The Daily Stoic Podcast: "How James Clear Would Start 2026 If He Were You"
Date: December 31, 2025
Host: Ryan Holiday
Guest: James Clear

Episode Overview

In this engaging New Year's Eve episode, Ryan Holiday revisits his enduring conversation with James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, to provide listeners with actionable advice on starting 2026 with effective habits and systems. Clear, widely known for his articulate, research-based approach to habit formation, offers insights into setting realistic resolutions, aligning daily actions with desired identity, and cultivating flexibility amid life's unpredictabilities. The episode is a pragmatic guide for anyone seeking meaningful self-improvement—not just for January, but for the year ahead.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Most New Year's Resolutions Fail

• People typically start with results (lose weight, learn Spanish), but lack identity-based goals.
• It's easy to lose steam when focusing only on outcomes, especially when immediate results don’t appear.

James Clear (29:21):
"At the beginning of the year, people are very excited about the results. They can imagine for themselves losing weight or making more money or, you know, meditating every day or whatever, but they still don’t see themselves in that way."
(29:21–30:15)

2. From Results-Oriented to Identity-Based Habits

• Clear advocates for beginning with who you want to be, then backing into results.
• Each small action is a "vote" for the person you want to become.
• Example: Instead of "lose 40 pounds," shift to "be a person who doesn’t miss workouts."

James Clear (31:15): "Every action you take is like a vote for the type of person you want to become. By building small habits, by sticking to the process, you are in that moment reinforcing that identity."
(31:15–32:56)

3. Process over Goals—The System is What Matters

• Systems sustain success; goals only deliver one-time wins.
• After the goal is set, surrender attachment to it and focus on actions.
• Paradoxically, detachment from outcomes can make successes more frequent and sustainable.

James Clear (33:38): "If you really care about the goal, you'll focus on the system... Goals are good for one-time wins. Systems are for people who want to win repeatedly."
(33:38–34:35)

4. Prioritizing Daily Lifestyle over Future Results

• Design a life you live and enjoy now, not just sacrifices for a hypothetical future.
• Beware of unintentionally building a present you dislike in exchange for uncertain, "someday" rewards.
• Regular review and reflection is key to maintaining alignment.

James Clear (13:10): "What do I want my daily lifestyle to look like? Not, what do I want my results to look like?... Most people start the other way around."
(13:10–14:27)

5. Seasonality, Patience, and Reflection

• Life is lived in seasons (work, family, growth). Your values and habits may need to shift accordingly.
• Be patient—most significant, high-leverage actions require time.

James Clear (15:20): "Reflection and review is a really critical part of living a good life... You're probably going to need to think about it and lean against it... It's a process."
(15:20–17:30)

6. Flexibility Trumps Rigidity—The True Nature of Consistency

• Consistency isn’t demanding perfection; it’s the capacity to flex routines to circumstances.
• Avoid routines that make you fragile (ex: needing a perfect setup to succeed).
• Seek "good defaults" for times when life disrupts your plans.

James Clear (19:01): "Consistency is often adaptability. It’s flexibility... It's the ability to flex and adjust to the circumstances, but not throw up a zero for that day... That's what consistency looks like."
(19:01–20:35)

7. Building Resilience with Compressed Rituals

• Stories of Josh Waitzkin illustrate the importance of portable, minimal rituals for peak performance under unpredictable conditions.
• Have “panic rules” and fallback options (e.g., a default meal or activity when plans fall through).

Ryan Holiday (24:16) & James Clear (24:59):

• Ryan: "You have to have panic rules. What do you do when coverage gets blown or you know, something happens?..."
• James: "I like the idea of having good defaults. Sometimes the way I phrase it is what do you do when you have nothing to do?"
  (24:16–25:44)

8. Parenting, Creativity, and Sustainability

• James shares how becoming a parent forced him to adapt his old routines.
• Now he focuses on two sacred hours each morning—intense, focused work fits better with family life and remains sustainable.

James Clear (49:46): "For me, I’ve had to change the way that I write books... I just make sure that I have two sacred hours every morning where I do my writing... It's not possible for me to operate that way right now as a parent."
(49:46–52:06)

9. Measuring Success Internally, Not Comparatively

• External comparison leads to perpetual dissatisfaction.
• True fulfillment comes from knowing you’ve done your best, not just from relative status or milestones.

James Clear (39:57): "We spend so much time measuring outcomes on how they are relative to everyone else... This is like an internal measure, which is also, interestingly, both of those are about feelings... I think there's probably a strong encouragement to measure it more in the second way than the first."
(39:57–40:43)

10. The “Fresh Start Effect” (Why New Years—and Mondays—Work)

• Research confirms: beginnings (new years, months, weeks) give psychological permission for change.
• You don’t have to wait until January 1st—pick any “fresh start” moment.

James Clear (54:35): "The research calls it the fresh start effect... The beginning of a week...the beginning of the year, January 1st, they give you this psychological feeling of a fresh start... If you happen to have it [motivation], capitalize on it and go ahead and use it."
(54:35–55:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Small Gains:
  "Small changes compound into remarkable results. No is a decision. Yes is a responsibility. Plan for failure and recover quickly." - James Clear, (04:00–05:10)

• On Mental Flexibility:
  "The more you are more mentally tough, if your mood and your performance is not dependent on your conditions... If you’re dependent on favorable conditions, you’re actually not that tough." - James Clear, (23:39)

• On Internal Measurement:
  "Did you always do your best?" - Admiral Rickover (quoted by Ryan Holiday, 38:16)
  "As soon as he had to look at it from the side of: was it actually the best he was capable of doing, the accomplishment became totally meaningless." - Ryan Holiday, (38:49)

• On Parenting and Sustaining Habits:
  "It’s not as insane as you think it is... What can I actually sustain? ...It’s just a couple good hours in each day." - James Clear, (51:31–54:01)

• On Redefining New Year's Resolutions:
  "Rather than start by asking yourself, what do I wish to achieve, let's start by asking, who do I wish to become? ...Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become." - James Clear, (55:40–56:42)

Important Timestamps

• 03:02 – Episode introduction; Ryan Holiday sets up the James Clear segment.
• 04:10 – James Clear on momentum vs. inspiration and small gains.
• 10:04 – Discussion on using a “word of the year” as a thematic compass.
• 13:10 – Reframing daily life vs. chasing distant outcomes.
• 19:01 – Consistency as adaptability, not rigidity.
• 24:16 – The value of fallback plans ("panic rules") and defaults.
• 29:21 – Why most people fail to keep resolutions.
• 31:15 – Voting for your desired identity with daily habits.
• 33:38 – Systems vs. goals; sustaining success.
• 39:57 – Measuring outcomes internally instead of comparatively.
• 49:46 – Parenting and changing creative/work habits.
• 54:35 – "Fresh start effect" and reframing New Year’s resolutions.

Final Takeaways

• Start by asking who you want to become, not what you want to achieve.
• Small, consistent actions are powerful—every day matters.
• Build flexibility into your systems; adapt rather than break.
• Prioritize daily life and design sustainable routines.
• Use natural moments of renewal (new year, month, week) to reboot, but don’t rely solely on the calendar for change.
• Measure progress by your own standards, not by comparison to others.

The episode offers a Stoic, actionable blueprint for genuine, sustainable self-improvement in 2026, courtesy of two of the most pragmatic and influential thinkers in habits, philosophy, and personal development.