At the time I was reading the book, I was already convinced the habits we have are what make us who we are in the end. I didn’t expect anything new, as it’s also not the first time I read or hear something about the power of habits.
So, why the big fuss over habits?
Well, I personally feel it as something empowering and I believe this is a feeling shared by many others: a huge change is overwhelming.
A big task is overwhelming. A big homework project can make you yawn even only thinking about it. A big can make you feel exhausted, without even starting it. A good programmer knows this by heart: if you have a big problem, divide it into tiny pieces you can solve.
You can do anything as long as it is divided into small, actionable pieces and focus on solving one at a time!
Habits work in a similar way: you can deconstruct them in cues, routines and rewords. As you do that, the key to change them lies in the cue. Take control of the cue and you’ll control the habit completely.
The book goes a bit deeper in explaining how the brain actually works, why habits are never truly gone and how changing them can cause ripple effects in different aspects of your life.
Furthermore, the author gives examples of how businesses use our habits in their marketing process, which, although still objectionable, I also find it has become part of a public knowledge so much that we started considering it altogether normal.
My most important take-away
The thing I learned from this book comes in a form of actions.
Given how (and this couldn’t have been explained in more detail by the author, Charles Duhigg) our habits are so important, what can I do today to change my bad habits?
What can I do to implement new, useful ones?
It’s an important step towards bettering our lives.
And now, your turn! Let’s chat!
What did you learn from the book?
What was the example, if any, that made you want to change something about yourself?
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