Atomic Habits is a survey of the best knowledge of habits; worthy of being perennially on hold at the library as an update to Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit. I remember listening to Duhigg’s book a few years ago and feeling quite inspired about habits. Then nothing happened.
Unfortunately, both of these books are great at motivating one to pick up good habits, but neither is great at giving you concrete steps to get there.
As alternative, I suggest BJ Fogg’s Tiny Habits. Fogg has developed simple crystalline ideas (such as his B=MAP model) and paired it with his powerful Focus Mapping exercise. The power in Fogg’s book is rooted in his career long focus on behavior change. He is a primary source who is able to provide actionable advice from the first chapter onward – for personal, family, and business use. When he says the majority of popular literature on habit formation is incorrect, I trust him.
Even though the publication dates are reversed, I would say that Fogg is the teacher, while Clear is the student. This is not intended to be an insult. While the master has myopically focused on the craft, the student is free to explore interlocking connections within the field. It was useful to read Atomic Habits as a refresher a few weeks after completing Tiny Habits. Getting a different author’s holistic perspective on the subject was a nice jolt to keep pursuing the practice.
I’m not saying the two books are in perfect alignment. For example, Atomic Habits proposes a path of Identity > Behavior > Outcomes (similar to Sinek’s Start with Why). Even though this “concentric ring” model isn’t directly addressed by in Tiny Habits, I think BJ Fogg would propose that one should start by modifying Behavior, which will then influence your Identity and Outcomes (Identity < Behavior > Outcomes).
However, the differences are minor, and they complement each other well. For example, I’m using both approaches to help me lose weight. I created a new food intake checklist that helps me track what I eat (a tiny habit at every meal), as well as regularly repeating a mantra “I enjoy hunger” to adjust my identity from someone used to rely on snacks all day.
Both are worth reading. Maybe you’ll prefer Atomic Habits. However, since action are more significant than words, I should note that I purchased a my own hardcopy of Tiny Habits, while I am content to merely compliment Atomic Habits.