Smart Thinking Books

Interview with Katy Milkman, author of How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

Interview with Katy Milkman, author of How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be


Katy Milkman, author of How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be recommends a fascinating set of books! Before jumping into the interview, please check out Katy's book:

How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

Katy Milkman

Review from Book Depository: Award-winning Wharton Professor and Choiceology podcast host Katy Milkman has devoted her career to the study of behavior change. In this ground-breaking book, Milkman reveals a proven path that can take you from where you are to where you want to be, with a foreword from psychologist Angela Duckworth, the best-selling author of Grit.

Change comes most readily when you understand what's standing between you and success and tailor your solution to that roadblock. If you want to work out more but find exercise difficult and boring, downloading a goal-setting app probably won't help. But what if, instead, you transformed your workouts so they became a source of pleasure instead of a chore? Turning an uphill battle into a downhill one is the key to success.

Drawing on Milkman's original research and the work of her world-renowned scientific collaborators, How to Change shares strategic methods for identifying and overcoming common barriers to change, such as impulsivity, procrastination, and forgetfulness. Through case studies and engaging stories, you’ll learn:

  • Why timing can be everything when it comes to making a change
  • How to turn temptation and inertia into assets
  • That giving advice, even if it's about something you're struggling with, can help you achieve more
Whether you're a manager, coach, or teacher aiming to help others change for the better or are struggling to kick-start change yourself, How to Change offers an invaluable, science-based blueprint for achieving your goals, once and for all.

Buy On:

Book Depository €15.36 Waterstones £15.99 Wordery $19.16

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Q. Do you have a favourite smart thinking book (and why that book)?

Yes, absolutely. My favorite smart thinking book is Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth and Happiness by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein. This book transformed my thinking about how the world around us shapes our decisions. And it highlights the opportunity we have whenever we design the layout of a form, an email, a product label or even a room to change decisions for the better.

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness

Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein

Review From Book Depository: Nudge is about choices - how we make them and how we can make better ones. Every day we make decisions: about the things that we buy or the meals we eat; about the investments we make or our children's health and education; even the causes that we champion or the planet itself.

Unfortunately, we often choose poorly. We are all susceptible to biases that can lead us to make bad decisions. And, as Thaler and Sunstein show, no choice is ever presented to us in a neutral way. By knowing how people think, we can make it easier for them to choose what is best for them, their families and society. Using dozens of eye-opening examples and original research, the authors demonstrate how to nudge us in the right directions, without restricting our freedom of choice.

Buy On:

Easons €9.99 Book Depository €9.30 Waterstones £9.99 Wordery $11.14

(All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)

Q. What's the most recent smart thinking book you've read (and how would you rate it)?

Noise: A Flaw In Human Judgment by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony and Cass R. Sunstein. I would give it my highest rating.

Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment

Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment

Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, Cass R. Sunstein

Review from Book Depository: From the Nobel Prize-winning author of Thinking, Fast and Slow and the coauthor of Nudge, a revolutionary exploration of why people make bad judgments and how to make better ones--"a tour de force" (New York Times). Imagine that two doctors in the same city give different diagnoses to identical patients--or that two judges in the same courthouse give markedly different sentences to people who have committed the same crime. Suppose that different interviewers at the same firm make different decisions about indistinguishable job applicants--or that when a company is handling customer complaints, the resolution depends on who happens to answer the phone.

Now imagine that the same doctor, the same judge, the same interviewer, or the same customer service agent makes different decisions depending on whether it is morning or afternoon, or Monday rather than Wednesday. These are examples of noise: variability in judgments that should be identical. In Noise, Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony, and Cass R. Sunstein show the detrimental effects of noise in many fields, including medicine, law, economic forecasting, forensic science, bail, child protection, strategy, performance reviews, and personnel selection. Wherever there is judgment, there is noise. Yet, most of the time, individuals and organizations alike are unaware of it. They neglect noise. With a few simple remedies, people can reduce both noise and bias, and so make far better decisions. Packed with original ideas, and offering the same kinds of research-based insights that made Thinking, Fast and Slow and Nudge groundbreaking New York Times bestsellers, Noise explains how and why humans are so susceptible to noise in judgment--and what we can do about it.

Buy On:

Easons €15.99 Book Depository €23.53 Waterstones £21.99 Wordery $25.05

(All links earn commission from purchases. Prices accurate at time of writing)

Q. Do you have a favourite childhood book?

The Big Friendly Giant by Roald Dahl.

The BFG

The BFG

Roald Dahl

Review From Book Depository: The BFG is no ordinary bone-crunching giant. He is far too nice and jumbly. It's lucky for Sophie that he is. Had she been carried off in the middle of the night by the Bloodbottler, or any of the other giants-rather than the BFG-she would have soon become breakfast. When Sophie hears that the giants are flush-bunking off to England to swollomp a few nice little chiddlers, she decides she must stop them once and for all. And the BFG is going to help her!

Buy On:

Easons €5.99 Book Depository €6.28 Waterstones £6.99 Wordery $8.65

(All links earn commission from purchases that help fund this site. Prices accurate at time of writing)

Q. Do you prefer reading on paper, Kindle or listening to an audiobook?

Paper

Q. Do you have a favourite bookshop (and why that shop)?

The Strand Bookstore at 828 Broadway in New York City is my favorite bookshop. Even though it’s small and in the middle of a bustling metropolis, you can get lost in the bookshelves. And the recommendations on offer and in-store displays are always fabulous.

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Many thanks to Katy for recommending a fascinating set of books! Please don't forget to check out Katy's book How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.
Daryl


Image Copyrights: Penguin Putnam Inc (How To Change), Penguin Books Ltd (Nudge), HarperCollins Publishers (Noise), Penguin Random House Children's UK (BFG).


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Smart Thinking Books was born to shine a spotlight on books that can fuel your mind! Many smart thinking books have changed the way I look at the world for the better, so I started this site to help spread the word.
- Daryl Feehely

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