Make Change That Lasts – by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee

We’ve reviewed Dr. Chatterjee’s other books before, and now it’s time to review his latest.

First, what this isn’t: another rehash of James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” ← which is excellent, but one version of it was enough already

What this actually is: a very insightful and thought-provoking book about what causes us to create our bad habits in the first place, and how to (as per Dr. Chatterjee’s usual methodology) address the cause itself, rather than just the symptom.

This is important, because oftentimes we get into habits unconsciously without realising, so it may take some unpacking later.

He talks about the various things that we need to let go of if we want to also drop habits that aren’t serving us, and devotes a chapter to each of these (they are the 9 items mentioned in the subtitle).

The style is personal and human (this soft-hearted reviewer cried when reading about the habits that he created while his father was dying, and what happened after that death), and yet at the same time practical and instructional; this really does give the reader the understanding and the tools to not just “break” habits, but to actually deconstruct them in such a fashion that we won’t accidentally pick them up again.

A note on pictures: the US edition of this book has black and white pictures, and some reviewers have complained about them being unclear and confusing. Please take it from this European reviewer (it’s me, hi) who read the European edition with color pictures, that you’re not missing out on anything. The pictures are unclear and confusing in color, too. They appear to be mostly random stock images that serve no obvious purpose. They don’t detract from the great value offered by the book, though!

Bottom line: if you sometimes find yourself stuck in a state of not improving, this book can absolutely help you to get out of that rut and moving in the direction you want to go.

Click here to check out Make Change That Lasts, and make change that lasts!