Charles Duhigg Archives

Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg. Certainly after reading his previous book The Power of Habit I was really looking forward to this book exploring the science of productivity.

Above all the ideas outline managing ‘how’ you think rather than ‘what’ you think may actually transform your life. Charles provides insights to well told stories. Certainly while a story may be well known to others, your interpretation will provide insights for you toact upon.

Firstly, within Chapter 1 – Motivation: Reimagining Boot Camp, Nursing Home Rebellions, and the Locus of Control. These stories reveal how to adopt a growth mindset. At the same time, his story of Viola and Robert Philippe reveal a view of medical diagnosis. You may be able to leverage the Philippe’s story to reflect upon family or friends similarly impacted. This lesson can assist you in supporting a loved one’s long road to recovery.

Secondly, Chapter 2 – Teams: Psychological Safety at Google and Saturday Night Live. While too many books have been written about Google, looking at how Lorne Michaels at just 36 years of age would begin shaping an American cultural institution is widely appealing. Between Morgan Freeman and Larry David auditioning for SNL’s first season, many will easily understand how bringing teams together can benefit challenges at work, supporting your children’s extra school activities, or leading a volunteer group. Above all, Work Rules by Lazlo Bock would serve you best to understand how Google manages teams.

Chapter 3 – Focus: Cognitive Tunneling, Air France Flight 447, and the Power of Mental Models. Charles is clearly an excellent writer. Certainly his detailed description of Flight 447 which literally fell into the Atlantic ocean in 2009 teaches us to no blindly trust technology.

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg. Charles is a columnist and senior editor at The New York Times. He won a Pulitzer Prize in explanatory journalism for the “iEconomy” series. This story examined the global economy through the lens of Apple.

After finishing Atomic Habits, this was an easy transition. Charles has the skill to tell a compelling story.

The Power of Habit begins with such a compelling story of a young woman at a medical laboratory. Over a period of two years she transformed her entire life. She quit smoking, successfully completed a marathon, and was promoted at work. Researchers observe patterns inside her brain fundamentally changed. How? She divorced and chose to change her life by adopting new habits.

Starbucks’ training programs reveal how personal change through adversity is possible. Companies can achieve new success when they focus on habit patterns.

When Paul O’Neill was hired to run Alcoa, he made waves on Wall Street. His stated top priority: improve the company’s safety profile. This is a great introduction to ‘keystone’ habits, a type of habit creates culture. Aluminum production is certainly not an easy process. O’Neill faced stiff feedback from the company’s Board of Directors. However his keystone habits drove Alcoa’s market value from $3 billion in 1986 to $27.53 billion in 2000.