Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Better Than Before summary
Gretchen Rubin
Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives
15 mins
Brief summary
Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin is a self-improvement book that provides a framework for building and sticking to good habits. Through research and personal anecdotes, Rubin offers practical strategies to help readers understand their individual habit tendencies and make lasting changes.
Table of Contents
Better Than Before
Summary of 7 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 7
In order to take control of your habits you must know thyself.
Aristotle’s imperative – “Know thyself!” – still rings true today. To ditch bad habits or stick to good ones, you need to know who you are. And you’ll likely fall into one of these four personality types:
If you’re an Upholder, you find it easy to respond to your own and others’ expectations. You always do everything on your to-do list. However, you tend to dawdle when there are no clear-cut rules or expectations.
For example, if going to the gym is in the calendar, an Upholder will go even if the weather is terrible, or she’s tired from work. If it’s not in the calendar, though, she’d probably skip it even if it would be a fine day to work out.
If you scrutinize what’s expected of you and comply only if they make sense to you, you’re more of a Questioner. This usually means that when you want to start a new habit, you take forever to gather momentum.
A Questioner wanting to start a gym habit can benefit from exercise apps or other data sources, because when he sees statistical proof that he’s losing weight, he’ll be more motivated to stick to his gym routine.
If you’re an Obliger, you have no problem meeting expectations when they’re imposed on you, but you find it difficult to impose expectations on yourself. Therefore if you as an Obliger want to go to the gym more, you should get an exercise buddy who’ll pressure you into going.
Finally, if you’re a Rebel, you resist all expectations, whether they come from you or other people. Authenticity and self-determination are your guides. If you're a Rebel you should refrain from putting things in your calendar (if you have one at all) and just say to yourself you're going to the gym today because you want to, not because it's in the calendar.
Which type are you? Knowing this will help you form new habits.
Want to see all full key ideas from Better Than Before?
Key ideas in Better Than Before
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is Better Than Before about?
Better Than Before (2015) gives you the strategies to both create and maintain good, healthy habits, and break the habits that don’t serve you.
Better Than Before Review
Better Than Before (2015) explores the world of habits and provides insightful strategies to help readers create lasting behavioral changes. Here are three reasons why this book is worth reading:
- With its practical tips and tricks, it equips readers with actionable advice to break bad habits and build healthier ones.
- By drawing on scientific research and real-life examples, the book offers a deeper understanding of human behavior and motivation.
- The author's engaging storytelling keeps readers hooked, ensuring that this exploration of habit formation is anything but dull.
Best quote from Better Than Before
Decide, then dont decide.
—Gretchen Rubin
Who should read Better Than Before?
- Anyone who wants to pick up and maintain good habits
- Anyone wishing to kick a bad habit
Categories with Better Than Before
Book summaries like Better Than Before
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
30 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
Better Than Before FAQs
What is the main message of Better Than Before?
The main message of Better Than Before is that understanding ourselves and our habits is the key to lasting personal change.
How long does it take to read Better Than Before?
The reading time for Better Than Before varies depending on the reader's speed. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is Better Than Before a good book? Is it worth reading?
Better Than Before is worth reading because it offers practical strategies and insights to help you improve your habits and make positive changes in your life.
Who is the author of Better Than Before?
The author of Better Than Before is Gretchen Rubin.
What to read after Better Than Before?
If you're wondering what to read next after Better Than Before, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Making Habits, Breaking Habits by Jeremy Dean
- Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin
- Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin
- Welcome Home by Najwa Zebian
- Advice Not Given by Mark Epstein
- Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
- Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg