better use of my time. At the end of your video, you emphasize how this book feels aimed at middle to upper class people and I wanted to highlight a quote that Clear hid away in his appendix: "This is the wisdom behind Seneca’s famous quote, 'Being poor is not having too little, it is wanting more.' If your wants outpace your likes, you’ll always be unsatisfied. You’re perpetually putting more weight on the problem than the solution"

[@Claw.00]

ALSO! To add to the food issues, multiple times throughout the book he mentions weighing yourself daily. This is not good advice even within dieting/ weight loss communities, as your weight fluctuates consistently. It is typically advised to weigh yourself weekly or monthly. Even better advice is to not weigh yourself and to focus on how your body looks and how you feel.

[@weeb6316]

@@Claw.00citation ?

[@NicholasLashway]

"...there is no redeeming quality about this writing that makes this entertaining to read." What would make someone seeking entertainment pick up a book about habits? Thanks for the video!

[@lemmyseyohelo2543]

I haven't watched this video fully but here's what I think of Atomic Habits: I read it, I think it's great, but I sort of feel like it could've and should've been shorter than what it actually is. It's too long, and some chapters could easily be summarised in one page. Some points are repeated too many times to the point that you're just reading the same thing over and over again. This is why I usually avoid self help books. They're unnecessarily long :(

[@vesnakatic4056]

Wisdom is applied knowledge! I applied, results: - 200 training sessions per year, 450 so far - improved the time for 5 km, from 33 min (10 years ago) to 23 min. - saunas 240 per year, so far 520 - I don't eat sweets - I don't eat after four o'clock - lost 10 kg - drew 200 drawings in 6 months - graduated in pedagogy - found a new job ....these are just some changes. I am grateful to J. Clear for the book Atomic habits. Great book! Application is change!

[@Rosannasfriend]

Well… I bought the book over a year ago, and I never finished reading it, lol. It’s not bad, I just don’t really think everything in it is for me. And that’s fine. The same advice doesn’t work for everybody. There are a couple of things in his book that I do use, like focusing on systems instead of goals. But other than that, I think I’m fine, and didn’t really need his advice. He’s good to find out what everybody has to say before you decide what’s right for you. Sometimes it’ll be something you came up with for yourself by yourself.

[@luisav4243]

One thing I don't like about these types of texts is that they are almost like a puddle, very extensive on the topics it covers but very shallow in general. I think one of the may problems of these types of books and mentalities is that they are useful for specific situations but talked about as if they were generalized. Also I feel like it doesn't allow a certain degree of spontaneity in the way we perceive life and rather drive us to think of the every day through tasks. It overall has a core good but idk if it's for me, good video though!

[@n0ttinghell]

while i agree on most of what you said, i think that the whole weight loss thing in the book is there to illustrate the main points. i think james put a lot of weight loss examples because it is something that a lot of people want to do, can relate to or usually includes in their resolutions (whatever their reasons are). this man is american and as far as i know, obesity is a big thing there (i'm not american), so it makes sense that he writes in order to look appealing to a public. i agree that the whole food thing can be triggering for some people, but i don't think that fatphobia was the real intention here; it seems more like you think he was being fatphobic (makes sense, since this video is about your opinion, not objective facts) when it's more like an incidental thing, something that was not planned to look like that. the man was probably only trying to be more relatable. imo his real fail was trying to make people responsible of eating "bad food" without acknowledging the system that promotes obesity, like supermarkets putting sugary foods strategically, ads that associate certain foods with positive emotions or cities being built in ways that are hard to walk in order to get somewhere

[@MinieAnne]

Well even the exemple that he give is bad, like hiding food is not a good idee.

[@n0ttinghell]

@@MinieAnne i never said it was good advice

[@tbhstudying]

i left a similar comment on someone else's comment, but i think that james clear and his writing are the result of how fatphobia is normalized in our society rather than being the result of intentional maliciousness. habits like dieting, calorie counting, and food restriction are normalized, even glorified, and it's a shame that we, as a society, don't have a healthy relationship with food or our bodies.

[@Saphia_]

I had heard so many good things about the book that it was in my *NEED to read* list. I am someone who cannot form a habit no matter how hard I try and reading/ watching people say 'this book will make forming habits so much easier for you' or some variation of it, I was just waiting for my exams of the year to end before I picked the book up. Then long story short, I forgot, figured out I was neurodivergent, got reminded of the book again. I was just going to buy that book to read (cause again, bad at forming habits, thought it'd help) when I read someone who was like 'yeah, this book is good at forming habits... for neurotypicals' and many other ND people were agreeing with them. And so I didn't read the book. And you've reinforced my decision to not read the book.

[@SaltedMallows]

Read it yourself and form your own opinion instead of letting someone else's hyper specific, skewed bias justify your excuse not to read it.

[@Saphia_]

​@@SaltedMallows​​ I have seen excerpts of this book and the advice he gives in it. None of what I've seen is anything revolutionary or something I haven't already heard from other people. For free. And I forgot to add. The point of watching reviews is to decide whether or not a product is for you. I cannot possibly read every single book I want to read so cutting down the amount of so-so books by watching reviews is helpful for me. And seeing that the people I've heard rave about the book don't claim to be neurodivergent and the (most, if not all, of the) ones who do don't think the book is helpful means I'm more inclined to judge the book as not helpful.

[@Mak-Wright]

as someone neurodivergent, i actually found the book very helpful and a better tool than medication or anything else.

[@Saphia_]

@@Mak-Wright I'm happy for you.

[@shezmeister2771]

I know this isn't always the best but if I ever feel on edge about a book instead of spending money on it at first I usually go on like z library and get the ebook version there for free. Then if i like the book i'll purchase the physical copy, if i don't then i've just wasted my time.

[@findingagain]

For folks who have hangups about this, the library is a great place to "try out" books!

[@tbhstudying]

i was too impatient to wait for a hold at the library.....should've done this 😭😭😭

[@SaltedMallows]

Rational and reasonable take. If you bought a book you hate thats on you for not doing your due diligence to know. You're buying a self help book, if you don't want to be helped in a particular way don't buy it.

[@jessejules2092]

Thank you for your critique. I'm currently listening to the audio version. I find myself getting easily distracted while listening to the book, either because as you say it is not well written or because I'm just easily distracted. It is quite repetative. So far as I am through the book, I agree with you that the part about making habits easier/ harder by putting things into place is a really interesting point. I would have to disagree where you say that one doesn't need critical thinking to read through this book since the language is simple. Obviously, from the examples you gave about losing weight and how that could be detrimental for someone suffering anorexia, I would say critical thinking is highly important. On that note, I found that the part where he talks about primary needs being 'food, sex (assuming he means for reproduction)..etc and secondary being '....love, admiration...' etc an evolutionary bias. So, for me personally I was inspired to pick that apart. Over all, I'm enjoying listening to the book a chapter a night while maintaining critical thinking in the hopes of learning something new.

[@neb-03]

seoooo im watching this video after a while because KZbin has not been recommending your videos to me >:| but i am so glad to hear this perspective on the book. i read it in 2021 and there were so many points where i was uncomfortable with the examples the author used and the points he made about money, health etc. i found myself taking angry notes in the margins pointing out places where he ignored gender disparities, white privilege, anti fat bias etc. the book seemed very surface level, repetitive, and just plain wrong at times. the only useful takeaway i had from it was “if you want to build a habit, start small” and i didn’t need to read a 200 page book to learn that 😅

[@sonali111sonkusare]

Exactly.. my point is...

[@desoxyribonukleinsaure4518]

Okay I am a late diagnosed autistic woman and I watched this video prior to reading the book because I was wondering, if I could benefit from it as well. I am half-way through and I think it makes sense. Now one thing that irritates me in the comments- and also in this video- is that people think the author has to give advice that benefits neurodivergent people. While it would be nice, you simply have to accept the fact that not every piece of advice you're given has to be useful to the kind of person you are. I personally don't want an allistic person (that also includes people who only have adhd!) to give advice specifically for autistic people when they themselves have never gone through an autism-related struggle. I simply don't get this sentiment that people think neurotypicals are entitled to give advice that can also cater neurodivergent people if they themselves will never make that experience. In the end, the author will talk about things that worked for him. Not all the things mentioned will help everyone- whether they are neurotypical or not.

[@GhostsOfThings]

i've worked in an office for a few years now and it totally sounds like the couple books i've been "recommended" from bosses that i've read over the years. none of them have helped me. they don't seem relatable or applicable to someone like me and the only thoughts i have while flipping through something like "never split the difference" is how much i hate the society we have to live in 🤣

[@yrsmrt]

if you've read "laziness does not exist" by devon price i'd be curious to know your thoughts!

[@cherifsoltani1164]

I don't understand is the books speaks about food only? What is the goal of this book exactly

[@marplellous]

thank you for that thoughtful analysis! i feel like a lot of recent self-improvement / self-help books seem to turn every. single. moment. into a show of discipline and character. make your bed, take that cold shower, reach for the fruit snack and water instead of the 'unhealthy food', don't give in to distractions, save money. build 'frictionless systems' so you never fail, and if you still do, that's on you, i guess. it's overwhelming at best, and downright damaging at worst.

[@ya-like-jazz]

i genuinely read a self help blog that told me to take a cold shower every day. thanks but no thanks

[@aryelle7396]

I mean save money will always be good advice

[@kunalbharali5181]

How come discipline self damaging?

[@weeb6316]

he state multiple times domt blames yourself??

[@weeb6316]

@@ya-like-jazzThat is helpful advice with many proven benefits some of these comments are just people whining

[@thelastunicorn949]

I am aware some people struggle with body dismorphia, etc, but I really don't understand this issue with being so triggered by someone mentioning healthy eating habits, espeacially in a country that makes it so easy to be unhealthy and has such an overly expensive healthcare system. Apparently that means you hate fat people? Not everyone struggles with food in the same way you do, or only cares about how they look in the mirror- I have a habit of binge eating and i've always been big. It was only when I realized how much my weight gain made it so much harder for me to do the things I love- I love dance but it has become painful and I can't keep up anymore. I'm not going to act like its ok for me to eat ice cream and french fries all day just because I like the taste. I want to live a long life, and I won't if I dont change my habits. How many obese people do you see over 70?

[@ngk5239]

I agree

[@ave_smirnova]

totally agree

[@michellegirau8136]

As someone in the counseling field when bringing up studies he doesn't fully go into the concepts. I haven't read the whole book yet but pairing 2 things together is classical condioning which I wish was talked about more. So I completely understand with what you are saying. I had a lot of credits on audible so thankfully I'm not actually reading but listening to it like a pod cast.

[@allyson.m]

Oh my god at the food mentions???? As someone who’s struggled with multiple eating disorders in the past, AND as someone who struggles with productivity and healthy habits, this would trigger me SO bad wow I’m so glad I didn’t pick this up holy hell

[@tbhstudying]

please take care of yourself! it was tough for me to read and i caught myself instinctively counting calories for a few days after reading this.

[@lthomas]

Hi Seo! Could you please recommend some resources on body neutrality/body image?

[@Stefan-bp6ge]

„hate“ is a hard word. You shouldn’t hate anything, but you might dislike things or persons.

[@kellijeanpress7843]

I am only 1/2 way through the audio book and I my eye rolls could be heard across town. For all the things you’ve mentioned. The sloppy anecdotes. The repetitive text. And Most importantly the irresponsible mentions of food and weight loss. I texted my friend who also read it but eluded to not loving it …. That I felt like he should’ve consulted with actual psychiatrists before publishing this! I mean. He listed “weighing yourself every morning” as a good habit!!! Omg. Really. I was feeling very triggered and wondered if it was just me feeling guilty about my food habits. Then I realized he was planting that seed!! This book is a big nope for me and I will certainly not recommend it to anyone. Just find someone else’s summary and take those notes instead.

[@calvindthao95]

This was my second book to ever read. I really agree with reading the summaries of each chapter and you will understand it.

[@nicolettepalombo]

Watching your video was very eye opening. I haven't gotten very far but I've started reading the book a few weeks ago and I've been enjoying it. I feel like the biggest reason is, like you said in the video, James is a fantastic motivational speaker. I found my self within these past few weeks feeling extremely motivated to wanting to feel better and have implemented better habits. I think he has a great outlook on how a habit is formed and how to maintain it. However, he definitely let's his own biases seep onto paper. I think if the reader is capable of separating certain nuggets of information (such as the mechanics of how to start a better habit) then this is a great read. You bring up some really good points though, this book can be triggering for those if they take everything James says quite literally. Edit: I could not stop laughing at you talking about the self promo. It's so true though hahaha.

[@KathrynOliver_1321]

I thought the book was great, but to get it from you as a student opened my eyes a bit more and I feel like it shouldn’t be recommended to students. I wouldn’t recommend it to students now only because of the concerns about the book and how it’s written. Im usually surrounded by people who are adults that graduated from college and are working in a fast-paced environment, and there are other books to recommend. Also, it’s a better audiobook than it is a physical book since I now know that he’s done TEDTALK. Thank you for your review!!

[@fatimahzrr]

watching this while eating just hits different

[@eddiemattison7792]

My disagreement is that he, I believe, misses the point for goals. He thinks they are short-term, restrict happiness, cause unfulfillment, and are at odds with long-term fulfillment. I believe he just wants to sell his habits/systems idea. I believe there's ALOT of room for both ideas. HIS goal was to reach alot of people with his book. ==> BOOM! Lol (with all due respect for his work) pp 24-26. I have alot more to read, admittedly, but that was a bit..."misleading"?

[@gladyselskens2348]

I accidentally came across this video and I've been desperately looking for someone who shares this opinion ever since I read this book a few weeks ago! Overall I thought there were some nice nuggets in there that I will definitely keep in mind for my creative processes. But this man uses weight loss as an example on literally every other page. It drove me absolutely mad. Can we stop acting like losing weight and being thin is the best, most productive and successful thing a person can do with their lives?

[@thecarinapascual]

more book reviews please!

[@teannawall4693]

Thank you for confirming my underlying ick about this book! I’d love for my daughters to read it for the systems content, but for a teen girl in this society? No, I genuinely don’t think it’s a safe choice.

[@cheesyfeetgeoguessr4651]

I was considering buying it... and then I saw this video and thought never mind, I always agree with your opinions! 😂😂 I like how you always consider people who live regular lives, not upper class with everything done for them. Thanks for everything you do! Love from UK 💜

[@nathanreuelwandjingassam]

I would advice you to buy it anyway and make up you own mind.

[@ayobamifayoyin]

I am reading the book again (second time) cos it is worth it. Please, buy the book and judge for yourself. This KZbinr was nitpicking and finding faults where there were none. Edit: I read this book during my master's study and after incorporating some of his ideas, I had three A's and One cum laude that semester. I am studying for my PhD and I'm happy to pick this book up again.

[@cheesyfeetgeoguessr4651]

ooh interesting, I might give it a go then :) I am doing gcses this year which are important exams here so it might help, thank you!@@ayobamifayoyin

[@dannamadura2035]

I know what you mean when you said that you hated reading it! I hated it too and I thought I was the only one! And that says a lot because I enjoyed reading War and Peace, whereas this book I cannot seem to finish. Tried three times. I needed to watch a video to convince me to read it but you convinced me to not even attempt to read it. This reads like The Suble Art of Not Giving A F***,it promises a lot but it's very low yield. Listening to your critique made me hate it even more.

[@wo0kie10]

Really appreciate your thoughts on the book, thank you.

[@halalalaman]

i didnt finish it. i cant. 😀

[@doortsy23]

So this is why I couldn’t get myself to finish this book. I just couldn’t pin point what was wrong 😂

[@effyapples6219]

This book as some great principles but it reALLLLYYY doesnt work for me being neurodivergent

[@funktorial]

oh thank god I’m not alone, I also thought it was just horribly written and could have just been a blog post or two

[@clau6972]

I mean...it was just a couple of blogs. It started as a blog, but then he got contacted to write it and of course he had to take the chance

[@deydey99]

I tried to read the book but couldn’t finished, hated the way it was written, too much anecdotes. Everyone was telling me how great it it’s however I couldn’t pass it. I did get triggered in the parts of “eating healthy” and restricting things considered bad by him. Thanks for the video, it make me feel that I wasn’t the only one.

[@tbhstudying]

no literally! he cannot go a single chapter without an anecdote.....

[@sharqyoce1750]

Where’s your book?

[@PalaHz]

Ok, now I want to read the thing, Some friends recommended me this book but I had a feeling that it was more 'self motivational' stuff for rich people with existencial crisis

[@Jaykurosakii]

Well dang, I’m trying to find books in Target’s buy 2 get 1 free sale. I had this book in cart but changed my mind after watching this.

[@christianhq45]

There is absolutely something wrong with being fat. There is thousands of clinical studies that have stood the test of time and new studies showing the clear negative health impacts of being fat. It is not a small list of impacts either.

[@luckykim1967]

I laughed listening to the part of why you think this book is wrong. Nice point of view!

[@arthurrodriguez399]

Thanks for this review, you made me laugh, and saved me from wasting my time on this book.

[@jurottluff2364]

When I first heard about the book when I got into the whole productivity stuff, I wanted to read it, but now, a few years later having watched so many videos talking about it, I am honestly just annoyed by the hype about it, because even though I have not read it, it feels like there are no revolutionary ideas in there. Instead it's, as you said in the end, a book targeting white, middle class, neurotypical men. And the best thing I did for my mental health was stopping to try applying advice that just doesn't work for my brain for some arbitrary achievements like doing xyz every day. Because I felt like a failure, when I couldn't do this, when in reality it was never meant to work for me 100%. Like sure, some aspects like reducing friction for good habits works, but that's not that much of a new idea. I really hope in 2022 we can finally move on from this glorified ted talk in book form to promote more diverse forms of doing things that are good for you outside of a capitalist mindset of permanent growth and reaching goals. I much prefer doing things that align with my values and trying to do them regularly than strict habits working towards "smart" goals.

[@tbhstudying]

so true!!! the more time i spend in productivity spaces (on youtube, tiktok, in self help books, etc), the more i realize that growth and progress are shaped organically. they come in short bursts and long stretches and look different for different people. it's part of the reason why i've moved away from making more study tip / productivity videos too; i just end up contributing to the noise instead of actually helping people lol

[@anuranangogoi9741]

I've never read this book but I'll say if a book has 10 tips and if 1 tip is of use to you, the book served it's purpose. Always read a book if you like and don't read it if you don't like. Books like these can be read from anywhere. You can read the from the ending or you can read just one chapter that's important to you. There's absolutely no need to 'hate' a trending book to make your video trending. There's a reason why it's a bestseller. Appreciate the writer's work, time and effort. As I said, I haven't read the book so feel free to post it to me. I'll pay the postal charges and 50% of the book's cost.

[@onlydayang5588]

I read this book years ago and I wanted to like it for the sake of liking it, and I've never nailed down why it took me almost a month to finish it. ITS BECAUSE IT MADE ME FEEL BAD ABOUT FOOOD!!! it triggered me unconsciously. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

[@tbhstudying]

it's really tough because fatphobia is normalized and exists in a lot of media, so you end up unconsciously consuming these ideas. i wish we, as a society, could have a better relationship with our bodies and our food :(

[@mrvincentpogi]

Thanks for the review, i need to read it

[@lexieagustin8117]

Can you make a video also of the books you truly loved? Thank you so much.🥺

[@sageofsixpaths98]

Interesting..His interview in London Real is actually better than the book. Concise. Though i disagree with few points but its nice to see other side of the coin.

[@liliajerom]

ur vid literally made me realize how much went over my head while reading this book

[@thedustdevil]

SAME...

[@TheNutmegStitcher]

I disliked the pervasive correlation between behavior and evolution. This cannot be verified, tested, or replicated. It's a theory, not a fact. I did learn some helpful tips for habit stacking. He's not a great writer, but I'm glad he wrote the book. It really boosted my awareness of the power of small, consistent changes. On the statistics: my husband is a science minded engineer who reminds me that most studies used today are rarely repeated, a core tenet of the scientific method. Novelty is rewarded rather than actual science.

[@emilyravioli]

I thought I was crazy for being disappointed!

[@Ventus277]

I think the book is great and I think it's valued more by people working on logical & rational fields rather than creative and emotional fields. I have read chess books, programming books, engineer books. I think it's all about perspective. If you read fiction or subjective writing where the author feels emphatic and like a friend to the reader ofc the book will look robotic. For me it doesn't seem robotic at all, I think it just goes straight to the point, exactly what I was looking for. Try reading "Data structures and Algorithms in C" then comeback to this one, you ll definitely have a different perspective on what really is robotic. I think the real main thing that you didn't like about the book is that it is indirectly saying that "being fat is bad" which enters it's own "woke culture" rabbit hole which I'm not gonna get into. The whole video could have been summarized in one sentence " Im triggered by the eating analogies, the end ". Since it triggers me = it s bad and I have to find any other minor detail to trash on it so it doesn't seem obvious that thats the only reason I dislike it.

[@iamsheruba]

Yes, you're on point!

[@itsmeferny]

Thank you for the honest review.

[@JatinBhardwaj-uv9fx]

Can you recommend some good self help book

[@markkennedy9767]

Yeah I think there's maybe a dozen take away points that could be condensed to 20 pages and the rest is stories and fluff and using fancy terms to describe simple concepts For example the chapter on expectation bundling can be distilled to "make sure to associate something you want/like doing with something you need to do (the habit you want to form)". It's a simple message that needs little more than a page. But for some reason, Clear insists on first needlessly fancying it up with the terminology "expectation bundling". And second, more annoyingly prefaces this concept with irrelevant "blind 'em with science" stuff about dopaminergic pathways and the distinction between wanting and liking something. Now when you look at the chapter critically, you say to yourself- this neurophysiology should be a separate chapter and has nothing essentially to do with pairing what we want to do with what have to do. He certainly doesn't delve into how dopaminergic pathways might pair these two phenomena; you just feel the dopaminergic stuff, while relevant generally to reward systems, is not being used to explain the simple message of the chapter above. It's there to "blind 'em with science". Overall, the whole book could be distilled to a page per chapter.

[@christinabehnke8739]

I started this book. I have adhd. It is not adhd friendly by any means.

[@vulgarolga]

I am conflicted about pointing out my areas of disagreement with tbhstudying. She is ok to criticise a book but not so keen on being criticized. If a youtuber peppers a video with remarks of their own health issues or mental health struggles, are they saying " treat me with kid gloves"? Points of agreement with her: 1- She has the right to dislike how a book flows. 2- She has the right to object to obesity being a moral refection of individuals suffering from it. 3- Its her YT channel and she has the right to say how she feels about people's comments. Points of disagreement with her: 1- The book is meant to be a manual of sorts, if its effective in its intended goals, its flow or other stylistic factors are less relevant. The book has summarized sections for those that are easily bored. Writing and publishing a book is somewhat an act of self promotion and not free of commercial interests. How is that different from having a podcast or a YT channel? The nature of self promotion and monetary interests may vary in detail but not in its overall aims. 2- The way the word "fatphobic" is used these days, its become too loaded a term and useless in any serious discussion. Its the same way some people rush to label any legitimate criticism of Israeli actions as "anti-semitic". Obesity is a genuine health issue ( so also eating disorders). There might not be consensus on several details around obesity and its link to several health outcomes, but tbhstudying cherry picking studies seems like an unconscious effort to minimise a genuine health issue. Obesity has factors that are modifiable and some that are much hard to modify. All social and political factors that lead to poor health outcomes are hard to modify in the short term. That does not stop people from modifying things that are in their own hands. There is a reason for that expression "low hanging fruit". A black and white thinking about picking all the fruits or no fruits at all does not serve the sick and the marginalised. Let me give an example of using science to minimise a real health issue. Smoking reduces risk of Ulcerative colitis ( www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2014383/#b2 ). I can use this study to argue that ill effects of smoking are not well established and there are vested interests and biased studies involved in showing overwhelming ill effects of smoking. tbhstudying would do well to speak to a family medicine specialist or any other doctor who works at the coal face of managing the health outcomes of cardiovascular risk factors. This is to get a more real world, well rounded idea of how risk factors work both at personal and population levels. But I guess she may find such an encounter "trigerring" . Safe space seeking is antithetical to genuine academic pursuits and truth seeking. 3- She may disagree with obesity being called an epidemic but her arguments betray that need to minimise, for obvious personal psychological reasons. Epidemic definition DOES NOT require exponential growth. Even if its not exponential, even if one choses to not call it an epidemic, its linear growth is very concerning. Looking at that growth ( www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/overweight-obesity ) , if some one is not alarmed, then they dont understand its implications. 4- "The association between mortality rates and obesity are weak " . Here she fails to recognise, other than " mortality", there is that pesky epidemiological category called "morbidity". Looking into that would be educational albeit very "triggering". 5- **it is only a risk factor and "does not necessarily equate to poor health" **. Frankly that statement borders on dangerous and again betrays poor understanding of how epidemiological statistics and population level health interventions work. Not wearing seat belts ups your risk for bad outcomes but does not necessarily equate to death, said no one who can think. Though I cant discount the existence of academic papers arguing that seatbelts are ineffective and a capitalist conspiracy to add costs to a car. 6- **Essentially, the "war on obesity" or "the obesity epidemic" is a social, political, and economic movement that benefits off of the demonization of fat bodies.** This is what happens when every disagreeable thing is seen through a lens of some grand conspiracy. Putting my paranoia hat, I can see how invention of female contraception was a grand conspiracy of capitalists to bring women into labour force and increase labour participation and push down wages. (sarcasm) There is a world of difference between primary and secondary prevention ( med.libretexts.org/Courses/Lumen_Learning/Book%3A_Contemporary_Health_Issues_(Lumen)/01%3A_Introduction_to_Personal_Health/1.03%3A_Three_Levels_of_Health_Promotion_Disease_Prevention#:~:text=Primary%20prevention%20includes%20those%20measures,prompt%20treatment%20of%20a%20disease. ). If an elderly person stays active, it is primary prevention for fractures due to decreased bone strength. On significant bone strength loss or actual fracture, secondary prevention of pharmaceutical drug use kicks in. That is where the " evil pharmaceutical companies" come to play. Primary prevention IS a "social, political and economic" IMPERATIVE, to protect people from both real future morbidity and the purported injustices of our cruel overlords! Health promotion will benefit some commercial entity, there is no conspiracy there. Otherwise hospitals and police stations can be seen as some kind of conspiracy to benefit from people's misery. These institutions can easily be branded " wellbeingphobic". There are social and political inequities and structural issues that stand in the way of health delivery, but rejecting well established health science because its not perfect, is like throwing the baby with the bathwater. 7- None of us are perfect. If someone has a fear of heights, they are not well equipped to review ferris wheel rides. If someone finds certain analogies in a book triggering, they too cant be an unbiased reviewer. Food related behavioural issues are the most pervasive and more easily understood, am sure behavioural changes needed to be a better astronaut and fixing bad habits in a space station wont be analogies that would be accessible to or resonate with most Earthbound readers. No book works for all. The analogies and anecdotes in this book have been challenging for you for reasons you have admitted. Most people wont have same kind of difficulties with those anecdotes/analogies. 8- Some conflation of different topics. BMI below 18 is as much undesirable as above 30. Below 18 is in the territory of eating disorders. Above 30 is obesity. Apples and oranges. BMI is imperfect and context specific, but cannot be rejected as useless. Most formal risk assessment scores use multiple factors to arrive at risk scores, precisely to mitigate drawbacks of using BMI only. Its like using GDP per capita to assess economic health of a country. Its not perfect and depending on context, it may be sufficient or may need more parameters to be considered. Similarly BMI 's usefulness is context specific and pointing to cases where it is incomplete in its health predictive power misses contexts like age, gender, comorbid medical conditions. That is why, speaking to a doctor might shine light on cognitive blind spots. I wholeheartedly agree with tbhstudying about looking at the bigger picture, being compassionate towards people with obesity and not seeing it simplistically as a moral failure. I also cannot ignore some of her own blind spots. The idea here is not one-upmanship, but adding to a civil conversation.

[@elliotd.5183]

I read it completely and honestly… it wasn’t bad but I learned nothing new. The summaries were the most useful but everything in them wasn’t new knowledge either thb. Not a bad book but if you know at least a little bit about habits then this won’t provide new insights

[@wearmykrown6042]

Read the book had some very insightful tips that I plan to implement in my daily life. All around good read. However over hyped.

[@patricklapinski1526]

The book definitely isnt a fun read but its definitely not trying to be. I dont agree with some stuff in the book or find stuff not helpful, but there is some good stuff in here. As someone diagnosed with cptsd and have suffered from abuse and neglect since i was a little kid there were genuinely helpful bits in here about forming habits, doesnt even have to be about productive habits per say, can use the same tools and apply it to selfcare and taking care of your physical health (brushing teeth as an example) Some stuff definitely rubbed me the wrong way when it comes to the privileged upper middle class vibes but even that stuff i used as a practice of catching my judgments and trying to shift through it and grab things i find useful and dropping what wasnt. Theres no one size fits all book, ive struggled with eating disorders and body dismorphia as well and i didnt find any of the food stuff triggering. He was just using those as simple examples of how these ideas could be applied to something. I use food analogies in therapy constantly when trying to explain some thoughts or concepts so i actually found that super helpful in breaking the ideas down into super simple actions nearly anyone can understand. Seems kind of like projection on your part

[@tbhstudying]

fair points all around! at the time i made this video, i was in active recovery for my ED and cPTSD, which was retriggered by SA, so i definitely think that was at the forefront of my mind when i read the book. however, i still stand by my original statement in regards to body and food neutrality; i don't think it's useful to position dieting and restricting as something to aspire to, and although i'm sure the author didn't mean to, he still contributes to the current diet/body culture we have in the western world when he uses direct examples about dieting and food restriction in his obscenely popular book. in addition, i think it's useful to point out these flaws and other "privileged upper middle class vibes" when we see them because oftentimes, people who are from these positions do not recognize them when they see them. appreciate your take on the book and hope you have a great day!

[@patricklapinski1526]

@tbhstudying i dont think there was any message in the book that aspiring to diet or restrict food was good. Those were just small examples of a situation the ideas he was presenting could be used, which was also heavily influenced by the fact he was an athlete where diet is extremely important to their health and performance so its him giving direct examples of places he had tried to implement these concepts

[@alfredhitchcock45]

That’s so true baby it’s made for rich people not for poor