The Power of Habit- Charles Duhigg
This book helped me get my head around so much including why I keep on eating cereal so much! Habits are key to the way we live. They shape us, they make us and at times they break us. This book explores this psychological mystery in a great way. Duhigg provides the reader with a great deal of knowledge for the topic whilst accompanying each chapter with engaging real-life stories. This easy-to-understand book breaks down habits into three parts with sub-categories included in each.
The first part of the book focuses on the ‘habits of individuals’; I found this part great at actually depicting the function and impacts that habits have. I discovered how habits work and the cycle followed to create them. By Duhigg opening the book with a foundation of the fundamentals of habits I gained a good understanding of the topic; from the get-go as well as context for the rest of the book.
The second part of the book explores the ‘habits of successful organisations’. This provided a great insight into how habits can connect to the real life of work. It showed me that the habits installed in leading businesses are what separates them from others in the marketplace. Stories from companies such as Starbucks provided me with great examples of successful habits that shape our lives.
The concluding part of the book reflects on the ‘habits of societies’. This showed how big groups of people all share in habitual choices and that these aren’t just individuals. I was amazed at realising the actual reach habits have on communities and their effects. Duhigg also helpfully conversed around neurological concepts that forge habits and this scientific understanding was really significant for me. Habits aren’t just our quirky traits but are deeper and more rooted in our human nature. I never realised the magnitude of the topic and how it affects everyone, every day. For fascinating scientific non-fiction read I’d highly recommend this. You’ll maybe see change your outlook on habits forever, and know where cereal does better fit into a typical day!