Celebrating James Clear at 40 — If 'Atomic Habits' Changed You, These 5 Books Will Push You Further

'Atomic Habits' is one of the most popular books in our app. Every single day, people around the world open Clear's summary to remind themselves that small actions compound into big results. His ideas about habit loops, identity-based change, and making good behaviors obvious have genuinely helped millions of readers become better versions of themselves.

So yeah, we're celebrating.

If you haven't read 'Atomic Habits' yet — or you finished it a while ago and could use a refresher — our summary covers the key concepts in about 13 minutes.

But if you've already absorbed Clear's framework and you're ready to keep growing? We've picked five books that expand on his ideas in different directions. Each one offers fresh perspectives on habits, focus, routines, and intentional living.

5 books to read after 'Atomic Habits'

1. 'The 1% Rule' by Tommy Baker

Tommy Baker shares Clear's belief that systems beat goals. But he takes the idea further by asking: what if you actually enjoyed the process? This book isn't about grinding through habits you hate. It's about finding ways to fall in love with daily improvement — so you keep showing up even when motivation fades.

If you liked Clear's "1% better every day" philosophy, Baker's book feels like a natural next step.

2. 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' by Stephen R. Covey

This one's a classic for a reason. Covey focuses on character-based habits — the kind that shape how you think, not just what you do. His principle-centered approach helps you solve personal and professional problems by building a foundation of integrity, responsibility, and proactive thinking.

Where Clear gives you the mechanics of habit change, Covey gives you the "why" behind the habits worth building.

3. 'Deep Work' by Cal Newport

Clear mentions deliberate practice as a key ingredient in mastery. Newport wrote an entire book about how to actually do it. 'Deep Work' is a guide to cultivating intense, distraction-free focus — the kind that lets you produce meaningful work in less time.

If you've built solid habits but still feel scattered or unproductive, this book might be the missing piece.

4. 'The Miracle Morning' by Hal Elrod

Hal Elrod offers a specific routine for starting your day with intention. His system combines meditation, exercise, reading, journaling, and visualization into a morning practice designed to maximize personal growth before you even check your inbox.

It's a practical application of Clear's ideas: stack multiple good habits into one powerful morning ritual.

5. 'Make Time' by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky

This book comes from two former Google designers who got tired of feeling busy but unproductive. Their framework helps you reclaim time and energy from modern distractions so you can focus on one meaningful "highlight" each day.

If you've built good habits but still feel like your attention is being pulled in a hundred directions, Knapp and Zeratsky offer a clear path forward.

Your next chapter starts here

These five books are a great place to continue after 'Atomic Habits.' But they're just the beginning.

Over 55 million people use the Headway app to read and listen to book summaries on habits, productivity, communication, leadership, and personal growth. Each summary takes about 15 minutes — short enough to fit into a commute or a lunch break, but substantial enough to spark real change.

We'd love to help you figure out which books match your goals. Our short quiz asks a few questions about what you're working on, then recommends titles that actually fit your life right now. No guessing, no endless scrolling.

➡️ Take the quiz and get your personalized reading plan ⬅️

Happy 40th, James Clear. And to everyone reading: here's to another year of small steps and big progress. Make it a habit with Headway.