The Best of James Clear (264 Questions)
A comprehensive list of James Clear questions AND mini-dives into 38 of my favorites...
I’ve read every single one of the 264 newsletters New York Times bestselling author, James Clear has published since 2019. They’re short and live up to his description, “the most wisdom per word of any newsletter on the web.”
His format is 3 short ideas from himself, 2 quotes from others, and 1 question to ponder. (subscribe here)
With 264 questions to dive into, it’s a freaking gold mine. So, I decided to compile every single question he’s ever shared. Click here to find the comprehensive list of every question James Clear has ever shared online. Once I had the complete list, I decided to hand-pick the ones that really resonated and do mini-dives into each of them.
I picked 38.
James, if you ever come across this - thank you! Your content is a gift. I’m putting this out into the universe that someday I want to talk with you about the questions you use most frequently in your day-to-day life.
Alright, buckle up folks. In chronological order, I present my 38 favorite James Clear questions…
Can my current habits carry me to my desired future?
(August 22, 2019)
I mean, nothing is more James Clear than a question about habits. The thing about this question is that it’s actually a 3-in-1 question.
What’s your desired future state?
What are your current habits?
How are your current habits moving you toward or away from your desired state?
How would the person I wish to be act today?
(October 3, 2019)
Forget “today.” I’d go even more micro with this question. I think it’s more helpful to look at things in moments. This could apply to both the good and bad parts of life.
How would the person you wish to be respond to this criticism?
How would the person you wish to be act after winning the game?
How would the person you wish to be act after being passed over for a promotion?
Break life into these small moments and it’s easier to think about what you might do. And look, even if you decide not to do what your “best self” might do, it still gets you questioning your current default response.
Are things truly not going well … or do I just need some food, water, and a short break?
(October 17, 2019)
Talk to any parent (or every parent) and they will tell you this question will help you solve about half of the problems you run into with kids—all kids. Before you even try to figure out the problem or talk about the behavior you want them to use next time, figure out whether they’re hungry or tired.
And, it turns out this works just as well with your colleagues at work.
Are your obligations real or imagined?
(November 28, 2019)
“We suffer more in imagination than in reality.” (Seneca)
We’ve been imagining obligations since the beginning of time. Right now, there is something on your calendar or to-do that you’re going to participate in because you believe you “have” to. The reality is that you don’t have to do anything. And if you always live in the headspace where everything is happening to you, you’re going to be miserable because you’ll believe you have no autonomy in your life.
Am I climbing the right mountain?
(December 12, 2019)
“What” you work on is more important that “how hard” you work.
Don’t misread this as hard work is bad. Hard work is exactly what you need AFTER you’ve made sure you’re climbing the right mountain or playing the right game for you.
How would I know if my beliefs are wrong?
(March 5, 2020)
We unknowingly create our own echo chambers. Social media is created to feed us an infinite content stream of things we want. Couple that with the fact that we do the same in the analog world and suddenly everywhere you go you are mostly surrounded by like-minded people.
Whether in social media or in real life, curate contrarians. Find people, accounts, or content that challenge the beliefs you’re entrenched in.
Am I doing this for Present Me or Future Me?
(May 14, 2020)
“I never get enough sleep. I stay up late at night 'cause I'm "night guy". Night guy wants to stay up late. "What about getting up after five hours of sleep? Oh, that's morning guy's problem. That's not my problem. I'm night guy. I stay up as late as I want." So you get up in the morning, the alarm, you're exhausted, groggy. Oh, you hate that night guy. See, night guy always screws morning guy. There's nothing morning guy can do. The only thing morning guy can do is try and oversleep often enough so that day guy loses his job, and night guy has no money to go out anymore.” (Jerry Seinfeld)
I love this bit because sometimes there’s a tension between what the “present” version of us wants and what the “future” version of us wants. This question reminds us that there’s an incredibly important person relying on us—”future-us.”
If someone could only see my actions and not hear my words, what would they say are my priorities?
(May 28, 2020)
If you want to see someone’s priorities look at how they spend their time and their money. Don’t bother asking people about these because we aren’t great judges of how we allocate our resources. If you really want to know your priorities, open your calendar and open your credit card statement. You’ll know exactly what’s important.
What part of this situation is under my control?
(November 5, 2020)
This is one of my all time favorite questions.
“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own . . .” —Epictetus, Discourses, 2.5.4–5
I have saved myself so much time, energy, and emotion by asking this and then letting go of things that are out of my control.
So, what’s in your control?
Your attitude.
Your actions.
You get to decide how you’re going to think about something and how you’re going to respond it. Focus on what’s in your control.
Some questions to consider before you speak:
Does this need to be said?
Does this need to be said by me?
Does this need to be said by me right now?
(November 26, 2020)
If everyone had this written on a card that sat in front of them during every meeting they attend, all of our meetings would be much shorter.
I might know more than I did 20 years ago but I speak much less.
Has the most important thing changed? Am I chasing an outdated target?
(January 21, 2021)
When I was in fourth grade, I wanted to be president of the United States of America.
When I was in tenth grade, I wanted to play french horn in a professional symphony.
When I was in college, I wanted to be a professional breakdancer.
My targets changed over time. That’s not a bad thing. But it would be bad if my target changed and I never changed my behaviors to align with the new target. This question is a really quick way to ensure you’re at least facing the right direction.
A question from venture capitalist and executive coach, Jerry Colonna:
“How are you complicit in creating the conditions you say you don’t want?”
(February 25, 2021)
Oh man. This question. This is the one you’re not going to want to answer. No one wants to believe they’re part of the problem.
“Leaders must own everything in their world. There is no one else to blame.”
(Jocko Willink, Extreme Ownership)
Yes, this is true in leadership. AND, we are all leaders. Even if you consider that you are leading yourself, which might be the most important leadership position of all.
What could be improved? What could be removed?
(March 18, 2021)
We spend a lot of time on the first question.
Maybe we can more effectively answer the first question by starting with the second question?
Does the amount of time I’m giving this match its true importance?
(March 25, 2021)
How much time do you spend deciding what to watch on Netflix?
The average person spends roughly 18 minutes. (source: Reelgood and Learndipity)
If you hop on Netflix 3 times a week, you’ll spend roughly 46 hours a year deciding what to watch on Netflix.
Are you getting 46 hours worth of value out of this time?
What parts of my story no longer serve me? What stories am I attached to that I need to let go of?
(July 1, 2021)
“A senior monk and a junior monk were traveling together. At one point, they came to a river with a strong current. As the monks were preparing to cross the river, they saw a very young and beautiful woman also attempting to cross. The young woman asked if they could help her cross to the other side.
The two monks glanced at one another, because they had taken vows not to touch a woman. Then, without a word, the older monk picked up the woman, carried her across the river, placed her gently on the other side, and carried on with his journey. The younger monk couldn’t believe what had just happened.
After rejoining his companion, he was speechless, and an hour passed without a word between them. Two more hours passed, then three, and finally the younger monk couldn’t contain himself any longer, and he blurted out, “As monks, we are not permitted to touch a woman—how could you then carry that woman on your shoulders?”
The older monk looked at him and replied, “Brother, I put her down on the other side of the river a long time ago; why are you still carrying her?”
It’s important to periodically stop and look at what you’re still carrying to determine whether the stories, emotions, or even physical items, are helpful at this part of your journey.
What’s the cost of doing a poor job? What’s the cost of doing a mediocre job? What’s the cost of doing an exceptional job?
Which price are you willing to pay?
(September 2, 2021)
The cost of doing a poor job in our home is more jobs 😂 When I see something done poorly it tells me that this person needs more practice doing the job so I’m happy to offer more opportunities for practice.
I like that he also includes the cost of doing an exceptional job because I don’t think we always pay attention to this, and we simply pay whatever it takes. Sometimes that’s needed… but not always. This question at least gets us to acknowledge what the cost is before we just start blindly paying.
What behavior does this space encourage? How can you set things up to make your good habits easier?
(November 4, 2021)
Look at your office.
Look at your bedroom.
Look at your living room.
You have curated these spaces yourself and each space encourages specific behaviors. Does your space make it easier for you to do the things you want to do?
What is something meaningful you can accomplish in the final week of the year?
The year isn’t over yet. End on a high note.
(December 23, 2021)
In Crossfit, there is a specific type of workout called an AMRAP (as many rounds as possible). In these workouts, the goal is to complete as many full rounds of various movements as possible within a specific time frame.
There comes a point in the workout as you get close to the end where you realize you’re not going to complete an entire round and your mind immediately says to slow down since you can’t finish anyway.
The coaches know when this moment arrives and immediately yell out, “every rep counts.” When you record your score, you not only count the complete rounds but you also add every individual rep completed.
I love this question because when we get to November and December it can be tempting to say, “I’ll kickstart things again in January.”
Don’t let the calendar dictate your energy.
Every rep counts.
Entrepreneur and investor Sam Altman says some of the best advice he ever received was, “If you can’t figure out what kind of work you like, pay attention to what’s easy to concentrate on and gives you energy vs. what makes you tune out and feel tired.”
What is easy for you to concentrate on?
(February 10, 2022)
“Pay attention to what you pay attention to.”
Amy Krouse Rosenthal
I have been thinking about this a lot recently. Whether it’s the things that are easy to concentrate on or the things that my mind naturally gravitates to, I’ve been looking for ways to do more of those projects lately. This doesn’t mean you have to change your whole life around but imagine spending a few more minutes a day doing the thing you’re naturally being pulled toward.
Nearly everything in life has a useful zone, a desired dose. Ten minutes in the sun can energize you. Ten hours in the sun can burn you. This concept applies to many things: work, relationships, hobbies, exercise, food.
What is your desired dose? What do you need right now? A little bit more or a little bit less?
(March 17, 2022)
This question is easy to answer at the extremes. You need more than 1 hour of sleep and likely don’t need 12 hours. The catch is in finding the right desired dose for you. This is why you ask questions like this and why life should be treated like an incredible series of experiments.
“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
So many people are ready to prescribe doses to you.
Run the experiments for yourself and find the dose that is right for you.
If someone took control of your life tomorrow, what’s the first thing they would change?
(March 31, 2022)
The Hotshot Rule is the act of thinking of someone I admire, then pausing, reflecting, and asking what they would do in my situation/shoes/role, then answering what that one thing is and acting on it. The answer tends to appear quickly because it seems to be clear when you think about it through someone else's lens.
(Kat Cole, former president, Cinnabon)
This question scares me.
And if you want to really scared, think about someone taking control of several very specific roles in your life.
Partner and Parent.
If someone stepped into my role as a partner/spouse what’s the first thing they would change?
What’s stopping you from making that change right now?
Am I willing to look foolish today so I can learn something that will make me better tomorrow?
(April 28, 2022)
When I first began learning to breakdance, this happened all the time. I was always falling and crashing. But something changed when I reached a certain degree of proficiency—I lost some of that and began to spend practice sessions doing moves I already knew because I was more afraid to look foolish at that stage than I was in the beginning.
The most valuable time to ask this question is when you believe you are skilled at something. Something changes in that moment and this is the most crucial time to be willing to look foolish.
The benefits that arise from a good relationship—whether it be in marriage, friendship, business, or otherwise—are often produced over a long time span.
Is it more important to win this battle or to maintain this relationship?
(September 29, 2022)
“In every interaction, you’re only really able to optimize around one thing and you have to decide is this one thing that I’m optimizing around the relationship or is it the outcome.”
Dr. Peter Attia
There’s a question I love asking: “Am I optimizing for the result or the relationship?”
Sometimes we’re so focused on winning the battle and getting the result we want that we end up losing something far more valuable.
Without altering the facts of the situation I am facing and without ignoring the reality of what must be done, what is the most useful and empowering story I can tell myself about what is happening and what I need to do next?
(October 20, 2022)
It’s a long question but all of the pieces are critical.
Sometimes we can’t even do the first part—”without altering the facts.” We see things through a certain lens and, without realizing it, create an alternate reality that we believe to be true.
I love that several of his questions place us directly in the role of author. There are plenty of things that are out of our control but the story we tell ourselves and the actions we take are always in our control.
This thing that I am unhappy about… is it actually hard to change or is it simply hard to have the courage to change it?
(March 9, 2023)
This might be my least favorite of these questions.
It reminds me that the big changes in front of me are there for the taking if I would only be courageous.
That’s scary to think about.
What is one important lesson for life that isn’t taught in school, but that you want to teach to your kids?
(April 13, 2023)
One?
Everything is figureoutable.
I want my kids to see every problem they ever face as something that can be figured out once it’s been broken into its most basic components.
If I do nothing, what will happen? If I act right now, what will happen?
Sometimes you need to let go. Sometimes you need to get going.
(May 18, 2023)
I don’t typically ask the first question. I tend to assume action is needed. This question is a great reminder that action isn’t always the only (or best) option.
I’ve learned this with my kids over time. Sometimes they don’t need me to rush in and respond - they need me to let them sit with the problem and figure it out themselves.
Think of a time you failed or struggled greatly.
If you were to view that experience in a more useful way, what story would you tell yourself? What did it teach you? How did it prepare you for what came next?
Turn your failures into lessons.
(June 29, 2023)
I love the word he uses in the first part of the question - useful.
What would be different in your life is you applied that word to every situation where things seem to fall apart?
In which direction are your habits currently steering your life?
(July 20, 2023)
Questions like this are so perfect because there’s no judgment attached. It’s like checking in with your personal GPS to see if you’re heading to the destination you actually want.
A simple question that can prevent a lot of future headaches:
What is not being said right now that needs to be said? What problems could we avoid in the future, if only we had the courage to talk about them now?
(August 3, 2023)
Here’s one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned being married for 14 years.
Say it.
Say the thing you’re thinking but don’t want to say.
Say it as nicely and clearly as possible.
I did a terrible job of this for several years in the beginning and I lost out on some of those early opportunities to deepen our relationship.
Half your problems are just your mind making minor things seem like major things.
What are you over-emphasizing right now?
(November 23, 2023)
Other people’s opinions.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve overemphasized other people’s opinions. What will they think if I do this? What if they say this, how should I do this? What do they think of me?
I’ve gotten better at calming this part of my mind as I’ve gotten older but if I’m totally honest I still do this more than I probably should.
I like that this question uses the word “over-emphasizing.” This means that there is a right amount of emphasis, it’s not about deciding to never care about the topic again, it’s about finding the right amount of care to demonstrate.
Winston Churchill once said, “It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we must do what is required.”
Think about what you are working toward this year. Are you doing what is required or are you looking for a shortcut?
(January 11, 2024)
I’ve been thinking about this question for several weeks now and someone at work actually mentioned this quote as we were talking about working with students.
Sometimes our best just isn’t enough. Don’t blame others, don’t complain, commit to improvement.
Imagine your life as a book. What title would you give to the current chapter, and what is going to be the next?
(March 21, 2024)
Shifting winds.
That’s the name of my chapter. This question is so powerful because it forces us to take on the role of author. It reminds us that we are the one writing our story. We have to look at what’s happening in our life and we are forced to try and make enough sense of the overall picture to attach a singular title to the chapter.
A question from business coach Jeanne Torre:
“Is that assumed or confirmed?”
(March 28, 2024)
I feel like this is a proverb type of question - its short and built into it is this reminder that not every piece of information that comes our way is absolutely true.
Asking this question will save you a lot of misunderstandings and will help you approach life more like someone seeking to find truth rather than someone looking to confirm opinion.
What lifestyle do you love 80% of the time?
No lifestyle is perfect 100% of the time. I love having a few days each year to relax on the beach—but I wouldn’t want to do that every day, or even most days.
What lifestyle feels ideal for you most of the time? Cultivate that.
(April 25, 2024)
I saw a quote once that said 10% of our days are incredible and amazing, 10% of our days are awful and challenging, it’s the 80% in the middle we need to be optimizing for.
There will always be really good and really bad days that show up but the 80% is where the majority of our lives are lived.
This question is a great reminder that instead of optimizing for the outliers, we should be trying to get the most out of the bell curve in the middle.
How should you measure your days? It’s easy to measure your days in dollars earned or tasks completed, but there are other units of measurement to consider:
What would you do today if you wanted to maximize laughter? What would you do today if you wanted to maximize time outside? What would you do today if you wanted to maximize peace of mind? What unit of measurement serves you best right now?
(June 6, 2024)
For almost 20 years, you’re given a unit of measurement for your life.
Grades.
What if we helped our kids broaden their perspective on the units available for measuring life?
There are so many potential units of measurement to use. Find the combination that works best for you and be ruthless about not using other people’s metrics.
You can have anything you want but you can’t have everything you want.
Instead of asking, “What would make me feel happy?” try asking, “What would make the group excited?”
Many of the best moments in life happen when the group is having fun. You feed off one another’s energy. What can you do to laugh or gasp or scream or smile with others?
(July 4, 2024)
I know a terrific dad who had the perfect response if his kids complained about attending an event.
“How can you make this a great experience for someone else?”
Instead of showing up everywhere intent on being pleased and having others make you happy, how would the event be different if your entire motive was to create a memorable moment for someone else?
It’s important to have boundaries in life, but sometimes you may feel guilty for enforcing them. Aren’t I supposed to be generous? Am I unkind if I say no to this?
The question isn’t whether to be flexible or firm, but when to be each one. A good life has a healthy mix of selfish boundaries and unselfish giving. You don’t have to be all things at all times. Sometimes you pour for others and sometimes you refill your own cup.
What does this moment call for?
(July 18, 2024)
I love questions that acknowledge the gray area. There is an endless supply of people who will sell you polarizing ways of thinking.
“You should always…”
“You should never…”
The truth is, you should sometimes…
What a journey! In the months and years ahead, we’ll dive into some of these more deeply. If you know someone who loves James Clear’s newsletter, his book Atomic Habits, or just enjoys comprehensive lists like these - will you do me a favor and forward this to a friend or link to it on Instagram, LinkedIn, or wherever you like hanging out?
That one share makes a huge difference to me as I continue to get people excited about asking more questions!
See you next week!
Keep Asking,
Kyle