As far as I can remember, I have always had this “nail biting” habit. My mom tried her best to stop me, she failed. My wife has done her best too; I have managed to fail her too! I started reading this book about habit, and I failed, yet again!!! That is the Power of Habit.
The “Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg is an amazing read. I first bought this book for one of my great employees when he finished his internship at our company. The reason? Perhaps his daily routine and well organized style of conducting his tasks (customer relationship, marketing, engineering, lunch breaks) made me select this title.
The Coffee Habit
Habits are difficult to understand, and more difficult to change. I used to grab a “Double-Double” anytime I moved into Tim Hortons; well I though this would make me more Canadian. Then I started changing this “Very Very Bad” habit. Now I take my coffees black, and yes, the taste really sucks! More interesting is the fact that some days, I don’t even drink coffee!
The Treadmill Habit
Back in summer, I was nearly 85 Kgs. Don’t open your converter app: That is equal to 187 Pounds. I decided to adapt a more dynamic life style. I started working with the treadmill at home. I could hardly manage 10 minutes. I was ashamed. Then I started to improve myself one step at a time. I would increase this duration 1 minute each day. In a few months, I went from 85 to 77. I can now easily run 45-50 minutes, sometimes, I can even do it non-stop.
Listening to the “Power of Habit” was pure joy. The books reminded me of myself. I have been biting my nails for ever, and yet, I had never asked myself Why?! Is it the stress? or Is it simply because I am bored? The books presents several interesting case studies, and helps you study yourself deeper and more carefully.
As an entrepreneur, understanding Habits and its power becomes more important. A good habit can help you succeed, while a bad habit can simply kill your business. Here are a few examples from my personal experience. I used to listen to the radio while driving to work; Then one day, I just realized I cannot handle this any longer. The news kept my mind busy for a few hours, and affected my efficiency. Same thing happens with checking emails first thing in the morning; An email from a client, another one from a contractors, and the list goes on. By the time I got to the office, I was already exhausted. So I decided to change this habit. Now I listen to the music, or I listen to my audiobook, or read from my ebook collections. I feel better learning useful things, and incorporating them in my life and in my business.
Who should Read “The Power of Habit”
If you want to better understand how your body and mind works, this is an interesting and absorbing read. Examples are nice, and resonate well with different types of life styles. Each of us might have faces these challenges at some point. Learning more about your habits, and understanding why we do what we do helps us improve ourselves as human beings, professionals, and societies.
I strongly recommend this book to my entrepreneur friends; I believe this book will help you optimize what you do, and have a more productive work space.