Since I’m always looking to improve my productivity, and I’m taking a short trip in a few weeks, I’ve edited this essay from the archives. There are so many productivity posts and videos out there now with everyone trying to work from home, establish new family routines, and come up with new side hustles that my head hurts. Just search Amazon for productivity books and thousands pop up. It’s overwhelming in an already overwhelming world of noise and chaos.
As a librarian and entrepreneur, I’ve read a lot of those books and watched the videos. I’ve also been driven to anxiety by all of the helpful hints and surefire suggestions that promise riches and prosperity. There are so many sources out there that you could spend you life reading instead of doing. But now that it’s summer, and I have some extra reading time, I’ve decided to reread (and recommend) those few productivity books that I believe rise above the rest. Many of these books were written decades ago and I’m still amazed at how they’re even more relevant today. The list below is in descending order of favorites–starting with my absolute favorite. I hope you enjoy them and that you and your loved ones stay safe and healthy.
Outwitting the Devil: The Secrets to Freedom and Success
This is my favorite book on this list. It was written by Napoleon Hill, the man who wrote Think and Grow Rich (number 2 on this list). He wrote the manuscript in 1937 but because of its controversial nature it wasn’t published until 2011, over forty years after Mr. Hill’s death. This book is a printed interview Mr. Hill had with the Devil. In this story, Mr. Hill entraps the Devil into admitting his tricks that get us to do what he wants instead of what we’re put on this earth to do. The Devil admits how he uses the ideas of drifting and addictions to keep us from achieving great success and becoming the people we’re meant to be. Regardless of your faith background, this is a compelling story of how we inadvertently submit to our weaknesses when it’s just as easy–as long as we’re paying attention–to work to our strengths. Even for skeptics, this book is easy to read and so prophetic as to be eerie.
Think and Grow Rich
Also by Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich is the original productivity book that set off a huge self-help industry. Published in 1937, it has become one of the biggest bestselling books of all time and is the all-time bestseller in its field. Napoleon Hill, a motivational speaker and business coach, interviewed the business titans of the day (Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, etc) to decipher the philosophy of work and business that explained the difference between the successful from the non-successful. This book explains how our thought-processes alone can determine our future as well as the concept that sometimes failure is necessary for future success. This is a great book to listen to on audio–but make sure you listen to or read the OFFICIAL version. The link below is to the official publication but there are many adaptations and abridged versions for sale, mostly due to editors making the language more politically correct. But if you’re going to take the time to read it, please use the original book with its anachronistic language–the abridged versions leave too many things out.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
This is a classic productivity book by Stephen R. Covey. Stephen Covey takes up where Napoleon Hill leaves off in Think and Grow Rich. Where Napoleon Hill gives you the concepts, Stephen Covey gives you the steps to putting those concepts into place. Written in 1990, this book teaches you how to make the all-important paradigm shift to actually setting goals and making your dreams a reality. This paradigm shift helps you change your perceptions: perceptions of self, perceptions of time, perceptions of productivity, perceptions of thought. This is not an easy book to read. It’s actually a textbook with suggested homework and extra reading. But working through this book, and doing all the extra assignments, is well worth the time and effort. I recommend reading this book with a notebook on hand to keep track of new ideas and A-ha moments.
177 Mental Toughness Secrets of the World Class
This book is not for the weak or lazy. I don’t mean to be rude, but this book is for those who are determined to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. Steven Siebold clearly lays out the thought processes of those who’ve achieved great success. He discusses the power of failure and the idea that suffering is part of success. This book combines narrative storytelling with text book assignments and proven advice in order to teach us how to become a mental warrior. This book is so compelling that you’ll find yourself wanting to put the book down after each chapter just to try out these new-to-you philosophies. But try to get to the end–and do the homework and extra reading–before changing your life. Because the last few chapters tie everything together in such a way that you’ll emerge with a strong, self-determined plan for success.
Focal Point: A Proven System to Simplify Your Life, Double Your Productivity, and Achieve Your Goals
Focal Point by Brian Tracy is one of the recommended reads Stephen Covey mentions in The 7 Habits for Highly Effective People. I stopped reading 7 Habits at the end of chapter one, where Focal Point is mentioned, to read Focal Point. Once I finished it, I went back to 7 Habits. Focal Point is another book where you need a notebook at your side to jot down ideas and brainstorms. In Focal Point, Brian Tracy has set up a system for simplifying your life that’s not only easy but fun and rewarding. Focal Point helps you clarify your goals and then offers a simple, step-by-step approach for focusing on and meeting those goals. I loved this book because it was easy and quick to read yet I finished the book with a clear vision of what I wanted and a plan in place to get where I am determined to go.
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones
Atomic Habits is a newcomer to this genre. But it stands out from the slew of new productivity books because of its simple-yet-valuable premise: You can break old habits and build new ones through tiny, doable, one-at-a-time steps. Atomic Habits takes everything you learn in the books higher on this list and helps you determine why you are the way you are. Because if you don’t understand why you have the habits you do, you’ll never change them. And once you identify them, this book then helps you to start making changes. While the recommended changes are simple, they’re not easy. But since nothing is life is easy–especially during a pandemic–there’s no better time than now to start. This book is a quick read but, like the other books mentioned above, I recommend reading it with a notebook so you can keep track of the points that resonate the most.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
This classic bestseller isn’t so much a productivity book (like the ones above) but it’s another tool on your self-improvement journey. This book changed what I understand about how I think. Carol Dweck, a Stanford University psychologist, discusses the differences between Growth Mindset and Fixed Mindset and how the type of mindset we have determines our future success. The great thing about this book, though, is it also helps you change how you think if you discover your thought patterns are holding you back. There is an updated edition to this book (link below) that also includes more research on the concept of False Growth Mindset and how to help yourself dig deeper into your personal thought patterns.
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Another newcomer to the productivity genre, Deep Work by Cal Newport is an enlightening study on the trauma that distractions cause to our creative life. Having the skill to focus completely on something–such as reading one of the books on this list and taking notes–is a lost art. With the advent of social media and live streaming and the million other distractions in this new computer age, people struggle to focus on the basic things. So the larger things, like writing a book or discovering a cure for cancer, becomes harder and harder for the average person regardless of their intelligence and education. Deep Work offers tangible solutions on how to set up your life so you can eliminate distractions and do the deep worth necessary to bring forth new ideas and to meet your goals.
Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less
In a world of overwork, it’s hard to believe the concept that if you work less you’ll accomplish more. But that’s exactly the hypothesis Alex Soojung-Kim Pang set out to prove in his groundbreaking book Rest. With the belief that “deliberate rest” is the key to productivity, the book presents examples how to use time to our advantage. With “deliberate rest”, we become more focused, have more energy, and a well-balanced life. This is a quick read, but don’t be tempted to skim. Take your time to think about the steps Alex Soojung-Kim Pang suggests. Because if you can turn “deliberate rest” into a skill, you’ll have more free time to do those other things that give your life meaning while at the same time meeting your future goals.
The 5 Second Journal
If you haven’t heard of Mel Robbins, or her 5 Second Rule, I highly suggest you listen to one of her YouTube talks. Mel Robbins, the author of the 5 Second Rule, is a motivational speaker who helps people get out of their own heads to get sh*t done. She’s hilarious and will make you cry and I just love her YouTube channel.Although I adore the 5 Second Rule, I get more out of her talks which is why I didn’t list the book here. But one of her books that I use is her 5 Second Journal. This is not a book to read–it’s an actual hardcover, daily journal for people who hate to journal or write or think introspectively. This journal is a series of questions you ask yourself as soon as you wake up, then offers a little bit of room for journaling about the upcoming day. Mel Robbins suggests using this journal as the initial building block for establishing a strong morning routine. (that’s worth another blog post on its own!). Anyway, I love this journal and use it daily because it helps me get out of bed with a plan. Although it’s not an actual reading book, I included it on this list because it’s fun and easy to use and I just like to buy notebooks. 🙂
And here is one of Mel’s videos in case you’re interested. 🙂
