Book recommendation: Atomic Habits – How to get 1 % better every day

Today I’d like to tell you about a book I read a few years ago and which has stayed with me ever since: Atomic Habits by James Clear ↗ (external link, opens in a new tab), in German The 1-% method.

It’s all about habits – and how you shape them so that they make you better, step by step. No grand gestures, no radical overnight changes, but small, consistent improvements that add up over time. For me, that is precisely the essence of Leading Myself: Leadership doesn’t begin with grand gestures, but with the everyday, often unremarkable decisions you make.

I have experienced this myself, just how much power lies in small, repeated actions. I’ve been meditating almost every day since February 2024 – at first for just a few minutes, but it’s now an integral part of my day. Clear’s principles have helped me to understand, why It works: not through willpower alone, but because I’ve set up the system in such a way that the good habit has become the easier option than its opposite.

The 4 Laws of Changing Habits

Book recommendation:

📘 Amazon.de – The 1% Method ↗ (external link, opens in a new tab) (Please check and insert the link)

Fancy a first impression? Here are two video summaries (in English):

And here’s the video, straight from the author himself:

Why I think this book fits in with ‘Serve & Protect’

If you want to lead others effectively, you must first be able to lead yourself. Before I can take responsibility for a team, I need to understand how I shape my own patterns – my energy, my focus, my inner attitude. Atomic Habits There is a very specific, practical framework for this.

I’m curious: which habit has had the biggest impact on your life or your leadership? Let me know next time we meet, or drop me a line.

Dr Peter von Wartenberg (June 2020)