Friday, May 18, 2012

The Power of Habit

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business
by Charles Duhigg
Random House, 2012. 371 pgs. Nonfiction

Charles Duhigg believes that anyone can achieve lasting, successful change by focusing on the patterns and habits that shape our lives. Duhigg shows through examples in scientific discoveries why habits exist and how we can use the power in habits to make new habits to replace the bad ones. First, we need to analyze our bad habits to discover the reasons behind why we do them. The reasons may actually surprise you. For example, craving an afternoon snack may actually be a need for stimulation instead of hunger. Try chatting with a co-worker for a few minutes or taking a walk around the building. You may find you no longer need that snack.

Throughout the book are many examples of how critical the right habits have been to the success of individuals and businesses including Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement, Starbucks, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, and the U.S. Military.

This is an interesting behavioral science book that definitely had a few “a-ha” movements for me. I felt the material was presented in a very interesting way.

AJ

1 comment:

AL said...

The Power of Habit is an interesting look at why we do the things we do. The first step to changing any habit is to become aware of why you are doing the habit in the first place and the true reason you are doing it. The examples Duhigg uses are fascinating. This book mostly explains the process of habit formation. The appendix at the back gives some practical steps on evaluating your habits and creating new ones. A good follow up to this book is Atomic Habits by James Clear.