Book
Duhigg C. Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business. New York: Random House; 2016. 400 p.
Why we cite it
Explores the science of productivity through eight key concepts: motivation, teams, focus, goal-setting, managing others, decision-making, innovation, and absorbing data. Argues that productivity is not about working harder or longer but about making certain choices — about how we frame our daily decisions, how we set goals, and how we think about the options in front of us. Key insight for behavior change: motivation increases when people feel in control of their choices (internal locus of control), and the most effective goal-setting combines audacious stretch goals with concrete SMART sub-goals. The focus chapter examines how building mental models — telling yourself stories about what you expect to happen — improves attention and performance. Relevant to the project because the same productivity principles (autonomy, goal architecture, mental modeling) apply directly to sustaining health behavior change over time.
About the author
**Charles Duhigg** — BA (Yale University). MBA (Harvard Business School). Before journalism: private equity and founded a healthcare company in New Mexico. Los Angeles Times staff writer. New York Times reporter (2006–2017). Currently writes for The New Yorker. Won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in explanatory journalism as part of the NYT team for "The iEconomy" series. Also received George Polk Award, Gerald Loeb Award, IRE Medal, and Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award. Author of *The Power of Habit* (2012, 3+ years on bestseller lists, 40+ languages) and *Supercommunicators* (2024). Not an academic researcher — a journalist who translates behavioral science into narrative nonfiction.
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