10 Sobering James Clear Quotes on Making Progress from Atomic Habits

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Excerpt: Massive action leads to massive results—but it can also (often) lead to quitting. Read our James Clear quotes on making progress and adjust.

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Introduction: Don’t Be An “All-or-Nothing”—Be An “All-or-Something.”

“It is better to make many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.”

Proverb

When it comes to following through with new goals or resolutions, don’t be an all-or-nothing—be an all-or-something. An all-or-nothing person is the type of person who is either all-in or all-out. Either everything they had planned is unfolding perfectly and is being executed flawlessly, or it’s not and they place blame, quit, and go back to the drawing board (or consume passive entertainment and forget about the effort all together).

An all-or-something person is the type of person who is either all-in or at least some-of-the-way-in. Either everything they planned is unfolding well or everything they planned is unfolding not quite as expected, but they’re executing their best in spite of the challenges and curveballs anyway—because as we all know, things are bound to come up that will hold you up, throw you off, slow you down, and mess with your flow. An all-or-something type person will have something come up and will do something that contributed to forward progress anyway.

All-or-nothing mindsets err on the side of perfectionism. All-or-something mindsets err on the side of imperfect progress. Let’s say that your plan for improvement requires you to take 10 action steps every day and you start off strong and execute all 10 action steps for each of the first 10 days of this new initiative—you’re right on track. But on day 11, you wake up late, miss some steps and are only able to get 8 done. Because you weren’t able to get to 10 you should quit all together and go back to the drawing board, right?

Or, let’s say you decide to try again and you get back on track by reaching your 10 steps for a few more days but then you get sick and only get to 5 steps for 3 days in a row? If you didn’t quit before, you should quit now and maybe blame your sickness for ruining your streak, right? …I think it would be a shame if you quit after either instance.

What if, instead of pressuring yourself to execute your plans perfectly—every single day—you focus on taking as many steps forward as you can—no matter how small—given the circumstances and curveballs of the day? What if you focused on being the type of person who embraces imperfect progress? The type of person who always shows up and never gives up because they always change it up when something comes up—the type of person who goes ALL-IN on their goals with an all-or-something mindset. A little forward every day is better than big jumps forward from someone who quits.

Don’t focus on the big leaps; focus on the slow and steady gains.

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The List: 10 Sobering James Clear Quotes on Making Progress

Below, you will find our list of James Clear quotes on making progress from his book, Atomic Habits. One of the most important themes in this message is the idea that progress has more to do with the direction of your steps rather than the size of the steps taken.

Massive action leads to massive results—yes. But massive steps forward mean nothing if it results in quitting. Small, 1% gains projected over an extended period of time can change everything. Never underestimate the power of one percent gains. Moreover, by focusing on small gains, you’ll be more likely to continue showing up, even when (especially when) you don’t feel like it—and that, too, changes everything.

Focus on showing up. Cast votes for the new identity that you’re trying to build. Take as many deliberate steps forward as you can every day without judging yourself if you fall short. Make your 1% gain today and do your best to do it again tomorrow. As you’ll hear from Clear in the quotes below, the compounding effect of this type of thinking can be tremendous.  I hope these ideas find you well. Sending you my best. ~ Matt

“All big things come from small beginnings.  The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision  but as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger.  Roots entrench themselves and branches grow.  The task of breaking a bad habit is like uprooting a powerful oak within us.  And the task of building a good habit is like cultivating a delicate flower one day at a time.”

James Clear, Atomic Habits

“Can one tiny change transform your life?  It’s unlikely you would say so.  But what if you made another?  And another?  And another?  At some point, you will have to admit that your life was transformed by one small change.  The holy grail of habit change is not a single 1 percent improvement, but a thousand of them.”

James Clear, Atomic Habits

“I can guarantee that if you manage to start a habit and keep sticking to it, there will be days when you feel like quitting.  When you start a business, there will be days when you don’t feel like showing up.  When you’re at the gym, there will be sets that you don’t feel like finishing.  When it’s time to write, there will be days that you don’t feel like typing.  But stepping up when it’s annoying or painful or draining to do so, that’s what makes the difference between a professional and an amateur.”

James Clear, Atomic Habits

“It’s not always about what happens during the workout.  It’s about being the type of person who doesn’t miss workouts.  It’s easy to train when you feel good, but it’s crucial to show up when you don’t feel like it—even if you do less than you hope.  Going to the gym for five minutes may not improve your performance, but it reaffirms your identity.”

James Clear, Atomic Habits

“Missing one workout happens, but I’m not going to miss two in a row.  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.  The first mistake is never the one that ruins you.  It is the spiral of repeated mistakes that follows.  Missing once is an accident.  Missing twice is the start of a new habit.”

James Clear, Atomic Habits

“If you show up at the gym five days in a row—even if it’s just for two minutes—you are casting votes for your new identity.  You’re not worried about getting in shape.  You’re focused on becoming the type of person who doesn’t miss workouts.  You’re taking the smallest action that confirms the type of person you want to be.”

James Clear, Atomic Habits

“We change bit by bit, day by day, habit by habit.  We are continually undergoing microevolutions of the self.  Each habit is like a suggestion: ‘Hey, maybe this is who I am.’  If you finish a book, then perhaps you are the type of person who likes reading.  If you go to the gym, then perhaps you are the type of person who likes to exercise.  If you practice playing the guitar, perhaps you are the type of person who likes music.  Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.  No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.”

James Clear, Atomic Habits

“There is nothing magical about time passing with regard to habit formation.  It doesn’t matter if it’s been twenty-one days or thirty days or three hundred days.  What matters is the rate at which you perform the behavior.  You could do something twice in thirty days, or two hundred times.  It’s the frequency that makes the difference.  Your current habits have been internalized over the course of hundreds, if not thousands, of repetitions.  New habits require the same level of frequency.”

James Clear, Atomic Habits

“It doesn’t matter how successful or unsuccessful you are right now.  What matters is whether your habits are putting you on the path toward success.  You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.  If you’re a millionaire but you spend more than you earn each month, then you’re on a bad trajectory.  If your spending habits don’t change, it’s not going to end well.  Conversely, if you’re broke, but you save a little bit every month, then you’re on the path toward financial freedom—even if you’re moving slower than you’d like.”

James Clear, Atomic Habits

“The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding.  Here’s how the math works out: if you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done.  Conversely, if you get 1 percent worse each day for one year, you’ll decline nearly down to zero.  What starts as a small win or a minor setback accumulates into something much more.”

James Clear, Atomic Habits

“The ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity.  It’s one thing to say I’m the type of person who wants this.  It’s something very different to say I’m the type of person who is this.  The more pride you have in a particular aspect of your identity, the more motivated you will be to maintain the habits associated with it.  If you’re proud of how your hair looks, you’ll develop all sorts of habits to care for and maintain it.  If you’re proud of the size of your biceps, you’ll make sure you never skip an upper-body workout.  If you’re proud of the scarves you knit, you’ll be more likely to spend hours knitting each week.  Once your pride gets involved, you’ll fight tooth and nail to maintain your habits.”

James Clear, Atomic Habits

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If you enjoyed these James Clear quotes on making progress then you’ll definitely want to pick up a copy of his book, Atomic Habits.  It comes highly recommended.

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