James Clear: Forget Your Goals, Focus on Systems

Please Note: This episode is a re-run. The original air-date was on December 5, 2019. 😊     

Building on from Episode 482, where we explored why progress tracking is key to healthy financial habit formation, we’re bringing back an old episode where we uncover… 

The 4-step framework from James Clear on how to build good habits and break bad ones – for good!  

For those unfamiliar with this best-selling author of Atomic Habits, James applies a unique blend of scientific research and practical life to breaking and building habits. His website receives millions of visitors each month, and he is a regular speaker at Fortune 500 companies.  

We’ll explore his distinctive perspective on habit-building, decision-making and continuous improvement from creating environmental design to the “scaling down” strategy.  

It’s an episode about creating lasting behaviours, overcoming setbacks and what encompasses true behavioural change. Tune in now!

 

Free Stuff Mentioned

• Make Money Simple Again: Download our best-selling book that breaks down our MoneySMARTS money management system for FREE here >>    
• Moorr App: Check out our money management platform (available on Desktop and Mobile) that automates the system from Make Money Simple Again. Create your free account or login >>  

 

Additional Resources

• James’ Book — Atomic Habits 
• Books that James highly recommends reading:  
  • Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius
  • Manual for Living by Epictetus
  • The Lessons of History by Ariel and Will Durant
  • A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily Thoughts to Nourish the Soul by Leo Tolstoy

Timestamps

• 0:00 – James Clear: Forget Your Goals, Focus on Systems    
• 3:56 – Welcome James!  
• 5:44 – His backstory… 
• 10:40 – Why focus on daily habits?  
• 12:58 – The downsides to goal setting 
• 15:03 – Why systems always trump goals  
• 16:49 – How habit formation and MoneySMARTS relate 
• 18:10 – Scaling Down: How to sustain good habits  
• 20:05 – Why does the entry point matter more than the end?  
• 21:27 – What is true behaviour change? 
• 23:58 – What common habits can you move the needle on quickly? 
• 26:36 – The 4-step Framework to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones 
• 31:51 – Environment design: Why it matters!  
• 34:33 – Why you need to Master the Art of Delayed Gratification 
• 36:32 – What is The Valley of Death? (And how do you get through it?) 
• 38:00 – GOLD! 
• 43:10 – What does James recommend? 
• 44:33 – How does James get so much done?? 
• 48:32 – How to deal with disappointment and setbacks  
• 52:04 – James’ book recommendations