You may have heard that it takes 21 days to develop a new habit. However, research shows that while multiple factors can impact the time it takes to form a habit, the average is closer to 10 weeks. Habits influence how we navigate our daily lives and impact every facet of our existence—from productivity to mental and physical well-being—so deliberate habit formation is essential for success.
You might be at a point where you want to adopt good habits—and eliminate bad ones—to achieve a personal or professional goal. But where do you start? How do you stay consistent? We rounded up our favorite habit books from leading experts on habit formation to guide you through the process. Each offers a unique approach, so you can find one that fits your lifestyle and personality.
Top Habits Book Picks
The best habit books offer practical advice and real-world examples that make it easier to incorporate new habits into your life. If you want to see real results, be sure to choose books that align with your personal goals and lifestyle. Lucky for you, this list has something for everyone.
1. Atomic Habits
By James Clear
James Clear’s Atomic Habits is a comprehensive and practical framework for changing your habits and improving yourself by 1% daily. It includes evidence-based strategies proven to help you build and maintain good habits. The main premise of this book is that making small, incremental changes in your behavior can lead to the formation of new habits.
This habits book is structured around the Four Laws of Behavior Change framework, which states that building new habits takes four steps: cue, craving, response and reward. Together, these steps create a “habit loop” that allows you to create new habits. The framework also includes four simple, yet actionable, steps to build better habits: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy and make it satisfying.
Core Concept:
Making small changes over time can lead to significant results.
Our Favorite Quote:
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”
Who It’s Best For:
People who are fairly new to habit formation and need step-by-step instructions.
2. The Power of Habit
By Charles Duhigg
The Power of Habit explains that learning how habits work is the key to being healthy, becoming more productive and achieving success. In this habits book, author Charles Duhigg emphasizes that habit formation is a science—not a destiny. So before you can improve the habitual patterns that govern your daily life, you must first understand how they function. According to Duhigg, our habit loops, which are patterns that govern habit formation, involve three steps: cue, routine and reward. The more you use this loop to develop good habits, the more permanent they will become.
Duhigg provides several real-life examples showing the impact of habits on our personal and professional lives. You’ll learn how Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. and former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz used habit formation to achieve their unique versions of success.
Core Concept:
You can only change your habits once you understand how they work.
Our Favorite Quote:
“Change might not be fast, and it isn’t always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped.”
Who It’s Best For:
People who want to understand the science behind habit formation.
3. High-Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way
By Brendon Burchard
High-Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Became That Way is a science-backed book that maps how high performers achieve extraordinary success. The basic premise is that high performers know their strengths, weaknesses and where to focus their energy. They also visualize their ideal future and the path that leads to it.
After conducting extensive research over 20 years, author Brendon Burchard found six common habits of most successful and high-performing people: seeking clarity, generating energy, raising necessity, increasing productivity, developing influence and demonstrating. By implementing these processes into your daily life, Borchard asserts that you’ll progress faster and achieve sustainable long-term success.
Core Concept:
High performers practice six key habits to maintain long-term success and optimal well-being.
Our Favorite Quote:
“Be more intentional about who you want to become. Have a vision beyond your current circumstances. Imagine your best future self, and start acting like that person today.”
Who It’s Best For:
Highly ambitious people seeking guidance on achieving peak personal and professional performance.
4. Better Than Before
By Gretchen Rubin
In Better Than Before, author Gretchen Rubin explains that habits are part of the invisible architecture of daily life. Although it takes time to form a habit, we can become happier, stronger and more productive once it’s established. The book includes scientific research and real-life examples to help you create positive, lasting habits.
According to Rubin, the key to habit formation is using a practical, concrete framework that helps you better understand and permanently change your habits. Rubin’s framework includes four common personality categories to help people assess themselves: upholders, questioners, obligers and rebels. Once you know your category, the book will guide you through 15 tailored strategies for creating new habits.
Core Concept:
We must understand ourselves to experience long-lasting change.
Our Favorite Quote:
“The desire to start something at the ‘right time’ is usually just a justification for delay. In almost every case, the best time to start is now.”
Who It’s Best For:
People seeking a personalized approach to habit formation rather than a one-size-fits-all strategy.
5. The Miracle Morning
By Hal Elrod
According to The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod, you can gradually transform your life by practicing the S.A.V.E.R.S. method for six minutes every morning. S.A.V.E.R.S. is an acronym for Silence, Affirmations, Visualizations, Exercise, Reading and Scribing. It is meant to be a simple habitual process you can incorporate into your daily routine to boost productivity, improve your overall well-being and set a positive tone for your day.
Elrod explains that reaching your full potential isn’t just about doing more—it’s about becoming more. An updated version of this habits book includes new chapters: The Miracle Evening (how to optimize your bedtime and sleep routine to feel more refreshed and energized) and The Miracle Life (a guide to help you achieve inner freedom to become happier and learn to love the life you have while you create the one you want).
Core Concept:
Starting your day with an intentional routine can significantly impact your personal and professional life.
Our Favorite Quote:
“Discipline creates lifestyle.”
Who It’s Best For:
People who want to develop more purposeful morning habits to maximize productivity throughout the day.
6. Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength
By Roy F. Baumeister & John Tierney
In Willpower, Roy F. Baumeister, a world-renowned psychologist, partners with New York Times writer John Tierney to provide insights on mastering self-control. The book includes research-backed strategies and wisdom from real-life experts. It’ll help you understand the science behind willpower and learn how to optimize it to get what you want.
According to the authors, willpower controls four psychological processes: thoughts, emotions, impulses and performance. And each time you exercise self-control, you lose a bit of willpower. To conserve your willpower for habit changes, the authors recommend picking your battles wisely, making to-do lists, practicing positive procrastination and self-monitoring. Doing so will help you refocus your strength, resist temptations and redirect your life.
Core Concept:
Your willpower plays a significant role in developing lifelong habits and maintaining self-control, so it must be carefully conserved.
Our Favorite Quote:
“However you define success—a happy family, good friends, a satisfying career, robust health, financial security, the freedom to pursue your passions—it tends to be accompanied by a couple of qualities.”
Who It’s Best For:
People who are seeking to improve their self-control and discipline.
7. The 5AM Club
By Robin Sharma
Over 20 years ago, Robin Sharma—one of the world’s top leadership experts—created a theory known as “The 5AM Club.” In 2018, he published a book by the same name.
Based on the morning routine Sharma taught his clients for decades, The 5AM Club can help you boost your productivity, improve your health and well-being and protect your inner peace. Through his storytelling, you’ll learn how powerful people start their mornings to lay the foundation for outstanding achievements.
One of the leading evidence-based strategies in The 5AM Club is the 20/20/20 formula. The 20/20/20 formula includes 20 minutes of exercise, 20 minutes of reflection and 20 minutes of self-development early in the morning. Sharma calls this habit formation the “victory hour,” which he says can prepare your mind and body for a productive day.
Core Concept:
Getting up early in the morning can improve creativity, productivity and well-being.
Our Favorite Quote:
“Take excellent care of the front end of your day, and the rest of your day will pretty much take care of itself. Own your morning. Elevate your life.”
Who It’s Best For:
Current or aspiring early risers who want more productive hours during the day.
8. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
By Stephen R. Covey
Since 1990, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey has been one of the most popular books on habit change. It uses a holistic approach to help you resolve any personal or professional challenges hindering your success. As the title suggests, the book contains seven habits that can build and strengthen your character, including: being proactive; beginning with the end in mind; putting first things first; thinking win-win; seeking first to understand, then to be understood; synergizing and sharpening the saw.
Before implementing these habits, Covey encourages a “paradigm shift,” or a change in your perception of how the world works. He’ll guide you through this shift to significantly improve your productivity, time management, positive thinking and other catalysts for success.
Core Concept:
Aligning your values with strategic principles can lead to an internal transformation.
Our Favorite Quote:
“Habit is the intersection of knowledge (what to do), skill (how to do) and desire (want to do).”
Who It’s Best For:
People seeking to develop long-lasting habits that can lead to more success and satisfaction in life.
Begin Your Journey to Life-Changing Habits
Everyone has different personality traits, perspectives and thought patterns, so each person forms habits differently. These books provide something for everyone—diverse, research-backed strategies and insightful perspectives that can shift your mindset and help you obtain the life you want. So what are you waiting for? Pick one up and start your journey today!
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