Sounds about right? Then it’s time to brush up on your productivity skills. Success is not just about getting more stuff done (though there’s no denying that efficiency is a huge piece of the pie). You’ll also need to figure out why you’re doing what you’re doing, and if what you’re doing is even necessary. You’ll want to consider things like your energy levels, natural work cycles, willpower, habits, and what obstacles are getting in the way of using your time wisely. Taking all of that in with one go can feel overwhelming. Lucky for you, I’ve sifted through dozens of ‘best of’ lists from all over the web and come up with these top 30 productivity books to help you get one-up on life:
1. Getting Things Done: How to Achieve Stress-free Productivity, by David Allen
This book is something like the modern Bible of productivity books – it appears on every single productivity list and is recommended by many. Allen’s premise is simple (even if the book is not): “our productivity is directly proportional to our ability to relax.” He’s developed a framework that you can customize to your own needs and get all those pesky free-floating to-dos’s into one organized system filled with files and action lists. There are dedicated followers of this system (self-named GTDers), but know that this is a complex system requiring a level of self-discipline and organization just to get through the book. Kindle | Android | iTunes
2. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey
Everybody from Presidents to CEOs to college students use this book to organize themselves and stay on track doing what’s most important. Less a system for getting things done, this book provides a methodology for life and work. If you’re keen on becoming more productive, this is a library staple. Kindle | Android | iTunes
3. Think Like da Vinci: 7 Easy Steps to Boosting Your Everyday Genius, by Michael Gelb
Part historical commentary on the genius of da Vinci, part productivity book with excellent exercises to boot, this book has a little bit for everybody. You won’t necessarily find accurate or extensive information about da Vinci as a thinker, but you will come away with valuable information. It will also give you new ways to experience the world and think differently all in the name of liberating your “unique intelligence”. Kindle | Android | iTunes
4. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg
A fascinating look into what habits are, how we form them and how to change them. The first 2-3 chapters are the strongest and hold the information most of us are looking for: How to change our habits. This book is rife with strong examples of how people and businesses changed their habits and ultimately makes a case for how we can all change our habits to better support what we want most. Kindle | iTunes | Android
5. Eat That Frog, by Brian Tracey
As with most productivity books, you won’t be bowled over by new information, but Tracey does a great job of motivating the reader to stop procrastinating and just get stuff done. The book is broken down into 21 tips that Tracey himself uses to create his own outstanding success. The tips are very accessible and the book easy to read making it a great starting point for beginners. Kindle | iTunes | Android
6. Getting Results the Agile Way: A Personal Results System for Work and Life, by J.D. Meier
Meier presents a system designed around producing results instead of focusing on activities themselves. While the book can be repetitive, the system is brilliant and simple making the book worth reading. The system has you set flexible boundaries, tasks, and goals against a fixed time. What you end up with is a focus on balance and outcomes over process. This means you end up staying focused on why you are working instead of the actual minutia of the task at hand. Kindle | Android
7. The Power of Full Engagement, by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
This book is based on research done on athletes and high performers. What the authors discovered was that athletes perform their best when certain factors in their body and life are controlled correctly. For instance, one key to performing like a peak athlete is to manage energy, not time. They go on to explain the four primary sources of energy: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. This is a book for anyone looking not just for a specific method to increase productivity, but a lifelong practice of sustained energy and focus. Kindle | Android | iTunes
8. The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do To Get It, by Kelly McGonigal
This potent book takes a different spin on productivity and explains the new science of self-control and how it can be harnessed to improve health, happiness and – of course – productivity. McGonigal explains exactly what willpower is, how it works, and why it matters. She also gives you tips and exercises on improving your self-discipline and willpower. There’s even a related 10-week course if you want to extend what you’ve learned in the book. Kindle | Android | iTunes
9. The Power of Story: Change Your Story, Change Your Destiny, by Jim Loehr
If you’re up for a book about defining your mission and purpose in life, then this is for you. While lengthy, it is simple and well written, ultimately giving a straightforward methodology for creating life stories for the different parts of your life. One of the best parts of the book is the section on discovering and defining your Ultimate Mission and the Story Creation Process – helping you dig into what your purpose is and learning about how we craft the stories we tell. Kindle | Android | iTunes
10. Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Getting Things Done, by David Allen
This is Allen’s follow up book to his legendary Getting Things Done. Unlike the other dense resource, this is a compilation of pearls of wisdom from his years of coaching and consulting. An easy read and fun addition to the library, this book helps you understand the philosophy behind Getting Things Done. Kindle | Android | iTunes
11. The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play, by Neil Fiore
As the title suggests, this is a book about overcoming procrastination. With an upbeat tone and positive attitude, Fiore provides a comprehensive plan to overcome that pesky habit we all seem to have. Probably the best part of the book are the tools to diagnose your own procrastination problem to get behind the issue itself. It also provides other tools so that, once you do know the nature of your problem, you can finally start getting things done. Kindle | Android | iTunes
12. Life Hacker: The Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, and Better, by Adam Pash
This book is dense with hacks, tips, and tricks to get things done faster and more efficiently. No philosophy here, just straight-up tools to make your life more automated and streamlined. The hacks include getting the most out of your computer’s operating system, smartphone and 100+ shortcuts to use. If you like links and references, this is your book. You’ll likely get lost down the rabbit hole of suggestions but, the book is structured in such an organized way, it’s easy to return to where you left off or jump to a section most relevant to your needs. Kindle | Android | iTunes
13. The Power of Less, by Leo Babuata
Babuata is known well for his blog Zen Habits and this book is a direct extension of what he shares there. A brilliantly simple take on productivity that actually feels manageable. The book provides productivity tips but goes way beyond by infusing a Zen-like philosophy, encouraging you to reflect on and understand what matters most to you and why. Kindle | Android | iTunes
14. Zen to Done: The Ultimate Simple Productivity System, by Leo Babuata
Using his usual Zen philosophy, Babuata takes the best productivity tips and tools from other systems and simplifies them. Babuata breaks it down into 10 simple, straightforward habits and how to change them, keeping it as simple as possible. If you prefer a more complex system with lists, graphs, charts and such this is not for you. Kindle | Android | iTunes
15. 101 Ways to Have a Business and a Life, by Andrew Griffiths
Griffiths compiled tips, experiences and responses from thousands of business owners to write this book, which helps business owners identify the main reasons for work-life imbalance and suggests ways to fix it. Well organized and easy to read, this book is designed to be picked up and read even when things are at their most overwhelming. Particularly charming is the author’s own story of how his business overtook his life and affected his own relationships and health. His wake up call and the changes he made prompted the writing of this book, which turns out to be as practical a guide as he would have needed when he finally realized what his business was doing to him. Kindle | Android | iTunes
16. Total Workday Control: Using Microsoft Outlook, by Michael Lineberger
A well-respected book for the worker who uses Microsoft Outlook, a software mainstay for the majority of companies worldwide. This book tends to assume you’re already using core productivity skills taught in other books, like David Allen’s Getting Things Done, so it’s best to use this book in combination with another, more generalized book on productivity. That said, this is an impressive work that takes you deep into the technical aspects of Outlook’s capabilities ultimately freeing up time for more important tasks. Kindle | Android | iTunes
17. One Year to an Organized Life: From Your Closets to Your Finances, the Week-by-Week Guide to Getting Completely Organized for Good, by Regina Leeds
This witty and straightforward book takes you on a yearlong journey of an organization. Leeds helps you break down tasks and build routines over time so you never do feel overwhelmed. Tasks are broken down into categories that are assigned to a specific month. Each month is then organized into a system of assignments for each week. Baby steps is the name of this game. Kindle | Android | iTunes
18. The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, by Gary Keller
Keller’s premise is that we work on too many things at once. We would get significantly more done, with less effort, if we reduce the number of things we focus on – preferably just one thing. So, instead of measuring our productivity by the number of things accomplished, Keller prompts us to focus on the one thing that will most greatly impact our day, week, month or life. A highly enjoyable book and a refreshing reminder that less is more. Kindle | iTunes
19. Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind, by Jocelyn K. Glei
This is a book with a number of contributors, which makes it a book for everyone. It provides a variety of viewpoints, tips and observations on focus, routine-building, creativity and useful tools to have in your belt. However, if you’re expecting in-depth information on any particular topic, you might be disappointed. While there are many gems to be found, the contributions can be brief. Kindle
20. Execution IS the Strategy: How Leaders Achieve Maximum Results in Minimum Time, by Laura Stack
A great book for leaders of any organization of any size. The majority of the book focuses on helping individuals, leaders and organizations figure out where they are weak while providing tools and strategies for how to address it. Kindle | iTunes
21. Work Smarter: 350+ Online Resources Today’s Top Entrepreneurs Use To Increase Productivity and Achieve Their Goals, by Nick Loper
This book is a compilation of resources every time management and productivity nerd needs. With a nod toward efficiency, the book is written is bullet point form naming the resource and a quick line or two describing what it does. As you’d expect, there are tools galore for CRM, e-commerce, email, file sharing, storage, marketing, news, and travel. Kindle
22. The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, by Atul Gawande
After so many books offering complex and sophisticated organization and productivity systems, Gawande’s technique can feel like a cool drink of water. He offers the humble checklist. But do not dismiss this book too quickly! The author goes on to cleverly demonstrate why the checklist is the superior tool for any productive, organized person using examples of pilots and doctors in life-threatening situations to make his case. You’ll likely never look at a checklist the same again. Kindle | Android | iTunes
23. Ready Aim Fire!: A Practical Guide To Setting And Achieving Goals, by Erik Fisher and Jim Woods
Though the examples in this book are bent toward the writing craft, this book can be applied to any project or goal. The authors provide a step-by-step plan to set goals that include intentional rest periods. They also include personality and aptitude tests, like DISC, Myers-Briggs and a Strengthsfinder test. Written in a simple style, this is a great book for those of us with a short attention span. Kindle | Android
24. What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast: A Short Guide to Making Over Your Mornings–and Life, by Laura Vanderkam
If you liked any of Vanderkam’s shorter works, you’re in luck. This book combines her three popular mini e-books into one comprehensive guide. This is a very easy read, very enjoyable, and filled with useful nuggets of information. As the title suggests, if you struggle with getting things done in the morning, this is a book for you. Kindle | Android | iTunes
25. Time Warrior: How to defeat procrastination, people-pleasing, self-doubt, over-commitment, broken promises and chaos, by Steve Chandler
Chandler takes traditional time-management and turns it on its head. This is a book about “non-linear time management”. Otherwise put, this is a book about working in the present moment while breaking your brain’s habit to think linearly into the future about what needs to get done. There were moments when it felt like Chandler was calling me out personally, so adeptly does he understand our linear mind work tendencies. This book gives gentle and simple tools to rewire your relationship to time, productivity, and integrity. Kindle | Android
26. The Productive Person: A How-to Guide Book Filled with Productivity Hacks & Daily Schedules for Entrepreneurs, Students or Anyone Struggling with Work-Life Balance, by Chandler Bolt, James Roper and Jamie Buck
A great book geared toward people who work for themselves or in a company that allows them to manage their own schedules every day. When we’re on our own with time, it can easily feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. The authors show you how to change that mindset and fill each day with more using a condensed, compact, and very simple format. Kindle
27. 23 Anti-Procrastination Habits: How to Stop Being Lazy and Get Results in Your Life, by S.J. Scott
A very quick and easy read filled with concise action steps for each habit. This book provides a survey of other time management methods and so makes a good place to start if you’ve not been exposed to other time management strategies. The methods suggested are the standard task list creation, assigning them and attaching dates for follow up. Not terribly original, but a great place to begin if you’re new to time management. Kindle | iTunes
28. Profit from the Positive: Proven Leadership Strategies to Boost Productivity and Transform Your Business, by Margaret Greenberg, and Senia Maymin
A book that blends best practices from top business leaders and concepts of positive psychology. For the information junkie, this book is fantastic. It’s well-structured with solid takeaways, including tools, reflection questions, a reading and discussion guide, and summaries in the appendix – meaning plenty of reading and references to keep you busy for a long time. Kindle | Android | iTunes
29. Pomodoro Technique Illustrated, by Staffan Noteberg
No productivity list would be complete without the Pomodoro Technique. This simple but powerful method has permeated the working culture at large. In it’s most basic form, the Pomodoro Technique has you chunk work in 25-minute segments with 5-minute breaks in between. This framework for productivity forces you to focus on one thing at a time, leaving less room for procrastination. Kindle
30. The Desire Map, by Danielle LaPorte
This book is a bit of an outlier in the productivity genre, but LaPorte claims (and her hordes of enthusiastic supporters would agree) that focusing on the desire behind your goals will lead you to the actualization of your goals with far more clarity and effectiveness than otherwise. It’s a creative, interesting look at how and why we do what we do. As LaPorte says, we have the system backward. We shouldn’t be chasing the goals themselves, we should be “chasing the feeling that you hope to achieve that goal will give you.” Kindle | iTunes So here you go, 30 best productivity books that will help improve your productivity and get you to achieve more. Pick one and start reading it, and don’t just read it, apply the tips and techniques to your work, and everyday life, then you’ll find yourself achieve more that actually matters!
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