Reading Log 103: The Last Self-Help Book I Want to Read | 'We Are Made of Our Habits.'

The Last Self-Help

Why I decided to read this book

I previously read this book and thought, 'I'm going to stop reading self-help books,' but I was drawn in by the title and concept and ended up picking it up anyway. I want this to be the last self-help book I read, too.

I first learned about this book because the author was interviewed in 'Having Tea with Complicated Men'.

↑ The other interviews were also interesting.

Deciding on habits to quit

Regarding the content of this book.

Sometimes you need time to build the habits you want, and to do that, you have to stop habits that are stealing your time (like mindlessly scrolling through social media) to create that time.

As I will declare below, I want to stop mindlessly scrolling through Instagram and LINE NEWS without any purpose.

Considering the rewards

The next step is to think about what kind of reward you are getting from the habit you want to quit (what you consider to be the benefit).

From Instagram, I get the reward of obtaining information about exhibitions, illustrations, and shops, and seeing posts from celebrities I like.
(I don't follow acquaintances; I only have an account for viewing.)

From LINE NEWS, I get the reward of knowing breaking news, but I realized that I am more annoyed by ABEMA advertisements and celebrity gossip than that. The loss is greater.

Raising and lowering the hurdles

To quit bad habits, you just need to raise the hurdle and make them troublesome. Conversely, to make something a habit, you should lower the hurdle as much as possible.

When reading books on habits, they often say things like 'start with one rep' or 'just sit at your desk,' but this book is good because it writes in detail about 'how to quit' first.

• Instagram -> Delete the app. When necessary, log in via the browser each time (information about exhibitions, etc., is fine once a month).

• LINE NEWS -> From LINE settings, swap the call tab with the NEWS tab and remove it from the bottom tabs (I didn't know about this setting!!).

Making a declaration

Also, it seems effective to declare the habits you want to quit or start to others or on social media like this Note. Utilize the habit of caring about what others think.

I will make a declaration right away. I want to track my progress at fixed points, like one month and six months from now.

Overall

This book lacks the attitude sometimes found in self-help books—the "let me teach you the secret to my success" or "you ordinary people probably don't know this" tone (though perhaps I am just imagining it).

Perhaps because the author is an editor, it felt like they had edited the essence of many self-help books and remained behind the scenes. While there are many stories about the author's own life, they are relatable tales of failure that never felt pretentious.

Having made minimalism known through their previous book (which I want to read next), I imagine they have a knack for subtraction and finding the perfect balance.

Will this truly be the last self-help book I ever need?

Sincerely,