I just felt like I had to share this today, because honestly, I feel like this book changed the whole way I live my life now. The book is Atomic Habits by James Clear. I knowww everybody and their neighbor have probably heard of it, but I swear I wish I had picked it up way earlier.
Being a .NET backend developer and running a small business side by side is no joke. There’s days I would just feel totally drained, almost like I’m not moving anywhere. I would wake up tired, scatter everywhere trying to code and manage customer orders at the same time, and still feel like I’m failing in both.
One random night, I was scrolling online (instead of working lol) and saw a quote from the book: “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” That hit me so hard I just went straight to buy the book.
Reading it, I realized the problem wasn’t even my motivation. I had big dreams. The problem was my daily system was broken! I was trying to use willpower to force things every day instead of building small, sustainable habits that would carry me forward automatically.
The part that really changed things for me was the “2-Minute Rule”. James said, if a habit feels too big, just start with something that takes 2 minutes. So instead of saying “I must finish coding this whole feature today”, I started saying, “Let me open my laptop and write the first method.” That simple thing made my work less overwhelming. Same thing with my business, instead of “I must package all 50 orders this night”, I started with “Let me pack the first three.”
And guess what? Once I started, momentum would just carry me naturally.
After applying what I learnt for about 2 months now, I can genuinely say I see the result. My code delivery speed is better, my business customers are happier (because orders are faster and cleaner), and personally, I don’t feel like a headless chicken anymore lol.
If you’re a developer or business owner struggling with feeling stuck, PLEASE read Atomic Habits. It’s not motivational speaking, it’s real practical tools you can use.
Thanks for reading my little rant, Hive family. I love sharing these growth moments with you all. Let me know if you’ve read it or planning to read!