Two television shows that I record regularly interviewed author Charles Duhigg about his book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. The interviews were impressive, and the topic of changing habits is compelling, so I thought I’d give the book a try (one of those interviews is posted below).

Sadly, the book disappoints. There isn’t much here that is new. Some of the stories are fun, and learning how companies are identifying (some might say manipulating) habits in their customers is revealing. But overall, it’s not a cutting edge book. I was really hoping for more because of all the new research coming out about the psychology of habits.

That said, there is real value here for people who need to break some bad habits. Overeating, smoking, gambling, avoiding exercise … the list goes on of things that are bad habits. And that’s not counting the bad habits we have in our relationships: ignoring people we should love, using trigger words that hurt, or other things that create dysfunction in our lives. The good news of this book is that such habits can change. There are proven methods for self-improvement that train new habits into our brains.

Still, I didn’t find much in the book that was news to me. Maybe others will find it more helpful. I hope so.

By the way, it’s a habit of mine to finish a book that I start. Sadly, this might have been the time to change that habit.