Get Your Free Audiobook
Better Than Before
Non-member price: $31.21
Publisher's Summary
Best-selling author Gretchen Rubin (The Happiness Project and Happier at Home) explores habits - the invisible architecture of everyday life - and how they can make us more likely to be happy, healthy, productive, and creative. When we change our habits, we change our lives.
Gretchen Rubin, author of the blockbuster New York Times best sellers The Happiness Project and Happier at Home, has helped millions of readers get happier. Now she tackles the critical question: How can we make good habits and break bad ones? In a book that's crammed with big, provocative ideas, Rubin shows readers how to create the habits that will transform their lives, even if they've failed before. The secret, Rubin explains, is to pinpoint the specific strategies that will work for us.
From finding the right time to begin a new habit to setting up a counterintuitive system of reward to using the pleasure of treats to strengthen our good habits, Rubin identifies the 21 strategies that will allow every listener to find an effective, individual fit. Along the way Rubin uses herself as a guinea pig, tests her theories on family and friends, and answers listeners' most pressing questions - oddly, questions that other writers and researchers tend to ignore:
- Why do I find it tough to create a habit for something I love to do?
- Sometimes I can change a habit overnight, and sometimes I can't change a habit no matter how hard I try. Why?
- How quickly can I change a habit? How can I get myself to stick to a new habit?
- I want to help someone else make a change. But how?
- Why can I make time for everyone else but can't make time for myself?
Whether listeners want to get more sleep, make and maintain weight loss, stop checking their phone,s or finish projects, habits make change possible. Habits are the invisible architecture of everyday life.
Listening to just a few chapters of Better Than Before will start listeners working on their own habits - even before they've finished the audiobook.
Critic Reviews
More from the same
What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
-
4.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars129
-
4 Stars51
-
3 Stars14
-
2 Stars4
-
1 Stars3
Performance
-
4.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars120
-
4 Stars45
-
3 Stars13
-
2 Stars1
-
1 Stars3
Story
-
4.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars113
-
4 Stars46
-
3 Stars16
-
2 Stars5
-
1 Stars2
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- VP
- 13-12-2015
Too much fluff; too much!
A long book is a consequence of a long and masterful process of writing, or an attempt to fill up pages and turn a few ideas into sellable format.
Unfortunately, this book is the second.
Save your money and most importantly your time (being a long talk) and choose something else.
She uses the outdated technique of holding on to the main ideas and trying to build up anticipation.
I don't like leaving negative reviews, but I truly want to save the next person in search of truth some of their limited time.
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- P M CODY
- 05-10-2016
One of the most useful books I've read this year!
I'm not the effusive type, so when I write a 5-star review it really does mean I've found the book to be enormously helpful, well-written, and engaging. The "four tendencies" framework makes sense to me and is a really useful filter for understanding why I do things, and, just as importantly, why I don't do things, and why motivational strategies that work for others don't often work well for me. I highly recommend this book! As an audiobook, I also loved the fact that Gretchen narrated it herself. Her voice is expressive, her diction clear, and she is very easy to listen to. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will undoubtedly listen again!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Samaseena
- 29-03-2015
Loved this book
Loved it. Have just finished and am clicking play to listen to it all over again! Great ideas and lots of take aways.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Genevieve
- 06-11-2017
Brilliant.
My friend had recommended I read this two years ago. Don't wait that long - I recommend reading it now. There was information on habits presented in a way I had never heard before, that are making a massive difference for me. Hope you enjoy!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story1 out of 5 stars
- Matt
- 15-04-2016
Poor book well and truly in the Self help category
Struggled to finish - it's just a list of her thoughts collected into a sensible structure. No evidence, just her random thoughts. Very disappointing book.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Christine
- 23-06-2015
Love this book and author so much
Gretchen Rubin has changed the way I look at the world. She speaks so honestly and defines habits in understandable terms. I highly recommend this book. I'm so happy I found it!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Scripturient
- 11-04-2019
A real struggle to get through
I thought I would love the idea behind this book but it is less a helpful guide for improving your ability to master important habits than it is a stream of consciousness from a woman a bit too impressed with her own - rather underwhelming - take on different personality types.
That isn't to say that there aren't some positives to this book. The author does seem like a lovely person with a genuine will to help others, however, I really struggled to maintain enthusiasm for this read, especially when it was more anecdotal (if I never hear the phrase "my husband, Jamie" again, it will be too soon!) instead of setting out a particular path for mastering new habits. In summary, if you are after clear direction to change challenging behaviours, I would recommend looking elsewhere.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hellola
- 18-02-2019
Engaging and intriguing !
I really liked the emphasis on how it's not a one size fits all reality!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- CINTIA ROJO ORTIZ
- 04-02-2019
A must!
So useful!!! I love it, has completely changed my approach to self development and becoming a better person for myself. Helped me to understand me better.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 15-11-2018
a game changer!
This book has changed the way I understand myself. Fantastic! It is has something for everyone, no matter your tendency. Gretchen Rubin has won me over.
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Peter
- 11-06-2015
Useful, but flawed
What did you like best about Better Than Before? What did you like least?
Best parts where the actual useful classifications and concepts.
The main issue I had was the way the concepts were elaborated upon.
Did Better Than Before inspire you to do anything?
Yes. It got me going with a habit or two I've wanted to start for a while, but couldn't bring myself to start due to previous failures.
Any additional comments?
Insightful and smart, but written for a different audience to myself.
The author managed to pick up the intricacies of habit formation, but the way they're explained made me grind my teeth sometimes. I understand the thinking of trying to explain concepts using personal experience and anecdotes, but it gets tiring when it's done constantly and in such a "holier than though" manner. I really wanted to rate this better, since I did learn quite a bit and it definitely made me think, but ultimately it is a book, so spending a fair few hours rolling your eyes and clenching your jaw does gets very tiring.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story1 out of 5 stars
- Guy Segev
- 07-09-2018
Starts out ok, gets worse
I initially found this book quite hard to get through, as the writing is so self absorbed and tedious, however I did find some good thoughts so I persisted. As the book continues, it devolves into the author talking about her life and opinions in such an unbalanced and unresearched way that it feels like you're talking to a young mother turned life coach.
I swear I learnt more about the authors daughter's diabetes and how good the author is at keeping habits than I did actually learn about habits.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 25-05-2016
Excellent book..!!
Where does Better Than Before rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
It is the very good book, best part about listening this is book is treat to listen Gretchen for 9 hours.. Good thing happened to be was, I started listening to her podcast much before I bought this book. so I was quite familiar with her voice and listening this book in her own voice was hell lot interesting . Book gave me good insight about knowing self .
What did you like best about this story?
Parts about different kinds of people. I found out that I'm an obliger.
What does Gretchen Rubin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Her voice :-)
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Wired On Development
- 11-12-2015
It's personal
I find Gretchen's thoughts and life philosophies interesting and relevant. I thought this book was much more of her own unscientific and unproven thoughts and ideas comparing it to "The Happiness Project" which was more about testing popular science recommendations. Still she sees things in a useful and thought provoking way and I enjoyed hearing her theories (I am a questioner)
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- liz
- 03-05-2015
Rehash of First Book
I enjoyed the first book, however this is more of the same, less objective delivered with a big dollop of smugness. Disappointed.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Turine Tran
- 27-02-2018
A few blogs entries expanded to be a book
Would you try another book written by Gretchen Rubin or narrated by Gretchen Rubin?
No
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
Some interesting insights from an observant blogger, but that's it. Each chapter seems to be an expanded version of a blog entry. On a blog, you can be self-referential, talk non-stop about your family and all your insights from learning them, but to make the insights into a book that can last for some time, come on, you need better supporting info and research (which are everywhere). Therefore, the writing is very casual, extremely self referential, and way too long. The writer makes very strong claims such as there are 4 types of personalities that she herself defines and bases her habit-development tips on. Interesting thoughts here and there, but lost in her American centric endless stories and examples of family and close friends. Might be more enjoyable as blog entries, but please don't try to make them longer than they should be in order to make a book!
Do you think Better Than Before needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
NOOOOO! It's way too long for the content it delivers and poorly supported.
Any additional comments?
The writer should have looked deeper into past research so her writing can be supported by proper sources rather than her very small circle of family and friends.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Marina A.
- 29-07-2018
Game changer!
I loved this book. For years I couldn't figure out why I cannot have one small piece of chocolate, why it is easier for me to abstain from sugar altogether and why external accountability works so well for me. It was a relief to figure all of this out and actually use it to my benefit rather than feeling weird about the way I am. Really grateful to Gretchen. By the way, I've used her one sentence diary for 3 years now and keep going. It is a strong habit now - to write down what happened during the day, in one sentence. Well, maybe 2 or 3 short ones. :)
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alid7600
- 02-03-2016
Brilliant!
I absolutely loved this book. I had bought it a while ago but hadn't got round to reading it. I wish I'd picked it up sooner. Made me completely rethink how to approach things in the future and I would actually like to read this book again, something I have never done before.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kat
- 14-05-2016
Brilliant. Just brilliant.
I loved this book. The book was insightful and offered alternative views to much of this genre. The ability to be liberated from decision by deciding once and just continuing that as a habit is a mantra I'm very happily living by. With personal references from differing personalities and perspectives there were real life examples that I've included in my own life. The research topic was broad and considered differing approaches for different personalities, differing motivational factors and different methods to sustain a habit. Highly recommend.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Connie
- 25-01-2016
Super helpful
Great tips and an easy read! I will listen again it was so good. This will probably help you in some way, loved it.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alexander
- 14-10-2015
Just perfect!
Why should I write mandatory 20 words review for an optional review here? :) I'm a 'questioner' btw. Read the book and you'll find out what I mean.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
- kathie
- 28-04-2015
best book ever on habits
this book has made me so much more self-aware! as a result ive stopped a habit of trying to lose weight and now feel so much closer to a normal day in utopia! great read and listen.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Demetri
- 13-06-2015
Excellent, well worth listening to
Very practical advice on building effective habits. Found the insights in the book very useful indeed, especially the insight about what type of person you are: upholder, questioner, obliger or rebel.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- James Gardner
- 18-02-2020
Excellent audiobook
Wow, I’m so pleased I listened to this amazing book. So well written, researched and read. I have loads of points I’m taking away with me!