
Author: Gretchen Rubin
Genre: Non-fiction
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 320
Date read: January, 2016
Habits are the invisible architecture of everyday life. It takes work to make a habit, but once that habit is set, we can harness the energy of habits to build happier, stronger, more productive lives.
So if habits are a key to change, then what we really need to know is: How do we change our habits?
Better than Before answers that question. It presents a practical, concrete framework to allow readers to understand their habits - and to change them for good. Infused with Rubin's compelling voice, rigorous research, and easy humor, and packed with vivid stories of lives transformed, Better than Before explains the (sometimes counter-intuitive) core principles of habit formation.
Along the way, Rubin uses herself as guinea pig, tests her theories on family and friends, and answers reader questions.
Whether readers want to get more sleep, stop checking their devices, maintain a healthy weight, or finish an important project, habits make change possible. Reading just a few chapters of Better Than Before will make readers eager to start work on their own habits - even before they’ve finished the book.
Gretchen Rubin writes ridiculously readable books, and this newest one is no exception. While it didn't blow me away quite as much as her two Happiness Project books did, I still found it extremely engaging, relateable and useful.
From reading the book, I have realized I am a moderator, a lark, a marathoner with procrastinator tendencies and an underbuyer. I have no clue which of the four tendencies I belong to though, as I can relate to aspects of three of them! So all I know is that I'm definitely not a rebel, but whether I'm an upholder, a questioner or an obliger seems to depend on the situation.
But regardless of my tendency, the book contained a number of good pointers to use in the future when I find myself wanting to cultivate good habits (or get rid of bad ones).