Book Review: The Power of Habit

Here is another book for the month of March. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg discusses how habits are formed and how they can be changed. I sped through this book because I found the topic interesting. It almost reads like a self-help book at parts. It delves a little into the tactics of marketing and advertising, another topic I find intriguing.

I enjoy finishing a book feeling as though I have learned something. Let me share with you some quotes and what I've learned.

"...First there is a cue, a trigger that tells your brain to go into automatic mode and which habit to use. Then there is the routine, which can be physical or mental or emotional. Finally, there is a reward, which helps your brain figure out if this particular loop is worth remembering for the future..."

This is the basic habit loop. Cue - Routine - Reward. That's a pretty simple loop, but Duhigg gets into the loop deeper. It is not a one-size-fits-all loop. People are all different, and habits are different for each person for different reasons.

"...We might not remember the experiences that create our habits, but once they are lodged within our brains they influence how we act--often without our realization."

True story. The author tells a fascinating story about a man who lost his short term memory, but he was still able to form habits.

"...But for many people, exercise is a keystone habit that triggers widespread change..."

Keystone habits are actions that make other habits easier. It was shown that people who began to exercise as a habit, a routine, would also be better with their finances, have more patience, and be less stressed. Other keystone habits included making your bed every morning or eating a family dinner together every night. There is hope for me! I exercise daily and make my bed every day.

"...However, to modify a habit, you must decide to change it. You must consciously accept the hard work of identifying the cues and rewards that drive the habits' routines, and find alternatives. You must know you have control and be self-conscious enough to use it..."

Hard work will pay off! Sometimes I tell myself that it might take TWICE as long to reform my bad habit as it was to make my bad habit.

"...And once you know a habit exists, you have the responsibility to change it..."

I agree. One thing I was told in the Marine Corps was, "Know yourself and seek self-improvement." Granted, my seeking self-improvement cost me my job, but I am a better, healthier person for changing one of the worst routines I had/have. It is an on-going process to override the old habits.

"...the will to believe is the most important ingredient in creating belief in change."

BELIEVE! I remember thinking that no matter what, I was not going to be able to overcome my faults, my habits, that I was doomed to be a terrible person forever. Finally, I started to tell myself, "Trust the training. Trust the system." Trust. Belief. It's amazing what a little bit of mental leaping will do for reality.

At the end, Duhigg outlines a simple (easier said than done) way to overwrite poor habits. He even uses a personal example of buying cookies from the cafeteria every day during the workday. That was an entertaining story.

• Identify the routine
• Experiment with rewards
• Isolate the cue (location, time, emotional state, other people, immediately preceding action)
• Have a plan

I think I will definitely use what I've learned in this book to help me overcome my own bad habits as well as be more aware of how companies try to exploit some of my unknown bad habits.