Book Review: Just One Thing by Dr. Michael Mosley, published by Short Books 2022
This was our Book Club read for January 2023 and was a popular choice. The book is based on the Radio 4 series of the same name.
The book comprises 30 ‘things’ each covered in five or six pages. Mosley divides our days into six segments and offers five things that fit best at that time of day, from cold showers in the morning, to hot baths in the evening. Most of the ideas are not new or radical but they’re things we may not do as routinely as we should.
Michael Mosley is a medical doctor who has spent most of his career as a science journalist and presenter. He offers a scientific explanation for most of the ideas but in an accessible, non-patronising or academic manner. He takes the tone, ‘do what feels right’, ‘do what you feel you can manage’.
As a group, book club members have each picked two or three ideas to start with from standing on one leg, to gratitude journaling. There wasn’t a lot of enthusiasm for eating beetroot or fermented foods (especially at breakfast which Mosley suggests)
My key takeaways
- I’m already doing some of the recommended activities e.g. drinking coffee, making space for houseplants, reading and learning new skills.
- There are other things I know I should be doing. Mosley reminded me of the habit stacking principle we learned in Atomic Habits… so I may join my colleagues in standing on one leg to boil the kettle or clean my teeth!
- Habits take much longer than the often touted 21 days to embed and I need to remind myself what I want to achieve. One member of the book club has post it notes around her house to remind her what she’s trying to achieve.
- To keep adding new ideas once I’ve established the last new habit.
Would I recommend this book?
Definitely. It’s an easy read, either as a dip in and out of or as a cover to cover read. The style and format make it very accessible. I would be very surprised if there weren’t a few ideas that you might like. It is really easy to dip back into when you are ready to try out the next new habit.
