Switch
by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
The Heaths' change framework: direct the rider (the rational mind), motivate the elephant (the emotional one), shape the path (the environment). The stories, from hospital hygiene to Vietnamese malnutrition, are memorable, and the framework explains why knowing is not enough. The most practical of their books.
Read it if…
you need to change behavior, yours or others', and information alone has not worked.
Skip it if…
you want individual habit advice only; the book is broader, including organizations.
Three things you will actually use
- Find the bright spots and copy them.
- Script the critical moves.
- Shrink the change; shape the path.
Do this first
For one stuck change, write what the rider needs (clarity), what the elephant needs (feeling), and what the path needs (environment).
Our verdict
Clear and widely applicable; one of the best books on change.
Compare with other Habits books
Willpower
Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney · Habits
Readable and partly outdated; the tactics outlive the theory.
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The Willpower Instinct
Kelly McGonigal · Habits
Practical, humane and well-structured; the better willpower book.
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The Marshmallow Test
Walter Mischel · Habits
Thoughtful and corrective; the study, explained by its author.
CLICK TO SEEBrowse all Habits book reviews or get the free Reality Code Cheat Sheet.
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