The Power of Habit

Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

By: Charles Duhigg

Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain

Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • This instant classic explores how we can change our lives by changing our habits.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Wall Street Journal • Financial Times

In The Power of Habit, award-winning business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. Distilling vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives that take us from the boardrooms of Procter & Gamble to the sidelines of the NFL to the front lines of the civil rights movement, Duhigg presents a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential. At its core, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, being more productive, and achieving success is understanding how habits work. As Duhigg shows, by harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.

With a new Afterword by the author

“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

“A flat-out great read.”—David Allen, bestselling author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

“You’ll never look at yourself, your organization, or your world quite the same way.”—Daniel H. Pink, bestselling author of Drive and A Whole New Mind

“Entertaining . . . enjoyable . . . fascinating . . . a serious look at the science of habit formation and change.”—The New York Times Book Review

©2012 Charles Duhigg (P)2012 Random House, Inc.

Good, but....

Some aspects of this book are great. It is a real discussion of habit, and techniques to change it. The anecdotes get extremely annoying. The author jumps from one story, to another, and then back again. It lacks a summary of the main point of each chapter, which would really help drive things home.

In one chapter I listened to a discussion of brain surgery and a a blow by blow detail of a big surgical error. This story was then displayed as an example of negative habits.

That sounds OK in theory, but it took the author twenty minutes to get to the point. I felt like most of the meaning of the book got buried in the examples, and there was no clarification on the meat of the information.

It's narrated well.

Terrific overview of what we know about habits

Really terrific exposition of all we've learned about habits, how they are formed, and how they can be changed. Duhigg has done a great job of tracking down really interesting examples to illustrate his findings. Trust me on that. He also has this great technique of switching right at a critical point in one story to another story that eventually sheds light on the first story before switching back and bringing it to closure. I especially appreciated the first half of the book which dealt with brain science and psychology. The second half gets into organizational behaviors and consumer manipulation. That was interesting but felt like stretching the thesis a bit. However, the end of the book ties it all together in a very satisfying way. This isn't exactly a selfhelp book if you're looking to fix habits, but it has plenty of insights into how each of us has developed the habits we have, and what may be holding us back from fixing them. Incidentally, the book acknowledges that habits can be good as well as bad. In fact, we'd be lost if we didn't have habits to take care of mundane behaviors for us.

Reader, reader - Chicken Winner

While the stories were interesting, the rest of the book, put me to sleep. Febreeze is a great brand and lots of what it talks about is a no brainer. Despite that the soft science behind habit forming and changing habits is far more profound than anything else I've encounter...Just wish the reader had a deeper voice or something.

Interesting, unusual, rewarding

Not so much a self help book as an interesting examination of habits and psychology. Great narrator, worth your time.

Totally Changed the way I see things

What made the experience of listening to The Power of Habit the most enjoyable?

What a sensational book! The Power of Habit tears down the concepts of habit we have come to know, and explains them in a deeper, more tangible way. I view everything in life differently after reading this book. Read it!

What other book might you compare The Power of Habit to and why?

Power of Habit is very similar to Predictably Irrational.

Great book with an action plan at the end!

Where does The Power of Habit rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is a valuable book that does contain 'how to' instructions at the end. I assume the other reviewers who say it doesn't have these details, didn't stick with it to the end. Habit is a complicated subject and the book is comprehensive in it's explanation. Some of the stories drag on where he could have cut them much shorter to get the point across. It takes a while to get through the book, but it is worth it and I highly recommend the book! I look forward to improving myself by adding some better habits to my routines!

What did you like best about this story?

Memorable examples of habits.

What insight do you think you’ll apply from The Power of Habit?

I now have a plan for making the changes I want to make in my life.

Easy, practical book - 👍

It was not hard follow along and visualize yourself in situations. You also get a sense of empowerment knowing how much as individuals - we can control by changing our thoughts and patterns. The brain is pretty fascinating.

Easy to listen and i found something new for my meself

The book was interesting to listen and now i can see why i do some things and ignore others

Thought provoking, great self improvement book.

A very nice and fascinating book for those who like thought-provoking topics. Science-based approach to the crazy things we do and why we do them. Using this book you can reverse-engineer bad habits out of your life!

Very Interesting

This book was very interesting. As a creationist I can't agree with some of what is said but overall it was a very worthwhile listen!