Increase Your Efficiency with Today’s Top Productivity Books
There’s no denying that we live during an incredible time. Yet for all of the advances made in recent decades, we’ve yet to figure out how to cram more than 24 hours into a day. And thanks to innumerable distractions surrounding us and the fast-paced nature of the modern workplace, many of us struggle to stay on top of projects both at work and at home.
Avid readers, however, have found solutions to their productivity woes by learning tips and tricks from today’s top authors. So, if you’re eager to start checking more tasks off your to-do list, here’s a quick look at some of the best books on productivity.
Dip Into Some of the World’s Best Productivity Books
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 and avoid stress while achieving all your goals.
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
Deep Work
- 9 min reading time
- audio version available
Distractions are everywhere in today’s world, where multitasking is the default approach to accomplishing to-dos. Fortunately, Deep Work explains how to overcome this impediment by adopting different strategies to improve the quality of your work and while minimizing the amount of time it takes. Take back control of your time by eliminating distractions and letting your brain focus on a single task at a time.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Learn the Habits of Those Who Achieved Everything by Stephen R. Covey
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
- 19 min reading time
- audio version available
Among the bestselling productivity 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.
The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8 A.M.) by Hal Elrod
The Miracle Morning
- 18 min reading time
- audio version available
How we wake up each morning affects our entire day, and if you’re the type of person who repeatedly hits the snooze button, you’re not doing yourself any favors. Change up your routine according to the tips in this title, and you’ll be on your way to finding personal success ritual through a mix of silence, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, and writing.
Eat that Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy
Eat That Frog!
- 12 min reading time
- audio version available
Jam-packed with advice on how to make the most of your time, Eat that Frog! illustrates how only two of any 10 tasks on your to-do list will actually move the needle. By focusing on those “frogs” first, rather than working on smaller, less consequential efforts, you’ll leap past lower-value tasks, you’ll accomplish meaningful objectives that bring you closer to your goal. Ribbit!
Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life by David Allen
Ready for Anything
- 15 min reading time
- audio version available
Presenting a variety of techniques to help you clear your mind — and your desk — Ready for Anything offers guidance on how to overcome that which holds us back. This book prepares readers for challenging and rewarding projects that will likely come their way, and it introduces the general principles of Allen’s groundbreaking productivity system.
The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play by Neil Fiore
The Now Habit
- 16 min reading time
- audio version available
Perpetual procrastination is a problem that plagues many people in today’s workforce, but fortunately there is a cure. In this book, the author explains the origins of this phenomenon and presents a set of tools to help anyone overcome the tendency to constantly put off work.
The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential … in Business and in Life by Leo Babauta
The Power of Less
- 15 min reading time
- audio version available
Discover the ideal of productive minimalism in this manifesto about living with less. The author’s approach focuses mainly on establishing good habits in order to achieve lasting change, and argues that by dedicating ourselves exclusively to what’s essential, we can achieve our goals with less effort and have the flexibility we need to lead a fulfilling life.
Manage Your Day to Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus and Sharpen Your Creative Mind by 99U and Jocelyn K. Glei
Manage Your Day-To-Day
- 15 min reading time
- audio version available
This anthology of ideas, wisdom, and advice from well-known creatives offers readers valuable insights on how to develop effective routines, maintain focus, and tap into their creativity. It explains how, by acknowledging our natural rhythms, we can dedicate our energy to our priorities, and engage in less challenging activities when they’re in sync with our rhythm.
I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time
by Laura Vanderkam
I Know How She Does It
- 15 min reading time
- audio version available
Working mothers want to do it all, but building a career, raising a family, and maintaining an individual identity is easier said than done. This book, however, reveals how successful women are already balancing everything. Based on extensive research and offering practical time-management advice for moms in the modern workforce, I Know How She Does It shows you how to achieve balance by being more organized and letting go of a perfectionist mindset.
Thinking, Fast and Slow: Intuition or Deliberation? Where You Can (and Can’t) Trust Your Brain by Daniel Kahneman
Thinking, Fast and Slow
- 28 min reading time
- audio version available
Kahneman’s modern classic shines a light on the everpresent battle between the impulsive mind and the more considerate consciousness. It explains how to find balance between the two by fostering cognitive ease and exposing yourself to positivity on a regular basis. The book also details how our brains have evolved to react favorably to positive messages, and increasing the likelihood such sentiments will affect long-lasting change.
Launch the Blinkist app now to take a deeper dive into any of these titles, or explore our ever-expanding library for more books that might change your life.
