Words and Photography by Pamela Sutton

Whether we realize it or not, we spend most of our day on habitual autopilot. This is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, habits actually can provide a lot of freedom. We type emails effortlessly without glancing at the keyboard. We enjoy a bike ride because we pedal without thinking. We can multitask at work or while caring for our children, and get up in the morning, heading straight to the kitchen with no other thought than “strong coffee, please.”

Although habits can be a good thing, most of us have some habits we’d like to break, and new habits we’d like to make. Understanding how habits work allow us to become more productive and achieve greater success in both our personal life and business―whether we want to diet, start running every morning or create a more productive working environment.

In his New York Times Bestselling book, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life, Charles Duhigg dives into scientific discoveries surrounding habits and reveals human potential. We meet Eugene, who learned to create new habits after memory loss. And discover how Michael Phelps won a world record even though his goggles filled with water. We are given insight into how organizations, like Starbucks, have achieved success by embracing organizational habits, or “routine.” And how Target knew a teenage girl was pregnant, through her buying habits, before she’d even told her parents.

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