A Book I Love: The Power of Habit

The problem with habits is that your brain can’t tell between good and bad ones. What we can do is understand the mechanism behind habits and begin to create desirable ones.

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg is a good place to start. Yes, there’s plenty of academic stuff in here that will enlighten and entertain.

But, there are also lots of case studies: real people who battled various habits, from gambling to sleep-walking. Their stories help pull back the curtain to illuminate habit-forming and habit-breaking behaviors.

The key takeaway is that habits exist in a 3-loop context. First, there’s a trigger, then comes a craving, and finally a reward.

When I think about my own habits, I’m able to recognize that I’m triggered to work out regularly because I want to be in good health. And since I make the best protein shake ever, I always look forward to my post-workout reward. This is essentially how habits work--both the good ones and the bad ones.

The goal is that we can learn and understand. Then, we can begin to develop a system that turns winning into a habit. As Duhigg writes, “If you identify the cues and reward, you can change the routine.”