Book Club | Atomic Habits by James Clear Part II

The 1st Law: Make It Obvious

Photo by Lala Azizli on Unsplash

Welcome back to the book club! This is the second ever book club post, and the second post discussing Atomic Habits by James Clear—you can find the first one here.

If you want to join in, consider becoming a paid subscriber—I’ll be your self-development training buddy, keeping you accountable, breaking things down, and helping you apply the techniques and strategies to your life, so this isn’t just another book gathering dust.

Atomic Habits isn’t just about building better habits—it’s about completely changing how we approach progress and growth. It shows how small, consistent shifts can lead to massive results.

Each week, we’ll break down a section of the book, reflect on the big ideas, and talk about how they relate to our daily lives.

This Week’s Reading: The 1st Law—Make It Obvious

Chapters Covered:

• Chapter 4: The Man Who Didn’t Look Right

• Chapter 5: The Best Way To Start a New Habit

• Chapter 6: Motivation Is Overrated; Environment Often Matters More

• Chapter 7: The Secret to Self-Control

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If you read last week’s post on the first few chapters, you’ll remember I was basically gushing about Atomic Habits. And if you saw my note on the weekend, you’ll know I was feeling a little differently about this section—or one chapter in particular.

To be completely transparent, I had a hard week with very sick kids and very little sleep, so maybe my mood and sleepless state made me view the book in a more negative light, but here’s what I said in the note in case you missed it.

I’m reading Atomic Habits for my book club (check out my most recent post if you want to join in) and I am up to The First Law: Make It Obvious—and it’s hitting differently this time.

It feels very ‘written by a man who hasn’t had a toddler derail his best-laid plans’.

This is my second time reading it, but my first since having kids, and while it’s not surprising to me that kids get in the way of building certain habits, it is a bit shocking to realise how much of the advice doesn’t quite fit my life (or anyone else’s without a predictable routine). I wish I could simply say I was going to meditate after I finished my coffee, but my kids tend to have other plans.

Chapter 4: The Man Who Didn’t Look Right | Becoming Aware of Our Habits

I actually quite liked Chapter 4, my beef is with the next chapter. t highlights how our habits become automatic and how we’re often unaware of them. The recommendation here is to simply notice what we’re doing.

The book introduces the point-and-call strategy, where you verbalise your actions. It seems basic, but it’s used by the Japanese railway system and NYC’s MTA subway system, and reduces errors by 85% and accidents by 30%.

I’ve started applying this to my bad habits¹—necessarily to stop them, but to notice them. For example, I tend to leave my tea cup on top of the dishwasher instead of putting it inside. Now, I whisper to myself, “Why not put that straight in the dishwasher?” Simply becoming aware of my actions has been surprisingly helpful!

Chapter 5: The Best Way to Start a New Habit

Implementation Intentions

This chapter is where it fell apart for me.

This chapter lost me a little. Clear states that one of the most effective ways to start a new habit is to set an implementation intention:

"I will [BEHAVIOUR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]."

For example: I’m going to swim laps at the local pool at 6am every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Great in theory—but kids throw a wrench into even the best-laid plans. I’ve paid for early morning Pilates classes, only to spend the night up with a sick child, skip the class and then be charged a no-show fee. I’ve planned to do deep breaths while the kettle boils, only to have my toddler demand help finding a lost toy right now.

Life happens. The only real solution? Flexibility and self-compassion. Set the intention, do it when you can, and let it slide when you can’t.

Habit Stacking

The next part of the chapter is about habit stacking—building a new habit onto an existing one.

"After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]."

I love this idea, but my inconsistent routine makes it tricky. For example, I want to drink green tea daily, but some mornings I’m up with my toddler and make tea while I make him breakfast, while other mornings my partner gets up with him and does breakfast, and I sleep in and forget all about tea.

Most of the habits I’m looking to build are things I want to do daily, and there are just not many things I do daily. I work in an office once a week and I catch the train. I read my book on those train rides—a great example of habit stacking—but reading my book only one day per week just ain’t enough for me.

My initial thought was to force a stricter routine—for example, being the person that gets up every morning with my toddler instead of sharing it with my partner—but that just felt like taking on more work and less sleep. Instead, I’m habit stacking where I can—like running after daycare drop-off on Mondays—and hoping the rest of the book offers more flexible solutions to build new habits that aren’t reliant on existing ones.

Chapter 6: Motivation Is Overrated; Environment Often Matters More

Hack Your Environment