Book review : The power of habit by Charles Duhigg

 

H.A.B.I.T.

Do you love binge-watching?

Do you live in the moment and love it that way?

Do you want to make a new habit (waking up early, be on time, visualising...) but you give up in a couple of days?

Do you want to give up on an old not-so happening habit (say too much drinking, just can’t let go binge-watching, too many selfies in the phone no time to clean the phone...)?

Are you lazy?  If the answer is a YES then great because so are all of our brains.

Yes our brain is lazy and if the answer to any or all of the above questions is a yes or maybe then the book ’The power of habit’ – by Charles Duhigg becomes a good read for you.

Here’s the theory -

Our brain is the laziest organ of our body..and smart too..even if you don’t want to admit..it will continue to be smart. The brain is always on a lookout to save effort and do less. Hence it relies on routines where one simple action stimulates several other related subsequent acts without thinking much. Hence once you learn something...like using your phone..doing it or using it in this case, becomes second nature to you..like texting, taking selfies or scrolling through SM.

The author has used simple language..ofcourse with some technical terms..to explain the way our brain functions and why habits are powerful. How habits make us and how we can use habits to be the person we always wanted to be.

Habits make life easier for the brain and in turn for us. The author has used several case studies on individuals, organizations and society to elaborate on the habit loop and what are the causes or triggers for a particular habit/process to happen and how can one mould/change or remove it.

What I want to say is –

The power of habit by Charles Duhigg is a self help book.

Most of us don’t like to read and for the people who like to read, most of us don’t like non-fiction and specifically self-help. I won’t say this book is a game-changer in that way but yes it is definitely something not just to ponder over but put into action ASAP.

You want to change something about yourself...this book has the answer

You want to change something about someone else...this book has the answer.

You want to bring a radical organizational change...this book has it.

You want the society mindset to change...this book has examples to tell you how it was previously done.

Impactful & interesting pointers from the book –

1.       Keystone Habit

2.       Chunking

3.       The habit loop

4.       The understanding of habit and role it plays in generating business revenue

5.       The golden rule of habit change

6.       Bringing a change in the group mindset

I don’t like non-fiction much but I LOVED this book. The case studies kept me hooked and the best of all it has helped me understand myself and gave me a different outlook to look at things. I have even succeeded in some puzzle solving. Yay!!

Read on and share your views.