That popular non-fiction book I dismissed as hype actually changed my mind

I rolled my eyes when my book club picked "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg for our July meeting in Portland. I figured it was just another self-help fad. But after reading about the 1993 London Underground study and his breakdown of Keystone habits, I had to admit the guy was onto something. Has anyone else had a book they thought was overrated turn out to be legit?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_wesley25d ago

Did you end up changing any habits after reading it? I had the same reaction when my buddy wouldn't stop talking about "Atomic Habits" and I finally caved. The whole idea of stacking a new habit onto an existing one was simple enough that I actually tried it. Now my morning routine is way more organized than it used to be, and I hate admitting that book helped.

milam4825d ago

Did you actually find it stuck, or do you have to keep reminding yourself? I feel like the whole habit stacking thing sounds good on paper but life gets in the way. Like, I tried linking flossing to my morning coffee, but then some days I skip the coffee and everything falls apart. @the_wesley you're right though, it's annoying when a self-help book actually works. I read "The Power of Habit" a few years back and hated how much it made sense. The part about cue-routine-reward is basically just common sense dressed up fancy, but now I catch myself analyzing why I grab a donut every time I walk past the break room.

davis.noah25d ago

It's funny how that simple trick works better than all the complicated stuff people try... kinda makes you wonder if we overthink everything in life that's actually supposed to be easy.