If you want to change something in your life, you must change your habits. These habit change books will teach you simple ways to make big changes.
Think about your typical day. What percentage of your day is driven by your habits? Research suggests it’s about 40%. The time you get up, what you eat, the route you take to work, the seat you choose on the bus or where you park your car, and the exercise you take or don’t take. It’s all driven by our habits.
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I’ve spent a lot of time learning about habit change and experimenting on myself. The following habit change books have been invaluable resources for me. If you’re looking to make a change, any of these books is a great place to start.
1. James Clear – Atomic Habits
This book has sold over 10 million copies. It’s been hanging out near the top of most book charts since its release and, at the time of writing this post, it has over 100,000 positive ratings on Amazon.
What I love most about this book is its focus on making small changes. Small steps are easy to take consistently, and that’s the magic. They really add up. Clear says tiny changes, remarkable results. This style of habit change works for me, and I’m guessing it has worked for some of the other 10 million people who have bought Atomic Habits.
The book is very practical and full of examples that might inspire habit change for you.
2. Mel Robbins – The 5 Second Rule
This is a book for those who struggle with motivation. If you ever find yourself full of good intentions, which you somehow talk yourself out of, then Mel’s 5 second rule can help.
It’s a simple premise – the moment you think about doing something, count down from five and then physically move. That’s it. It works because the rule does not give you the opportunity to overthink it. You’ve decided and you act.
Read the book for scientific and social proof of the power in those five-second decisions. It’s packed with stories from different people, in different situations, who have all used the rule to change something in their lives.
3. Gretchen Rubin – Better Than Before
‘What we do every day matters more than what we do once in a while.’ This is one of my favourite quotes. It gives me permission to not beat myself up every time I do something that doesn’t align with my goals. And with habit change, that happens a lot. No one is on their game 100% of the time and that’s OK.
This book will help you learn more about yourself and figure out what method of habit change will work for you. Will small steps work best, or do you need an enormous change all at once? How much accountability do you need? Do you work best in the morning or at night? Will giving yourself a day off help or hinder your progress?
If you haven’t been able to make sustainable habit changes, reading Better Than Before can change that.
4. S J Scott – Bad Habits No More
I first came across the work of Steve Scott through his website www.developgoodhabits.com. I’ve used the above habit change books to bring about positive changes in my life. To bring some balance to this post, I thought I’d also include a resource that specifically tackles breaking bad habits.
For many people, crowding out the ‘bad’ habit by introducing ‘good’ habits is an effective way of phasing out unwanted habits. Other people need a defined plan that targets the habit they want rid of.
Scott provides a step-by-step framework to help you drop any bad habit. He provides strategies for those habits that can be eliminated gradually, plus strategies for those habits that are a straightforward yes or no, you do it or you don’t do it.
It’s a quick read and very much an action plan. If you have a specific habit you’d like to ditch, Bad Habits No More might be what you’re looking for.
