The Best of James Clear’s 3-2-1 Newsletter
Most internet writers-turned-authors recycle their online articles into books. Their post-book newsletters tend to be similar: more chest-thumping and rehashing of ideas, solutions, or opinions for which the author is already known.
I won’t name names, but I once bought a “bestseller” from a 20-something internet guru. I’d admired his early business success and studied his work thoroughly.
Halfway through the book, I had a sense of déjà vu.
I wasn’t sure why.
Until I realized that I had read the stories in the chapter before. In fact, I could have copied his articles into a document, got it printed and bound, and I would have produced a near-perfect replica of his book.
Dis gus ting.
Because of this gag-inducing impression I had of online writers, I ignored James Clear’s 3-2-1 newsletter for a while.
(James, if you’re reading this, no offense. I’m a fan.)
Now, I didn’t always ignore James Clear’s newsletter. In fact, I’d been subscribed to it since 2017 when he sent long form articles every Tuesdays and Thursdays. He struck me as a smart, straight up guy.
But I stopped reading his emails after I read Atomic Habits and he began sending his 3-2-1 curation newsletter, instead of articles.
I thought, “Eh, more of the same habits stuff from the book. Another 5 Bullet Friday ripoff.”
That is, until I saw this quote he posted on Instagram:
”Some people need more focus. Others need to broaden their perspective.
Some people need to try harder. Others need to stress less.
Some people need to care more. Others need to let it go.
The secret is you are both people. The key is to know which one you are in the moment.”
Damn. That hit home for me at that time. I decided to give his newsletter another shot.
And I’m glad I did.
3-2-1’s tagline is, “The most wisdom per word of any newsletter on the web.”
That’s not an exaggeration. James Clear doesn’t just take pithy quotes from his book and shares them in an email.
The “3” ideas from him are tweet-sized, impactful words of uncommon wisdom
The “2” insights from others are a gateway drug to discover ideas and books from thinkers that have influenced him (and you know how much I love going straight to the source)
The “1” question is a reset button that I use for reflection or journaling
A short message before we dive in: I usually write about web3, creativity, and the creator economy. If these interest you, you’ll probably enjoy my weekly newsletter. Subscribe below to get more posts, or check out previous editions to “try before you buy”.
While I’m seriously tempted to turn James’ newsletters into an almanack, for now, I’ll settle for this collection of the best of James Clear’s 3-2-1 newsletter.
Leverage habits & behaviour change: How to start becoming who you want to be
Don’t miss two. “True behavior change is identity change. Anyone can convince themselves to visit the gym or eat healthy once or twice, but if you don’t shift the belief behind the behavior, then it is hard to stick with long-term changes. Improvements are only temporary until they become part of who you are.” 1
“People generally have more control over their actions than their feelings. But we can influence our feelings by taking action. Take one small step. Move the body first and the mind will follow.”
“Motion feels like progress. Action is progress.” 2
“If you genuinely care about the goal, you’ll focus on the system.” 3
“The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream.” 4
“3 things that help habits stick:
Repetition. Habits form based on frequency, not time
Stable context. If the context is always changing, so is the behaviour. You need a reliable environment.
Positive emotions. If it feels good, you’ll want to repeat it” 5
Play long term games: How to develop ironclad discipline
1% better every day. “The most useful form of patience is persistence. Patience implies waiting for things to improve on their own. Persistence implies keeping your head down and continuing to work when things take longer than you expect.” 6
“Greatness is consistency.
Meditating once is common. Meditating daily is rare.
Exercising today is simple. Training every week is simply remarkable.
Writing one essay rarely matters. Write every day and you're practically a hero.
Unheroic days can make for heroic decades.” 7“Aim to be great in 10 years. Build health habits today that lead to a great body in 10 years. Build social habits today that lead to great relationships in 10 years. Build learning habits today that lead to great knowledge in 10 years. Long-term thinking is a secret weapon.”
“The only way to become excellent is to be endlessly fascinated by doing the same thing over and over. You have to fall in love with boredom.”
“The more control you have over your attention, the more control you have over your future.” 8
“To become successful, default to saying yes to opportunities. To remain successful, default to saying no to opportunities.
When you say no, you are only saying no to one option.
When you say yes, you are saying no to every other option.
No is a decision.
Yes is a responsibility.
Be careful what (and who) you say yes to. It will shape your day, your career, your family, your life.” 9“When you lose track of time, you are either living your best life or wasting it.”
Play infinite games: How to succeed without selling your soul
“Entrepreneurship is a personal growth engine disguised as a business pursuit.” 10
“The secret to winning is learning how to lose.
That is, learning to bounce back from failure and disappointment—undeterred—and continuing to steadily march toward your potential.
Your response to failure determines your capacity for success.” 11“An approach that has worked well for me: Friendly, but persistent.” 12
“A brief guide to leadership:
Always know the answer to, “What are we optimizing for?”
Recruit. Recruit. Recruit.
Never ask someone to do something you aren’t willing to do yourself.
Give away the credit. Take the blame.” 13
“What is the real goal?
The real goal is not to “beat the market.” The goal is to build wealth.
The real goal is not to read more books. The goal is to understand what you read.
Don’t let a proxy become the target. Don’t optimize for the wrong outcome.” 14
RK: More about this in my Annual Review 2020.“Don’t write to sound smart. Write to be useful. If you’re useful over a long time period, you will end up looking smart anyway.” 15
RK: Simiilarly, I strongly believe that one should read for knowledge and enjoyment, not to seem smart.
In Summary
“What is the highest leverage action I can execute on right now?” 16
James Clear’s work gives you the tools to get the life you want after you already have an idea of what you want. Through his work, we learn that we can change our identities through systematic behavioural change.
For habits to change our identity, we need to compound them and persist. Over time, we develop the habit of discipline and stellar execution.
James Clear's books, articles, and newsletter give us insights on how to become a functional adult human being — which coincidentally leads into a fulfilling life of purposeful work, enjoyable fun, and life-giving relationships.
His Thursday 3-2-1 newsletter is high signal. It cuts through the noise and – well – helps clear the path to your goals (I COULDN’T RESIST, OKAY). And it is the only newsletter I’m excited to read every week.
Bar none.
(My sincere apologies to everyone else I’m subscribed to: Tim Ferriss, Farnam Street/Shane Parrish, Web Smith, David Perell, Tiago Forte, Mark Manson, Nat Eliason, the Every bundle, etc. James’ newsletter just hits different.)
Footnotes