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JAMES CLEAR
IDEAS THAT NEVER EXPIRE.
Best Articles
This page shares my best articles to read on topics like health, happiness, creativity, productivity and more. The central question that drives my work is, “How can we live better?” To answer that question, I like to write about science-based ways to solve practical problems.
You’ll find interesting articles to read on topics like how to stop procrastinating as well as personal recommendations like my list of the best books to read and my minimalist travel guide. Ready to dive in? You can use the categories below to browse my best articles or scroll down to see every post by date and title.
Best Articles by Category
Better Habits
Behavioral Psychology
Habits
Motivation
Procrastination
Optimal Health
Better Sleep
Eating Healthy
Strength Training
Better Thinking
Creativity
Decision Making
Focus
Mental Toughness
Lifelong Learning
Life Lessons
Reading List
Self-Improvement
Better Performance
Constant Improvement
Deliberate Practice
Goal Setting
Productivity
James Clear
About James
Annual Reviews
Integrity Reports
All Articles by Date
Scroll down to browse all of my articles by date and title. Articles are listed in reverse chronological order with my newest articles at the top and my oldest essays at the bottom.
2020
January 6
My 2019 Annual Review
2019
October 15
Happy 1st Birthday, Atomic Habits! (plus 3 gifts for you…)
March 26
The Ultimate Productivity Hack is Saying No
January 21
30 One-Sentence Stories From People Who Have Built Better Habits
January 14
The Ultimate Habit Tracker Guide: Why and How to Track Your Habits
January 7
The Surprising Benefits of Journaling One Sentence Every Day
2018
December 31
My 2018 Annual Review
October 18
How to Make Your Future Habits Easy
October 15
The Habits Scorecard: Use This Simple Exercise to Discover Which Habits You Should Change
October 8
When the 80/20 Rule Fails: The Downside of Being Effective
October 1
How to Automate a Habit and Never Think About It Again
September 17
Absolute Success is Luck. Relative Success is Hard Work.
September 10
Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds
September 3
7 Ways to Retain More of Every Book You Read
August 7
Introducing Atomic Habits
2017
December 31
My 2017 Annual Review
November 13
First Principles: Elon Musk on the Power of Thinking for Yourself
July 27
Mental Models: How to Train Your Brain to Think in New Ways
June 5
Entropy: Why Life Always Seems to Get More Complicated
May 15
Inversion: The Crucial Thinking Skill Nobody Ever Taught You
May 8
A Margin of Safety: How to Thrive in the Age of Uncertainty
March 29
The 1 Percent Rule: Why a Few People Get Most of the Rewards
February 6
The Paradox of Behavior Change
January 23
The Beginner’s Guide to Deliberate Practice
January 16
The Myth and Magic of Deliberate Practice
2016
December 31
My 2016 Annual Review
December 19
The 10 Best Articles of 2016
August 30
The Shadow Side of Greatness
August 9
How Innovative Ideas Arise
July 25
For a More Creative Brain Follow These 5 Steps
July 19
How to Create a Chain Reaction of Good Habits
July 14
The Scientific Argument for Mastering One Thing at a Time
July 11
All Models Are Wrong, Some Are Useful
July 7
Motivation is Overvalued. Environment Often Matters More.
June 27
The Goldilocks Rule: How to Stay Motivated in Life and Business
June 6
My 2016 Integrity Report
May 31
The Downside of Work-Life Balance
May 23
The 3 Stages of Failure in Life and Work (And How to Fix Them)
March 22
The Evolution of Anxiety: Why We Worry and What to Do About It
March 7
The Proven Path to Doing Unique and Meaningful Work
February 22
Make Your Life Better by Saying Thank You in These 7 Situations
January 29
How to Use Military Strategy to Build Better Habits
January 26
How to Spot a Common Mental Error That Leads to Misguided Thinking
January 11
The Akrasia Effect: Why We Don’t Follow Through on What We Set Out to Do and What to Do About It
2015
December 31
My 2015 Annual Review
December 28
The 10 Best Articles of 2015
December 22
The Value of Time: How Much is Your Time Really Worth?
November 10
How to Master the Invisible Hand That Shapes Our Lives
October 27
One Research-Backed Way to Effectively Manage Your Stressful and Busy Schedule
October 5
The Diderot Effect: Why We Want Things We Don’t Need — And What to Do About It
September 29
Creativity Is a Process, Not an Event
September 21
Scott Dinsmore: A Tribute
September 14
I’m No Longer Writing Twice Per Week. Here’s Why.
September 11
5 Common Mental Errors That Sway You From Making Good Decisions
September 8
How to Be Happy When Everything Goes Wrong
September 4
This Zen Concept Will Help You Stop Being a Slave to Old Beliefs
September 1
Why Old Ideas Are a Secret Weapon
August 28
Overrated vs. Underrated: Common Beliefs We Get Wrong
August 21
It’s Not Just About What You Say, It’s About How You Live
August 18
World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov on How to Build Confidence
August 14
How Experts Figure What to Focus On
August 7
The Chemistry of Building Better Habits
August 4
August Reading List: 5 Good Books to Read This Month
July 31
How to Stop Lying to Ourselves: A Call for Self-Awareness
July 28
If Nothing Changes, Nothing Is Going to Change
July 24
Olympic Medalist Dick Fosbury and the Power of Being Unconventional
July 21
The Proven, Reasonable and Totally Unsexy Secret to Success
July 17
Warren Buffett’s “20 Slot” Rule: How to Simplify Your Life and Maximize Your Results
July 13
The 15-Minute Routine Anthony Trollope Used to Write 40+ Books
July 7
The Ivy Lee Method: The Daily Routine Experts Recommend for Peak Productivity
July 3
What Happens When You Believe You’re Taking Steroids
June 30
Two Harvard Professors Reveal One Reason Our Brains Love to Procrastinate
June 25
How to Stop Procrastinating and Boost Your Willpower by Using “Temptation Bundling”
June 22
Lessons From a Vexillonaire: Creativity, Simplicity, and the Carefully Constrained Life
June 19
Fast Growth is Overrated
June 16
Famous Biologist Louis Agassiz on the Usefulness of Learning Through Observation
June 12
How to Fall in Love With Boredom and Unlock Your Mental Toughness
June 9
What I Do When I Feel Like Giving Up
June 5
Inside the Mind of a Mad Scientist
June 2
Pat Riley on the Remarkable Power of Getting 1% Better
April 28
You’re Not Ready for Marriage
April 24
How to Optimize Your Daily Decisions
April 20
The More We Limit Ourselves, the More Resourceful We Become
April 14
How to Declutter Your Mind and Unleash Your Willpower by Using Bright-Line Rules
April 9
How to Stick With Good Habits Every Day by Using the “Paper Clip Strategy”
April 6
April Reading List: 3 Good Books to Read This Month
April 3
The 2 Types of Growth: Which One of These Growth Curves Are You Following?
March 31
Do More of What Already Works
March 27
Use This Simple Daily Habit to Add More Gratitude to Your Life
March 23
My 2015 Integrity Report
March 20
The Goal is Not the Point
March 17
5 Lessons on Being Wrong
March 12
Zanshin: Learning the Art of Attention and Focus From a Legendary Samurai Archer
March 10
Stop Thinking and Start Doing: The Power of Practicing More
March 3
The One Word That Drives Senseless and Irrational Habits
February 26
The Myth of Multitasking: Why Fewer Priorities Leads to Better Work
February 24
The 5 Triggers That Make New Habits Stick
February 20
Bob Mathias on How to Master the Art of Self-Confidence
February 16
Albert Einstein’s Incredible Work Ethic
February 10
Fear vs. Ambition
February 6
Why Stores Place Candy by the Checkout Counter (And Why New Habits Fail)
January 30
Vince Lombardi on the Hidden Power of Mastering the Fundamentals
January 23
6 Famous Artists Talk About What It’s Like to Overcome Fear and Create Beauty
January 16
Joseph Brodsky Explains Perfectly How to Deal With Critics and Detractors in Your Life
January 12
Surprising Lessons From the Children Who Survived a Famine During the Deadliest War in History
January 8
Never Check Email Before Noon (And Other Thoughts on Doing Your Best Work)
January 5
5 Common Mistakes That Cause New Habits to Fail
2014
December 29
My 2014 Annual Review
December 4
The 10 Best Articles of 2014
December 1
What I Do When it Feels Like My Work Isn’t Good Enough
November 25
Avoid the Second Mistake
November 20
Constraints Make You Better: Why the Right Limitations Boost Performance
November 17
To Make Big Gains, Avoid Tiny Losses
November 13
A Different Way of Thinking About Productivity
November 10
10 Lessons Learned from Squatting 400 Pounds
November 6
Martha Graham on the Hidden Danger of Comparing Yourself to Others
November 3
How Experts Practice Better Than the Rest
October 30
Minimalism, Success, and the Curious Writing Habit of George R.R. Martin
October 27
Hacking the Workout Journal: How to Track Your Workouts in the Simplest, Most Effective Way Possible
October 23
Sisu: How to Develop Mental Toughness in the Face of Adversity
October 20
Warren Buffett’s “2 List” Strategy: How to Maximize Your Focus and Master Your Priorities
October 16
4 Reasonable Ways to Achieve Overnight Success
October 13
The Theory of Cumulative Stress: How to Recover When Stress Builds Up
October 9
How Smart Do You Have to Be to Succeed?
October 6
“Email is Where Keystrokes Go to Die.”
October 2
Free Download: Mastering Creativity (1st Edition)
September 29
How to Uncover Your Creative Talent by Using the “Equal Odds Rule”
September 26
3 Ways to Improve Your Sleep
September 22
Lessons on Living a Meaningful Life from Nichelle Nichols
September 18
3 Simple Ways to Make Exercise a Habit
September 15
Photo Essay: The Isle of Skye, Scotland
September 11
How to Build Muscle: Strength Lessons from Milo of Croton
September 9
This Simple Equation Reveals How Habits Shape Your Health, Happiness, and Wealth
September 1
What I’m Reading: Fall 2014 Edition
August 28
Measure Backward, Not Forward
August 25
How Creative Geniuses Come Up With Great Ideas
August 21
The Physics of Productivity: Newton’s Laws of Getting Stuff Done
August 18
7 Improvements I Have Made to My Writing and Work
August 14
How to Build Skills That Are Valuable
August 11
Photo Essay: The Rocky Mountains and Streams of Colorado
August 7
The Health Benefits of Music
August 4
How Vietnam War Veterans Broke Their Heroin Addictions
July 31
How to Build New Habits by Taking Advantage of Old Ones
July 28
What Are You Measuring In Your Life?
July 24
How to Solve Big Problems
July 21
How to Get Your Brain to Focus on What Matters
July 17
How to Build a New Habit: This is Your Strategy Guide
July 14
Lessons on Sharing Your Gifts With the World From Someone Who Didn’t
July 10
How to Read More: The Simple System I’m Using to Read 30+ Books Per Year
July 7
How to Get Better Sleep: The Beginner’s Guide to Overcoming Sleep Deprivation
July 3
How to Be Motivated Every Day: Lessons Learned from Twyla Tharp
May 29
Masters of Habit: The Wisdom and Writing of Maya Angelou
May 26
How to Change the Habits of 107,000 People
May 22
Do Things You Can Sustain
May 15
The Only Productivity Tip You’ll Ever Need
May 12
Let Your Values Drive Your Choices
May 8
How to Find Your Hidden Creative Genius
May 1
What to Do When You Have Too Many Ideas and Not Enough Time
April 28
Plan For Failure: Being Consistent Is Not the Same as Being Perfect
April 21
Smart People Should Create Things
April 17
How the World Around You Shapes Your Thoughts and Actions
April 14
Thoughts on Struggling to Finish My First Book
April 10
Masters of Habit: The Deliberate Practice and Training of Jerry Rice
April 7
How to be More Productive and Eliminate Time Wasting Activities by Using the “Eisenhower Box”
April 3
How to Change Your Beliefs and Stick to Your Goals for Good
March 31
Stop Wasting Time on the Details and Commit to the Fundamentals
March 27
I’m Using These 3 Simple Steps to Actually Stick with Good Habits
March 24
My 2014 Integrity Report
March 13
How to Eliminate Procrastination (The Surprising Strategy One Man Used)
March 10
Why I Write
March 6
How Long Does it Actually Take to Form a New Habit? (Backed by Science)
March 3
Masters of Habit: Rituals, Lessons, and Quotes from Marcus Aurelius
February 27
The Myth of Creative Inspiration
February 24
The Power of Imperfect Starts
February 20
I Watched an Artist Create Stained Glass And Learned An Important Lesson About Life
February 17
The Power of Less: I Removed Every Inessential Thing From My Website and Here’s What Happened
February 13
Photo Essay: The Blue City of Chefchaouen, Morocco
February 10
Strategies I’m Using to Stay Fit While Traveling
February 6
Treat Failure Like a Scientist
February 3
Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day, But They Were Laying Bricks Every Hour
January 30
10 Simple Ways to Eat Healthy Without Thinking, Backed by Science
January 27
How to Stick With Good Habits Even When Your Willpower is Gone
January 23
40 Years of Stanford Research Found That People With This One Quality Are More Likely to Succeed
January 16
This Research Study Changed the Way We Think About Success (Here’s How You Can Use It)
January 13
Feeling Uncertain Doesn’t Make You Weak, Weird, or Unqualified
January 9
This is the Greatest Weightlifting Lesson I’ve Learned
January 6
This Coach Improved Every Tiny Thing by 1 Percent and Here’s What Happened
January 2
Why Trying to Be Perfect Won’t Help You Achieve Your Goals (And What Will)
2013
December 30
My 2013 Annual Review
December 5
The 10 Best Articles of 2013
December 2
Do You Have to be Unhappy Now if You Want to be Successful Later?
November 28
How to Be Thankful For Your Life by Changing Just One Word
November 25
The Weird Strategy Dr. Seuss Used to Create His Greatest Work
November 21
If You Sit at a Computer All Day This Mobility Exercise Will Change Your Life in 30 Seconds
November 18
Follow the Recipe: Are You Being Patient Enough to See Results?
November 14
What Every Successful Person Knows, But Never Says
November 11
You’re Not Good Enough to Be Disappointed
November 7
What Happens to Your Brain When You Eat Junk Food
October 31
10 Common Mistakes That Prevent You From Being Happy and Healthy Today, Backed by Science
October 28
Forget About Setting Goals. Focus on This Instead.
October 21
Do the Painful Things First
October 17
3 Simple Things You Can Do Right Now to Build Better Habits
October 14
How to Chase Your Dreams and Reinvent Yourself
October 10
Stop Overdosing on Celebrity Gossip, The News, and Low Quality Information
October 7
What I’ve Learned from 2 Years of Intermittent Fasting
October 3
What I’m Reading: The Henrietta Lacks Edition
September 30
How Willpower Works: How to Avoid Bad Decisions
September 23
How to Stick to Your Goals When Life Gets Crazy
September 19
How to Stay Focused When You Get Bored Working Toward Your Goals
September 16
Haters and Critics: How to Deal with People Judging You and Your Work
September 12
The Fight is the Reward
September 9
What to Do When You Want to Build Better Habits But Can’t Get Started
August 29
The Crime Your Brain Commits Against You
August 26
The “Chosen Ones” Choose Themselves
August 22
6 Truths About Exercise That Nobody Wants to Believe
August 15
Lessons on Success and Deliberate Practice from Mozart, Picasso, and Kobe Bryant
August 12
5 Thoughts on Overcoming Fear and Self-Doubt
August 5
Live Longer: What You Can Learn from Elite Athletes and Why the Japanese Never Die
August 1
Be Honest: Are You Rejecting Yourself? (Why You Should Make Things)
July 29
The Daily Routines of 12 Famous Writers
July 25
How to Be Confident and Reduce Stress in 2 Minutes Per Day
July 22
What is Actually Required for Success?
July 18
How to Stop Procrastinating on Your Goals by Using the “Seinfeld Strategy”
July 15
Effortless Ways to Lose Weight and Eat Healthy
July 11
How to Improve Your Health and Productivity Without Thinking
July 4
If You Commit to Nothing, You’ll Be Distracted By Everything
June 27
The Mistake Smart People Make: Being In Motion vs. Taking Action
June 24
How Your Beliefs Can Sabotage Your Behavior
June 20
How Positive Thinking Builds Your Skills, Boosts Your Health, and Improves Your Work
June 17
Random Ideas About Life
June 13
You Get 25,000 Mornings as an Adult: Here are 8 Ways to Not Waste Them
June 10
Make More Art: The Health Benefits of Creativity
June 6
What is Your “Average Speed” in Your Life, Your Health, and Your Work?
June 3
The Difference Between Being “Not Wrong” and Being Right
May 30
It’s Not Your Job to Tell Yourself “No”
May 27
How to Stop Procrastinating by Using the “2-Minute Rule”
May 16
Achieve Your Goals: Research Reveals a Simple Trick That Doubles Your Chances for Success
May 13
How to Break a Bad Habit and Replace It With a Good One
May 3
What if Your Doctor Prescribed Actions Instead of Medications?
April 30
What if You Treated Your Life Like a Team Sport?
April 25
Post is coming!
April 22
The Two Types of Inspiration
April 18
How to Squat More: How I Went From Squatting 175 pounds to 350+ in 16 Weeks
April 15
Learning From Superhumans: The Incredible Fitness and Success of Jack LaLanne
April 11
The Science of Developing Mental Toughness in Your Health, Work, and Life
April 4
How to Start Working Out When You Don’t Know What You’re Doing
April 1
Natural Happiness: The Truth About Exercise and Depression
March 25
How to Focus and Concentrate Better
March 21
Get Back on Track: 7 Strategies to Help You Bounce Back After Slipping Up
March 18
How to Say No, Resist Temptation, and Stick to Your Health Goals
March 11
3 Time Management Tips That Actually Work
March 7
Answers to the Most Common Intermittent Fasting Questions
March 4
How to Get Motivated When You Don’t Feel Like It
February 28
Why Everyone Should Act Like an Entrepreneur
February 25
How to Heal Yourself
February 21
How to Achieve Your Goals Easily
February 18
How to Start Eating Healthy (And Actually Stick to It)
February 14
How To Start New Habits That Actually Stick
February 11
10 Proven Ways to Reduce Stress at Work (And Why Overwork Could be Killing You)
February 7
Why Everyone Should Lift Weights
February 4
3 Surprising Reasons Why You Need to Rediscover Slow Growth
January 31
The Magic of Committing to a Specific Goal
January 28
5 Simple Ways to Be Happy
January 24
How to Stick to Little Healthy Habits (Like Flossing) Without Thinking
January 21
Why Getting Started is More Important Than Succeeding
January 17
Move Towards the Next Thing, Not Away From the Last Thing
January 17
When to be Unreasonable With Yourself
January 14
Why is it So Hard to Stick to Good Habits?
January 10
You Are Not Alone: How a “Keystone Community” Makes All of Your Goals More Achievable
January 3
The Difference Between Professionals and Amateurs
2012
December 31
Identity-Based Habits: How to Actually Stick to Your Goals This Year
December 27
Keystone Habits: The Simple Way to Improve All Aspects of Your Life
December 24
What Does it Mean to Live a Healthy Life?
December 20
The Top Life Regret of Dying Hospital Patients
December 17
Are You Living an Urgent Life or an Important Life?
December 13
12 Lessons Learned from 1 Year of Intermittent Fasting
December 10
The Beginner’s Guide to Intermittent Fasting
December 6
116 Years Old: Lessons Left Behind From the World’s Oldest Living Person
November 29
The 10 Pillars of Our Community
November 26
The Easiest Way to Live a Short, Unimportant Life
November 22
Believe in Yourself (And Why Nothing Will Work If You Don’t…)
November 19
Feeling Fat? Use These 2 Easy Ways to Lose Weight
November 15
How to Be Happy: A Surprising Lesson on Happiness From an African Tribe
November 12
Successful People Start Before They Feel Ready
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Thanks for reading. You helped save a life.
Whenever you buy one of my books, join the Habits Academy, or otherwise contribute to my work, 5 percent of the profits are donated to the Against Malaria Foundation (AMF).
With each donation, AMF distributes nets to protect children, pregnant mothers, and families from mosquitos carrying malaria. It is one of the most cost-effective ways to extend life and fulfills my bigger mission to spread healthy habits and help others realize their full potential.
17077
MALARIA NETS DISTRIBUTED
30739
PEOPLE PROTECTED
317
YEARS OF ADDITIONAL LIFE
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LIVES SAVED
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BETTER HABITS
Behavioral Psychology
Habits
Motivation
Procrastination
BETTER PERFORMANCE
Constant Improvement
Deliberate Practice
Goal Setting
Productivity
JAMES CLEAR
BETTER THINKING
Creativity
Decision Making
Focus
Mental Toughness
OPTIMAL HEALTH
Better Sleep
Eating Healthy
Strength Training
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