Better Than Before
Books | Self-Help / Personal Growth / General
4
(221)
Gretchen Rubin
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of The Happiness Project and “a force for real change” (Brené Brown) examines how changing our habits can change our lives. “If anyone can help us stop procrastinating, start exercising, or get organized, it’s Gretchen Rubin. The happiness guru takes a sledgehammer to old-fashioned notions about change.”—Parade Most of us have a habit we’d like to change, and there’s no shortage of expert advice. But as we all know from tough experience, no magic, one-size-fits-all solution exists. 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. In Better Than Before, acclaimed writer Gretchen Rubin identifies every approach that actually works. She 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 counterintuitive) core principles of habit formation and answers the most perplexing questions about habits: • Why do we find it tough to create a habit for something we love to do? • How can we keep our healthy habits when we’re surrounded by temptations? • How can we help someone else change a habit? Rubin reveals the true secret to habit change: first, we must know ourselves. When we shape our habits to suit ourselves, we can find success—even if we’ve failed before. Whether you want to eat more healthfully, stop checking devices, or finish a project, the invaluable ideas in Better Than Before will start you working on your own habits—even before you’ve finished the book.
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More Details:
Author
Gretchen Rubin
Pages
320
Publisher
Crown
Published Date
2015-03-17
ISBN
0385348622 9780385348621
Ratings
Google: 5
Community ReviewsSee all
"This book was not exactly what I expected, but did bring up some good points. The different habit classifications were interesting to read about, but if you prefer an author with a neutral tone, this might not be the book for you."
Olivia Huie
"Four stars because, although not a psychological masterwork, Rubin accomplishes what she sets out to do, and does it in her characteristic easily digestible style! I listen to a lot of her podcast (and have listened to audiobooks by her as well) and I could almost hear her voice speaking the words on the page. I find her voice soothing so this was enjoyable! <br/><br/>Rubin draws on psychology, both academic and popular, as well as important authors and philosophers in her typical extensive research. As somebody with a psychology background, a master’s degree studying adult learning and transformative learning, as well as a job that requires me to be continually focused on behaviour change strategies, I found many echoes in this book with sound academic studies. <br/><br/>In section one, we learn about different ways to characterize ourselves (something I find fascinating but difficult to do). In section two, we examine some primary habits and big picture strategies to form them, like scheduling and accountability. Section three discusses how to start, and section four covers what most of you are probably here for: key strategies to help habits stick. Abstaining, convenience, inconvenience, safeguards, loophole-spotting, distraction, reward, treats, and pairing are all discussed. Rubin has an eclectic mix of technical terms and ideas she’s more or less come up with herself. As a reader, I sometimes felt like Rubin was taking credit for discovering ideas about habits that actually have existed for a long time - but I suspect this is more of a quirk of her writing style than the truth. The final section of this book covers how identity is tied into habits. <br/><br/>I would recommend this book for anybody who wants to change something about how they live their lives, and feels frustrated with how difficult that is to do."
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Teresa Prokopanko
"Was ok and would have gotten a 3.5 star if it allowed. Information is interesting and I still can't decide where i fit in her types however i found information that will be useful. Reason it doesn't get higher is because I found it a bit long for me"
Callie Pyke
"What a perfect read for January as I am reflecting on 2021 and thinking about the person I want to be in 2022. The author uses the Four Tendencies to explore habits. As a questioner, I took several helpful strategies and insights from this book."
Lauren Kern
"Diet talk."
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Sharyn Savoie
