The Power of Habit — A New Year Group Read

Last night’s Twitter Chat was fun, with many shared hopes and dreams plus terrific books to support them. If you missed it, I used Storify to make a transcript: #NewYearBooks Twitter Chat 12-26-2012.

We talked near the end of the chat about group reads that would be helpful for the beginning of 2013. Along with The Power of Habit (which I announced as a group read in the original post: New Year’s Resolution Reading Challenge), there were several of us interested in Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. So, we’ll start with The Power of Habit, but I’ll set up a group read for Quiet in the next few days, too.

When I announced a group read for The Power of Habit in my post about the New Year’s Resolution Reading Challenge, I hadn’t put much thought into how to structure it. Fortunately, Christine of The happily ever after… and Vasilly of 1330v participated in the chat last night and knew right where to direct me for a good model: Stainless Steel Droppings. Among other things, Carl hosts R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril each fall and the Once Upon A Time Challenge each spring. He includes group reads in these events. I’m stealing shamelessly from the organization that he used for last spring’s reading of Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman: The Neverwhere Read Along.

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg is more popular psychology than self-help, but it contains a number of helpful tips and examples for those attempting to make difficult changes either as individuals or within organizations or, even, the whole of a society. By focusing on patterns that often aren’t conscious, sometimes a very small change can yield a great result. The Power of Habit is filled with scientific studies and related stories of transformation and success.

Join us as we read and discuss The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, seeing how it applies to our lives and communities across the country and the world. The Power of Habit is neatly divided into three parts, each containing 2 to 4 chapters.  We’ll discuss one part each week for three weeks. I will email discussion questions on Saturday to anyone who wants them. If you want to participate on your own blog, post and link up on Wednesday. If you don’t have a blog or don’t feel like writing a post, participate in the comments or join us for the Twitter chat each Wednesday evening.

Part One. Read between now and January 2nd (I know some of you have already started). Receive discussion questions e-mailed December 29. Link to discussion posted on January 2.

Part Two. Read January 2 – 9. Receive discussion questions e-mailed January 5. Link to discussion posted on January 9.

Part Three. Read January 9 – 16. Receive discussion questions e-mailed January 12. Link to concluding discussion posted on January 16.

To receive the discussion questions each Saturday, let me know that you want them. The easiest way may be to leave a comment on this post (the email won’t be published, but I can see it in the backstage area of my blog) or send me an email at my yahoo address — joyweesemoll.

If you wish to do a sign-up post, that would help alert others to our group read and increase participation. Link up in the list below so we can visit each other!