Better Than Before

I read this book when it first came out whenever that was; 10 years ago? I enjoyed it then. The most original part was her 4 tendencies profile tool that defines people by whether their expectations of themselves is external (ie. in other people's “should”) or internal. I think this book is primarily targeted at beginners to habit change with external expectations (I call this “projected authority”). Rubin wants to save the world from themselves and she knows how. I found her I know better than you attitude a bit tiring. I originally rated this as a 4 but I'm dropping it to a 3.

I may buy a copy just for the bibliography!

Solid Stories and Fun Insights

Rubin does a great job of turning anecdotes and observations into tangible, actionable strategies for habit formation. Very easy to read (though, at times, a bit overwhelmed by her own tendencies), she casts habits and behavior in many different lights, with personal insights that build empathy (mostly) and give you a sense of how you TOO can make positive changes. Short chapters, easy style and a solid list of additional resources makes it a solid choice.

Mostly just made me not like the author.

I have listened to Gretchen's podcast and love the banter between Gretchen and Elizabeth. I sorta figured that I would already have this content in my head, but no. Gretchen creates a narrative arc with compelling stories and lots of categories and ideas that really making thinking about habits differently.

Love to be walking away with new ideas.

An avid listener of Gretchen Rubin's podcast Happier, and a Gretchen Rubin fan in general , I figured I would pick up this book on habit formation (as an audiobook) as a way to set off the new year. While I found a lot of the information redundant (she's shared most of this info on her podcast), I still really enjoyed the listen and picked up a few useful tidbits. At the very least, I feel inspired to pick out some habits I want to develop, change, and keep - and feel that I now have the knowledge and passion to develop, change, and keep them. Would especially recommend this to anyone who has not listened to her podcast, as I really do think there is a wealth of useful information here.

I love Gretchen Rubin's books and this one is no exception. It makes me want to make so many changes in my life and gives me hope rather than despairing about my shortcomings. I hope to be successful in developing good habits and making good changes.

This book resonated with me so much that I'm going back and re-reading her earlier works. A must-read for people interested in habits, happiness, and productivity.

Not my favorite of her books, but it was really good, I'm glad I listened to it, her voice is good to listen to.

Not quite as good as her first book, but well worth the read. I probably should have gotten the abridged version, because as usual I got tired of the anecdotes.

I find her types interesting - there are upholders, obligers, questioners, and rebels. Apparently most people are questioners or obligers (I think - I may be wrong about the obligers). (I'm a questioner, so for once in my life I'm not weird.) Then she classifies people in additional ways, like abstainers or moderators and so on. In fact, there seems to be some sort of classification or label in nearly every chapter!

Anyway, the information in the book is useful, and I am already using it in analyzing my own habits and improving them. Rubin's reading voice is fairly pleasant (I listened to the Audible version), so I don't hesitate to recommend the book.

Has some really good insights (I love the concept of the Four Tendencies), but is more focused and shorter than The Happiness Project. If you haven't read The Happiness Project, read it first – Better Than Before kind of goes deeper into some stuff she talks about there. If you didn't like The Happiness Project, you probably won't like this either.

BLUF: Great book, I highly recommend this to those who want to learn about habits and/or their own (and spouse's) habit tendencies. 4.5 stars.

This book covers everything you want to know about habits, including the importance of monitoring, the problems with rewards, and (of course) how to make habits work for you.
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“From what I've observed, our Tendencies are hard wired, and while they can be offset to some degree, they can't be changed.” “Yet whatever our Tendency, with greater experience and wisdom, we can learn to counterbalance its negative aspects.”