What We’re Learning About Small Changes
I feel like Atomic Habits has been everywhere for years. Back when it first came out, YouTubers were raving about it, calling it life-changing. I was curious… but at the same time, I imagined people laughing if I picked it up. “Who do you think you are, reading that?” Maybe you’ve felt that too; that little voice that talks you out of doing something good for yourself.
That’s been a big part of my story… thinking too negatively, assuming others are judging me the same way I judge myself. It’s something I’m slowly learning to unlearn, and I know I’m not the only one.
Still, when I went back to the UK in January, I finally bought the book.
Before Atomic Habits
Before reading it, I went through the same cycle we all know too well… getting super motivated, setting ten new routines at once, buying pretty notebooks and coloured pens… then completely falling off after a week.
If that sounds familiar, welcome to the club. I used to think I just needed to be more disciplined… but looking back, I never actually gave myself a realistic start. Everything I tried was too much all at once.
So when I heard people say Atomic Habits was about starting small, I thought, sure… how much difference can that really make? But once I started reading, it started to click. Maybe big change really does begin in tiny ways.
First Impressions
Honestly, the cover sold me. It’s clean, minimal, aesthetic… and I thought, well, even if this isn’t my kind of book, at least it’ll look nice on the coffee table.
Flipping through though, I wasn’t sure. It was my first self-help book that I’d actually bought by choice. The graphs and charts made me think it was for “proper” business people, not me. But then I found the audiobook, and listening while commuting became my thing… reading at home or in a coffee shop, listening on buses and trains.
The problem was, by the first chapter I kept hitting pause and rewinding. Wait… what was that again? Too many points were resonating, and I wanted to make notes; which isn’t exactly easy when you’re balancing on a crowded bus. Eventually, I switched to reading slowly with a pen in hand instead.
Small Changes in Action
Since then, I’ve been trying out a few small habits. Nothing huge… just gentle tweaks to my day. Maybe you’re doing some of these too:
- Reading a few verses from the Bible daily (or reflecting on one simple thought).
- Bone broth on regular rotation (I swear it does wonders).
- Drinking more water (the eternal struggle… my poor water bottle must think I’ve forgotten its purpose some days).
Bone broth has been the easiest one to keep up with; it’s simple to prep and easy to grab when I need it. Water… still working on that one. And daily reading? Slowly improving, but still a work in progress.
And honestly, that’s okay. We don’t have to get everything right all at once. It’s more about finding a rhythm than chasing some kind of perfect day.
Lessons I’m Learning (And Maybe You Too)
The line that really got me was:
“Improving by 1 percent isn’t particularly notable — sometimes it isn’t even noticeable — but it can be far more meaningful, especially in the long run.”
It works both ways. We can get 1 percent better each day, or 1 percent worse. By the end of the year, those tiny choices add up to being 37% better or worse. That really made me stop and think.
It made me realise how often we write off the little things… tidying our space, journaling one page, or drinking one glass of water. They seem so small we think, does this even matter? But it does. These quiet, behind-the-scenes moments are what actually build momentum.
I’ve stopped waiting for “big” progress. Now I’m learning to appreciate the slow, steady, kind-of-boring stuff that shapes who we’re becoming.
The Hard Part (Because There Always Is One)
Of course, it’s not all that aesthetic, self-care glow we see online. Some days we feel like we’re doing great… other days we barely have the energy to care. Some days we nail the routine, others we just exist… and that’s fine too.
I’ve had plenty of days where I’ve thought, what’s even the point? But that’s where the 1% idea helps. It’s not about being perfect… it’s about direction. If we’re even slightly better than yesterday, that’s still something.
And on the days we’re not? Well, that 1% might just mean trying again tomorrow.
Connecting to the Journey
Now that it’s October, I’m stepping into what the internet calls the “Winter Arc”… or as I’ve been calling it, my three-month plan. It’s just the second half of my six-month plan really… but whatever we call it, the goal stays the same: to grow slowly, steadily, quietly.
If Atomic Habits has taught us anything, it’s that small shifts matter. They might not look exciting in the moment, but they build up over time into something real.
None of us have it all figured out… we skip days, lose momentum, get distracted… but we’re still trying. We’re still moving forward, even when it’s messy.
And maybe that’s what progress actually looks like… small, real, human.
A Small Thought to End On
The more I think about it, the more I believe self-improvement isn’t about becoming a completely new version of ourselves… it’s about gently returning to who we already are… a little more grounded, a little more consistent, a little more kind.
Maybe all we really need to do is keep showing up in small ways… one page, one sip, one moment at a time.
Because one day, those small choices won’t just be progress… they’ll be the reason we became the person we always hoped we could be.
✨ If you’ve been working on a small habit lately, I’d love to know… what’s been helping you stick with it?
Life in Progress Diaries 
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