The Best Self-Help Books to Read During Downtime
We live at a time when there are more self-help books on the market than any one person could hope to consume in a lifetime. But in today’s world, finding the time to read even one book, let alone a dozen, can still pose quite a challenge.
Blinkist makes it easy to quickly glean insights from thousands of the world’s most acclaimed nonfiction titles, including hundreds of bestselling self-help books. If you’re interested in becoming a better you, here are some of our most popular self-improvement books in our library.
Get to where you need to be with the best self-help books
The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People by Stephen R. Covey
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
- 19 min reading time
- audio version available
Among the bestselling self-help books of all time, this title highlights the habits shared by those who deal particularly well with the world around them. It further explains that by adopting a set of seven principles that help many successful people lead fulfilling lives, you too can separate yourself from the pack and increase your odds of achieving greatness.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
How to Win Friends & Influence People
- 18 min reading time
- audio version available
This self-help classic from 1936 presents basic rules for making a good first impression and winning people over. By adhering to the deceptively simple tactics such as smiling, listening, and exhibiting your appreciation, you’ll instantly become more popular and persuasive.
The Power of Now: A Guide To Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle
The Power of Now
- 19 min reading time
- audio version available
Shining a light on the connection between the mind and suffering, this ground-breaking self-improvement book outlines a specific method to end agony and achieve inner peace. By following this guide to living in the present and separating yourself from your ego, your relationships will improve as will your overall quality of life.
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom. A Toltec Wisdom Book by Don Miguel Ruiz and Janet Mills
The Four Agreements
- 12 min reading time
- audio version available
In this introduction to the Toltec civilization, you’ll learn about the ancient Mesoamerican society of artists and scientists and discover how their ideas and wisdom are not only still relevant, but they can also help us become our true selves by casting aside negative factors that keep us from realizing our full potential.
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Think and Grow Rich
- 18 min reading time
- audio version available
Another of the top books on self-help, this classic demonstrates how wealth is rarely the result of luck or coincidence, and that, almost always, it’s the outcome of traits and skills anyone can learn and acquire. Those of us who want to be successful must first examine our attitude towards our goals and dreams, before making a plan to achieve them.
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9–5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss
The 4-Hour Workweek
- 19 min reading time
- audio version available
Attain the lifestyle you want and become more productive than ever before by automating your income and adopting the mindset of the “new rich.” Author Tim Ferriss explains how, like him, you can cut quit working full-time and eventually ditch your day job entirely to pursue their dreams and enjoy a life full of leisure.
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
Getting Things Done
- 22 min reading time
Detailing the famous productivity system that helps millions of people confidently manage multiple projects, this book offers clear instructions on how to plan projects of all shapes and sizes. By following this step-by-step approach to productivity, you’ll establish control and avoid stress while achieving all your goals.
Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal With Change in Your Work and in Your Life by Dr. Spencer Johnson
Who Moved My Cheese?
- 10 min reading time
- audio version available
Revealing business wisdom through a modern parable, this compelling tale offers valuable lessons on how to embrace upheaval by viewing major life changes as positive forces. By adopting a mindset that makes adapting to change less frightening and more rewarding, you can overcome fear and realize your dreams while thriving every step of the way.
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie
How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
- 19 min reading time
- audio version available
Everyone worries, yet few of us understand the detrimental effects of such stress. Find out how to you can deal with personal or professional worries thanks this acclaimed book full of tools, techniques, and assorted anecdotes geared toward helping you to worry less and live longer.
Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
Wherever You Go, There You Are
- 13 min reading time
- audio version available
Our minds are constantly consumed with thoughts about the past or future, taking us out of the present and away from what truly matters. This step-by-step guide helps you appreciate life and stay in the moment by explaining how to practice mindfulness and other meditation techniques.
The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin
The Happiness Project
- 18 min reading time
- audio version available
When the author of this book realized that although she had money, a family, and a good job, she was still dissatisfied with her lot in life, she embarked on a year-long effort to enhance her happiness. Find out what she learned during her journey, and discover how to reduce negative feelings and increasing positive emotions in your own life.
You Are a Badass: How To Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero
You Are a Badass
- 12 min reading time
- audio version available
You Are a Badass was the most popular book on Blinkist last year. And there’s good reason it’s one of the most popular self-help books available right now, period. Author Jen Sincero knows that each of us have niggling doubts and worries that hold us back from being our best selves. And she’s here to tell you that you are already a badass so it’s time to start believing it!
I’m OK — You’re OK: Discover Your Inner Parent and Your Inner Child by Thomas A. Harris
I’m Ok, You’re Ok
- 15 min reading time
- audio version available
Thomas Harris’ (no, not that one) 1967 self-help bestseller was one of America’s top-selling books in the ‘70s and still has lots to offer a modern reader. Its goal is to help people understand how their early lives affect their adult decisions and lifestyles and, crucially, how to let go of the childhood influences that you no longer need or are causing you damage.
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
Blink
- 15 min reading time
- audio version available
Can you trust your snap-decisions? Should you? Do you know what influences your split-second unconscious decisions. In Blink, Malcolm Gladwell explores what factors help us to make good — and not-so-good — decisions in the heat of the moment, and how we can actively make the best use of them.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Atomic Habits
- 19 min reading time
- audio version available
Quitting bad habits and starting better ones can be one of the hardest things to do. We are, after all, creatures of routine who rely heavily on association and ritual. This book is your guide for how to make tiny changes that, over time, will yield big results. If you want to achieve big things, start with your habits.
The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch
The 80/20 Principle
- 18 min reading time
- audio version available
They say that 80% of results are generated by just 20% of effort. And when you think about it, regardless of what you do for a living, that probably makes sense. That one phone call could be the one that pushes your project to its final phase, whereas all those spreadsheets you fill in may be necessary, but don’t really move you forward. If you want to get the best results from your work, this might be the book for you!
Now that you’ve gotten a glimpse of the greatest self-help books in Blinkist’s ever-expanding library, launch our app and enjoy a deeper dive into any—or all—of these extraordinary titles. Happy reading!
