Saturday, September 21, 2013

Break the Circle: Reading "The Power of Habit"



I have first remark, before anything else, at how well this book is written.  Subject matter aside, I read a fair number of books by economists and social scientists and writers writing about those subjects and most are passable.  This book, however, is written by a writer who has full command of the language and his own voice.

The rest is just gravy – which I ate up.  The Power of Habit as a book blurs the line through science and self-help without being too heavy-handed in either direction.  Duhigg breaks down stories about how habits are created and reinforced at both a personal an institutional level, and described people who were able to break negative habit loops and create positive habits of being in their place. 

I offer no specifics here, but I recommend this book, and I do so giving it high praise.  I often read these sorts of books in a vacuum, a dispassionate observer that I imagine myself to be.  This book, has made me rethink some of my own routines, and made me wonder how I can change the payoff from some of my negative customs. 

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