The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change

Description

An award-winning journalist reveals the secrets of why you do what you do - and how to change There's never been a better time to set new habits. This book will change your life. In The Power of Habit, award-winning journalist Charles Duhigg takes us into the thrilling and surprising world of the scientific study of habits. He examines why some people and companies struggle to change, despite years of trying, while others seem to remake themselves overnight. He visits laboratories where neuroscientists explore how habits work and where, exactly, they reside in our brains. And he uncovers how the right habits were crucial to the success of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and civil-rights hero Martin Luther King, Jr. The result is a compelling argument and an empowering discovery- the key to exercising regularly, losing weight, raising exceptional children, becoming more productive or even building revolutionary companies is understanding how habits work. By harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives. ______________________________ ' An essential manual for business and living.' Andrew Hill, Financial Times 'Once you read this book, you'll never look at yourself, your organisation, or your world quite the same way.' Daniel H. Pink 'This is a first-rate book - based on an impressive mass of research, written in a lively style and providing just the right balance of intellectual seriousness with practical advice on how to break our bad habits.' The Economist

Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for The New York Times and the author of The Power of Habit. He is a winner of the National Academies of Sciences, National Journalism, and George Polk awards. A graduate of Harvard Business School and Yale College, he lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children.

Sharp, provocative, and useful. -- Jim Collins Few [books] become essential manuals for business and living. The Power of Habit is an exception. Charles Duhigg not only explains how habits are formed but how to kick bad ones and hang on to the good. * Financial Times * Once you read this book, you'll never look at yourself, your organisation, or your world quite the same way. Absolutely fascinating. * Wired * Entertaining . . . enjoyable . . . fascinating . . . a serious look at the science of habit formation and change. * The New York Times Book Review * This is a first-rate book - based on an impressive mass of research, written in a lively style and providing just the right balance of intellectual seriousness with practical advice on how to break our bad habits. * The Economist * I have been spinning like a top since reading The Power of Habit, New York Times journalist Charles Duhigg's fascinating best-seller about how people, businesses and organizations develop the positive routines that make them productive-and happy. * The Washington Post * In this fascinating book, Charles Duhigg reveals the myriad ways in which our habits shape our lives. Do you want to know why Febreze became a bestselling product? Or how the science of habits can be used to improve willpower? Read this book. A fresh examination of how routine behaviours take hold and whether they are susceptible to change . . . The stories that Duhigg has knitted together are all fascinating in their own right, but take on an added dimension when wedded to his examination of habits. * Associated Press * Duhigg gives a compelling insight in to the world of subconscious behaviour. This is no homespun remedy, Duhigg's observations have real, scientific gravitas. * Woman & Home * Inspiring stuff! * Counsel * The Power of Habit steps sideways into science and brain chemistry to back up its key message: that identifying and implementing keystone habits is the difference between success and failure, whatever your goals. So if you're a procrastinator, or a sleeper-inner, pick it up - and see how quickly you can morph those habits into habitual success. When you get around to it, obviously. * Stylist * This fascinating book by a New York Times journalist explores how people get stuck in a rut and delves into psychological and neuroscientific research to find out what it takes to change our most deeply ingrained habits. * Guardian * Cue: see cover. Routine: read book. Reward: fully comprehend the art of manipulation. * Bloomberg Businessweek * There's been a lot of research over the past several years about how our habits shape us, and this work is beautifully described in the new book The Power of Habit. -- David Brooks * The New York Times * If Duhigg is right about the nature of habits, which I think he is, then trying to get rid of these bad habits won't work. Instead, what is needed is to teach the managers to identify the cues that lead to these bad habits and rewards, and then learn alternative routines that lead to similar rewards, i.e. business and personal success. * Forbes * The Power of Habit is chock-full of fascinating anecdotes . . . how an early twentieth century adman turned Pepsodent into the first bestselling toothpaste by creating the habit of brushing daily, how a team of marketing mavens at Procter & Gamble rescued Febreze from the scrapheap of failed products by recognizing that a fresh smell was a fine reward for a cleaning task, how Michael Phelps' coach instilled habits that made him an Olympic champion many times over, and how Tony Dungy turned the Indianapolis Colts into a Super Bowl-winning team. * Los Angeles Times * In his book The Power of Habit Charles Duhigg approaches the subject of what habits are and how we can ultimately change them. Written in an engaging style, with just the right balance of scientific fact and actual examples... * The Book Garden Blog * There is a reason this book has been an international bestseller . . . I was hooked from the first page. * VIP Magazine *