2025: Get a Systems Level Up with Atomic Habits by James Clear

Create scaffolding for success: Atomic Habits

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”– James Clear, Atomic Habits

This can be a big fall for a lot of people, especially those of us whose “system muscle” needs work. 

While some people have natural tendencies towards systems and organisation, it is still a skill that requires consistent practice. As Clear says, it is all about habits. Those who lean more towards structure just start a little higher on the skill-building ladder.

Others need to work more to train this muscle. They start on a lower rung on the ladder. Inversely, though, they may start higher on the ladder with a different skill – such as music, writing, maths, science, or sport – while their “systems” buddies might have more work to do in that area.

So regardless of talent, tendencies, personality, and childhood development, systems and habits are the scaffolding that supports all the awesome things we want to do in our lives.

Often the people who need to work on systems and habits are the people who need them most. Hands up if you’re with me? My creative spirit is naturally chaotic in a world that craves order. I used to rest on that – “I’m creative, in my bubble, pottering with creating amazing shit”. The reality is that systems are critical in the creative process. They allow the amazing shit to manifest and be released into the world.

Without systems like those Clear mentions in Atomic Habits, we spend so much of our energy reactively managing our shame and emotions, rather than the things that are important to us.

Challenge #1 – Shame derails our systems

Creating systems and habits seems simple enough. I’ve created many – over and over again. So, what has prevented me from being consistent with the habits and systems? 

Shame shines here. Shame about the things bought and unused that went in the linen cupboard, the overflowing junk drawer in the kitchen, the mysterious pile of still-sealed envelopes that got filed into the “Tub of Mystery”, the bottom-of-the-laundry-pile stuff that hasn’t made it to the washing machine since 2012, the unticked page-long to-do list, and the last minute excursion permission slip for the the school that you vehemently told the school you “never received” (you know it’s probably in the Tub of Mystery).

And what happens when we follow our sparkly new systems? We start springing the traps we’ve set over years, covering us in our shame like a squid firing ink and reinforcing the association that systems are hard, systems are painful, and systems feel bad.

Solution: Commit to creating systems that work in 2025 and dedicate blocks of time to seeking out and disabling those old traps, preventing derailment. Deal with the triggers and the ink with a holistic approach – tools like Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Hypnotherapy, Reiki, EFT, and personalised coaching strategies help us work through and release the crap on all levels (Physical, Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual/Higher Self). 

Challenge #2 – Don’t start at the finish line (aka one step at a time)

It’s also hard to be consistent when we set the bar too high. Lofty sights are great for goals and terrible for systems. We visualise the outcomes we want, immerse ourselves in the feelings of our desired future identity, of the person we want to be. We might have a strong sense of this identity and a fierce desire to align with it. That person has manifested and achieved our goals. It feels good to be that person, and we want to live in that space now.

Gurus told us to “fake it till we make it”. Unfortunately they forgot to tell us there are some important Ts and Cs. This principle can work for some people – as long as they consistently build skills and bridge the gap. Dreaming about teleporting there one day or manifesting it without doing the work is a great fantasy, but just doesn’t cut it! 

Here are those missing Ts and Cs. “Start where you are, create systems in the present, and within these systems build the habits that take you closer to your goals – step by step by step.”

So, come back to now! When we create systems, we must create them around our identity now, the person we are now, and the level we are at now. The systems our now person needs. If we over complicate them or are over ambitious, we set ourselves up to fall, reinforcing the identity that we are a disorganised person who doesn’t achieve goals, who gives up, and who is stuck in our current patterns.

Solution: Do a life audit, understand where you’re at and how you spend your time. Keep systems simple to start with, achievable, and easy to build upon. Ask a partner, friend, family member, or colleague to help with accountability, building regular check-ins into your systems.

Final Note

If you haven’t read Atomic Habits, get onto it now! If you have, read it again… and again. Introduce the principles and ideas into your life one step at a time, habit by habit – one day you’ll look in the mirror and see a systems guru that is kicking goals with consistency and precision!

What systems and habits are you bringing into your life in 2025?