Book Review: How to Change

One of the hottest new books in the business and personal development space tackles an age-old challenge for anyone who loves to set goals: How and what to change in order to get there.

In How To Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, author Katy Milkman uses research and science to offer strategies on how we can overcome obstacles and affect behavioral changes. The book was released in May.

Milkman is an award-winning Wharton professor and host of Charles Schwab’s Choiceology podcast who has devoted her career to the study of behavior change. The book is earning praise for its meaty content and practical tips, derived from Milkman’s research as well as her scientific collaborators.

How To Change provides strategic methods for overcoming challenges like impulsivity, procrastination, and forgetfulness. It uses case studies and stories to describe how timing can be everything when it comes to making a change and how to turn temptation and inertia into assets. The book’s chapters are a simple list of our common obstacles, including titles like Laziness, Forgetfulness, and Getting Started.

This is Milkman’s first book, though her credentials are extensive. In addition to her work as professor and podcast host, she is the co-founder and co-director of the Behavior Change for Good Initiative and has worked with or advised organizations on how to spur positive change, including Google, the U.S. Department of Defense, the American Red Cross and Walmart; and is the former president of the Society for Judgment and Decision Making.