Books on Habit Formation

At the core of executive function is the ability to form habits as a way to create a loop to make difficult tasks more accessible. Learning is a skill just as much as it is a process and once you unlock how to learn it’s just a matter of getting your reps in. The following are recommendations for some books on habits to check out:

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhig is an enjoyable read that is perfect for beginners because it explains the basics of the mechanics of habits.

Atomic Habits by James Clear is best after Duhig’s take because once you understand how habits work you can understand why certain habits stay more easily than others in how it relates to your values. 

Tiny Habits by B.J. Fogg offers insights in how to tweak the more mundane, small habits to create lasting and big changes in  your life and is a great addition to Clear’s take. 

I also enjoy the work of Gretchen Rubin who sometimes adds her own spin on these topics. There are a plethora of books to choose from about habits. I find sticking with these three so far have been helpful for me in my personal life and more so my professional life. The more we understand our own behavior the more equipped we become to help other people. Audiobooks are not cheating and these are not books you want to consume in one sitting but rather read each presentation of the concept and work on applying it to your life. Reading books that fall under the self-help category are all well and good but it is in the life application that the magic truly starts to happen and real transformation can take place.