James Clear

Author of the #1 NYT bestseller Atomic Habits ( I write about building good habits. Over 3 million people read my 3-2-1 newsletter.

[James Clear @JamesClear]

My top 10 tweets of the year

A thread 👇

[James Clear @JamesClear]

If you want to avoid criticism, create less.

If you want to avoid irrelevance, create more.

[James Clear @JamesClear]

This idea is from today's edition of my 3-2-1 Thursday newsletter.

Each one features⁠ 3 short ideas from me, 2 quotes from others⁠, and 1 question for you to ponder⁠.

You can see more of today's newsletter (and sign up to get it in your inbox) at https://t.co/lTqhlGhlpU

[James Clear @JamesClear]

When choosing a new habit many people seem to ask themselves, "What can I do on my best days?"

The trick is to ask, "What can I stick to even on my worst days?"

Start small. Master the art of showing up. Scale up when you have the time, energy, and interest.

[James Clear @JamesClear]

When you need clarity, subtract.

[James Clear @JamesClear]

The loser has more in common with the winner than with the person sitting on the sidelines.

The winner and the loser each had the courage to try. Both risked embarrassment. Both were willing to face uncertainty. Both were stubborn enough to continue.

Success is endurance in disguise. It belongs to the person who can absorb the losses without absorbing the identity of "loser." It's the courage to start — and to stick with it — that is the real separator. Results tend to find the person who stays in the game.

The sidelines are safe, but sterile. Nothing grows there.

[James Clear @JamesClear]

A Monday morning question for you:

Timing influences communication.

Talk about potential mistakes before they happen and people start looking for ways to prevent them.

Talk about actual mistakes after they happen and people start looking for reasons to defend their actions.

What do we need to be talking about now, so we can learn the lessons before we need them?

[James Clear @JamesClear]

This idea is from today's edition of my 3-2-1 Thursday newsletter.

Each one features⁠ 3 short ideas from me, 2 quotes from others⁠, and 1 question for you to ponder⁠.

You can see more of today's newsletter (and sign up to get it in your inbox) at https://t.co/lTqhlGhlpU

[James Clear @JamesClear]

Winning isn't what makes you feel good. Growth makes you feel good.

Sometimes they are the same thing. When you achieve something for the first time, it's growth. You've reached a new level. The win feels satisfying. But when you do it for the tenth time (or the hundredth time), it can feel stale. You're still winning, but you're not necessarily growing.

The secret is not to worry about winning, but rather to focus on growing. And the most straightforward way to grow is to learn something. If you're ever feeling stuck, go learn something new. Read, write, think, learn, repeat.

When you're learning, you're growing.

[James Clear @JamesClear]

There is always more than one way to do something. Write down as many ways as you can think of to achieve your desired outcome. Then, rank them based on how much time they take, how much money they cost, and how effective you expect them to be. Choose the best.

[James Clear @JamesClear]

Beware the student of one teacher. A good idea spirals into dogma when it gets applied to everything and stretched beyond the areas where it is useful. Remain open and embrace a lot of teachers.

[James Clear @JamesClear]

A Monday morning question for you:

What unfinished task is still hogging your mental real estate and needs to be let go?

[James Clear @JamesClear]

A simple rule that makes life easier:

Always strive to give value before you ask for value.

[James Clear @JamesClear]

This idea is from today's edition of my 3-2-1 Thursday newsletter.⁠
⁠
Each one features⁠ 3 short ideas from me, 2 quotes from others⁠, and 1 question for you to ponder⁠.⁠
⁠
You can see more of today's newsletter (and sign up to get it in your inbox) at https://t.co/M9D18k526a

[James Clear @JamesClear]

Opportunities shrink or expand in proportion to your enthusiasm.

[James Clear @JamesClear]

It doesn’t make sense to continue wanting something if you’re not willing to do what it takes to get it.

If you don’t want to live the lifestyle, then release yourself from the desire. To crave the result but not the process, is to guarantee disappointment.

[James Clear @JamesClear]

Education teaches you to analyze. Entrepreneurship teaches you to create.

The educated mindset is great at dissecting and criticizing. What did Shakespeare mean here? What were the major forces of this historical period? What is the limiting reagent in this chemical reaction?

The entrepreneurial mindset is great at building and improving. Design a better product. Craft a new marketing plan. Stop talking about what's wrong and make something better.

The trick is to keep learning, but to never lose your ability to build.

[James Clear @JamesClear]

A Monday morning question for you:

I'm not usually awake from 5am to 6am, but when I am I tend to enjoy it. Start the day slow. Watch the sunrise. Get a few things done before everyone else wakes up.

Meanwhile, I am often awake from 10pm to 11pm and I find that I tend to use it poorly. Passively watching TV or scrolling on a screen. Late-night snacking. Generally focusing on things that are fairly unimportant.

Trading the last hour of the night for the first hour in the morning would be a pretty high-value trade for me.

Which hours of your day tend to return the most value and which ones tend to return the least?

[James Clear @JamesClear]

You can cold email nearly anyone, but nearly everyone overlooks how powerful it can be.

Sending one email each week that feels like a stretch can change your life. Will you get turned down? Sure, most of the time. But you only need one to pay off for something amazing to happen.

Take your time, write a thoughtful message, and muster the courage to press Send.

[James Clear @JamesClear]

This idea is from today's edition of my 3-2-1 Thursday newsletter.

Each one features⁠ 3 short ideas from me, 2 quotes from others⁠, and 1 question for you to ponder⁠.

You can see more of today's newsletter (and sign up to get it in your inbox) at https://t.co/M9D18k526a

[James Clear @JamesClear]

Long-term thinking changes short-term actions. Spend a little time today doing things that will benefit you in ten years.