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A habit is defined as a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up. We all have them, and thankfully we do. Could you imagine having to diligently remember how to brush your teeth, or pick out an outfit for the morning? Habits are so ingrained into our way of life, we don’t have to try on every single pair of pants and each shirt we own in order to get ready for work in the morning. Instead, we likely walk to the part of our closet that has our favorite things, and dress ourselves easily as we have done every day for as long as we can remember. When we arrive at the kitchen, we don’t read through cookbooks trying to figure out what we should make ourselves for breakfast, instead, we likely grab something for breakfast that we usually eat. You likely take the exact same route on your commute every morning and walk into work in the exact same way. All of these habits are vital to our existence as they make life manageable and usually much easier. Unfortunately, all of these habits that exist almost subconsciously can also create issues when we fail to realize they have become a problem.

A $6 cup of coffee on the way to work, some mindless, all-too-frequent online shopping in the middle of the day, or casual gossip with your coworkers about the rookie can quickly move from occasional occurrences, to a habit before you know it. In order to understand and improve our own habits, we’ve scoured the research on habits and have picked our 3 favorite books to help you assess your own life and take control.

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business By Charles Duhigg

In this book, Charles Duhigg examines scientific discoveries through several different narratives that explain how habits can be changed and why they exist. For instance, did you know individuals with a gambling problem experience near misses in gambling scenarios the same way as non-gamblers experience a loss. This helps to explain why gamblers believe their ‘next win’ is just right around the corner and casinos have programmed slots to hit on more and more nearly missed jackpots. This example and many others help to present a new understanding of human behavior and potential changes that can be made with more education.

The Four Tendencies By Gretchen Rubin

Find out if you are an Upholder, Questioner, Obliger or Rebel in Gretchen Rubin’s The Four Tendencies. This book sorts personalities into four “tendencies” as mentioned, according to people’s motivations. These Tendencies equate to your personality and the habits you project and outlook on everyday life. Upholders respond well to both outer and inner expectations. Questioners avidly seek out reasons for meeting expectations. Obligers need accountability and do well with expectations set from others. Rebels prefer to do things their own way, with their own time and resist all expectations. This thought provoking analysis is the perfect read for those ready to tackle understanding how and why you might act the way you do in certain situations. Understanding yourself is the very basis of future success.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

The author, a world-renowned Stanford University psychologist, focuses on the power of mindset. In this book, she explains that success in any aspect of life can be dramatically influenced by how we perceive and think about our abilities. She believes that people with a growth mindset are the individuals who excel in life and shows examples of how you can put this idea into use to improve your life and the lives around you.