Best Ways to Build Better Habits & Break Bad Ones | James Clear

Andrew Huberman

Jan 5, 2026

Episode description

James Clear is an expert on behavioral change and habits and the author of the bestselling book ⁠Atomic Habits⁠. We discuss the best ways to build new healthy habits and end bad ones without relying on motivation or willpower. Rather than list off categories of tools or acronyms, James explains how anchoring the changes you want to make in your identity and physical environment allows you to make desired changes quickly and ones that stick. Whether your goal is better fitness and physical health, productivity or mental health, you'll learn actionable, zero-cost protocols to build powerful and meaningful habits.

Episode show notes: https://go.hubermanlab.com/mi0yht0

Thank you to our sponsors
AG1: ⁠https://drinkag1.com/huberman
Lingo: ⁠https://hellolingo.com/huberman
Wealthfront*: ⁠https://wealthfront.com/huberman
Joovv: ⁠https://joovv.com/huberman
Eight Sleep: ⁠https://eightsleep.com/huberman
Function: ⁠https://functionhealth.com/huberman

James Clear
Website: https://jamesclear.com
Newsletter: https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1
Books: https://amzlink.to/az0enLjjDsO0c
Atoms App: https://atoms.jamesclear.com
MasterClass: https://www.masterclass.com/classes/small-habits-that-make-a-big-impact-on-your-life
X: https://x.com/jamesclear
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesclear
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@jamesclear
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamesclear
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesclear

Timestamps
00:00:00 James Clear
00:02:57 Common Habits, Tool: Habit Success & Getting Started
00:06:16 Make Starting a Habit Easier, Tool: 4 Laws of Behavior Change
00:10:18 Sponsors: Lingo & Wealthfront
00:13:26 Writing Habits, Seasons & Flexibility; Adaptability, Tool: Bad Day Plan
00:18:42 Consistency, Flow vs Grind, Master Showing Up, Learning & Practice
00:24:54 Chunking, Getting Started at Gym
00:28:01 Flow Don’t Fight, Dissatisfaction & Effort, Tool: Identity-Based Habits
00:34:10 Friction, Competition & Effort; Credentials
00:39:38 Make Effort Rewarding, Mindset, Tools: Previsualization, Emphasize Positives
00:45:59 Sponsors: AG1 & Joovv
00:48:56 Reflection & Learning, Tool: Self-Testing; Perfectionism, Tool: Curiosity
00:55:18 Striving vs Relaxation, Balance, Tool: Turn On/Off; Hiking, Nature Reset
01:04:20 Identity & Professional Pursuits; Choosing New Projects; Clinging to Identity
01:14:24 Sponsor: Eight Sleep
01:15:42 Criticism; Identity & Growth
01:21:47 Failure, Identity, Sports, Tool: Rebounding & Reaching; Public Failures
01:30:03 Daily Habits, Tools: Day in Quarters; Never Miss Twice; Meal Timing
01:38:22 Daily Habit Timing & Sequencing, Tool: Mindfully Choose Inputs
01:45:37 Creativity, Specialization vs Generalization; Books
01:51:31 Sponsor: Function
01:53:18 Habits & Context, Environmental Cues, Tools for Minimizing Phone Use
02:02:01 Bad Habits, Checking Phone, Tools for Breaking Bad Habits
02:08:21 Physical & Social Environment, New Habits, Tool: Join/Create Groups
02:18:40 Family, Habits; Kids & Parenting, Tools: Stimulus; Good Conditions
02:26:05 Impact of Habits, Habits as Solutions; Upcoming Projects
02:32:45 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

*This experience may not be representative of other Wealthfront clients, and there is no guarantee of future performance or success. Experiences will vary. Andrew Huberman receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage for paid testimonials in his podcast, creating a conflict of interest. The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The base APY is 3.25% on cash deposits as of December 19, 2025, is representative, subject to change, and requires no minimum. If eligible for the overall boosted rate of 3.90% offered in connection with this promo, your boosted rate is also subject to change if the base rate decreases during the 3 month promo period. Funds in the Cash Account are swept to program banks, where it earns the variable APY. Same-day withdrawal or instant payment transfers may be limited by destination institutions, daily transaction caps, and by participating entities such as Wells Fargo, the RTP® Network, and FedNow® Service. New Cash Account deposits are subject to a 2-4 day holding period before becoming available for transfer. Investment advisory services are provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Securities investments: not bank deposits, bank-guaranteed or FDIC-insured, and may lose value.

#HubermanLab #JamesClear #Habits

Disclaimer & Disclosures: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

Episode description

James Clear is an expert on behavioral change and habits and the author of the bestselling book ⁠Atomic Habits⁠. We discuss the best ways to build new healthy habits and end bad ones without relying on motivation or willpower. Rather than list off categories of tools or acronyms, James explains how anchoring the changes you want to make in your identity and physical environment allows you to make desired changes quickly and ones that stick. Whether your goal is better fitness and physical health, productivity or mental health, you'll learn actionable, zero-cost protocols to build powerful and meaningful habits.

Episode show notes: https://go.hubermanlab.com/mi0yht0

Thank you to our sponsors
AG1: ⁠https://drinkag1.com/huberman
Lingo: ⁠https://hellolingo.com/huberman
Wealthfront*: ⁠https://wealthfront.com/huberman
Joovv: ⁠https://joovv.com/huberman
Eight Sleep: ⁠https://eightsleep.com/huberman
Function: ⁠https://functionhealth.com/huberman

James Clear
Website: https://jamesclear.com
Newsletter: https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1
Books: https://amzlink.to/az0enLjjDsO0c
Atoms App: https://atoms.jamesclear.com
MasterClass: https://www.masterclass.com/classes/small-habits-that-make-a-big-impact-on-your-life
X: https://x.com/jamesclear
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesclear
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@jamesclear
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamesclear
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesclear

Timestamps
00:00:00 James Clear
00:02:57 Common Habits, Tool: Habit Success & Getting Started
00:06:16 Make Starting a Habit Easier, Tool: 4 Laws of Behavior Change
00:10:18 Sponsors: Lingo & Wealthfront
00:13:26 Writing Habits, Seasons & Flexibility; Adaptability, Tool: Bad Day Plan
00:18:42 Consistency, Flow vs Grind, Master Showing Up, Learning & Practice
00:24:54 Chunking, Getting Started at Gym
00:28:01 Flow Don’t Fight, Dissatisfaction & Effort, Tool: Identity-Based Habits
00:34:10 Friction, Competition & Effort; Credentials
00:39:38 Make Effort Rewarding, Mindset, Tools: Previsualization, Emphasize Positives
00:45:59 Sponsors: AG1 & Joovv
00:48:56 Reflection & Learning, Tool: Self-Testing; Perfectionism, Tool: Curiosity
00:55:18 Striving vs Relaxation, Balance, Tool: Turn On/Off; Hiking, Nature Reset
01:04:20 Identity & Professional Pursuits; Choosing New Projects; Clinging to Identity
01:14:24 Sponsor: Eight Sleep
01:15:42 Criticism; Identity & Growth
01:21:47 Failure, Identity, Sports, Tool: Rebounding & Reaching; Public Failures
01:30:03 Daily Habits, Tools: Day in Quarters; Never Miss Twice; Meal Timing
01:38:22 Daily Habit Timing & Sequencing, Tool: Mindfully Choose Inputs
01:45:37 Creativity, Specialization vs Generalization; Books
01:51:31 Sponsor: Function
01:53:18 Habits & Context, Environmental Cues, Tools for Minimizing Phone Use
02:02:01 Bad Habits, Checking Phone, Tools for Breaking Bad Habits
02:08:21 Physical & Social Environment, New Habits, Tool: Join/Create Groups
02:18:40 Family, Habits; Kids & Parenting, Tools: Stimulus; Good Conditions
02:26:05 Impact of Habits, Habits as Solutions; Upcoming Projects
02:32:45 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

*This experience may not be representative of other Wealthfront clients, and there is no guarantee of future performance or success. Experiences will vary. Andrew Huberman receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Brokerage for paid testimonials in his podcast, creating a conflict of interest. The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The base APY is 3.25% on cash deposits as of December 19, 2025, is representative, subject to change, and requires no minimum. If eligible for the overall boosted rate of 3.90% offered in connection with this promo, your boosted rate is also subject to change if the base rate decreases during the 3 month promo period. Funds in the Cash Account are swept to program banks, where it earns the variable APY. Same-day withdrawal or instant payment transfers may be limited by destination institutions, daily transaction caps, and by participating entities such as Wells Fargo, the RTP® Network, and FedNow® Service. New Cash Account deposits are subject to a 2-4 day holding period before becoming available for transfer. Investment advisory services are provided by Wealthfront Advisers LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Securities investments: not bank deposits, bank-guaranteed or FDIC-insured, and may lose value.

#HubermanLab #JamesClear #Habits

Disclaimer & Disclosures: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Prioritize bad days to strengthen habit formation

The bad days, when you show up despite not feeling like it, are more important for building habits than the good days.

Vote for your future self through every action

Every action you take is like casting a vote for the type of person you wish to become, which reinforces your desired identity.

Achieve true balance by sprinting and resting fully

True balance is not doing everything at 50% capacity, but the ability to fully sprint when you're on and fully rest when you're off.

Adapt habits to enhance mental toughness

True mental toughness is not about grinding through no matter what, but about adapting to the circumstances, like doing a shorter or easier version of your habit.

Harness infrared light from greenery to boost mitochondria

Being near greenery exposes you to infrared light reflected from leaves, which can penetrate your body and feed your mitochondria.

Choose media inputs to shape future thoughts

Your future thoughts are downstream from what you consume, so carefully choosing your media inputs is choosing your future thoughts.

Join groups to normalize desired behaviors for habit formation

To make a habit stick, join groups where your desired behavior is the normal behavior, as the desire to belong often overpowers the desire to improve.

Create friction to break phone habits

To break a phone habit, create friction by deleting apps like social media and email, forcing you to re-download them or ask an assistant for the password to log in.

Allow habits to evolve with your life seasons

Give yourself permission for your habits to change shape and adjust based on the season of life you are in, rather than feeling like a failure if you stop a specific routine.

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