Things I’ve Learned from James Clear

3 min read

James Clear is the author of Atomic Habits and the writer behind jamesclear.com.

Here is a list of things I’ve learned from him over the years.

Real Wealth is Having the Ability to Say “No”

• Real wealth = saying no to meetings.
• Real wealth = saying no to people you don’t want to be around.
• Real wealth = saying no to events you don’t want to attend.
• Real wealth = saying no to work you don’t want to do.

Know the 4 Types of Wealth

• 1. Financial wealth (money)
• 2. Social wealth (status)
• 3. Time wealth (freedom)
• 4. Physical wealth (health)
• Be wary of jobs that lure you in with 1 and 2 but rob you of 3 and 4.

Repetition Leads to Greatness

• Your first blog post will be awful. Your 1,000th will be great.
• Your first workout will be pathetic. Your 1,000th will be great.
• Your first meditation will be bad. Your 1,000th will be great.

4 Ingredients for Exceptional Results

• Quantity: You take lots of shots.
• Quality: You take thoughtful shots.
• Consistency: You keep shooting for a long time.
• Luck: You get a few favorable bounces.

3 Things that Often Resolve Stress & Anxiety

• A 10-minute walk outside.
• A glass of water.
• A good night of sleep.

How to Be Unhappy

• Stay inside all day.
• Move as little as possible.
• Take yourself too seriously.
• Spend more than you earn.
• Always consume, never contribute.
• Resent successful people.
• Never say hello first.

How to Be a Better Writer

• Make one point per sentence.
• Delete unnecessary intros.
• Use stories.
• Cut words like “very” and “really”
• Read the whole thing out loud.

How to Double Your Productivity

• Step 1: Stop reading articles on how to double your productivity.
• Step 2: Start sleeping 8 hours per night.

Learn to 80/20 Your Life

• 1. Make a list of the 10 things you spend the most time on.
• 2. Circle the two that truly drive your results. Do more of these.
• 3. Eliminate, automate, or outsource the other things.
• 4. Repeat.

Discipline Brings Freedom

• The disciplined become the free.
• Discipline with training leads to freedom from physical problems.
• Discipline with saving and investing leads to freedom from money problems.

The Best Networking Strategy

• Do interesting work.
• Share your work in public.
• Like-minded people will find you.

Negotiation Tips

• Be able to walk away.
• Be irreplaceable.
• Have a second option.

Reading Makes You Smarter

• Reading is food for the mind.
• Reading teaches you what others already know.
• Reading gives you a new way to interpret your past experiences
• Re-read great books because you need to be reminded of the ideas in them.

Develop Superpowers

• Long-term thinking is a superpower.
• Not taking things personally is a superpower.

Say “No” Way More

• Unfollow people.
• Abandon projects.
• Ignore topics.
• Cut your number of commitments in half.
• Discover what you want by eliminating what you don’t.

Optimize Your Process

• Recognize that the process goes on forever.
• Identify parts of the process you enjoy.
• Adopt processes that increase your winning percentage.
• If your outcomes aren’t improving, the process needs to change.

Join the Right Tribe

• Join a group where your desired behavior is the normal behavior.
• Surround yourself with people who have similar goals as you.

Be Patient

• Keep working when things take longer than you expect.
• Small daily habits lead to massive outcome gaps over time.
• Aim to be great in 10 years, not 10 months.

Get Moving

• Start small.
• Start early.
• Taking action is more important than finding the perfect strategy.
• The path to the summit is not fully visible from the base camp.

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