Goodbye, Atomic Habits

The overlooked problems with building healthy habits

One of my old habit trackers — the last of its kind. Image by the author

I used to be a poster child for better habits.

Back in the day, James Clear’s Atomic Habits sat enthroned on my nightstand. I was also the proud owner of a habit tracker, where I religiously logged my daily habits — sleep, yoga, reading, etc. And as if that wasn’t enough, the first article I published was about habits.

Today, though, I consider the habit-building lifestyle a nightmare. It’s not exactly that habit-building has ruined my life, but it has done me more harm than good.

Here’s what I mean.

Problem 1: The Boiling Frog

Last summer, I created “the perfect morning routine” — well, at least that’s how I thought of it before things went sideways.

My routine would always start around 6 am, when the first sunrays cast squares of light into my room. Then, I would hop on my bike, ride to my local park, and do some bodyweight exercises. Back home, I would make breakfast and coffee before sitting down at my desk to write until noon. Each action clicked into the next as smoothly as the gears of delicate clockwork —

And then, life happened.