Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit

Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit is an essential read. Duhigg masterfully outlines the ways in which we develop habits, both the good and the bad. This book really helped me examine my own life and many of the habits I have developed over time. This book is one of the most influential things I have read.

Here are some major takeaways:

1. All habits exist in a loop- cue, routine, reward. The reward, good or bad, is the most influential part in my opinion. If the cue is not there, the habit does not exist.

2. Habit loops lead to cravings. This can be dangerous.

3. The Golden Rule of habit change- Keep the same cues and rewards, but replace the routine.

4. Willpower can become a habit.

5. Even those with the strongest willpower occasionally fall back on bad habits. People who have successfully stopped smoking report an average of 7 relapses.

6. There is a formula to change a bad habit. Identify the cue, modify the routine and alter/experiment with the reward.

7. Engineer the habit loop to fix bad habits.

Once again, I highly recommend this book for just about anyone. It will only help you better your life and eliminate the bad habits.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases made through clicking on my links at no additional cost to you.