Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This book was a disappointment. Most of the ideas presented have already been covered by other authors, in greater depth and with more skill. Many statements in the book need to be examined and challenged. For example, "Behavior that is incongruent with the self will not last." One characteristic of addictions is that they persist even though they are incongruent with the self. The author states, "Your behaviors are usually a reflection of your identity." This seems like a very unscientific statement that ignores the many other factors that make us do what we do. Clear continues, "The person who incorporates exercise into their identity doesn't have to convince themselves to train. Doing the right thing is easy." These statements early on in the book make the reader suspect that this author doesn't have a nuanced grasp of the human mind and human behavior. Doing the right thing is NOT easy, because we are biologically programmed to do the EASY thing, not the "right" thing. This fundamental concept is explained clearly by Stanford psychologist Kelly McGonigal in The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It. McGonigal's book is much better than this one in its organization, depth, empirical basis, and practical applications. The author proposes four brandable rules of habits---ideas that are marketable as his personal brand, without being well thought out. The book is a sort of pastiche of other authors' work, skimmed off the top and lacking a real understanding of those authors. I don't mean to say that there are no useful ideas in the book; that would be unfair. But my motivation to contemplate the useful ideas was undermined by the great number of statements that are untested, unexamined by the author, or just plain false in the light of scientific evidence. That's odd, because he markets his philosophy as science based. It's unclear from his biography how James Clear came to be regarded as a habit guru, other than through skillful self-promotion. He often refers to his identity as a writer, but I think he is more of a marketer than writer. If you really want to understand why it's so hard to develop consistent good habits and how you can overcome the natural human resistance to good habits, start with McGonigal's The Willpower Instinct. You will find out why her courses at Stanford are mobbed.