As the sun glistens over the peak of the Sistine Chapel, an unsure Michaelangelo stands
before its daunting beauty. Ahead of him stands a seemingly impossible task, the painting of the
Sistine Chapel Ceiling. With a surface area of more than twelve thousand square feet, painting
something so vast while being suspended more than 68 feet above the ground would be difficult
to say the least. Self-identifying primarily as a sculptor, Michelangelo was inexperienced with
the fresco technique. How would a sculptor, new to such a complex technique, successfully
complete the incredibly large project?
Michelangelo gazed upon the ceiling. He realized that the journey would be hard, but his
worry would do nothing to complete the task. This pivotal shift in mindset marked his first step
toward the formation of a new habit: the belief in one’s ability to change.
An enormous project was laid out before him. Undoubtedly, taken all at once, it would be
impossible to complete, but Michelangelo knew this. In order to combat this, he made the
ingenious decision to break up one large task into many smaller, more manageable pieces. This
strategic approach, breaking a large project into many small pieces, showcases the very essence
behind habit formation. Just as Micahelanglo divided the ceiling into subsections, section by
section, the aspiring self-improvementee can simply their goal by making each checkpoint as
easy as possible to reach.
Despite the challenges presented before him, Michaelanglo’s everyday persistence and
commitment to the mural became the foundation for what would be one of the greatest
achievements in all of art’s history. His dedication and consistency stand as anecdotes to the
importance of small improvements, one percent better every day.
The story of the Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel showcases all four of the Laws of
Behavioral Change:
1. Make it Obvious.
It was clear to Michelangelo that this would be no easy task. Coming into such a large
project with limited experience in the field would be a worrying cue to many, requiring a
need for change. The sheer vastness of the project was his cue.
2. Make it Attractive.
His reward was obvious. If he completed the job, he would be paid 3000 ducats, the
equivalent of millions of dollars today! Such a huge sum of money would obviously
attract artists all over the world, and Michaelangelo knew he was lucky to be given this
opportunity.
3. Make it Easy.
For more reasons than one, painting the ceiling would not be easy. Such a massive canvas
is daunting to be presented with. In order to make the job easier, Michelangelo developed
special scaffolding and divided the ceiling into small, more manageable parts.
4. Make it Satisfying.
By painting the ceiling one section at a time, Michelangelo created a sort of game for
himself. He knew that each section completed would bring him closer to completing the
entire job. Every small step forward would reward him with the feeling of
accomplishment. It was that very feeling that kept him determined to move forward.
Michaelangelo’s story may seem very specific, but the truth is this example can be widely
extrapolated to your everyday life. Understanding how and why habits are formed is the key to
forming your own good habits and getting rid of the bad ones. However, it is important to
remember that success in your own habits, just like the painting of the Sistine Chapel, does not
come over night. In order for Michaelangelo to finish his artwork, he had to adopt the philosophy
“1% better every day.” No matter how much effort you put in, you must strive to stay consistent.
Even the most remarkable artists would get nowhere without consistency.
The impact of small changes can be immeasurable. Michelangelo didn’t paint the Sistine
Chapel in a day, nor did he finish it in one fell swoop. Instead, it was an amalgamation of
thousands of small and deliberate actions taken over the course of time, powered only by
dedication and remembering the importance of his end goal. His story serves as a metaphor of
sorts that we can apply to our own every day habits.
This book was written to help you understand that even your tiniest habits become the
foundation that your future is built upon. Atomic Habits compound over time. Approaching
every aspect of your life with the intention to make the smallest consistent improvements will
undoubtedly reward you with success. The journey that is building good habits, much like
Michaelangelo’s mural in the Sistine Chapel, is a demonstration that greatness is not achieved all
at once.
Analysis:
Atomic Habits uses very vivid analogies. For example, in chapter 1, James Clear
references the 2003 British Cyclying team to showcase just how impactful small changes and
tweaks in the teams training could be. This idea of atomic level optimization later becomes the
backbone of Atomic Habits. With each new chapter comes a vivid analogy depicting the
chapter’s key message in a way that readers can understand. In my alternate ending chapter, I
referenced Michelangelo’s work on the Sistine Chapter and parallel it to the key ideas within
Atomic Habits in order to summarize and conclude the book.
James Clear carrys a conversational tone filled with vivid imagery in order to captivate
and enthrall readers allowing them to understand his message on a more relatable level. Saying
things like: “If you’re a millionaire but you spend more than you earn each month, then you’re
on a bad trajectory. If your spending habits don’t change, it’s not going to end well. Conversely,
if you’re broke, but you save a little bit every month, then you’re on the path toward financial
freedom—even if you’re moving slower than you’d like.” James’ writing style is very similar to
a conversation you might have with your friends or family. Because of that, readers can
understand it and enjoy it. In my alternate ending essay, I tried to adopt James’ conversational
tone while still incorporating ideas that readers might know something about. “The impact of
small changes can be immeasurable. Michelangelo didn’t paint the Sistine Chapel in a day, nor
did he finish it in one fell swoop. Instead, it was an amalgamation of thousands of small and
deliberate actions taken over the course of time, powered only by dedication and remembering
the importance of the end goal.” By referencing Michelangelo’s years of work on the Sistine
Chapel, I was able to give an example of the importance of patience and consistence when
building habits.
Challenges:
The biggest challenge I faced when reading this book was the act of actually changing
my own habits. Throughout the book, you are given a clear path to identifying, understanding,
and improving your own habits. It is easy to understand the concepts, but it is a completely new
thing to put them into practice. Although it is not easy, I can definitely say that by changing my
daily habits, I have become a more productive and effective version of myself. For example, in
chapter 15, Clear says: “it takes time for the evidence to accumulate and a new identity to
emerge. Immediate reinforcement helps maintain motivation in the short term while you’re
waiting for the long-term rewards to arrive.” I decided to implement this idea to try and keep me
on track in the gym. I now have two jars on my desk. One was filled with marbles and the other
was empty at the start of my gym program. Each day that I went to the gym and completed my
workout I would move one marble from the full jar to the empty one. Writing this now, coming
to the end of my 8 week weight lifting program, the jar that was previously empty is almost full
and the previously full jar only has 4 marbles left inside of it. By far the most challenging part of
the book was sticking to the key ideas it talks about, however, they do seem to be paying off.