Book Information
Title: THE POWER OF HABIT
Author: Charles Duhigg
Publication Date:January 7, 2014
Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Self Help, Lifestyle
Pages: 416
ISBN-10: 081298160X
ISBN-13 : 978-0812981605
How I met this book
Before I encountered this book, I had realized how important habits are. I realized that motivations or critical decisions at every moment were not correlated with my discipline. They were also not linked to the rate of success, either. Rather, I had automatic routines and habits that enabled me to keep going forward. For example, when I prepared for a big exam to enter universities in Japan, I had to study extensively. This was necessary throughout the year. At the beginning, I struggled with being consistent to study for more than 10 hours. However, I started making specific habits. I went for a walk with my dog for ten to fifteen minutes on the same path every morning. I also ate and slept at a certain time. I created specific habits. I achieved small wins each day. This approach managed to help me study for more than 10 hours every day. This routine led me to succeed in the exam.
When I found this book on the bookshelf at a bookstore, I picked it right off the bat. I thought I could find out if my experience was true. This would be based on study.
That is how I met this book.
Summary of this book
Short Summary
Finding a pattern that creates habits is important to change our habits. This loop of habit is composed of cues, routines, and rewards. By defining those three components, people are more able to change their habits. In addition to that, finding a community where our belief in changing habits can be strengthened is another key element. In this book, the author explains the effect of habits on three different levels; individual, organizations, and social.
Key Points
- habit can be changed by keeping cues and rewards, changing routines
- keystone habit that causes ripple effects, changing one important habit can affect other elements positively. Find a root-cause!
- what requires your will-power better be done earlier in the day
- not too much or too little power or authority given to employees is important in the organization
- anonymous, familiar, and comfortable are the key for people to accept new stuff.
- Believing in the possibility of changing them is the most important in any kind of habits
- the combination of strong friendships (strong ties), peer pressure(weak ties), and self-propelling(habits of faith) cause big social movements
Fan Facts
- 40% of the actions people performed each day weren’t actual decisions
- Without our basal ganglia, we lose access to the hundreds of habits we rely on everyday
- Supermarkets are designed for people to buy more (ex. fresh fruits and vegetables after entrance)
- Will-power can be trained and tired by using them like muscle
- Giving employees a sense of control improved how much self-discipline they brought to their jobs will-power w/authority
- Weak-ties provide us with access to social networks where we do not belong
Favorite Quotes
“The cue, in addition to triggering a routine, must also trigger a craving for the reward to come” (p.51)
“Belief was the ingredient that made a reworked habit loop into a permanent behavior” (p.85)
“Keystone habits transform us by creating cultures that make clear the values that, in the heat of difficult decisions or a moment of uncertainty” (p.125)
“to change people’s diets, the exotic must be made familiar. and to do that, you must camouflage in every garb” (p.205)
“how we unthinkingly spend our time, attention, and money – those are habits that we know exist. And once you understand that habits can change, you have the freedom – the responsibility – to remake them” (p.271)
How I felt about this book
Exploring our habits throughout this book in the different dynamics was fun. After I read this book, I feel that everyone can change their habits. This book can bring confidence to people. There is a simple pattern that creates habits; cues, routines, and rewards. As long as we can find out the loop, we are more likely to change our habits. However, we need to keep in mind that all habits are strong yet delicate. Once we create the habits, it is difficult to change them. If one element of the loop is missed, the habit does not persist.
This book makes me feel that all phenomena in our lives have patterns. those incidents occur with reason, not accidentally. It is personally interesting because now I try to find what specific pattern is hidden in each phenomenon.
This book is written from the perspectives of individuals, organizations, and society. It can be read by anybody: college students, businessmen, or those who like changing habits. What I like about this book is that we do not make decisions at every moment. Instead, we follow our habits.
Whom I recommend to read
- Those who want to change their habits
- Those who want to know the pattern that causes social movements
- Those who want to know how to make a business successful through habits