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  • The Power of Habit

  • Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
  • Written by: Charles Duhigg
  • Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
  • Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (2,122 ratings)

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The Power of Habit

Written by: Charles Duhigg
Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
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Publisher's Summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • This instant classic explores how we can change our lives by changing our habits.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Wall Street Journal • Financial Times

In The Power of Habit, award-winning business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. Distilling vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives that take us from the boardrooms of Procter & Gamble to the sidelines of the NFL to the front lines of the civil rights movement, Duhigg presents a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential. At its core, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, being more productive, and achieving success is understanding how habits work. As Duhigg shows, by harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.

With a new Afterword by the author

“Sharp, provocative, and useful.”—Jim Collins

“Few [books] become essential manuals for business and living. The Power of Habit is an exception. Charles Duhigg not only explains how habits are formed but how to kick bad ones and hang on to the good.”Financial Times

“A flat-out great read.”—David Allen, bestselling author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

“You’ll never look at yourself, your organization, or your world quite the same way.”—Daniel H. Pink, bestselling author of Drive and A Whole New Mind

“Entertaining . . . enjoyable . . . fascinating . . . a serious look at the science of habit formation and change.”The New York Times Book Review

©2012 Charles Duhigg (P)2012 Random House, Inc.

Editorial Review

They may not seem like much, but good habits can change one’s life for the best, and bad habits, well… for the worst. The Power of Habit aims to unlock the science of habit formation in order to leverage good habits and break bad ones.

Though the premise of the audiobook is seemingly obvious, author Charles Duhigg sets out to change lives by providing a framework for change to its audience. He addresses specific points in each chapter and supports his views with a number of case studies featuring anecdotes and analogies. It’s as simple as this: identify bad habits and replace them with good ones for a healthy body and a healthy mind. Easier said than done, but Duhigg’s take on self-development is bound to push the listener in the right direction.

The Power of Habit was acclaimed by critics of The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times for its life-changing content and ability to provide advice and entertainment simultaneously. The book is particularly praised for the changes it can bring forward from a business point of view. Veteran narrator Mike Chamberlain’s voice is easy to listen to, yet commands the attention of listeners.

What listeners say about The Power of Habit

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

A bit disappointing to be honest (until Ch.11)

The most enjoyable chapter was 11, the last chapter. I thought the book would have been geared more towards how to change habits which is covered in the last chapter only. The rest of the book talks about past stories of people that struggled with habit, bad or good. Just not what I expected but happy that it ended with the information I was hoping to take from the listening to the audio book.

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56 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Started strong, dragged on

I really enjoyed the first half of this audiobook. The second half however I did not enjoy nearly as much; it just dragged on and on. Literally there was over an hour of excessive description on Target’s data analytic strategy for marketing. This made me not want to listen and turn off the audiobook.

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26 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Less Self Help, More Case Studies

I never really fell into 'self help' books, but this book gave me a lot to think about. The writing & narration really drew me in. Each chapter had a specific point and case studies to outline how their point worked in real life. I enjoy having the knowledge of what happens when habits are formed or broken. Loved the science background to this book. #Audible1

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10 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Very good information.

The information in this was great, very useful. The format of listening on my smartphone was great because I have about an hour bus ride to take every Saturday, one hour to my destination, and one for home. I found learning this information to be a great use of my time. I look forward to repeating this habit in the future.

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10 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Super Interesting and Helpful

This was the most interesting non-fiction book I think I've ever read. It was well laid out and had concrete steps you can follow to help change your own habits, as well as how to understand how habits form in groups of people. I've been reccomending it to all my friends.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • RC
  • 2018-01-20

Really great read. Doesn’t tell you how to change any one particular habit. Gives you a framework for changing them.

Before I listened to this book I had no idea that the simplest of habits had the biggest of implications.

Now I do.

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6 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good but be Patient

Good read but can be dry at times. If you can get through it all you'll learn a lot but be Patient with the chapters they use stories to build a big picture that is well put together and summarized in the last chapter.

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4 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good, informative listen.

The good: Does a great job explaining how your brain isn't always your friend. Your brain wants to automate tasks and save energy. This book really helped me identify habits and patterns in my life that I didn't notice were there. I've been able to adjust multiple aspects of my day to day life after understanding these concepts.

The bad: About halfway thru the book really begins to drag on. Some of the stories are not very interesting and kind of boring. 3 of the last 4 chapters or so were hard to get thru. Found myself tuning them out at times. By the time you get 70% of the way thru the book you understand the concepts already.

Verdict: Solid 4/5. Can help you identify bad habits in your life and begin to correct them or create new healthy good habits. Does drag on at times. Narration 5/5.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A new way to think about bettering yourself.

A fantastic book that provides extremely practical advice. My only complaint is that the narrator is slow, but I listen to it at 1.5x speed so it's fine!

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

The fist half was good

but the social habbits section was pretty weak. I liked learning about the civil rights movement, but the theory was definitely being stretched here compared to the rest of the book. It felt like story time more than anything else.

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1 person found this helpful