The Power of Habit

Three of the ideas you’ll keep

The Clif summary of The Power of Habit pulls out 9 insights. Here are the first three.

1. Every habit runs on a three-step neurological loop: a cue triggers it, a routine plays out, and a reward teaches your brain to repeat it. To change behavior, target the loop, not your willpower.
2. Cravings are the engine of every habit. Find what your routine is actually rewarding you with, then deliberately deliver that same payoff through a healthier behavior.
3. Use the Golden Rule of habit change: keep the same cue and the same reward, but swap in a new routine. You can't erase a habit, but you can overwrite the middle of the loop.

The other 6 — and the full 11-minute summary — are in the app.

What’s inside: 9 chapters

The whole summary runs about 11 minutes, read or listened to.

1. The Habit Loop: How Habits Work
2. The Craving Brain: How to Create New Habits
3. The Golden Rule of Habit Change
4. Keystone Habits: The Habits That Matter Most
5. Willpower: The Most Important Keystone Habit
6. The Power of a Crisis: How Organizations Change
7. How Companies Predict and Exploit Your Habits
8. Social Habits: How Movements Are Built
9. Free Will: Are You Responsible for Your Habits?