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

Summary

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

Host: Jennifer Cohen
Guest: Shani
Date: February 27, 2026

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Overview

This lively solo episode features host Jen Cohen and her friend Shani as they dive into the resurgence of book clubs and their value in today’s digitally saturated world. The pair unpack why book clubs are making a comeback, share personal experiences with social media fatigue, and explore how cultivating focused reading habits can foster accountability, self-growth, and genuine community connection. The conversation is peppered with humor, candid confessions, and practical tips for building new habits, culminating in details about the newly launched Habits & Hustle Book Club.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Resurgence of Book Clubs

• Book Clubs as an Antidote to Digital Overload:
  Jen and Shani discuss how fatigue from constant social media consumption and doomscrolling has prompted a renewed interest in book clubs, which offer opportunities for meaningful connection and productive time use.
  • Jen (04:37): "People are valuing social connection, personal connection more than ever… that’s one reason why I think book clubs are becoming popular again."
• Book Clubs as Self-Improvement Communities:
  Books selected for the club emphasize self-betterment—behaviorally, cognitively, and emotionally. The experience aims to create value beyond just reading for entertainment.

2. Social Media Fatigue, Addiction, and Algorithms

• Doomscrolling & Its Effects:
  Both hosts reflect on feeling drained after prolonged social media use, rarely feeling enriched or “revitalized.”
  • Jen (04:09): "It doesn’t benefit you in any way… I don’t remember half the things that I see."
  • Shani (03:39): "Every time I put my phone down, I feel better… there’s so much imagery… so stimulating."
• Algorithmic Echo Chambers:
  The pair humorously compare their personalized content feeds, recognizing how quickly algorithms reinforce specific interests—whether comedy, fitness, or dog rescue clips.
  • Jen (09:17): "What I see on my social media is extremely different than what [my friend] is seeing… just like one thing, your whole feed becomes that."

3. Buying Habits Influenced by Social Media

• TikTok Shopping Confessions:
  Jen admits to compulsively purchasing viral products from TikTok, highlighting new consumer behavior trends and platform influences.
  • Jen (07:58): "Not only am I just spending money stupidly… but that’s why I like Tik Tok, because… it’s more entertaining."
• Cultural Differences in Social Commerce:
  Noting Asian markets’ higher rates of live shopping content (95% compared to America’s 5%), Jen ponders whether this trend will or should take hold in the U.S.

4. The Value and Pleasure of Reading

• Reading as Self-Care & Brain Expansion:
  Shani emphasizes the pleasure of reading physical books, citing improvement in focus and reduction in screen time.
  • Shani (13:50): "It’s also a really pleasurable experience… my eyes feel better reading a book, obviously, than being on some device."
• Paper Books vs. Audiobooks/Audible:
  Both hosts discuss choosing between physical and audio formats, depending on the book’s nature and their schedules. Combining reading and listening can help with comprehension and completion.

5. Accountability, Focus, and Follow Through

• Book Club as a Habit-Builder:
  The fixed schedule of a book club encourages members to finish what they start—paralleling the pursuit of broader life goals.
  • Jen (15:25): "The art of accomplishing a task… is so important for everything that I speak about."
  • Jen (16:25): "If you need it, chances are other people need it, too."
• Finishing Tasks Translates to Other Areas:
  The discipline of completing a book can build the muscle for completing other life objectives.

6. How the Habits & Hustle Book Club Works

• Participation & Process:
  • Open and free to join via JenniferCohen.com.
  • Monthly book selections focusing on personal development.
  • Group meetings held on Zoom; recordings available for those who cannot attend live.
  • Strong emphasis on self-accountability—how many will follow through and finish each book?
  • The first book: The Courage to Be Disliked, with The Psychology of Money slated as a potential second choice.
  • No up-sell, hidden costs, or funnels—purely community-driven.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the pitfalls of social media:

• Jen (04:09): “Once I’m off of it, I’m always like, well, that didn’t make me feel better. That didn’t improve my life one iota.”

On why people need book clubs now:

• Jen (04:37): “There’s been a shift where people are valuing social connection, personal connection more than ever. That’s one reason why I think book clubs are becoming popular again.”

On creating accountability through the club:

• Jen (16:25): “If you need it, chances are other people need it, too.”

On finishing what you start:

• Jen (15:25): “Finishing the art of accomplishing a task… if you have a book to complete by a finite period, it helps you be accountable for other areas of your life.”

On reading as pleasure and necessity:

• Shani (13:50): “It’s a really pleasurable experience. My eyes feel better reading a book… than being on some device.”

On deciding what kind of books to include:

• Jen (17:43): “Right now I want to stick to books that I think people can really get a lot of value out of… there’s a lot of books out there that I haven’t had a chance to read that I’ve heard a lot about.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:13] – The reason for book clubs’ resurgence
• [04:09] – The impact of doomscrolling and social media
• [05:32] – Details about joining the book club and its aims
• [07:58] – Social media’s influence on consumer habits (TikTok shopping confessions)
• [09:17] – Differences in social media algorithms and personalized feeds
• [13:50] – The joy and benefits of reading physical books
• [15:25] – Accountability and task completion via book club participation
• [16:25] – Spreading the benefits of book club (if Jen needs it, others do too)
• [17:43] – Criteria for book club selections
• [18:43] – How the book club works (structure, Zoom meetings, recordings, accountability challenge)

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Final Thoughts

This episode offers an authentic, relatable conversation about the growing desire to break free from social media’s grip and the power of forming new, intentional habits. Jen’s launch of the Habits & Hustle Book Club is an open invitation to listeners to reclaim their focus, build community, and commit to self-improvement in a supportive group setting. Both practical and motivational, this episode is a nudge to “stop doomscrolling and start reading”—together.

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Transcript

[A]

Hi, guys, it's Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits and Hustle. Crush it. Before we dive into today's episode, I want to thank our sponsor, Momentous. When your goal is healthspan living better and longer, there are very few non negotiables. One of them quality. And when it comes to supplements designed for high performers, nobody does it better than Momentous. Momentous goes all in on NSF certification, which means every single batch is tested for heavy metals, harmful additives and label accuracy. And that's why they're trusted by all 32 NFL teams and top collegiate sports dietitians across the country. Here's the thing. They don't sell every supplement under the sun because they believe in nailing the basics with rock solid consistency. And those basics are protein and creatine. Momentous sources. Creapure, the purest form of creatine monohydrate available. An absolute must for both men and women who want peak physical and cognitive performance. So if you're serious about leveling up, go to livemomentous.com and use code Jen for 20% off. Just act now. Start today. Jen for 20% off livemomentous.com. Hello and welcome to another solo episode on Habits and Hustle where I'm joined by the one and only Shani.

[B]

Hello.

[A]

Yes. Who's the best foil of all time. And I'm lucky enough she's gracing me and you with her presence. So thank you for being here.

[B]

Thank you. So happy to be here.

[A]

So you know what we're going to talk about today?

[B]

What are we talking about?

[A]

Book clubs.

[B]

Oh my God. I love, first of all, I love book clubs. I know that you just launched one and I signed up immediately.

[A]

I love that you did you know that book clubs are trending again?

[B]

They are, they are. I've seen quite a few people popping up with book clubs. I saw a substack the other day with one that was cool.

[A]

Do you know why?

[B]

Why?

[A]

Because I think people are getting exhausted by just consumption and doom scrolling on social media. I think people are like kind of the comparison t. You know, the whole number one, everything you see there on social is very, very polarizing. Right. I'm part, I'm part of the problem. I'm not polarizing necessarily. Maybe my personality can be polarizing at some, at times. But I think that the constant like the barrage of just a lot of the same information being told over and over again and also creates this, like this, this polarization like if you're vegan or a Meat eater. Like if you're not, if you're one and you're, and you're someone else on the other side, then like there's fighting. Right? I think the doom scrolling in general, the amount of time and hours that you spend just wasting like valuable time is I think kind of starting to like dawn on people. That is probably not the greatest thing. And I think the comparison angle, I think people are sick of like seeing people that make them feel bad about themselves. And if you actually think about this, like how often or how. When have you doom scrolled, right? Or when were you like just on socials and then you, you, you, you got off it, like after 20 minutes and you felt great about yourself.

[B]

That I got off of it?

[A]

No, that you got off it and you felt like you felt revitalized and refreshed.

[B]

Oh yeah. I mean, every time I put my phone down, I feel better. I, I think that it's just so intense. There's so much on here, just the notifications, the things that are coming through. Even when you're just, I don't know, there's so much imagery, like you're scrolling through an Instagram feed. You see so many different faces, so many different opinions, so many different sounds. It's so stimulating. Right?

[A]

But what I'm. And also it doesn't, it doesn't benefit you in any way. That's something you can't Even probably remember 95%, 99% of the things that you see. I don't.

[B]

I have a wild memory.

[A]

Okay, well, I'm telling you, I don't. Maybe be my age and you'll see how your memory, you know, depletes. But I don't remember half the things that I see. And I think that like, once I'm off of it, I'm always like, well, I. That doesn't make, that didn't make me feel better. That didn't improve my life one iota that I didn't. Maybe I learned something from 1, 1/2,

[B]

11 minute segment of that 20 minutes may be valuable.

[A]

Right? But then I don't remember it anyway.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So. But I think that what I, what, what I, why, why I'm even saying all of this is that I think that there's been now like, there's been kind of a shift that, where people are valuing social connection, personal connection more than ever. And I think that's one reason why I think book clubs are becoming popular again. And I think that the other reason is, I think so, like the feeling of having a Community, something to talk about that's out of your own head. Right. And something that can benefit you. So in my book club that we just started, so if you haven't, if you haven't signed up or you haven't joined, please do just go to jennifercohen.com it's free. So there's no, there's no gimmick by the way. There's no like, oh, you know, sign up and then we're gonna like, we're gonna get you for some like 9.99amonth thing and there's no funnel, trust me.

[B]

Your six week course.

[A]

Yeah, course on nothing. No, no, no. And every book that we choose and basically read is something that can be beneficial to you. So it's like a, it's like self improvement to some extent. So either behaviorally, cognitively, emotionally, we're going to hopefully learn something and then we can talk about it every month at the end of the month anyway. I just think it's a really, I think also people need to read more. Yeah, like bottom lines. I was like, that was a long ass way of saying we need to get off of our phones and start to do things that are more productive, more valuable and that will benefit us more than just like doom scrolling, which is, you know, a very long winded way of saying read more.

[B]

Absolutely. I started not going on social media during Shabbat or trying to, and it's, it's genuinely helpful. I just, because I work in it so much, I'm always seeing everything, I always have to be on it. It's exhaustive.

[A]

Well, I also think it's just extremely addictive. Like I, I just think that, you know, nothing, it's never enough. Like what I think is like, and I, by the way, I'm not talking from like my, my White, my, my White Castle. My White Castle. Yeah. Like I'm, I'm a victim of this myself. Like I feel like whenever I have a wake, like whenever I have a moment free, I'm always just reaching for my phone. I'm always just scrolling Tick Tock.

[B]

Like I'm always, oh, are you on Tick Tock?

[A]

I'm on Tick Tock and I'm on Instagram.

[B]

I'm an Instagrammer.

[A]

And yeah, I, I, but Tik Tok has some great information. Like not some great news. No, like what I think I get stuck on with TikTok is the shopping. Because of all the shopping that you can do. I'm, I'm starting to like shift from buying stuff on Amazon and Now I'm buying things more regularly on TikTok. So not only am I just doom scrolling, you're spending money and I'm spending money that for like on the most stupid you could possibly imagine. Do you know how many like white powders I bought for my, for my. For like my teeth? Like so. No. So many. What do you call it? Not white. Not cocaine. What do you call it? Like bleaching. Not like you know, you dip your. What do you call it? Like you put your toilet. Put your toilet. You put your toothbrush in this powder and then you brush your teeth. It's supposed to like give you like a whitening. Like, like teeth whitening polish.

[B]

You're buying that stuff off of teeth?

[A]

I bought like five different ones because every commercial that comes up says this one's B. This one's the best. No no no, this one's the best. I'm like okay, I'll try that one. Oh no, I bought the wrong one. So not only am I just spending money stupidly right like it's. But that's why I like Tik Tok because I think that number one some of the things I see there is more entertaining. And. And I said I love Tik Tok shop.

[B]

So funny. Cuz I keep trying to convince my friend to do like live shopping videos with me.

[A]

I just feel like I'm going to do that.

[B]

Are you?

[A]

Yeah, I'm learning how to do that right now. Cuz I think it's a, it's easy. It's a missed opportunity.

[B]

It is.

[A]

Do you know that in Asia 95% of the content is like people are like is shopping and here, and here in America I think it's only like 5%. So we are not of course we're not caught up to what they're doing even close.

[B]

But do we want to be like do we want that. Do we want 95% of our content to be shopping related? I don't think I do that.

[A]

Okay listen, what's better that or just polar basically politics basically making you my feed is or is it just or hate venom? Is that better for you?

[B]

No, I want like dogs and food. That's what I like and like the good stuff. Show me some travel. Like you know.

[A]

So you know what my algorithm is now it's really funny.

[B]

What is it?

[A]

So so and I want to know what your algorithm is. But we should switch feeds. We should. I'd love to see what you. What you're seeing because I'll tell you something interesting. I was with my friend Emily. I guess we were somewhere, went on some trip and I. What we noticed was what I see on my social media is extremely different than what she's seeing. Our algorithms are totally different. I'm sure, like she was getting all this thing, all these things on like topics and things that I just had. No, like, I get nothing on, I'm sure. And like I'm getting things that are like things that I look for. I was getting like, I love comedy, stand up comedy. So I get a ton of comedy. I get a ton of like fitness stuff, right? Like workouts, comedy. And what was it? Was it. Oh, that's basically what I get a lot of. I wasn't really getting much politics anymore or a lot of food stuff. I used to get more food. But what's so interesting is like if you just like, like one thing. Oh, it'll just your whole feed becomes that. And so I just love all the comedy stuff because it makes me happy and laugh. Then that's now what I'm getting. But it's still doom scrolling and I still don't like.

[B]

Okay, so I have the biggest dilemma with that, right? Because I get fed the occasional dog that needs a home post. I love dogs, but I used to work with rescues and my Facebook feed is all just shelters and rescues.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[B]

I can never log on to there anymore because I used to only share dogs that needed homes. So I'm so tied. Like, do I want to create Instagram as this space now where I'm just going to keep getting fed these dogs but then I can't not like it because I just want to help with the exposure. So I will like it and scroll really fast in hopes that Instagram the

[A]

speed would make a difference. They won't know that you liked it.

[B]

I like it and I didn't watch the full thing. So it's like, oh, okay, so maybe she doesn't love it that much. You know, if you watch something like multiple times over and over again, the algorithm.

[A]

Oh, so you think. Because if you like it and scroll fast, then they won't just flood your. Your algorithm.

[B]

They haven't yet. It's still like one in every, you know, 30.

[A]

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[B]

Yeah, I mean I get a lot of like funny stuff, sketches, hilarious things. Just I saw, you know, there was a. Some teenager singing some song and then she had her hamster and she held it up to the screen and the hamster did the rap part because it was chattering its teeth. Like, I get that kind of stuff. It's hilarious.

[A]

So interesting. Yeah, that's what you get. Okay, that's so funny. So. Okay. So you get comedy too? I guess, because we both do like comedy.

[B]

I get funny. Yeah. But I get less. Well, I do get some stand up here and there, but I get more like sketch sketches. Just funny things. Viral clips, families doing hilarious things. Yeah, a lot of dogs. A lot of.

[A]

A lot of funny things though.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, well that's good. So why do you think book clubs are popular? Besides the reasons why? I said I think people are looking

[B]

to make sense of things. And, and once you read one book that helps you make sense of one thing, you realize, oh, there are books out here that can help me do that. And then you kind of get into it and you're like, what else can I make sense of?

[A]

Also though, like, don't you think reading is just important in general?

[B]

Yeah, I think it's also a really pleasurable experience. Like, I like sitting with a book. My eyes feel better reading a book, obviously, than being on some device. And I think it's just, it's something that you can. I don't know, it's a great activity.

[A]

Are you going to be. That's a good question then. I mean, that's a good point. You just said something that I was just going to say. I've been thinking about, are you going to be doing the actual reading or are you going to be doing the audible.

[B]

It depends on the book. Some books I'd rather read and some books I'd rather listen to. Like if the author is narrating it and it's kind of an interesting story to hear, or it's an autobiography and the person is narrating it, then I find that really nice to listen on audible. If there's some kind of value add. It also depends on where I am in life. Am I super busy? Do I have time? Am I multitasking this? Some books I'll do both.

[A]

Yeah, that's good. So you do. You buy the. You buy the heart, like the hard copy, and then you also do the audible.

[B]

Yeah, like, sometimes I've done that. If I really want to consume something, I will. I will listen and read.

[A]

Do you know what I like about the. Do you know what I like about the book club? Not to interrupt you. I'm sorry.

[B]

No, please.

[A]

Is. I like the idea of you have a finite period of time to read a book because when you do have. When you do have spare moments or when you like, you. You'll. You'll pick up that book because you have to finish it versus going on social media. Right? Yeah, I like that idea better. Or like, when you're. It will kind of force you also to maybe go for a walk for 20 minutes, so then you can maybe listen to the book.

[B]

Yeah. Or to just finish it.

[A]

Or just finish the.

[B]

Finishing books is my biggest struggle.

[A]

Always. And then also finishing the art of accomplishing a task.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Right. Is so important for everything that I speak about. Right. So if you know you have a task or a book that you have to complete by a finite period of time, then it would help you be accountable for other areas of your life. So for me, that's why. That's one of the reasons why I even decided to create this book club, because of the fact that it gives somebody accountability to themselves. It's teaching you to finish something that you started. It's giving you a finite period of time where you have to finish something. And it's also stopping you potentially from going on social media and maybe picking up that book for. And with those potential 20, 10 minutes that you have available or free and doing something that will expand your brain, help you learn all the things like that. So I think there's so many benefits to it. And which is why I wanted to do it. And like I said, like, there was no, like, there was no nothing in it for me. It wasn't like, oh, I'm going to get something out of it. I just. I also think, you know, when you need something for yourself, you know, that's the best. Those are the best times to do something for everybody else and to, like, put it out there to the world. Because if you need it, chances are other people need it, too.

[B]

Yeah. And this also helps keep you accountable in reading books, which is going to be great.

[A]

A hundred percent. Well, I mean, listen, I read. I have to read a lot for this podcast, but. But a lot of.

[B]

Oh, I don't know how you keep up with that.

[A]

Well, it's hard, but I will say a lot. Some of the books I do, I have to skim through when I'm not terribly interested or, like, the topic, actually. No, seriously, like, not. Just because I'm covering something on the podcast doesn't mean it's going to be a book club book. Like, even the first book that we're covering now, which is the Courage to be Disliked, is not a book that I covered on the podcast. I never talked to the authors. They weren't on the podcast. But I chose to read that book as, like, kind of like, as a, like, hobby thing because I've heard good things about it. And that's when it kind of sparked in my brain. You know what? Like, I'm gonna tell so and so about it and so and so about it, and then I'm like, hey, why don't we just start a podcast about it? I mean, let's start a. Sorry, not a podcast, a book club about it. And like I said, just. The books are not going to be simultaneous. They're not going to be the same. Some, like, some may have overlap, but that's not the point.

[B]

Are you ever going to do novels or it's just going to be.

[A]

No, I don't think I want to do novels right now. Right now. I want to. I want to stick to books that I think that people can really get a lot of value out of. You know, there's a lot of books out there that I think, like me, I haven't had a chance to read that I. I've heard a lot about that I want to read. You know, like, there's a book like Psychology of Money. Like all these books.

[B]

Oh, psychology. I'm also on my list.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah, I think that's going to be the second book. That's a good book, you know, because this is what happens in the podcast, right? Or as when you have a podcast, is that you have all these guests who have new books that come out, and then you have to read that new book or as much as you can of it before they come on your show, which then takes up a lot of time where I can't read the books that I have on my, you know, my. My wish list of books to read, which is another reason why I wanted to start the book club, so then I can actually give myself an excuse or a reason to read a book that I just otherwise wouldn't have the chance to read.

[B]

So how's it gonna work? You guys are gonna meet on Zoom once a month?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Okay, great. And we just got the link in our emails.

[A]

Yeah. So it's funny. Yeah, we're trying. We're trying to work it out now because so far, I'm not sure how many. We have a lot of sign. Like, a lot of signups, people who've signed up, but a lot of people drop off. So this is all about the accountability piece. How accountable are you to yourself? How much are you going to follow through? So of the amount of people we have right now, I would be curious to see how many people actually stay and show up at the end of the month. I'd be curious.

[B]

I hope I'm one of those people.

[A]

I don't. You may not even be one of them. Well, I think. And what we're going to do is we're going to have a recording. So if people can't make that particular time, because, listen, life does happen and you can't accommodate everybody, but we're going to have a recording, and then you can listen afterwards, or you could hopefully listen afterwards, but, you know, come to the next one. We're not expecting everyone to be able to show up all the time, because, like I said, it's. It's a timing thing. But, yeah, right now it's about doing it on Zoom.

[B]

I love it. I'm excited. Everybody should join.

[A]

Right? Everyone join the book club. I'm telling you, you will be happy you did. There's so many benefits beyond just reading a book. Also, guys, if you're. If you are on YouTube and. Or not on YouTube, if in whatever, please subscribe to the podcast, because that's how we people know about us. Because the more subscriptions you have, the more it goes out there in the ether. So if you can comment and subscribe, I would love it if you did that. Thank you and have a wonderful day. Bye now.