Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What is a habit? What aspects of the brain are involved in habit formation?

Teaching Suggestion: It might be helpful to familiarize students with the basic psychology and neuroscience of habits so they may be more fully engaged with the text. The resources below will help students build background knowledge about the science of habits, which is more deeply explored throughout the book. This activity introduces students to an important theme: The Habit Loop.

• “How Habits Can Change Your Life (and Your Brain)” from Be Smart
• “How to Form a Habit” from SciShow Psych
• “The Science of Habits” from TEDxFS

2. List some of the common advice you’ve received about creating and building better habits. What do you already know about how to stick to good habits? What practices have not worked?

Teaching Suggestion: As students read, they will find that much of Clear’s advice counters, expands, or adds practicality to the typical advice about starting and maintaining habits. In the post-reading discussion, students will be invited to reflect on how Clear’s approach is different from other things they’ve read about habits. The resources below might be helpful to students in recalling their own experiences; they will also serve to introduce students to Clear’s work.

• “7 Steps of Habit Formation” from Psychologist Today
• “5 Common Mistakes That Cause New Habits to Fail” according to James Clear

Differentiation Suggestion: For English language learners and visual learners, a graphic organizer such as a KWL chart will help students keep track of what they know, what they learn, and what questions remain as they begin to dive into the science and typical advice behind habit formation.

Short Activity

Do a self-assessment of your habits. Make a list of your habits or routines—the things you do every day. Organize your list by time of day or by type of task.

Teaching Suggestion: Some elements of this book invite readers to reflect on their own habits. Creating this list in advance will allow students to more readily engage with the topics Clear presents and apply his advice to their own lives if desired.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

How would you describe yourself and your identity? What do your regular habits reveal about who you are? Are your habits a true reflection of your identity? Why or why not?

Teaching Suggestion: This reflection allows students to engage with Clear’s theme, The Importance of Identity, which is an important pillar of habit formation. Reflecting on this theme before reading will prime students to make text-to-self connections while reading Clear’s work.