James Clear Quotes

A strategy for thinking clearly: Rather than trying to be right, assume you are wrong and try to be less wrong.

Trying to be right has a tendency to devolve into protecting your beliefs.

Trying to be less wrong has a tendency to prompt more questions and intellectual humility.

Things that keep talented people from fulfilling their potential:

• Trying to please everyone
• Imitating the desires of others
• Chasing status without questioning why
• Playing superhero and trying to do it all alone
• Dividing attention between too many projects

Which one is most likely to pull you in?

Research widely, select carefully.

Broad funnel, tight filter.

You don't need a better computer to become a writer.

You don't need a better guitar to become a musician.

You don't need a better camera to become a photographer.

What you need is to get to work.

Most things are not as difficult as they seem—if you focus each day.

However, giving one topic your full attention for an extended period of time is even harder than it seems.

Over a long timeline, the bottleneck is usually attention not ability.

10-year dreams. 5-minute actions.

Where do I want to be in 10 years?

What can I do in the next 5 minutes to contribute to that outcome?

If your past achievements didn't make you meaningfully happier, don't expect your future achievements to make you happier.

Remember that thing you so badly wanted? If getting it didn't meaningfully change your long-term happiness, then you shouldn't expect the thing you want right now to change your long-term happiness either.

You are roughly as happy as you decide to be today. And some day, years from now, after you accomplish the thing you've been striving for, you'll have to decide to be happy on that day too.

You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.

Your goal is your desired outcome. Your system is the collection of daily habits that will get you there.

This year, spend less time focusing on outcomes and more time focusing on the habits that precede the results.

The ultimate form of optimization is elimination.

Nothing is more effective than removing the ineffective.

You can be authentic and hardworking and still struggle to find your footing if you're in the wrong environment.

• A fun person trapped in the wrong city.
• A loving partner in a relationship that won't reciprocate.
• A great entrepreneur stuck in the wrong business.

Think about your placement as much as your performance. Plant yourself where you can thrive.

Reading is like a software update for your brain.

Whenever you learn a new concept or idea, the 'software' improves. You download new features and fix old bugs.

In this way, reading a good book can give you a new way to view your life experiences. Your past is fixed, but your interpretation of it can change depending on the software you use to analyze it.

Two of the key questions in life: How do I grow? How do I manage risk?

You need to do both if you wish to survive and excel.

It's easy to assume that getting rich in money will also mean you are rich in time, but it is often the case that when you earn more money, you end up with less time and more responsibilities.

Being rich is nice, but what you really want to optimize for is
(1) an income that exceeds your spending by a healthy margin and
(2) a lifestyle that is free from rushing.

Two is twice as good as one, but one is infinitely better than zero.

• One minute of making sales calls is infinitely better than zero minutes.
• One minute of meditation is infinitely better than zero minutes.
• One minute of writing is infinitely better than zero minutes.

Sure, it might be ideal to spend an hour doing these things, but one minute gets you in the game. Now you're learning. Now you're improving. Now results are possible. One doesn't seem like much, but it's something real. At zero, you're still dreaming.

You have to run your own race. Problems begin the moment you start comparing your results to someone who is playing under different conditions.

• The 40-year-old entrepreneur with three kids has different constraints than the single 27-year-old.
• A painter with 20 years of practice shouldn't be the benchmark for someone in year two.
• Someone caring for aging parents is not in the same position as someone with no obligations outside work.

Play your own game. Emphasize gradual progress and keep the comparison internal. Are you getting a little better today?