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Habits That Stick

Habits That Stick

The Ultimate Guide To Building Powerful Habits That Stick Once and For All
by Thibaut Meurisse 2016 71 pages
3.76
100+ ratings
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Key Takeaways

1. Habits are the cornerstone of success and personal growth

"Extraordinary people have extraordinary habits, while average people have average habits."

Habits shape your future. Your daily habits are the building blocks of your life, determining your success, happiness, and overall well-being. By consciously developing positive habits, you can transform your life and achieve your goals. Habits allow you to automate beneficial behaviors, freeing up mental energy for more complex tasks and decisions.

The power of compound effect. Small, consistent actions repeated over time lead to significant results. For example:

  • Writing 500 words daily can result in a book every 6 months
  • Reading for 30 minutes a day can lead to finishing 200-300 books in 5 years
  • Meditating for 15 minutes daily can enhance long-term happiness

2. Consistency trumps intensity in habit formation

"If you can learn to use your willpower to form new, powerful, daily habits that will stay with you long-term, you're in for a treat."

Slow and steady wins the race. Consistency is far more important than intensity when forming new habits. It's better to perform a habit consistently, even if it's at a lower intensity, than to do it sporadically with high intensity. This approach allows your brain to gradually adapt and embrace the new behavior as part of your routine.

Avoid the "Two Skips" phenomenon. Never skip your habit twice in a row. Skipping once is forgivable, but twice sends a signal to your brain that the habit isn't important, making it easier to abandon altogether. If you must skip, have a contingency plan in place to get back on track immediately.

3. Start small with "Tiny Habits" to build momentum

"Tiny Habits are very powerful and have multiple benefits."

Lower the bar to get started. Begin with incredibly small, manageable versions of your desired habits. This approach reduces the amount of willpower required and makes it easier to maintain consistency. Examples of Tiny Habits:

  • The Running Habit: Just put your shoes on and go
  • The Push-up Habit: Do one push-up
  • The Writing Habit: Open a document and write one sentence

Gradually increase intensity. Once you've established consistency with your Tiny Habit, slowly increase the intensity or duration. This gradual progression allows you to build momentum and confidence while minimizing the risk of burnout or discouragement.

4. Create a supportive environment to facilitate habit adoption

"You are the product of your environment."

Engineer your surroundings. Modify your environment to make it easier to perform your desired habits and harder to engage in unwanted behaviors. This strategy reduces the amount of willpower needed to maintain good habits. For example:

  • Keep healthy snacks visible and easily accessible
  • Place your running shoes by your bed if you want to start a morning running habit
  • Remove temptations like junk food or cigarettes from your living space

Surround yourself with like-minded individuals. The people around you significantly influence your behavior. Seek out individuals who embody the habits and lifestyle you aspire to. Their presence can provide motivation, support, and accountability as you work to establish new habits.

5. Use triggers and routines to anchor new habits

"By anchoring your habit around a specific daily event, you make it easier to create an automatic pattern and ensure consistency."

Identify solid triggers. Choose existing, consistent daily activities or events to serve as triggers for your new habits. Effective triggers are actions you perform regularly at the same time each day, such as:

  • Brushing your teeth
  • Having breakfast
  • Coming home from work

Create habit chains. Once you've successfully implemented one habit, build upon it by creating a series of habits that occur in sequence. This approach helps establish clear patterns and routines, making it easier for your brain to automate the behaviors. For example, a morning routine might include:

  1. Meditating
  2. Setting daily goals
  3. Exercising
  4. Eating a healthy breakfast

6. Overcome procrastination by focusing on actions, not results

"Taking the right action means doing what you know is right regardless of the outcome."

Shift your focus. Instead of worrying about the end result, concentrate on taking consistent, small actions towards your goal. This approach reduces anxiety and makes it easier to get started, even when you're not feeling particularly motivated or inspired.

Embrace imperfection. Give yourself permission to perform your habit poorly rather than not at all. It's better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing at all. Use the mantra "I suck. So what?" to push through moments of self-doubt or perfectionism.

7. Implement powerful daily habits for lasting life improvement

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing – that's why we recommend it daily." -Zig Ziglar

Cultivate a growth mindset. Incorporate habits that promote continuous personal development and maintain a positive outlook. Some powerful daily habits to consider:

  • Setting daily goals
  • Reading your long-term goals aloud
  • Meditating
  • Practicing gratitude
  • Consuming motivational content
  • Self-reflecting
  • Exercising

Create a morning ritual. Develop a series of habits to start your day on a positive note and set yourself up for success. A well-designed morning ritual can help you maintain consistency with multiple habits and provide a strong foundation for the rest of your day.

8. Accountability and commitment are crucial for habit success

"Being held accountable by another person has another benefit: It provides a major incentive to follow-through."

Find an accountability partner. Enlist the help of a friend, family member, or coach to monitor your progress and provide support. Regular check-ins with your accountability partner can increase your motivation and commitment to your new habits.

Invest in yourself. Demonstrate your commitment by investing time, energy, or money into resources that support your habit formation. This could include purchasing books, courses, or equipment related to your desired habit. The financial investment can serve as an additional motivator to follow through.

9. Replace bad habits with positive alternatives

"Most, if not all, of your bad habits are disguised attempts to escape from something in your life."

Identify the emotional need. Understand the underlying emotional needs that your bad habits are fulfilling. This awareness will help you find healthier alternatives that address the same needs.

Use the "If... Then" method. Create specific plans to replace negative behaviors with positive ones:

  • If I'm stressed and craving a cigarette, then I'll practice deep breathing for 2 minutes
  • If I feel the urge to check social media, then I'll read one page of a book instead

10. Visualize the long-term impact of your habits

"Can you imagine what your life will be like 20 years from now if you fail to eliminate that bad habit?"

Harness the power of imagination. Regularly visualize both the positive and negative long-term consequences of your habits. This practice can strengthen your motivation and commitment to positive change.

Create a vivid mental picture. Imagine yourself:

  • 10 years from now, having maintained your new positive habit
  • The impact on your health, relationships, and overall quality of life
  • The regret and disappointment of continuing negative habits

Last updated:

FAQ

What's "Habits That Stick" about?

  • Comprehensive Guide: "Habits That Stick" by Thibaut Meurisse is a detailed guide on forming and maintaining powerful habits that can transform your life.
  • Focus on Habit Formation: The book addresses common challenges in habit formation, such as procrastination and lack of self-discipline, and provides strategies to overcome them.
  • Practical Tools: It includes a step-by-step workbook and a 30-day challenge to help readers implement new habits effectively.
  • Long-term Success: The book emphasizes the importance of daily habits in achieving long-term success and fulfillment.

Why should I read "Habits That Stick"?

  • Overcome Habitual Failures: If you've struggled with maintaining habits or breaking bad ones, this book offers practical solutions.
  • Increase Productivity: By implementing the strategies in the book, you can significantly boost your productivity and happiness.
  • Personal Development: The book is ideal for anyone interested in personal development and self-improvement.
  • Action-Oriented: It encourages taking consistent action, which is crucial for achieving real results.

What are the key takeaways of "Habits That Stick"?

  • Importance of Daily Habits: Your daily habits are crucial for long-term success and happiness.
  • Willpower Management: The book explains how to use willpower strategically to form lasting habits.
  • Overcoming Bad Habits: It provides insights into understanding and eliminating bad habits by addressing their emotional roots.
  • Commitment and Consistency: Emphasizes the importance of commitment and consistency in habit formation.

How does Thibaut Meurisse suggest overcoming procrastination in "Habits That Stick"?

  • Eliminate Distractions: Identify and remove potential distractions to maintain focus on your tasks.
  • Awareness of Emotions: Be mindful of the emotions that lead to procrastination and address them.
  • Reduce Task Friction: Simplify tasks to make them less daunting and easier to start.
  • Right Action Framework: Focus on taking the right actions rather than worrying about results.

What is the 30-Day Challenge in "Habits That Stick"?

  • Single Habit Focus: Choose one habit to focus on for 30 days to ensure successful implementation.
  • Avoid Multiple Habits: Resist the urge to work on multiple habits simultaneously to prevent failure.
  • Daily Commitment: Commit to performing the chosen habit every day for the duration of the challenge.
  • Overcome Traps: Be aware of common traps, such as thinking simple means easy, and stay committed.

How does "Habits That Stick" address the concept of willpower?

  • Limited Resource: Willpower is a finite resource that should be used wisely.
  • Strategic Investment: Invest willpower in forming habits that will yield long-term benefits.
  • Automatization of Tasks: Once a habit is formed, it requires little to no willpower to maintain.
  • Focused Willpower: Direct willpower towards specific tasks to make them automatic over time.

What are the "7 Most Powerful (Yet Simple) Habits" according to "Habits That Stick"?

  • Daily Goal Setting: Increases productivity by setting and prioritizing daily tasks.
  • Reading Goals Daily: Keeps you aligned with your long-term objectives.
  • Meditation: Enhances mental clarity and long-term happiness.
  • Gratitude Practice: Boosts overall happiness by appreciating life's small and big things.
  • Motivational Content: Consuming motivational books and videos to stay inspired.
  • Self-Reflection: Regularly analyzing your day to identify areas for improvement.
  • Daily Exercise: Essential for physical health and longevity.

How does Thibaut Meurisse suggest dealing with bad habits in "Habits That Stick"?

  • Identify Emotional Needs: Understand the emotional benefits your bad habits provide.
  • Mindful Observation: Observe your emotions before, during, and after engaging in a bad habit.
  • Replace with Positive Habits: Substitute bad habits with healthier alternatives that fulfill the same needs.
  • Visualize Future Costs: Imagine the long-term consequences of maintaining bad habits to motivate change.

What is the "Right Action Framework" in "Habits That Stick"?

  • Focus on Actions: Prioritize taking the right actions over worrying about results.
  • Redefine Success and Failure: Success is taking the right action, not just achieving results.
  • Learning from Mistakes: View failures as feedback and learning opportunities.
  • Reward Right Actions: Reinforce the habit of taking the right actions by rewarding yourself.

What are some of the best quotes from "Habits That Stick" and what do they mean?

  • "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - This quote emphasizes that consistent actions define our success and character.
  • "Failing To Plan Is Planning To Fail." - Highlights the importance of preparation in successfully implementing new habits.
  • "Never Trust Your Future Self." - Encourages focusing on present actions rather than relying on future intentions.
  • "Take action and results will follow." - Stresses the importance of action over mere knowledge for achieving results.

How does "Habits That Stick" suggest using visualization for habit formation?

  • Positive and Negative Visualization: Use both to understand the impact of habits on your future.
  • Daily Practice: Regular visualization strengthens the habit formation process.
  • Focus on Benefits: Visualize the positive outcomes of new habits to reinforce motivation.
  • Pain Association: Visualize the negative consequences of bad habits to deter engagement.

What is the role of accountability in "Habits That Stick"?

  • Accountability Partner: Having someone to monitor your progress increases commitment.
  • Incentives and Consequences: Use rewards and penalties to motivate adherence to habits.
  • Support Groups: Joining groups with similar goals provides encouragement and shared experiences.
  • Daily Updates: Regularly updating your accountability partner reinforces commitment and progress tracking.

Review Summary

3.76 out of 5
Average of 100+ ratings from Goodreads and Amazon.

Habits That Stick receives mostly positive reviews, with readers praising its practical advice and concise format. Many find the book helpful for establishing new habits and breaking bad ones. Readers appreciate the real-life examples and step-by-step workbook. Some critics note that the content may be repetitive for those familiar with habit-building literature. Overall, readers find the book motivating and useful for personal growth, with several mentioning specific techniques they've successfully applied from the book.

Your rating:

About the Author

Thibaut Meurisse is a self-improvement author focused on helping people reach their full potential. He is passionate about understanding the power of the brain and human consciousness. Meurisse's writing style is described as clear, structured, and practical. He often includes real-life examples and supplementary materials like workbooks in his books. Readers appreciate his dedication to making a difference in people's lives and his commitment to providing valuable content. Meurisse's work covers topics such as habit formation, productivity, and personal development, with a focus on actionable strategies readers can implement to improve their lives.

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