I have read A LOT of behavioural economics, pop psychology, and self-help books. So I don’t mean this as any aspersion on Milkman to say: I didn’t really learn anything new from this book. Most of the principles Milkman talks about — fresh starts, temptation bundling, commitment devices, cue-based planning, habit stacking, manipulating default choices, harnessing social pressure and norms, etc. — are all things I’ve read in other books. Admittedly, some of them might have actually been quoting Milkman’s work (she seems to have done A LOT of studies), so this might be like me complaining that a 1970s rock icon “stole” from the 2020s version of their own work. That said, How to Change is filled with good, science-backed research and gives a lot of solid advice for how to make changes in your life. One thing I like that most other books shy away from is her point in the last chapter that for behavioural change to work, you’ve gotta use all the techniques pretty much forever. You can’t just try something for a month and hope it sticks. You’ve gotta put in the work. As someone who’s been screaming this to the rafters for years, I appreciate that it’s written down by someone with the authority and research to back it up. In short: this is a good book if you don’t know much about the topic and are looking for a primer, or if you know a lot about it and are looking for a refresher.