James Clear Quotes

You get what you repeat.

If you haven't started, then taking action is more important than finding a better strategy.

If you're already taking action, then ensuring you're working on the right thing is more important than working harder.

Your effort sets your floor. Your strategy sets your ceiling.

Instead, “disciplined” people are better at structuring their lives in a way that does not require heroic willpower and self-control.

The greatest threat to success is not failure, but boredom. We get bored with habits because they stop delighting us. The outcome becomes expected. And as our habits become ordinary, we start derailing our progress to seek novelty. Perhaps this is why we get caught up in a never-ending cycle, jumping from one workout to the next, one diet to the next, one business idea to the next. As soon as we experience the slightest dip in motivation, we begin seeking a new strategy — even if the old one was still working. As Machiavelli noted, “Men desire novelty to such an extent that those who are doing well wish for a change as much as those who are doing badly.

A simple rule for life and work:

Don't rush, but don't wait.

Thoughtful action.

It is the anticipation of a reward — not the fulfillment of it — that gets us to take action. The greater the anticipation, the greater the dopamine spike.

If two people have the same goal, you know nothing about the similarity of their results. But if two people have the same daily habits, you can infer quite a bit about the similarity of their results. Your results are largely a byproduct of your habits.

The obvious way to buy back your time is to pay someone to do something for you. Pay the mechanic to change your oil or a dry cleaner to press your suit.

The less obvious way to buy back your time is to say no. Passing on a promotion might “buy” you more time with family. Declining the dinner invite might “pay” for the time you need to exercise. We buy back our time not only with the money we spend, but also with the opportunities we decline.

The more clearly you know how you want to spend your days, the easier it becomes to say no to the requests that steal your hours.

Friendship happens on the way to something else.

If you “try to meet new people” it feels weird and forced. The more you aim for friendship, the more it eludes you.

But if you aim to learn or achieve something with others, friendship happens naturally during the shared pursuit.

Amazing social skills are a superpower.

The ability to deliver bad news in a good way is a superpower.

The ability to de-escalate a tense situation into a calm one is a superpower.

The ability to transform a lose/win situation into a win/win situation is a superpower.

It is not too late to do what you want to do—if you stop waiting for the time to be right.

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.

Knowledge is the compound interest of curiosity.

Environment design allows you to take back control and become the architect of your life. Be the designer of your world and not merely the consumer of it.

What you push down doesn't vanish. It festers and wields quiet power over your thoughts and actions.

What needs to be addressed that isn't currently being addressed?