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The Power of Habit — Group Read — Part 1 Discussion — 9 Comments

  1. As you can see from my post about these questions, I found the book (so far) lacking in concrete, believable examples. Your example of the salad is helpful in clarifying how this would apply to a real person. I do wonder though about the reward really being connected. You would get the reward (feeling sated) even if you ate something other than your salad, so there has to be another factor involved in getting you to choose the salad. I am finding the book interesting despite my quibbles with the concepts.

    • I’m having some of the same problems as Mary, I think. I understand the idea of the habit loop and why it works, but I am having a hard time thinking about how to apply it to my own habits (in terms of putting in a new routine for existing cues and rewards). Your salad example is really helpful, and an idea I may implement to start getting more veggies in my diet. I have to think on your questions more to see which habits I want to change and how I might go about changing them.

  2. I, too, am having trouble developing my cue/routine/reward. Why am I really eating? What do I get from it? What can I substitute that will give me the same reward?

  3. Joy, I can’t get this book at any of my local libraries, even in ebook form. The wait lists are pretty long everywhere, too. I’m not that interested in the topic to flip the cash for it, so I’m going to have to pass on joining the read along. Sorry! You’ll have to have all he fun without me. I know it’ll be difficult. LOL j/k.

    The good news is that I came home with a stack of books for my personal New Years Resolution Challenge! I’ll post about them all next week. I’m finishing one of them today (a VERY short one, but inspiring nonetheless). 🙂

    • Bummer about The Power of Habit, but I’m really looking forward to what you found for your New Year’s Resolutions!

  4. I read Part One to try and catch up and had an open bag of mint M&Ms beside me that I was eating out of while I read. Felt terribly guilty, but it did make me wonder how I might break my longstanding habit of snacking at night. It doesn’t seem as though Part One of The Power of Habit is intended as self-help, though, so I haven’t find my answer yet, unless maybe I should try substituting the reward of the clean, fresh taste of Pepsodent for the sugary rush of chocolate.
    I found Part One to be entertaining reading, although I think I had read the story of Eugene Pauly before, maybe an excerpt that was published in a magazine. The football coach’s story went on a little long for me, but football fans would probably appreciate the nuances of it more.
    I successfully started a habit of walking 4-5 days a week which I kept for over 20 years, but once I started working full-time, it dropped to 2-3 times a week, and these days I’m doing well if I get to the Y once a week, so I need to figure out how to fit an exercise habit back into my routine.
    Thanks for organizing the discussion!

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