The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

I had thought I wrote about this book earlier. I guess I just have a habit of delaying. Hopefully this book will get me out of the bad habits.

The book is grounded in the science of how habits influence and control our lives. Even after severe brain trauma, some habits can remain, allowing us to perform tasks without thinking. These "automatic" behaviors are a result of the habits that we have developed. Typically, the behavior starts out as a planned action until it is gradually repeated enough to become an ingrained habit. These habits are often difficult to control or change. Sometimes the only way to alter damaging habits is to run "indirection". An alcoholic may seek alcohol after a stimulus. The drinking is the habitual activity used to produce the response. To rewire the brain an alternate activity needs to be habitually substituted for the negative one in order to provide the appropriate response. Often faith in a higher power is needed to help fully rewire the brain from addictive behavior.

Habits can also be beneficial. Professional football players perform better when they let their well-trained habits guide them rather than trying to over-analyze the situations. We can all create positive habits in our life to help us to achieve our goals.

While the title of the book includes "business", that appears to be habitually tagged on to drive sales. This is a book geared primarily towards the individual seeking to improve their life and fill it with good habits.