JAMESCLEAR .

COM

30 Days to Better
Habits Workbook
created by JAMES CLEAR
30 DAYS TO BETTER HABITS WORKBOOK

Action Checklist
OF 4
WEEK 1

Lesson 1

Decide the type of person you want to be by asking yourself these questions:
• Who is the type of person who can achieve the outcomes that you want?
• Who do you want to be?
• What values do you want to stand for?
• What principles are important to you?

Determine one habit that casts a small vote for becoming that type of person.

Fill out the Lesson 1 template on Page 14 of this workbook.

Lesson 2

Determine a scaled-down, two-minute version of the habit you chose in Lesson 1.

Fill out the Lesson 2 template on Page 15 of this workbook.

Lesson 3

Determine the decisive moment for your habit.

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Action Checklist
OF 4
Using the information you gathered about your decisive moment, create an
implementation intention that is specific and clear. The implementation
intention formula is: “I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].”

Fill out the Lesson 3 template on Page 16 of this workbook.

WEEK 2

Lesson 4

Optimize at least one element of your environment to make the cue of your habit
more obvious.

Lesson 5

Ask yourself how you can make your habit more convenient. Then, eliminate one
point of friction that may be holding you back or design an environment that makes
the action easier.

Lesson 6

Ask yourself how you can design a world where it’s easy to do what’s right? How
can you prime your environment so future habits are easier? Then, optimize at least
one element in your space to prime your environment for future use.
WEEK 3

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Action Checklist
OF 4
Lesson 7

Create a temptation bundle by linking an action you want to do with an action you
need do. Here’s the formula: “I will only [HABIT I WANT TO DO] when I
[HABIT I NEED TO DO].”

Fill out the Lesson 7 template on Page 17 of this workbook.

Create a commitment device to lock yourself into future actions.

Lesson 8

Identify a short-term, external reward for completing your habit. Avoid rewards that
conflict with your desired identity.

Lesson 9

Visualize the progress you’re making each day by using a habit tracker, calendar, or
paper clips / marbles in ajar. (Find a habit tracker template on Page 18)

Make an implementation intention for tracking. For example, “After I finish each
set at the gym, I record it in my workout journal.”
WEEK 4

Lesson 10

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Action Checklist
OF 4
Join a group where your desired behavior is the normal behavior.

Lesson 11

Revisit the habit shaping path from “very easy” to “very hard” that we talked about
in Lesson 2. Once you’ve mastered the first two minutes of the smallest version of
the behavior, then advance to an intermediate step and repeat the process.

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Lesson Summaries
Lesson 1

• True behavior change is identity change. Anyone can convince themselves to

visit the gym or eat healthy once or twice, but if you don’t shift the belief
behind the behavior, then it is hard to stick with long-term changes.
Improvements are only temporary until they become part of who you are.
Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.

• By the end of this lesson, you should have an idea of the habit that reinforces
your desired identity. Who is the type of person you want to become? What is
one habit that casts a small vote for becoming that type of person?

Lesson 2

• A habit must be established before it can be improved. You need to master the
art of showing up.

• By the end of this lesson, you should have a two-minute version of the habit
you want to build and begin to master the art of showing up. That two-minute
habit should be the smallest version of your habit that reinforces your desired
identity.

Lesson 3

• If you can master the right habit at the right time, everything falls into place.
The more tightly bound your new habit is to a specific cue, the better the odds
are that you will notice when the time comes to act.

• At this stage, you should have a two-minute version of your desired habit and a
clear and specific plan for where and when to add it into your daily routine
with an implementation intention.

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Lesson 4

• If you want to make a habit a big part of your life, you need to make the cue a
big part of your environment.

• At this stage, you have your two-minute version and a clear implementation
intention. By the time you get done implementing this lesson, you should have
optimized at least one element of your environment to make the cue of your
habit more obvious. (You set out your meditation pillow, or you set a book on
your coffee table instead of the remote control.) The physical space should be
designed to work with your habits, not conflict with them.

Lesson 5

• The less friction associated with a habit, the more likely it is to occur. Create
an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible. You want to
make your good habits the path of least resistance.

• By this stage, you should have designed an environment that allows you to
complete your habit with ease. The purpose of reducing friction is to increase
convenience and make it more likely that you’ll be able to follow through.
Hopefully the strategies in this lesson have helped you do exactly that.

Lesson 6

• One way to increase the odds that your habits will be performed is to walk into
an environment that is ready for the habit. Whenever you organize a space for
its intended purpose, you are priming it to make your future actions easy.

• It is now the end of the second week. At this point, you have a two-minute
habit, a clear plan for where and when to add that habit into your life, and a
series of small environmental changes that make it easier to stick to your habit
each day.

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Lesson 7

• Rather than having some linear relationship with achievement, habits tend
to have more of a compound growth curve. The greatest returns are delayed.
Temptation bundling and commitment devices are two helpful strategies
that may enable you to get over the hump and build a habit that lasts.

• At this stage of the bootcamp, you should have the basic structure of your
habits figured out and your environment should be aligned with your goals.
If you’re still having trouble getting started, though, strategies like
temptation bundling and commitment devices can be used to add an extra
layer of incentive on top of your habit.

Lesson 8

• External rewards are one of the best strategies we have for maintaining
motivation while we’re waiting for long-term outcomes to arrive.

• At this stage, you have had a specific and actionable small habit to follow for a
few weeks. If you’ve had trouble sticking to it, finding a way to make the
reward or ending satisfying can be a good way to stay on track. The strategies
in this lesson should give you the tools and strategies you need to make any
habit more satisfying in the moment.

Lesson 9

• If you have to wait for long-term rewards, then the feedback loop is often too
long for you to maintain motivation. If, however, you’re focused on tracking
your actions, then you’ll have immediate visual proof that you are showing up
and living out the habits that are important to your life and goals.

• By now, at the end of week three, you will have a simple two-minute habit, a
clear implementation intention that helps you identify when and where to
perform the habit, an environment that is optimized for your particular habit,

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and a series of strategies that can provide additional incentive during periods
when you lack motivation or feel like you’re sliding off course.
Lesson 10

• Nothing sustains motivation better than belonging to the tribe. It transforms a

personal quest into a shared one.

Lesson 11

• When you start out building a new habit, it’s exciting in the beginning because
it’s new. Over time, however, habits become routine. Sometimes they even
become boring. This can be one of the first signals that it’s time to graduate your
habit to the next level. You scale up when what was previously challenging is
now the new normal.

• Congratulations. You’ve now finished the 30 Days to Better Habits course. You
should have a clear plan for how to implement your two-minute habit with an
implementation intention, a series of environment design changes that optimize
for your desired habit, and a strategy for scaling up your habit.

Key Terms
LISTED BY ORDER OF APPEARANCE
IN BOOTCAMP LESSONS

Identity-based habits: habits that focus on who you wish to become, not what
you want to achieve.
• Example: The goal is not to read a book (outcome-based), the goal is to
become a reader (identity-based).
• For more on identity-based habits, see Chapter 2 of Atomic Habits.

Two-minute rule: The Two-Minute Rule states, “When you start a new habit, it
should take less than two minutes to do.”

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• Example: “Walk 10,000 steps each day” becomes “Put on my running shoes.”
• For more on the two-minute rule, see Chapter 13 of Atomic Habits.

Gateway habit: A small habit or movement that naturally leads into a larger
behavior or bigger ambition.
• Example: Picking up your guitar and sitting down in a quiet place
• For more on gateway habits, see Chapter 13 of Atomic Habits.

Decisive moments: little choices at key moments that deliver an outsized impact.
• Example: The moment you decide between ordering takeout or cooking
dinner.
• For more on decisive moments, see Chapter 13 of Atomic Habits.

Implementation intention: a plan you make beforehand about when and where
to act. That is, how you intend to implement your habit. The implementation
intention formula is “I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].” •
Example: I will make a green smoothie at 7am in my kitchen. .
• For more on implementation intentions, see Chapter 5 of Atomic Habits
Environment design: redesigning your environment to make the cues of your
good habits more obvious.
• Example: If you want to remember to write in your journal for five minutes at
7am, store the journal on the kitchen table so you see it when you sit down for
breakfast every morning.
• For more on making the cue of your habit more obvious, see Chapter 6 of
Atomic Habits.

Reducing friction: optimizing your environment to make actions easier to

perform.
• Example: Choose a gym that is on your way to work. That way, stopping
doesn’t add much friction to your lifestyle. You don’t have to go out of your
way.
• For more on reducing friction, see Chapter 12 of Atomic Habits.

Priming the environment: creating an environment that favors the habit that
you’re trying to build.
• Example: Want to meditate more? Set up a comfortable, quiet place in your
home where you practice meditation.

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• For more on priming the environment, see Chapter 12 of Atomic Habits.

Plateau of latent potential: A period in which you’re putting in work, but not
seeing the expected results. You’re accumulating potential, but it hasn’t been
released yet.
• Example: You might think, “I’ve been running every day for a month, so why
can’t I see any change in my body.” Your effort wasn’t wasted, though, it was
just being stored. You’ll find that if you stick with the habit, you’ll soon break
through and see results.
• For more on the plateau of latent potential, see Chapter 1 of Atomic Habits.

Temptation bundling: Linking an action you want to do with an action you

need do. The formula is: “I will only [HABIT I WANT TO DO] when I
[HABIT I NEED TO DO].”
• Example: I will only get a pedicure when I am processing overdue work
emails.
• For more on temptation bundling, see Chapter 8 of Atomic Habits.
Commitment device: A choice you make in the present that locks in your actions
in the future.
• Example: Use a website blocker to lock you out of distracting websites. Or,
delete distracting apps off your phone.
• For more on commitment devices, see Chapter 14 of Atomic Habits.

The Cardinal Rule of Behavior Change: What is rewarded gets repeated. What
is punished is avoided.
• Example: When we take an action that feels good—like a professor looking at
a room full of students smiling and nodding—we want to do more of that
action in the future.
• For more on making a habit more satisfying, see Chapter 15 of Atomic Habits.

Habit tracker: A simple way to measure whether you did a habit. The most basic
format is to get a calendar and cross off each day you stick with your routine.
• Example: If you meditate on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, each of those
dates gets an X. As time rolls by, the calendar becomes a record of your habit
streak.
• For more on habit tracking, see Chapter 16 of Atomic Habits.

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Never break the chain: A mantra for building a habit streak. Once you start
tracking your habits, don’t break the chain of crossing off each day or filling in
each cell.
• Example: Don’t break the chain of stashing money away in your savings
account every month, and you’ll build wealth and gain peace of mind.

Never miss twice: A simple rule to help you get back on track when you fall off
course.
• Example: Maybe I’ll eat an entire pizza, but I’ll follow it up with a healthy
meal. I can’t be perfect, but I can avoid a second lapse. As soon as one streak
ends, I get started on the next one.
Habit graduation: Scaling and advancing from your small, initial habit to larger
and more impressive habits over time.
• Example: Once you’ve mastered lacing up your running shoes and stepping
out the door, graduate to walking around the block each day. Once that’s easy,
scale up again.
• For more on habit shaping, see Chapter 13 of Atomic Habits.

Goldilocks rule: A rule that states that humans experience peak levels of
motivation when working on tasks of just manageable difficulty. Not too hard,
not too easy, just right.
• For more on the goldilocks rule, see Chapter 19 of Atomic Habits.

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Template:
Identity-Based Habits
With an identity-based approach, we start by focusing on who we wish to
become, not what we want to achieve. Who is the type of person you want to
become? What is one habit that casts a small vote for becoming that type of
person?

I’m the type of person who:

YOUR DESIRED IDENTITY

The habit I’ll be focusing on is:

HABIT THAT REINFORCES YOUR DESIRED IDENTITY

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Template: Two-Minute
Rule
The Two-Minute Rule states, “When you start a new habit, it should take less than
two minutes to do.” The idea is to make your habits as easy as possible to start. The
Two-Minute Rule helps counterbalance our tendency to bite off more than we can
chew.

The two-minute version of my habit is:

SCALED DOWN VERSION OF YOUR HABIT FROM LESSON 1

Template:
Implementation
Intention
An implementation intention is a plan you make beforehand about when and
where to act. That is, how you intend to implement your habit. Use the formula
below to create your own implementation intention.

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I will ________________________________________ BEHAVIOR

at ___________________________________________ TIME

in ___________________________________________ .
LOCATION

Template: Temptation
Bundling
Temptation bundling works by linking an action you want to do with an action
you need do. You’re more likely to find a behavior attractive if you get to do
one of your favorite things at the same time.

I will only ___________________________________________

HABIT I WANT TO DO

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when I ___________________________________________ .
HABIT I NEED TO DO

Template:
Habit Tracker
A habit tracker is a simple way to measure whether you did a habit. I designed
a Habit Journal exactly for this purpose. In addition to the notebook and
journaling pages, each journal comes with 12 habit tracking templates, one for

each month of the year, that look just like the template below.

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