One of my favorite books is The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. In addition to being an engaging read, it’s one of the most useful books I’ve ever read. Here are a few of the bits I enjoyed the most.
In short, we develop habits because they allow us to efficiently perform regular tasks without devoting too much brainpower to them. This allows us to save that brainpower for other, more important tasks that can’t be done automatically. Once a habit is ingrained, it sometimes becomes difficult to even notice it because it requires no conscious effort at that point. This is useful for mundane activities like tying shoes or walking, but it can be problematic if it prevents us from noticing bad habits we’ve developed. Fortunately, there is a way to deal with bad habits once they’re discovered.
Early in the book, Duhigg describes the habit loop, which consists of a cue to perform a certain activity, a routine during which that activity is performed, and a reward for performing it. There is also a craving for the reward that follows the completion of an activity, which gets triggered after the cue. The craving and reward are what make habits so difficult to change. However, Duhigg has a strategy for changing habits: keep the same cue and reward, but change the routine. For example, if you want to stop smoking and you get the craving for a smoke break at work, think about why you want to smoke at that point. If you’re stressed and want to take a break, then try taking a short walk around the place instead. Or maybe you want to socialize with others who are also smoking. In that case, find someone who’s not smoking and talk to them for a bit. If you can find another routine that will give you the same reward you get from your current routine, then it becomes much easier to change the habit associated with that routine.
The incredible influence habits have over us brings up questions regarding free will. Duhigg presents two striking cases toward the end of the book that make you wonder how much control we have over our actions. While he avoids taking the position that we have no free will or total free will, Duhigg claims that we do have the power to change habits that we’re aware of, and thus have some degree of free will.
The Power of Habit has helped me do more productive thing while avoiding counterproductive things, given me a better understanding of how we’re wired, and shown me how to use the tools it’s given me to improve my life. It’s full of life hacks that have been used by athletic coaches, business leaders, and activists to accomplish their goals. I highly recommend checking it out and seeing what it helps you accomplish. We use habits more often than we realize, so knowing how they work and how to change them is invaluable at getting what we want out of life.