How To

Get 1% Better
Every Day
James Clear • jamesclear.com
My story.
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I had to
start small.
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Success is the product of daily
habits, not once-in-a-lifetime
transformations.

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British The story of

Cycling
Dave Brailsford

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“The aggregation of
marginal gains.”

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Excellence is not about radical
changes, but about accruing
small improvements over time.

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 Improvement or decline
365

The Power
days
1.01 = 37.78
1% better every day

of Tiny Gains

365
days
0.99 = 0.03 1 Year

1% worse every day

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Habits are the compound interest
of self-improvement.

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If you’re struggling to improve,
the problem isn’t you.
The problem is your system.

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You do not rise to the
level of your goals.

You fall to the

level of your systems.

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The goal had always been there.
It was the system that changed.

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Failure happens when people try
to change their goals without
changing their system.

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It’s about alignment between
your desired outcome and
your daily habits.

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What
is a
habit?
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“I don’t like the way you look…”

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● Nurses
● Military analysts
● Museum curators
● Doctors
● Hairdressers
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Habits allow you to solve the
problems of life with less energy
and effort.

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How to
change a
habit.
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There are four stages to
habit formation.

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 THE FOUR STAGES OF HABIT

1. CUE •

2. CRAVING •

3. RESPONSE •

4. REWARD •
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 THE FOUR STAGES OF HABIT

1. CUE • A trigger that tells your brain

to initiate a habit.

2. CRAVING •

3. RESPONSE •

4. REWARD •
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 THE FOUR STAGES OF HABIT

1. CUE • A trigger that tells your brain

to initiate a habit.

2. CRAVING • The prediction that compels

you to act.

3. RESPONSE •

4. REWARD •
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 THE FOUR STAGES OF HABIT

1. CUE • A trigger that tells your brain

to initiate a habit.

2. CRAVING • The prediction that compels

you to act.

3. RESPONSE • The actual habit you perform.

4. REWARD •
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 THE FOUR STAGES OF HABIT

1. CUE • A trigger that tells your brain

to initiate a habit.

2. CRAVING • The prediction that compels

you to act.

3. RESPONSE • The actual habit you perform.

The result that satisfies your

4. REWARD • craving.

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By looking at a habit in this way,
we can create a rule for each step
that will help us create and
change habits.

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 THE FOUR LAWS OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE

1. CUE • Law 1: Make it obvious.

2. CRAVING • Law 2: Make it attractive.

3. RESPONSE • Law 3: Make it easy.

4. REWARD • Law 4. Make it satisfying.

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 THE FOUR LAWS OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE

1. CUE • Law 1: Make it obvious.

2. CRAVING • Law 2: Make it attractive.

3. RESPONSE • Law 3: Make it easy.

4. REWARD • Law 4. Make it satisfying.

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LAW 1 : MAKE IT OBVIOUS

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 LAW 1 : MAKE IT OBVIOUS

Human behaviors are often tied

to one another.

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 LAW 1 : MAKE IT OBVIOUS

• Created by Stanford professor BJ Fogg

• You can layer your desired habit on top of

Habit a current habit to create a “habit stack.”

• You are choosing a cue for your new
Stacking habit.
• Cues should be specific and immediately
actionable.

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 LAW 1 : MAKE IT OBVIOUS

"After I [CURRENT HABIT],

I will [NEW HABIT]."

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 LAW 1 : MAKE IT OBVIOUS

• Meditation. After I brew my morning coffee, I will

meditate for one minute.
• Exercise. After I get home from work, I will

Habit
immediately change into my workout clothes.
• Gratitude. After I sit down to dinner, I will say one

Stacking •
thing I’m grateful happened today.
Decluttering. After I take my shoes off at night, I will
organize one item in my room.
• Sales. After I sit down at my desk from lunch, I will
send one email to a potential client.

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 LAW 1 : MAKE IT OBVIOUS

• After I pour my morning cup of coffee, I

will meditate for sixty seconds.
Chaining • After I meditate for sixty seconds, I will
Your Habit write my to-do list for the day.

Stacks • After I write my to-do list for the day, I

will select the most important task to
do first.

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 LAW 1 : MAKE IT OBVIOUS

• When I see a set of stairs, I will take

them instead of using the elevator.

Habit • When I see my water bottle is half

empty, I will fill it back up.
Stacking • When I feel stressed or anxious at work,
I will close my eyes and take five deep
breaths.

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 LAW 1 : MAKE IT OBVIOUS

Explicitly state when and where

you will implement your habits.

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 LAW 1 : MAKE IT OBVIOUS

Implementation Intentions:
“Track how often you exercise…”

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 LAW 1 : MAKE IT OBVIOUS

During the next week, I will

partake in at least 20 minutes of
vigorous exercise on [DAY] at
[TIME OF DAY] at/in [PLACE].

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 LAW 1 : MAKE IT OBVIOUS

Percentage of Participants Who Exercised at Least 1x/week

100

80

60

40

38% 35% 91%

20
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3
(control) (motivation) (intention)

Source: British Journal of Health Psychology jamesclear.com

 LAW 1 : MAKE IT OBVIOUS

Know what you're going to work

on, when you're going to work on
it, and where you're going to
work on it.

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 LAW 1 : MAKE IT OBVIOUS

Many people think they lack

motivation when what they really
lack is clarity.

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 THE FOUR LAWS OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE

1. CUE • Law 1: Make it obvious.

2. CRAVING • Law 2: Make it attractive.

3. RESPONSE • Law 3: Make it easy.

4. REWARD • Law 4. Make it satisfying.

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 LAW 2 : MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE

Mass.
General Environment
Design

Hospital
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 LAW 2 : MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE

Source: American Journal of Public Health (April 2012) jamesclear.com

 LAW 2 : MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE

Source: American Journal of Public Health (April 2012) jamesclear.com

 LAW 2 : MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE

People drank 25% more water

and 11% less soda.

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 LAW 2 : MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE

One of the most overlooked drivers

of your habits is your physical
environment. We often want
things simply because we are
presented with them.
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 LAW 2 : MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE

Walk into any living room.

Where do all the couches and

chairs face?

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 LAW 2 : MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE

• Want to practice guitar more

frequently? Place your guitar stand in
Design the middle of your living room.
• Want to read more? Put a book on top
Your of your pillow when you make your bed
Space each morning.
• Want to eat more fruit? Make it
obvious in your kitchen.

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 LAW 2 : MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE

I have never seen a person

consistently stick to positive habits
in a negative environment.

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 LAW 2 : MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE

A well-designed environment can

even lock in your future behavior.

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LAW 2 : MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE

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 LAW 2 : MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE

• Ask to have half of a meal boxed up

before you are served.
• Charge your phone in any room other
Commitment than your bedroom.

Devices • Lock in savings by setting up an

automatic deposit each month.
• Prep a bunch of meals for the week
on Sunday.

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 LAW 2 : MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE

Or, consider my social media

strategy.

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 LAW 2 : MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE

The ultimate determinant of

attractiveness is the social
environment.

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 LAW 2 : MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE

Join a group where your desired

behavior is the normal behavior.

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 THE FOUR LAWS OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE

1. CUE • Law 1: Make it obvious.

2. CRAVING • Law 2: Make it attractive.

3. RESPONSE • Law 3: Make it easy.

4. REWARD • Law 4. Make it satisfying.

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LAW 3 : MAKE IT EASY

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 LAW 3 : MAKE IT EASY

“I begin each day of my life with a ritual; I wake up at 5:30 A.M., put on my workout
clothes, my leg warmers, my sweatshirts, and my hat. I walk outside my
Manhattan home, hail a taxi, and tell the driver to take me to the Pumping Iron
gym at 91st street and First Avenue, where I workout for two hours.

The ritual is not the stretching and weight training I put my body through each
morning at the gym; the ritual is the cab. The moment I tell the driver where to go
I have completed the ritual.

It’s a simple act, but doing it the same way each morning habitualizes it—makes it
repeatable, easy to do. It reduces the chance that I would skip it or do it differently.
It is one more item in my arsenal of routines, and one less thing to think about.”

-Twyla Tharp

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 LAW 3 : MAKE IT EASY

Each morning, there is a moment

that determines the rest of my
day.

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 LAW 3 : MAKE IT EASY

Your habits often act as an

entrance ramp to bigger routines.

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 LAW 3 : MAKE IT EASY

The
Two-Minute
Rule.
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 LAW 3 : MAKE IT EASY

Make it as easy as possible to start.

When you start a new habit,
it should take less than two
minutes to do.

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 LAW 3 : MAKE IT EASY

A habit must be established before

it can be improved.

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 THE FOUR LAWS OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE

1. CUE • Law 1: Make it obvious.

2. CRAVING • Law 2: Make it attractive.

3. RESPONSE • Law 3: Make it easy.

4. REWARD • Law 4. Make it satisfying.

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 LAW 4 : MAKE IT SATISFYING

The only reason we repeat behaviors

is because we like them.

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 LAW 4 : MAKE IT SATISFYING

The
Paper Clip
Strategy. The story of
Trent Dyrsmid
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 LAW 4 : MAKE IT SATISFYING

“Every morning I would start with 120

paper clips in one jar and I would keep
dialing the phone until I had moved
them all to the second jar.”

- Trent Dyrsmid
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 LAW 4 : MAKE IT SATISFYING

Progress is more satisfying

when you can see it.

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 LAW 4 : MAKE IT SATISFYING

Don’t
break the
chain.
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LAW 4 : MAKE IT SATISFYING

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 LAW 4 : MAKE IT SATISFYING

Never
miss
twice.
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 LAW 4 : MAKE IT SATISFYING

Here’s the key: track the right thing.

The pace of feedback matters.

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 THE FOUR LAWS OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE

1. CUE • Law 1: Make it obvious.

2. CRAVING • Law 2: Make it attractive.

3. RESPONSE • Law 3: Make it easy.

4. REWARD • Law 4. Make it satisfying.

jamesclear.com
The Book
• New York Times bestseller

• Wall Street Journal bestseller

• Audible bestseller

• 4.9/5 stars on Amazon

• Goodreads Finalist for “Best Nonfiction Book of the Year”

atomichabits.com

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Q.

How long do I have to do

this stuff?
How long does it take to
build a new habit?

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 A.

A habit is not a finish line

to be crossed.
It is a lifestyle to be lived.

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Here’s the secret to this talk: It’s
not just about small changes.
It’s about believing something
new about yourself.

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Identity-
Based
Habits.
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True behavior change is
identity change.

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 LAW 2 : MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE

• The goal is not to read a book, the

Being It goal is to become a reader.

vs. • The goal is not to run a marathon, the

goal is to become a runner.
Doing It • The goal is not to write a book, the
goal is to become a writer.

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Every action you take is a vote for
the type of person you wish to
become.

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How can you get 1% better today?

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Keynote Follow-Up

Q&A

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How to
change your
habits.
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It is much more important to
work on the right habit than it is
to work really hard.

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How to choose the right habit
for you.

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jamesclear.com
Pointing-and-Calling reduces
errors by up to 85 percent and
cuts accidents by 30 percent.

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 WORKSHOP

The Habits
• Starting from the time you wake up until the time
you go to lunch, write down each habit you perform.

Scorecard • Then, assign a score to each habit as positive (+),

negative (-), or neutral (=)

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 WORKSHOP

• Wake up
• Turn off alarm
• Check my phone
• Go to the bathroom
Examples • Turn on the shower
• Weigh myself
• Take a shower
• Dry off
• etc...

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 WORKSHOP

• Wake up =
• Turn off alarm =
• Check my phone -
• Go to the bathroom =
Examples • Turn on the shower =
• Weigh myself +
• Take a shower +
• Dry off =
• etc...

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 EXERCISE

Create your Habits Scorecard.

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Most people start with outcomes.
We’ll start with identity.

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Who is the type of person that can
achieve the outcomes I want?

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Every action you take is a vote for
the type of person you wish to
become.

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 WORKSHOP

"If I want [OUTCOME],

I should be [IDENTITY]."

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 WORKSHOP

• Writing. If I want to write a book, I should be the

type of person who writes every day.

Identity- • Weight loss. If I want to lose weight, I should be the

type of person who cooks dinner rather than eating
Based out.
• Decluttering. If I want a tidy home, I should be the
Habits type of person who cleans the dishes each night.
• Sales. If I want to double my income, I should be the
type of person who makes sales calls every day.

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It’s about alignment between
your desired outcome and
your daily habits.

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“What would a healthy person
do?”

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“”
“Who do I need to be right now?”
-Adam Robinson

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 EXERCISE

Write your identity-based habit.

"If I want [OUTCOME],

I should be [IDENTITY]."

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 WORKSHOP

The
Two-Minute
Rule.
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 WORKSHOP

Make it as easy as possible to start.

When you start a new habit,
it should take less than two
minutes to do.

jamesclear.com
 WORKSHOP

• Read 30 books becomes “Read 1

page.”
Two-Minute • Do yoga 4 days per week becomes

Habits •
“Take out my yoga mat.”
Write a book becomes “Write on
sentence.”

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 EXERCISE

Write down a two-minute version

of your habit.

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 WORKSHOP

Habit
Stacking.
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 WORKSHOP

• You can layer your desired habit on top of

a current habit to create a “habit stack.”
Habit • You are choosing a cue for your new
Stacking habit.
• Cues should be specific and immediately
actionable.

jamesclear.com
 WORKSHOP

"After I [CURRENT HABIT],

I will [NEW HABIT]."

jamesclear.com
 WORKSHOP

• Meditation. After I brew my morning coffee, I will

meditate for one minute.
• Exercise. After I get home from work, I will

Habit
immediately change into my workout clothes.
• Gratitude. After I sit down to dinner, I will say one

Stacking •
thing I’m grateful happened today.
Decluttering. After I take my shoes off at night, I will
organize one item in my room.
• Sales. After I sit down at my desk from lunch, I will
send one email to a potential client.

jamesclear.com
 WORKSHOP

• When I see a set of stairs, I will take

them instead of using the elevator.
• After I turn on the shower, I will do five
burpees.
Examples • When I see my water bottle is half
empty, I will fill it back up.
• When I feel stressed or anxious at work,
I will close my eyes and take five deep
breaths.

jamesclear.com
 WORKSHOP

• After I get in bed for the night, I will

think of one positive thing that
happened today.
More • After I get in my car, I will take three
examples deep breaths.
• After I get home from my violin lesson,
I will put my violin on a stand in the
middle of the living room.

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 WORKSHOP

Specificity is key.

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 WORKSHOP

• After I pour my morning cup of coffee, I

will meditate for sixty seconds.
Chaining • After I meditate for sixty seconds, I will
Your Habit write my to-do list for the day.

Stacks • After I write my to-do list for the day, I

will select the most important task to
do first.

jamesclear.com
 EXERCISE

Write your habit stack.

"After I [CURRENT HABIT],

I will [NEW HABIT]."

jamesclear.com
 WORKSHOP

Implementation
Intentions.
jamesclear.com
 WORKSHOP

Explicitly state when and where

you will implement your habits.

jamesclear.com
 WORKSHOP

"I will [BEHAVIOR] at

[TIME] in [LOCATION]."

jamesclear.com
 WORKSHOP

Write your implementation

intention.

"I will [BEHAVIOR] at

[TIME] in [LOCATION]."
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 WORKSHOP

Temptation
Bundling.
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Temptation bundling suggest
you pair a habit you need to do
with something you want to do.

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 WORKSHOP

“I will only [HABIT I WANT]

when I [HABIT I NEED].”

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 WORKSHOP

• I will only watch TV when I fold the

laundry.
Temptation • I will only get a pedicure when I

Bundling •
process overdue work emails.
I will only watch reality TV when I am
on the elliptical.

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 EXERCISE

Create your temptation bundle.

“I will only [HABIT I WANT]

when I [HABIT I NEED].”

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 WORKSHOP

Habit
Tracking.
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 WORKSHOP

Progress is more satisfying

when you can see it.

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WORKSHOP

jamesclear.com
 WORKSHOP

Don’t
break the
chain.
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 WORKSHOP

Never
miss
twice.
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You can make tracking the final
step in your habit stack.

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 WORKSHOP

• Sales. After I hang up from my first sales call of the

Tracking day, I will check it off on my tracker.

+ • Exercise. After I finish each workout set, I will record

it in my workout journal.

Stacking • Nutrition. After I put my plate in the dishwasher, I

will write down what I ate in my food journal.

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 EXERCISE

Fill out your habit tracker.

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Success is the product of daily
habits, not once-in-a-lifetime
transformations.

jamesclear.com
The Book
• New York Times bestseller

• Wall Street Journal bestseller

• Audible bestseller

• 4.9/5 stars on Amazon

• Goodreads Finalist for “Best Nonfiction Book of the Year”

atomichabits.com

jamesclear.com