Katy Milkman

The techniques Milkman describes mostly have been around for while: attach fun things to unpleasant things, reading fun books at the gym; accomplish big changes by breaking into smaller steps, save $3 a day instead of $150 per month; time reminders for the decision moment to be most effective, remind people to wear seat belts as they get into their cars instead of five minutes before. The one I found novel was: instead of offering people who are struggling advice, ask them for advice. In a show more work situation this is asking someone who is perhaps not doing well to mentor someone else. People believing that can do something (because you asked them to teach another) often rise to the expectation. At the end of the day, the book's biggest contribution is citing experiments Milkman and other performed to verify the techniques rather than the typical anecdote recounts. show less

After such an enthusiastic forward, I was pumped to see my productivity levels jump over tall buildings. Now that I'm done with the book, I say the book just showed me the elevator to go to the top of the building and back down.

The book did its job in giving us strategies and tips to becoming a more productive person: start changes on a fresh start day (new job, new year's ...), triggers, and emergency passes to maintain a streak. And actually my favorite is that giving good advice helps show more you actually follow through with that advice. The book just lacked punch that could have pushed the rating to 5 stars, or above. show less

I learned about Katy Milkman after reading Grit by Angela Duckworth as she collaborates closely with Katy. Being a learner of behavioral science I really enjoyed this book as it covers some of the key behavioral effects that have puzzled me. Topic such as the Fresh Start/Re-start Effect, Temptation Bundling, Gamifications, Commitment Devices, Cue based planning, Checklists, Drills, Practice, Social Accountability as a commitment device amongst other gems are shared by Katy in this book. I show more have learned a whole lot from this book and I look forward to implementing Katy lessons in my life and in the lives of others I coach and mentor. Thanks Katy for your awesome work. show less

A helpful entry in the growing category of habit books (e.g. Atomic Habits and others). I appreciate that the author had a good balance between describing studies she has conducted and practical advice. The book is also robust in pointing out limitations in habit change (e.g. a completely rigid habit approach to exercise has weaknesses when life disruptions happen). Almost all of the examples covered in the book are personal habits like exercise and retirement savings. I would have liked to show more see a few business examples. show less