Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives

Reviewers of Gretchen Rubin's books tend to fall into one of two categories: those who like her and those who don't. Given her mania for categorization, this is a distinction that Rubin herself might appreciate. However, it seems all too often that evaluation of the book never progresses beyond a visceral reaction to the author's personality. Personally, I find her self-assured epigrammatic style rather engaging, although others sometimes view her as a condescending know-it-all.

Perhaps, therefore, it is no accident that Ms. Rubin's favorite author is Samuel Johnson, the biggest know-it-all in the English language. Johnson is saved from being completely insufferable by wit and insight, and one might well say the same of Ms. Rubin. Her behavioral categorizations — criticized by some with a sniff as "unscientific" — are nevertheless a useful heuristic for separating different kinds of personalities. And Ms. Rubin's observation that when it comes to habits, one size does not fit all is a refreshing change from the singlemindedness of many "self help" books. Ms. Rubin is surely right when she observes that we can learn a great deal from people who are different from ourselves, and this is nowhere more evident in this quirky analysis of habits and how people form them.

I received an advance reader's edition from Read it Forward.

I'm not a regular reader of self-help books, and this is also the first book of Gretchen Rubin's that I've read, but this book provided some great insight into how I form my own habits. I loved how everything was broken down into categories and titles (I'm a Questioner!) and the author's anecdotes, both personal and from other people, made it a fun read while I was thinking about how to incorporate this advice into my own life.

Some parts felt a little heavy-handed (I respect the author's decision about switching to a low-carb diet, but I don't think it needed to be reiterated so much), and I feel that footnotes may have worked better than referring to "studies" from the Notes section at the end of the book, but overall I'm already seeing some changes in how I view my own habits. I'm noticing when I'm making excuses or when I'm convincing myself that certain parts of my life are out of my control when they really are. I've made some small changes, and I'm already pleased with my increase in productivity and my mood. I'll definitely keep referring to the book in the future.