James Clear Bestseller 2018 “Atomic habits” has sold more than 15 million copies to date with her knowledge of how to change for the better with ordinary actions.
In February, Clear launched an interactive book supplement with an app, ATOMbased on the principles described in the book.
“After seeing how the book has helped millions of people create new habits, I'm incredibly excited about the idea of using technology to help even more people make small, meaningful improvements,” said Clear. Forbes in that time.
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When billed monthly, the app costs $10 per month (or $120 per year) or $70 for an annual subscription. In contrast, the book's list price is $27 for a one-time purchase.
James Clear. (Photo by Marla Aufmuth/Getty Images for the 2019 Pennsylvania Conference for Women)
As a fan of Atomic Bombs, I was intrigued by the idea of an app that made the book easier to apply. Is the app easy to use? What would be different about the book? Would the functionality justify its cost?
Here's what I discovered:
Configuration and tracking of habits
After downloading the app, I didn't have to create an account or give the company my card information. Instead, I was automatically enrolled in a free trial of Atoms Pro, which meant I could record up to six habits, record up to six habits on my Apple Watch, and access daily tutorials, which are insightful daily by James Clear – for 28 days.
After the trial period, I could do nothing and continue as a free user with only one habit tracking and no daily lessons, or choose to subscribe.
The app encouraged creating a habit in the exact structure described in Atomic Habits, and then checking in at a certain time to complete it.
The custom was written in the following format: “I will (insert action item here), when (insert time of day here) so that I can become (insert person who wants to be here).”
My habit. Credit: Entrepreneur
My habit was “I'm going to write down one thing I'm grateful for when I eat lunch so I can become a mindful person.” I could change it according to changes in my schedule or priorities.
The home screen of the app reflected the habit I typed. I could also set a time I wanted the app to notify me to check the habit and record the completion of the habit at any time by long-pressing the habit circle on the home screen.
Atoms home screen. Credit: Entrepreneur
Filling the habit was satisfying. A screen appeared that applauded the achievement and showed how the day stacked up against others during the week.
The app's daily lessons, with short readings about habit formation and mindfulness, were intriguing at first. I got a notification around 8am with a new lesson for the day.
Daily Lessons under the Mindset tab. Credit: Entrepreneur
However, I quickly realized that these daily lessons were included in the book.
I would have liked to have been able to interact with the lessons, perhaps by highlighting, underlining or commenting on individual lines, and perhaps even reading these sections on a larger, non-app screen.
Only account holders can share daily lessons. So while the sharing feature wasn't locked behind a paywall during testing, it did require additional information.
How the Atoms app works
Clearly said Forbes that the same team that helped build apps like Slack and Uber helped design this app.
“There are two questions at the heart of the app experience,” he told the publication. “Can we help people take action? And how can we make that more enjoyable?”
It's clear that Atoms has been cleanly designed, with a clear purpose in mind, but the app currently feels more cramped than the competition – and I personally think the price is too high for what it is.
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of The habit tracker app on iOS, for example, is inter top 50 the most popular productivity apps in the Apple Store. Although its user interface is less simple than Atoms' design, Habit Tracker has more features and automatically tracks habits like exercise and steps through Apple Health.
Habit Tracker is a clear competitor to Atoms, with a much lower price for a lifetime purchase of $9 or $3.49 per year subscription.
For the price of up to $120 per year, Atoms looks remarkably simple by comparison. I enjoyed using it more than the Habit Tracker, but the higher price was a detriment.
Making it so that professional users can only record six habits seems like a good idea, in theory, to avoid too many changes in behavior, but it can also be read as limited functionality at a high price.
The application does not have much flexibility in appearance either. I couldn't quickly switch to dark mode or change the font size of the daily lessons.
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I liked how Atoms didn't lock all of its features behind a paywall or ask users for their card information to access a free trial. The app made the choice of a Pro account intentional, not accidental, meaning it will probably attract paid users who feel the app offers them value they can't get elsewhere — non-paid users who forgot to cancel a free trial.
However, the app would offer more value if it were interactive and perhaps more personalized, especially at the current price.
I'm describing daily tutorials that prompt users for answers to questions or clues, or an accompanying journaling component in the app so that users can write down the challenges and successes they face along the way.