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currently reading

Good Habits, Bad Habits

by Wendy Wood

This month, our business book club is reading Good Habits, Bad Habits by Wendy Wood. In this book, Wood reveals the science behind why we do what we do—showing that habits, more than motivation or willpower, drive much of our daily behaviour. She explains how habits are formed, reinforced, and how small environmental changes can make a big difference in shaping behaviour.

For entrepreneurs, understanding habits is especially valuable. By identifying which routines support productivity, creativity, and team performance—and which ones hold us back—we can make strategic changes that improve efficiency, and deliver results that directly impact our bottom line.

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We are a community of like-minded entrepreneurs who are eager to learn, grow, and succeed together. Each month we vote on a selection of curated books that cover a wide range of topics, including: personal development, leadership, marketing, finance, and more. At our monthly meetup members discuss the book, exchange ideas, and build meaningful connections with one another.

Meet the Readers

Amber Roy

modus operandi

Founder of the book club and host of the monthly virtual meetup.

books we want to read

  • Leadership Hacks: Clever Shortcuts to Boost Your Impact and Results by Scott Stein
  • The Age of Persuasion: How Marketing Ate Our Culture by Terry O’Reilly
  • A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD: Embrace Neurodiversity, Live Boldly, and Break Through Barriers
  • Good Habits, Bad Habits by Wendy Wood
  • $100M Offers: How to Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No by Alex Hormozi
  • Inked: The Ultimate Guide to Powerful Closing and Negotiation Tactics That Unlock YES and Seal the Deal
  • Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Technology Projects to Mainstream Customers by Geoffrey Moore
  • 5-Minute Selling: The Proven, Simple System That Can Double Your Sales…Even When You Don’t Have Time
  • How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age by Dale Carnegie
  • Objections: The Ultimate Guide for Mastering the Art and Science of Getting past No
  • Get a Grip by Gino Wickman and Mike Paton
  • How to Say Anything to Anyone: A Guide to Building Business Relationships That Really Work by Shari Harley
  • The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier
  • Virtual Selling: A Quick-Start Guide to Leveraging Video Based Technology to Engage Remote Buyers and Close Deals Fast by Jeb Blount
  • People Follow You: The Real Secret to What Matters Most in Leadership by Jeb Blount
  • The 10X Mentor by Grant Cardone
  • People Buy You: The Real Secret to What Matters Most in Business by Jeb Blount
  • The Unstoppable Mindset: How to Stay Focused & Achieve Your Goals: The Pursuit of Self Improvement Book 5
  • Public Speaking for Success by Dale Carnegie
  • Million Dollar Habits: Proven Power Practices to Double and Triple Your Income by Brian Tracy
  • Traction by Gino Wickman
  • The E Myth by Michael Gerber
  • Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
  • Focus by Al Ries
  • The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lecioni
  • The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lecioni
  • Mastering the Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish
  • The One Page Business Plan by Jim Horan
  • Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras
  • The 8th Habit by Stephen Covey
  • You by Price Pritchett
  • Get Back in the Box: Innovation from the Inside Out by Douglas Rushkoff
  • Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
  • Managing by Values by Ken Blanchard and Michael O’Connor
  • The New Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz
  • The 4 Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
  • The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, Jim Huling
  • Atomic Habits by James Clear

Upcoming Meetings

APRIL

15

online

Good Habits, Bad Habits by Wendy Wood

Good Habits, Bad Habits offers a counterintuitive, research-backed framework for understanding why we do what we do—and how we can change it. Whether it’s sticking to a workout routine, building a successful business habit, or breaking an unproductive cycle, this book explains why motivation alone often fails and how habits—shaped by repetition and environment—truly drive our behavior.

Think willpower is the key to personal or professional success? Think again.

For years, many have believed that motivation and self-discipline are the main drivers of achievement. But Wood shows that relying on willpower is often futile, because habits are automatic behaviors triggered by context, not conscious decision-making. By understanding habit formation, entrepreneurs can design environments and routines that make good behaviors effortless and bad behaviors harder, creating consistent results without constant struggle.

The best habit strategies:

  • focus on shaping the environment to cue productive behaviors automatically
  • replace “trying harder” with system design that removes friction for good habits
  • recognize the cues and triggers that prompt unwanted behaviors and minimize them
  • leverage repetition and context to make positive behaviors stick, even when motivation is low
  • combine knowledge of habits with clear goals and routines to maximize efficiency and consistency

Good Habits, Bad Habits is full of real-world examples—from personal routines to business practices—showing how small, strategic changes can produce outsized results. Apply these principles in your business and personal life, and you’ll create systems that consistently drive performance, productivity, and growth.

MAY

–

online

TBD

JUNE

–

online

TBD

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Membership is FREE, register now to secure your seat!

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@yourmodusoperandi

WHAT WE’RE READING 📚 Today I picked up Good Habit WHAT WE’RE READING 📚 Today I picked up Good Habits, Bad Habits by Wendy Wood. I’m only at the beginning, but it already has me thinking about something simple: We are what we repeatedly do. The habits we build shape our outcomes — personally and professionally. If we can learn how to intentionally build better habits and eliminate the ones that hold us back, the impact could ripple into every area of life. Looking forward to diving into this one! 🤓
In the early days, you ARE the business 💪🏻 You do In the early days, you ARE the business 💪🏻 You do the marketing. Answer the emails. Organize the receipts. Build the website. Serve the clients. But growth won't happen if you keep doing everything. (Not because you’re not capable.) Because you simply can’t do everything at once. You work hard to bring in new clients, and once you have them.. You need to service them. So your focus shifts to the work. And while you’re busy serving the customer, answering emails, and keeping clients happy… Who’s doing the marketing? Where are the next clients? Usually… nobody 😬 So the pipeline dries up. Then when the work wraps up, you have to scramble to drum up more business again. And the cycle repeats. You’re stuck working IN the business, which means nobody is working ON the business. Real growth starts when you can break this cycle and start to delegate. Delegation isn’t losing control. It’s creating the space your business needs to grow. This is the kind of work we do at Modus Operandi 💃🏼 We help business owners step out of the day-to-day, build better systems, strengthen marketing strategy, and create a business that operates like a oiled machine 😎 If you want help figuring out what to delegate, which systems you need, or how to keep clients flowing into your pipeline... Let’s talk! Book a discovery call so that we can look at your business together and map out the next step 👉🏻 https://bit.ly/3MMNDWb
Some projects just hit a little closer to the hear Some projects just hit a little closer to the heart 🐾 We had the chance to work with Natasha as she launched her pet service business. Our role was part consulting, part design — helping her map out what it would take to start and run a successful pet care business, and then we helped her build a brand that reflected the care and professionalism she showed her clients. This one was extra special, because before Modus Operandi, there was Black Collar Society (a pet hotel that I [Amber] owned). It was honestly one of the best jobs I’ve ever had — spending my days caring for animals and walking dogs alongside some incredible women. Getting to dip my toes back into that world again gave me LIFE 🐶 Working with pet professionals is something I would love to do more of! So, if you’re a dog walker, pet sitter, groomer, trainer, or run a pet care business and want help building something sustainable, profitable and less stressful - let me help! Thank you so much, Natasha, you for trusting us with your vision 🖤
I haven't disappeared. I've been recalibrating. I haven't disappeared. I've been recalibrating. Our little family grew, and then we moved across the world to a town where we didn't have a built-in support system. No village. No backup plan. So we built it. New community. New relationships. New businesses. Motherhood has helped me to become more focused, streamlined, and more decisive than ever before 🧡 My time is precious to me. Now, with a strong community of friends, family, and neighbours behind us — we are transitioning from survival to thriving on purpose. And I’m ready to help you do the same. Modus Operandi has never been about "hustle". We are passionate about helping small business owners make the shift from working IN their business to working ON their business, so they can work less and make more. If you're ready to make that shift, book a call with me TODAY and let’s map out how you can work smarter, not harder 😉 BOOK HERE 👉🏻 https://bit.ly/3MMNDWb
A soft launch Cinderella story ✨ When starting up A soft launch Cinderella story ✨ When starting up a new business, you don't always have the budget for a complete brand strategy, brand kit or a new website. That's why we worked alongside this client to create an attractive logo and design assets for a social media soft launch.. and she landed 4 NEW CLIENTS within 8 hours of launching! 💃🏼 If you offer a quality service or product, and you feel like you're not gaining any traction; you might want to consider a rebrand! #logodesign #logodesigners #customlogodesign #logoredesign #logobrandingdesign #brandingdesign #logomaker #brandlogo #logodaily #logoinspire #graphicdesigncommunity #graphicdesignstudio #logocreation #logolove #logogram #logosimple #dailylogo #modernlogos #brandinginspiration #brandingidentity #brandingstrategy #brandingstudio #brandingdesigner #brandingexpert #brandingcoach #brandinglogo #digitalbranding #brandingservices #brandingsolutions #brandingspecialist
“You get a card, you get a card..” 🥳 Real talk th “You get a card, you get a card..” 🥳 Real talk though: anything worth doing, is worth doing right! I speak from experience when I tell you that a well designed business card doesn’t end up in the recycling bin, makes a lasting impression and motivates the recipient to take action 💪🏻 The real question is: WHO WANTS A CARD?! 😂 #businesscardsdesign #typographyinspiration #businesscardideas #designbusiness #designbusinesscard #letterpressbusinesscards #luxurybusinesscards #custombusinesscards #newbusinesscards #premiumbusinesscard #logodesign #brandidentity #businesscards #goldfoil #goldstandard #nothingbutthebest #luxurybranding

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