“How do I start reading again?” or “How to love reading again” has been one of my personal top searches, a comforting search too, knowing that there are more people who can resonate with this burning question.
None of the articles were of much use to me, not because they lacked content ,conviction or direction but solely because this was on my “I want to do something about it but I will keep whining about instead of actually doing something” list. And as I type this, I hope more people have the same list even if they don’t maintain it like I do or call it the same.
This habit of mine engendered a list of books that I’d begin to read only to leave it half way and when I picked up The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg I was quite certain it was going to follow the same fate. But to my surprise and absolute delight, this book has become my saving grace. Actually, if I had to be completely honest, this book coupled with Atomic Habits by James Clear in this order.
As I struggle to title my blog, I cannot help but be in awe of the Duhigg’s title, as the book encapsulates just that, the power of habit, in a rather easy to follow manner, while stretching across domains of various fields. In a world drowning with information and a new rise in analysis, the book analyses habits from different point of views. It understands habits rom different lenses — it’s impact, it’s ease of replication while ensuring to back it with experimental data, psychological explanations and linking it to the human evolution.
While this book had me mesmerized understanding how human habits can be harnessed on an organisational level, Atomic Habits gave me a step by step manual to do so for my personal life, and to do so effortlessly. Anyone who knows me, I am as average as it gets. I find it difficult to exercise self control when faced with small distractions. I am very ambitious and like most other people maintain a list of things I would love to do but when the time comes, more often than not I succumb to my procrastination. James Clear has helped me understand how small steps of planning and executing even a fraction of it can help me be closer to the goals I want to accomplish.
And following this book, one such goal is my ability to pen down my thoughts and my views without being bogged down by my harsh self criticism and my fear of failing or not being good enough. So this is my shot at changing how I look at my writing. A very distracted, mediocre person who struggles to maintain a balance with her work life, future goals, social media, family time and personal time while continuously questioning what my future will look like as I try to steer my career in a different direction.
And for anyone out there who would like to understand more about habits or it’s significant impact, I believe both the books mentioned above would be a good place to start.
