[2][3] Raised in Hamilton, Ohio, Clear received his degree in biomechanics from Denison University in 2008, where he also served as captain of the baseball team.

[4][5] During his time at university he took part at the St. Gallen Symposium twice and won the Global Essay Competition in his second year attending.

This early life incident profoundly impacted James Clear, shaping his future endeavors and resilience.

According to the intro of his book, he had to build such habits when rehabilitating from a severe cranial injury that he suffered when playing baseball.

[8] In his book, he also argues against formulating goals and plans as a large majority of people do not have trouble designing them, but following them in everyday life.