When we talk about Habits books, people instinctively think of “Tiny Habits” or “Atomic Habits”. I wonder why Gretchen Rubin’s “Better than Before” won’t pop out as a go-to choice for most people even though she came up with a framework to explain how individuals of different personalities (Upholders, Questioners, Obligers and Rebels) need to respond to different prompts and incentives in order to form good habits. She has a personality quiz at the end, which I devoured with relish. Surprise, surprise, I’m a Rebel (though I suspect my day job has blunted my edges to fit into the Upholder mould). I guess having astute self-awareness is integral to cultivating good habits.

She explains the difference between a habit, a routine and a ritual at the start of her book - which was immensely useful for me since I kinda use them interchangeably despite teaching English for a living. I enjoyed how she quotes from a multitude of famous thought leaders and writers, which lends weight to the pointers she has to change. Because she employed an anecdotal style, I found it enticing to follow her journey, observing her reactions as she sought to improve her habits and influence (quite brazenly, in some instances) those of her family and friends. I’m grateful for her open sharing of her motivations underpinning her actions. She explains why she wants to form certain habits and reject others so that she can stay true to her unique tune.

Have I picked up any new habits from her book? Tbh, not really. But reading how she sometimes deals with the nitty-gritty of her working life instead of her most important tasks first thing in the morning made me feel relieved that I’m not necessarily wasting my precious cognitive energy and headspace. I mean, sometimes the small sandy things just fill up my mind and refuse to let go of their hold until I settle them, you know. I also feel encouraged by her prose on the Power of One. In fact, I have acquired a new habit of deleting one photo from my phone every day. It doesn’t take up much time, but the compounded clarity seeing a lighter photo feed has uplifted my mood tremendously. Now I just wanna earn one cent for my blog every day!