James Clear, Atomic Habits - Strategies for Mastering Habits, Questions for Growth, and Much More

Due to technical difficulties, video begins at 31:00 | Brought to you by Athletic Greens all-in-one supplement athleticgreens.com/tim, Peloton Row premium rower for an efficient workout www.onepeloton.com/row, and You Need A Budget cult favorite budgeting app www.ynab.com/tim
James Clear, Atomic Habits - Simple Strategies for Building (and Breaking) Habits, Questions for Personal Mastery and Growth, Tactics for Writing and Launching a Mega-Bestseller, Finding Leverage, and More
James Clear (@JamesClear) is a writer and speaker focused on habits and continuous improvement. He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Atomic Habits, which covers easy and proven ways to build good habits and break bad ones. The book has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 50 languages. On average, Atomic Habits has sold one copy every 15 seconds since it was published.
James is also the creator of the 3-2-1 Newsletter, which is one of the most popular email newsletters in the world and has more than 2 million subscribers. Each issue contains 3 short ideas from James, 2 quotes from other people, and 1 question to consider that week. You can sign up for free at JamesClear.com.
He is a regular speaker at Fortune 500 companies, and his work is used by players and coaches in the NFL, NBA, and MLB. In college, he was an Academic All-American baseball player, and he is an avid weightlifter.
Please enjoy!
[00:00] Start
[01:55] Annual reviews.
[08:00] Habitual accountability.
[12:24] Systemic scaffolding.
[16:57] Capturing good ideas.
[24:09] Asana.
[27:56] Leveraging maximal results from minimal scale.
[35:11] Rolling with social platform inconsistencies.
[40:25] Don't let the algorithm dictate your identity.
[44:47] The key to building lasting habits.
[50:01] How James would promote 5-Bullet Friday.
[55:20] What might an outside observer believe are your priorities?
[56:28] Success generates opportunities - and distractions.
[58:54] How to break a bad habit.
[1:05:47] How to build a good habit.
[1:15:39] Deconstructing the writing and marketing of Atomic Habits.
[1:57:01] Developing a pre-game ritual.
[2:02:19] How habits align with the expectations of our tribes.
[2:05:04] Optimizing environment for habit adherence.
[2:10:52] Parting thoughts.
About Tim Ferriss:
Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 800 million downloads and been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three years running.
Connect with Tim Ferriss:
Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's free weekly email newsletter): go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-yt/
Visit the Tim Ferriss PODCAST: tim.blog/podcast/
Visit the Tim Ferriss BLOG: tim.blog/
Follow Tim Ferriss on TWITTER: / tferriss
Follow Tim Ferriss on INSTAGRAM: / timferriss
Like Tim Ferriss on FACEBOOK: / timferriss

[@timferriss]

Due to technical difficulties, video begins at 31:00 | Brought to you by Athletic Greens all-in-one supplement athleticgreens.com/tim, Peloton Row premium rower for an efficient workout www.onepeloton.com/row, and You Need A Budget cult favorite budgeting app www.ynab.com/tim

[@profkg6613]

@Tim Ferris, thanks for doing. We need the time stamps please.

[@tuckerbugeater]

@@jamesstone1614 why don't you make free content?

[@laughoutmeow]

ive always thought these 2 sound the same

[@InternetLiJo]

They certainly do

[@Homebody_yogi]

This is a it disturbing. 😂 Its not enough that they have similar tones of voice but their pace and way to speak matches too

[@elywananda]

Haha! Not to mention looking alike. I started listening to this without viewing the video and for a while I was confused as I thought Tim was just talking to himself. Great convo.

[@veronicav_]

Was thinking the same thing. 😅

[@eugeniom.gonzalez4465]

They kinda look alike too. I did take some shrooms but very similar lol

[@vigneshnadar6256]

Tim and James have the same voice and sound the same ! Kept guessing through the entire podcast whether it was Tim speaking or James :)

[@pbj5809]

I came back to KZbin b/c I had the same problem

[@MelanieSakowski]

1. Make it obvious 2. Make it attractive 3. Make it easy 4. Make it satisfying

[@FernandoFromOrlando]

About a year ago I Googled “Tim Ferriss and James Clear”, hoping to find an interview or podcast. No results. A year later my wish came true: listening to two of my favorite authors have a conversation. Thanks for getting together and sharing your talk 🙏🏽

[@dieselmota]

I do the same, I Google a fascinating, inspiring person and Tim Ferris to see if there's a podcast. 😊

[@FernandoFromOrlando]

@@dieselmota that’s so cool 😎 Kindred spirits.

[@LRG53]

I did the same

[@gustavotiffer09]

this will be one of the most popular podcasts of the year! only an hour in, but lots of gold in here!

[@musicbydavidsmith]

Can we get Tim, James Clear, Brené Brown, Carol Dweck, Mark Manson and Seth Godin to form their own MasterMind and just film their meetings and see what advice they give each other? Talk about a value bomb of a show right there. Outstanding quotes from this spectacularly useful podcast for me were: “Walk into the room where you spend most of your time during the day and ask yourself, what behaviours are obvious here? What is this space designed to encourage?” “How can I create an environment that will naturally bring about the change I’m looking for?” “Put yourself in a position to succeed.” And, boom!: “Time will magnify whatever you feed it.” I feel like if I just paid attention to those four quotes everything else would fall into place. Thank you, Tim and James, for such a generous share of your time.

[@MelanieSakowski]

Some important notes: A habit is easier to do if attached to my identity. A habit has to become established before it can be improved. “Decide the person you want to be, and prove it to yourself with small wins.” Accumulate actions that support your desired identity.

[@WilliamReynolds887]

IF YOU WANNA BE SUCCESSFUL, YOU MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR EMOTIONS, NOT PLACE THE BLAME ON OTHERS. IN ADDITION TO MAKING YOU FEEL MORE GUILTY ABOUT YOUR FAULTS, POINTING THE FINGER AT OTHERS WILL ONLY SERVE TO INCREASE YOUR SENSE OF PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY. THERE'S ALWAYS A RISK IN EVERY INVESTMENT, YET PEOPLE STILL INVEST AND SUCCEED. YOU MUST LOOK OUTWARD IF YOU WANNA BE SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE...

[@marcuswalkerjr.2756]

I'm 48 years old and living in California, I'm hoping to retire at 50 if things keep going well for me. Bought my first house last month and can't be more proud than am. I'm glad made great decisions about my finances that changed me forever but now I can't seem to make any other smart investment.

[@muhammad72673]

The first step to successful investing is figuring out your goals and risk tolerance either on your own or with the help of a financial professional but is very advisable you make use of a professional

[@Guillermo535]

the market is profiting if you are using a good broker or account manager to help out with trades or provide signals

[@oblinkso2317]

I'll recommend Expert Mrs. Pamela Weaver to you. She's the best I've seen. She trades my fx account and makes me good profits 📈weekly

[@mikaelrutherford1507]

So you guys know her too?... Wow, she made me have my own house and car. She is awesome✨⭐

[@jerryjb]

This conversation, like many of your podcasts, is pure gold. Also, I love the banter that comes up whenever Tim interviews another bald guy 😂

[@bryonjaffee2361]

James Clear's ability to retain must border the amazing, and then how his mind works off of that information/knowledge is Amazing.

[@yeshuamusic5102]

Anyone here who hasn't read Atomic Habits just do it. It does really live up to the hype. Excellent podcast!

[@mittstewart5089]

Atomic habits is a life-changing book. Thank you james thank you tim for the interview.

[@MartinKPettersson]

Atomic habits was such a eye opener for me. Happy to see him on the show :)

[@menlo7256]

yooo back to back best selling authors and brightest minds in the industry today! Tim's killing ittt. kudos to the team!

[@JaKi052]

Really great conversation - but Tim, my friend, you've gotta improve your mic situation! Your audio could be a lot more clear and less muffled/canny. Cheers :-)

[@NinaKatharinaWeber]

I thought the same while listening to it. The sound quality in previous podcasts was much better.

[@yanabalnikova4609]

This is an interview to be watched over and over again! Just packed, and I mean PACKED with useful information, systems, processes and other tips on productivity and habits! Deep thanks to both Tim and James for sharing all of this with us!

[@adrosant7326]

I read about this book on his preface for the book "ULTRALEARNING", awesome preface. Definitely this year I will read Atomic Habits too.

[@raymankhan4474]

I did my 30 mins work out today,, ALLRIIGHT,,, and right after that I injure my ankle, I went into a building moving fast as usual, and didn't pay attention to a sudden drop in the next room I entered, O BOY IT WAS A FALL. So pay attention to your movements not only to your habits, This podcast took me over the edge****LOL

[@SimVenture]

Atomic Habits is such a great book! Really great to hear more from James.

[@GreyzaP]

Love love love this! ❤️

[@ozzieperez297]

Thank u tim!! I appreciate your work so much. Don't stop please. I can't wait to meet you!

[@ginger6803]

packed with golden nuggets! thank you!

[@ConnorWidmaier]

Great recap of some timeless ideals! Thank you, Tim.

[@DavidRussellM]

Thank you two for this great conversation!

[@krisgilliland488]

Freaking amazing. Thank you for sharing your brilliance.

[@Scrollbandit_404]

This was a great discussion. Thank you!

[@augustehill]

Such great questions, love that they're process oriented! Thanks T & J!

[@TaylorThoughts]

Excellent discussion and helpful tips!

[@jeffjcd]

Gold! Two of my few mentors in one video. This is amazing!

[@SathishGajula]

I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. Gem of an episode!

[@chadwalkaden6375]

Hats off to you Tim! You are getting better with these. It really says something when the bar was already high.

[@marriageyoichihyuga]

This is so good! I love it. Thank you.

[@WilliamTheDestroyer.]

This book is one of my favs. I have a hardcover copy and the audio book.

[@Alinaslifeabroad]

Thank you for adding the chapters. Helpful.

[@eliseubarrosoo]

Amazing episode Tim!!!

[@thewisediaries]

I loved this. 💕💕💕💕

[@AbundantlyThinking]

Wow, so many great tips for other writers and authors. Definitely opened my eyes on better book launch practices. Being thoughtful instead of just spray and pray. Love it. Thanks for having James on your podcast. Even though it was long, it was jammed packed with thoughtful content.

[@md51236]

Two of my favorite mentors in dialog.

[@anthonybengston]

Awesome, love it! You both always do such a great job to help improve habits! Tim, have you tied coffee alternative Joe'y? Very good.

[@the_editing_oasis]

Clear and concise. Thanks for the detailed review, it gave me a lot of information to consider.. This video is very well-organized and easy to follow..

[@sayedabdullahsabab7056]

Love you guys!

[@cccforleaders]

Totally love this. Somewhere in the episode I think Tim mentions that someone has put together a list of questions by James, on a blog - any idea where I can get a hold of this. Thanks

[@twominutetips]

Excellent - thank you.

[@therealjohnnyb2151]

What are the odds....I dove back into Atomic Habits today, and boom....my boi Ferriss uploads a fresh interview with James Clear. I thought for sure it was a repurposed clip or something, but nope. Hot off the press. Thanks a ton for this serendipitous moment for me Tim.

[@jonyeazel]

Such a great insight on "The Blank of Blank" and pointing out the contrast that a few of those famous titles have. Another great interview Tim.

[@michaelvirahsawmy3969]

sooooooooo much gold man this one podcast could be a frekin book damn i have taken so many notes. i love it. thanks james and thanks tim.

[@MelanieSakowski]

45:14 I love how both Tim as well as Peter Attia zeroed in on this point about identity being critical for habit formation.

[@juanmanuelvasquez5146]

Two of my favorite authors/thinkers together. I always thought “When will Tim invite James Clear to the show”?. Here it is, and it doesn’t disappoint. Absolutely love it. Will always keep learning from them!! 🙏🏼

[@md51236]

They are also two of my favorites.

[@lewiswilliams1893]

This was like a productivity superhero crossover event.

[@LisaRothstein]

Great nuggets! I read Atomic Habits when it first came out and this was a great reminder and then some. Took tons of notes! The bit about creating assets that continue to work for you is genius and motivates me to stop putting off creating content. It’s also worth noting an email newsletter does not have to be long to be super valuable.

[@ssb26]

Wow.. this would be a blockbuster podcast.

[@pradippun5801]

Great episode tim

[@ovi9665]

Thanks ❤ uU tim ferriss and james.

[@yushauthuman2633]

Wuuu my favorite person on habbits💪💪💪, Thanks

[@haifabamehriz6620]

Loved loved loved, this interview, savored it.. I didn't even notice it was a three hour ling until Tim mentioned it ..

[@eliseubarrosoo]

Thanks for your great job

[@taylorjanegreen1]

Brilliant, beautiful, thank you.

[@StartupSpells]

ladies & gentlemen, we've got 2 tims ;)

[@sanketpaudel1239]

Inspiring!

[@mohammadfarzan230]

Thanks

[@deepjyotitalukdar3470]

Absolutely one of my favorite books really change my habbits style before also read a book name mini habbits by stephen guise

[@carsengobber5904]

Can’t wait for another year of podcasts

[@Mrjpleonardo]

I imagined this. And it came true. Two incredible guys. This is incredible.

[@AK_show]

Great Episode. Is the transcript in the Blog following?

[@SandraHippoLogic]

The part about the social groups/tribes is something I see all the time. I teach people to clicker train their horses, and many of them are held back because they board their horses in a traditional environment (where coercion of the horse is their go-to training method). It's really hard to develop a new (horse training method)skill when the environment is unsupportive and have snarly remarks. It breaks my heart, because it's already uncomfortable to get out of your comfort zone and teach yourself a new habit (a new way of approaching your horse) and then are among others are smacking to smack you right 'back into your lane'. Holding space for equine clicker trainers is my way of creating a supportive environment to help them feel safe and make them comfortable. But as you point out, James Clear: it's often underestimated! Thank you for this interview Tim Ferris, it has so many gems in it!

[@randymilmeister-realtorprobate]

Tidal wave of prior effort . Thanks guys

[@randymilmeister-realtorprobate]

Thanks @PatrickFerry

[@cat.batshon]

I like the segment at 39:30

[@raymankhan4474]

Master the habit of showing up, something I will start to get better by building my Gym routine,

[@lewiswilliams1893]

Great episode. I also bought James Clear's habits academy course. A bargain for a lifetime license. Re the brownies, one thing I wished Tim would have asked was how important is it to tame the desire vs simply achieve the goal. Willpower is finite so I am guessing it matters more to do whatever works. Who cares if you're "cheating" by avoiding the triggers?

[@hiddenbyfog3084]

It’s better to achieve the goal. The goal itself can be gaining more willpower. Work smarter not harder would also imply this. It’s not cheating by avoiding the triggers it’s an aware and strategic choice. Nothing has to be done by willpower alone! Use all your tools to achieve your goal.

[@garry_taylor]

This needed to be 4 hours long. Still lots of untouched topics

[@jamesrussell1495]

I've always thought James Clear is Tim's voice twin and now here they are together!

[@pauljamesharper]

I had trouble telling them apart too. Although in my case it is probably reduced hearing due to gunfire and heavy metal music!

[@NicholasinUSA]

There were some very practical things shared in this interview, and some ideas I would like to implement. However, as a whole I found this interview a little more dry than others perhaps because there weren't as many personal things shared by the person being interviewed which made it a little less interesting. Yet, still worth the listen.

[@brightbeatle6287]

Meditation is a must

[@hiddenbyfog3084]

Ive got 4 pages of notes…front and back. This interview was loaded

[@thepuma77]

55:25 where can I find this compilation of questions blog post?

[@fukpolitics]

why is the audio bad in this episode? sounds like it was recorded off the AirPods and not the mic he was holding...

[@MrWompz]

Lol, you two are twins!! Great episode!!! Also, Tim’s audio sounded like he was trapped in a wall. It was kind of hard to follow at times in the car. Nonetheless, great work!! 😊

[@literallyfunnyv2.053]

Love these twins

[@aname206]

early candidate for podcast episode of the year.

[@erikhiser6600]

Thanks for the title cards when each of you were speaking prior to the video starting, and not doing a lot of processing on Tims voice -- the timbre of both of your voices is so similar, that it would have been impossible to tell the difference otherwise.

[@misterhanwee1030]

Finally...

[@chasemetzger8696]

What happened to your audio, Tim? Sounds a bit off in the Overcast iOS app. Still excellent content, of course. 👌👌

[@DE8508clip]

Thank you tim! Please do one on your single life vs girlfriend life

[@WilliamJonesChess]

Top Moment of this video James Clear Millions of copies titles spreadsheets 1:24:50 I have a spreadsheet with hundreds of titles. The way I looked at this was I was going to look at titles that sold only 1,000,000 copies or more. Funny 1:25:29 when an author hits a million copies or more, they let you know. Patterns 1:25:56 Then I looked for patterns. There are 6 patterns. Here is one. The ‘blank’ of ‘blank’. They take a topic, take a description. Combine things that are not normally combined. The life changing magic of tidying up. The power of now. The subtle art of not giving a fuck. The war of art. The psychology of money. 1:26:19 [idea for me = these can be titles for KZbin videos] They take a topic. They take a descriptor. Combine 2 things that are normally not combined. 1:27:15 Another great one is you take a descriptor and put that before a topic. I did this for ‘atomic habits’. Extreme ownership. Deep work. It is not normal kind of work u are doing. Then you decide which is a great fit for my book / KZbin video. 1:29:00 it needs to be compelling. A bit different. No-one was using this phrase atomic habits before this book came out. Tim F: if it had been good habits, you would be competing with the entire internet. JC: You want a phrase that you own. There is a contrast between ‘atomic’ and ‘habits’. Atomic Meaning behind his title 1:28:19 atomic has multiple meanings. It is small. It is part of a bigger system. It can be a source of immense power. 1:29:29 lots of people make this mistake. They use a commonly used phrase. Remarkable 1:30:45 one vital thing is it needs to be remembered. If people can’t remember the title, then it is hard to remark on it.

[@ma.katrinaandreahernandez432]

Hi! Where can i find the full list of his annual review questions? 🥺

[@carsengobber5904]

Two popular writers in a row. Nice

[@Mirzadanis]

Tim Please invest in your mic (just recommending)

[@BrianDeCosta]

Team Asana ftw

[@jomjomjom333]

Just me or Tim & James sound super similar. Great episode with these Heavyweights. Make James a Regular and do the Tim & Jim Show lol

[@LRG53]

@2:12:00

[@cantbendknee]

Dr. Tim Spector waxes lyrical about the health benefits of coffee. I think I'll stick with it for now.

[@romansoehuazelei1925]

The first one to watch.

[@LRG53]

@2:06:00

[@SaksharThakkar]

This video is useful even though there’s no video in this, because of same voices of interviewer and interviewee.

[@spiritual_home_for_artists]

If you have a good emotions attached to something you wanna do it again if you have bad emotions attached to something you would want to do it again😊

[@levmarkelov]

how does this work for people with ADHD? Do these principles still work?

[@noshinnawal1904]

2:06:00

[@MelanieSakowski]

59:39 re: breaking a bad habit: I believe another way is to embrace the undesirable habit, accept it. Observe it. Inquire about it. “I do not let things go, I meet them with understanding, and then they let go of me.” - Byron Katie

[@alexb904]

Underrated commend. Thank you

[@MelanieSakowski]

@@alexb904 big love, thank you ❤️

[@carliduncan6408]

I think Atomic Habits would be a good book for top horse trainers for several reasons…

[@miguelguerrero7944]

2:04:44