The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg: What It Teaches, Who It’s For, Who Should Skip It
3 min read
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The book that taught a generation the words cue, routine and reward.
What the book argues
Habits run on a neurological loop (cue, routine, reward) and can be changed by keeping the cue and reward while swapping the routine. Duhigg takes the idea from individuals to companies to social movements, with memorable reporting on Alcoa, Target and the Montgomery bus boycott.
Three ideas you can use this week
- You cannot delete a habit, only overwrite it. Find the cue and the real reward, then insert a new routine.
- Keystone habits (exercise, making the bed, tracking food) spill over and change unrelated behaviors.
- Willpower is a muscle that tires; pre-deciding what you will do when it is low is how you survive the evening.
Who it is for
Readers who want the story and the science behind habit change before they want a checklist. Managers will get as much from the organizational chapters as from the personal ones.
How to turn it into a routine
Spend a week just noticing cues: write time, place, emotion, people and preceding action every time the habit fires. Only then design the replacement routine.
Who should skip it
If you want direct instructions, go to Atomic Habits; this is journalism first and a how-to second. Some of the corporate stories have been picked apart since publication.
Verdict
Still the most readable account of why habits work. Read it for understanding, then use a more tactical book to execute.
Click hereto see it→Click to see The Power of Habit
If you liked the sound of this
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Resistance is the enemy. It has a name now, and once you can see it, you can fight it.
The Little Book of Talent by Daniel Coyle
Fifty-two tips for improving your skills, distilled from visits to the world’s best talent hotbeds.
Tools that put the book to work
Reading is the easy part. Three simple tools that turn the idea into a daily routine:
Cast-Iron Kettlebell
One iron ball, ten minutes, every day. Discipline you can feel in your grip. Read our review.
Paper Habit Tracker
A grid you tick every day. Visible streaks do what willpower cannot. Read our review.
Smart Body Scale
What gets measured gets managed. Step on it every morning and stop guessing. Read our review.
Links are affiliate links; the price to you is identical. Nothing here is medical, financial or professional advice. Filed under Discipline & Habits.
More picks, with pictures
Three tools and three books that fit the same goal. Each has its own full review here, including who should skip it.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Images are our own review cards, not product photos.
Launch list
Be there on day one.
One email when the book opens on Kickstarter. Nothing else. Already reading the book? Your Cheat Sheet is at wisdomdeck.com/free.
Coming soon on 
The book itself — 40 laws in ten parts, 320 pages, each ending with The Work — is funded first on Kickstarter.
