Book Review: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
Hello everyone,
Welcome to a new quote I recently grabbed from a book, and what it has to say through my understanding.
The quote from this book is:
Change might not be fast, and it isn’t always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped.
The book The Power of Habit is another book that focuses on the small habits that govern our day-to-day activities. It's more like the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, which also discusses habits and the control they have over us as human beings. Well, in this book, Charles Duhigg is a bit more scientific, practical, and more storylike worthy. The book has a lot of practical advice to give with each lesson.
I could categorically say that the quote Change might not be fast, and it isn’t always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped. is something that can be used to describe the book in a brief and simple sentence. It focuses on the notion that everybody has some bad habit they are trying hard to get rid of or at least change. It could be overthinking, overeating, not exercising, or anything else. But we tend to give up too easily and too early. Change does not happen overnight. Therefore, it won't be as fast as we want it, and it would definitely not come easily. But over time, it can be changed, or better still, to use the words of Charles Duhigg, it can be reshaped.
A key takeaway from the book is the concept of Habit loop. Charles Duhigg explains that the habit loop is developed through 3 key things. One is the Cue, which is what causes the habit to take place. The second is the Routine, the action the habit entails. And lastly, the Reward is the pleasure the habit gives to you.
Let's take an example of someone who wants to stop eating late at night. This person needs to understand the cause of the habit. What brings about this habit of eating late at night? It could be boredom or idleness. Now that the cue has been identified as idleness, the next step will be to identify the routine. What do you do when this feeling of idleness comes around? You eat. Lastly, what reward does it offer? The feeling of false fulfillment.
Now, using the knowledge from this book, the ideal plan will be to reshape this habit by replacing the cue, routine, and reward, all with something else. Instead, whenever you get this feeling of eating just because you are bored, you could do something instead. Read a book or start small by reading a blog. It is all about replacing each loop. Next, your routine will automatically be to pick a book or open up Hive and look for a blog to read if you want to start small. This way, your reward will be knowledge.
The mistake Charles Duhigg talked about in this book is the fact that we humans replace our progress with perfection and our consistency with speed. It is not about how quickly you can get rid of a habit, but for how long. You could get rid of a habit within minutes and bring it back within an hour. There are lots of practical and relatable examples in this book. We are all going through something, and we can learn better through shared experiences.
I am @samostically, a chess player and writer. I love to share the experience I have gained from different battles over the 64 squares and the knowledgeable insights from books I have read. But most importantly, I am a Midnight Owl and I founded the community Midnight Letters.
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