The Power of Habit
By Charles Duhigg
Summarized by Bukola Odedeyi and voiced by
Uyoh Uyoh
Learning to drive a car was no joke for me,
I was actually trained with the old Volkswagen
1500 Beatle.
It came with these three awkward looking pedals:
the clutch, brake and the accelerator.
Learning to know which to press was an uphill
task.
Coupled with the fact that I had to be looking
at what seems like a millions screens and
mirrors at the same time:
The side view mirrors, the rear view mirror,
and yes, the windscreen
Lest I forget, I had to remember to press
on those clutch in order to change the gear
from one to the other.
I had to actually do a million things at the
same time.
I can never know how to drive.
Ahhhhh!
Fast forward, two years later.
Here I am, driving at 120 km per hour, I handle
the steering with one hand while holding the
burger with the other.
I can drive now even without thinking and
almost without effort.
This goes to establish the first major lesson
of The Power of Habit :
Roughly 40% of what you do happens on autopilot.
Understanding this fact can help you to be
more conscious;
Pause and ask if you’re about to do the
right thing.
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Let’s move to the second major lesson in
The Power of Habits.
Imagine this scenario: every afternoon for
the past one year, you have bought and eaten
a delicious, sugar-laden chocolate-chip cookie
from the fast food restaurant around your
workplace.
Call it a just reward for a hard day’s work.
Unfortunately, as a few friends have already
pointed out, you’ve started putting on weight,
so you decide to kick the habit.
That’s the bad news pretty ladies don’t
want to hear.
Awww!
But how do you imagine you’ll feel that
first afternoon, walking past the cafeteria?
Odds are, you will either eat “just one
more cookie” or you’ll go home in a distinctly
grumpy mood.
Kicking a bad habit is hard because you develop
a craving for the reward at the end of the
habit loop.
And that’s what companies and advertisers
work hard to do, to create such cravings in
consumers.
That’s how habits are built and the stronger
this link gets, the harder it becomes to change
them.
But you can still do it.
That’s the second major lesson in The Power
of Habit:
Habits stick because they create craving.
Hence, craving, not habits, is the problem.
So, how do you change a bad habit?
Have you ever seen any smoker looking to quit:
when the craving for nicotine hits, it’s
hard to ignore.
They shiver.
They are restless.
They start panting around.
They are like a dog on heat.
Ohhhh!
Research indicates that one of the best-known
habit-changing organizations in the world
(Alcoholic Anonymous) uses this method to
great effectiveness.
AA asks participants to list what exactly
they crave from drinking.
Relaxation …
Companionship, etc
Usually, factors like relaxation and companionship
are far more important than the actual intoxication.
AA then provides new routines that address
those cravings, such as going to meetings
and talking to sponsors for companionship,
effectively substituting drinking with something
less harmful.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) may have helped
as many as ten million alcoholics achieve
sobriety.
That is the third major lesson in the book,
The Power of Habit:
To change a bad habit, you have to substitute
the routine for a good habit.
I think it might be the right time to let
out a secret about myself: I am a book freak!
The most valuable piece of asset I possess
in life is my library, boasting of over five
thousand choice books.
And any good book on marketing, psychology,
or leadership wins the battle over my purse
any day.
There was this bookshop I used to buy books
from.
Over time they had discovered from the information
they had amassed about me, the three areas
I love so much.
So every month end, I receive emails and SMS
from them telling me of the “”New Arrivals”.
And guess what?
They are usually in those three categories.
These days, I even see them going a little
bit more subtle: they add offers in some other
unrelated and non-interesting areas, so when
I eventually “dig out” those in the genres
that I am passionate about, it is like hitting
oil in the Niger Delta!
When trying to sell anything new, companies
will dress it up in something familiar;
For example, radio DJs can guarantee a new
song becomes popular by playing it sandwiched
between two existing hit songs.
This way, new habits or products are far more
likely to be accepted.
And that’s the fourth major lesson in The
Power of Habits:
Companies take advantage of habits in their
marketing.
If you’re aware of this, you can say NO
more often.
Once we become aware of a harmful habit, it
becomes our responsibility to address.
It is our responsibility to change it.
The other day I visited the hospital, and
after series of tests, the doctor said I am
becoming diabetic.
Dia – what?
A lot of things began to rush through my mind
at the same time.
My wife.
My kids.
My businesses.
My books – oh my god!
As the doctor kept talking, explaining the
habits that could have triggered that medical
condition, I was getting impatient.
Bring out the medications and let me start
pumping them into my body, I almost screamed!
When he was through with his 3 minutes lecture
that actually seems like 3 hours, this was
what he said:
You will have to change your choice of food
and drinks.
What!!!
You mean I won’t be able to have my cola
drink again!
My doughnut with jam?
I began to react rather aggressively and defensively.
His final word succinctly captures the fifth
major lesson in The Power of Habits: it is
in your hands.
Though it may be tough, you bear the responsibility
for changing your bad habits.
Now, Let’s Discuss
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