“Make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, make it satisfying,” the book says.
I did that. I made a habit tracker. Then I spent 6 hours choosing the perfect font for it. Helvetica Neue? Or Montserrat Semi-Bold? That was Day One. I called it “designing my system.”

Tiny Changes = Massive Distractions

James Clear insists that small habits compound over time. Just 1% better each day! By that logic, in 100 days I’ll be a demigod.

Except I spent the next 3 weeks stacking habits like some sort of behavioral Jenga tower:

• Drink water → Floss → Meditate → Journal → Burpee → Reorganize spices by pH level
• And if I do all that, I “earn” the right to eat a chia seed.

Cue, Craving, Response, Reward… Collapse

The habit loop sounds simple. A cue triggers a craving, which leads to a response, followed by a reward.

Here’s how mine went:

• Cue: Woke up.
• Craving: Peace, meaning, better biceps.
• Response: Watched productivity YouTube videos for 4 hours.
• Reward: Learned nothing and developed a caffeine dependency.

Identity-Based Habits: Who Even Am I?

James says, “Don’t focus on goals. Focus on becoming the kind of person who achieves them.”

So I tried saying, “I’m the kind of person who wakes up early and works out.”

But I was also the kind of person who snoozed 6 times and microwaved last night’s pizza. Which identity wins? That depends on who had more cheese.

Conclusion: Big Systems, Tiny Outcomes

I now have:

• 14 half-formed habits
• A broken toothbrush from overuse
• 3 bullet journals filled with motivational quotes
• And the creeping suspicion that I was better off with bad habits. At least I was consistent.

If you’re looking to change your life one micro-step at a time, Atomic Habits might be your thing.

Just don’t fall into the trap of habit-stacking your entire existence into a checklist of existential chores.

Because sometimes, the most powerful habit… is admitting you need a nap.