Habits and Hustle

Episode 532: Building Focus and Follow Through With the Habits & Hustle Book Club

February 27, 2026

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • The resurgence of book clubs is driven by audience fatigue from constant social media consumption, polarization, and the comparison trap inherent in doom scrolling. 
  • Spending time on social media often results in feeling unrevitalized, as listeners typically forget 95% of what they consume online, which offers little tangible benefit. 
  • The Habits & Hustle Book Club is specifically designed to build accountability and strengthen follow-through by imposing a finite deadline for completing self-improvement focused reading material. 

Segments

Sponsor Momentous Ad Read
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(00:00:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Momentous supplements are NSF certified, ensuring label accuracy and testing for heavy metals, making them trusted by NFL teams.
  • Summary: Momentous focuses on quality supplements for healthspan, prioritizing protein and creatine, specifically sourcing Creapure for peak physical and cognitive performance. Their NSF certification guarantees batch testing for purity and label accuracy. Listeners can use code JEN for 20% off at livemomentous.com.
Book Clubs Trending Again
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(00:01:34)
  • Key Takeaway: Book clubs are trending as a response to social media fatigue, polarization, and the negative emotional impact of constant online consumption.
  • Summary: People are seeking real connection and community through reading to escape the polarizing content and comparison traps found on social media. Doom scrolling wastes valuable time without providing revitalization or lasting memory retention. Reading offers a beneficial alternative that can improve focus over time.
Habits & Hustle Book Club Launch
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(00:05:12)
  • Key Takeaway: The free Habits & Hustle Book Club focuses on self-improvement books covering behavioral, cognitive, or emotional topics, culminating in a monthly discussion.
  • Summary: The book club is free, has no hidden funnel, and aims to encourage productive activity over mindless scrolling. The goal is to learn something beneficial from the chosen material and discuss it with the community. The host believes that if she needs this structure, others likely need it too.
Social Media Addiction and Shopping
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(00:06:30)
  • Key Takeaway: Social media platforms like TikTok are highly addictive, driving impulse buying through features like TikTok Shop, leading to wasteful spending.
  • Summary: The speaker admits to being a victim of the addiction, frequently reaching for the phone to scroll TikTok and Instagram, often resulting in purchasing unnecessary items. The speaker notes a shift from Amazon to TikTok for impulse buys, citing examples like multiple teeth-whitening products. The conversation contrasts this with the potential for shopping content dominating feeds, as seen in Asia.
Algorithm Differences and Content
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(00:09:14)
  • Key Takeaway: Social media algorithms create highly personalized feeds based on engagement, leading to vastly different content exposure between users.
  • Summary: The speaker’s algorithm is heavily weighted toward comedy and fitness content due to past engagement, while a friend saw entirely different topics. Liking content, even briefly, influences the algorithm to feed more of that type of content, creating a feedback loop. The speaker struggles with liking posts about rescue dogs to help exposure without flooding their feed with sad content.
Therasage Sponsor Break
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(00:11:25)
  • Key Takeaway: The Therasage Tri-Light panel is a portable red light therapy device used for reducing inflammation, pain relief, and anti-aging benefits like reducing fine lines.
  • Summary: The host personally uses the portable red light panel for inflammation reduction in sore areas like the back, stomach, or shoulders. It is described as small, affordable, portable, and effective for both healing and cosmetic anti-aging. Listeners can use code BEBOLD for 15% off site-wide at Therasage.com.
Reading Preferences and Book Club Value
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(00:13:28)
  • Key Takeaway: A finite reading deadline, enforced by a book club structure, is crucial for building follow-through skills applicable to all areas of life.
  • Summary: Reading is considered a pleasurable experience that benefits the eyes more than screen time, and it helps people make sense of complex issues. The book club’s structure forces completion, which is a vital skill for overall task accomplishment. The host chose self-improvement books like The Courage to be Disliked and plans to cover Psychology of Money next, prioritizing value over guest-related reading requirements.
Book Club Logistics and Accountability
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(00:18:40)
  • Key Takeaway: The Habits & Hustle Book Club will meet monthly via Zoom, offering recordings for those who cannot attend live, emphasizing self-accountability.
  • Summary: The book club meetings are scheduled monthly on Zoom, and recordings will be provided for flexibility, though showing up is encouraged for accountability. The host notes that many sign-ups drop off, highlighting the challenge of personal follow-through. Joining the book club provides a structured reason to read books the host otherwise wouldn’t have time for due to podcast guest requirements.