I’m Turning 30 This Year. Here’s What I’m Reading to Make This My Best Decade Yet
Adulting is hard, and just because you’ve got a three at the start of your age doesn’t mean you should have it all together.
In your 30s, you may be figuring out your career, looking for a long-term partner, and trying to gain financial independence. On the other hand, you might be getting married, starting a family, and managing a thriving business — and that comes with its own stresses.
Wherever you are in this defining decade, though, rest assured it may be the best one of your life. A survey from UnitedHealthcare asked those aged over 100 which life stage they looked back on most fondly, and the 30s won!
Plus, a 2021 survey found four out of 10 people wouldn’t go back to their 20s, and they’d instead choose to be 36 for the rest of their lives.
It may be a great decade of life, but while you’re in the thick of your 30s, you might be looking to level up everything from your career to your relationships to your health. How exactly do you do that? As with almost everything, there’s an app for that.
Get Guidance For Your 30s From an Expert
Blinkist is an app that gathers the most important information from nonfiction books and shares it as a bite-sized explainer. You can read or listen to these explainers in just 15 minutes, and choose from 5,500 titles across 27 categories like personal development, leadership, and psychology.
–Georges Clemenceau
The team of curators at Blinkist has created a collection called 10 Books for Your 30s. It contains titles every 30-something should read to make the decade their best yet.
Here’s a sneak peek at what the collection can teach you.
1. How to Be an Adult in Relationships by David Richo
How to Be an Adult in Relationships
- 26 min reading time
- audio version available
In your 30s, you may be settling down into a serious relationship. In How to Be an Adult in Relationships, psychotherapist David Richo teaches us how functional, fulfilling relationships can be built.
Richo dives into the five aspects of mindful loving — like acceptance and appreciation — how we can work through our childhood issues, and how relationships can end peacefully.
“Once we love ourselves, people no longer look good to us unless they are good for us.”
2. 30 Ways to Reboot Your Body by Ben Greenfield
30 Ways to Reboot Your Body
- 10 min reading time
- audio version available
The old saying “health is wealth” is true, and we realize that more and more as we get older. It’s not too late to turn things around if you’ve reached your 30s and have been neglecting your body, though.
In 30 Ways to Reboot Your Body, health and fitness expert Ben Greenfield covers actionable tips and changes you can make to help with everything from your digestive health to your sleep.
3. When the Body Says No by Gabor Maté M.D.
When the Body Says No
- 26 min reading time
- audio version available
Did you spend your 20s partying late, working early, and burning the candle at both ends? Or perhaps your 30s have brought even more worries as you take on bigger roles at work and start a family? Physician Gabor Maté M.D. reveals what stress can do to the body — and it’s not pretty.
“The research literature has identified three factors that universally lead to stress: uncertainty, the lack of information and the loss of control.”
As well as learning what goes on inside your body when you’re stressed, When the Body Says No will teach you how you can overcome stress by having the right mindset.
4. The Joy of Work by Bruce Daisley
The Joy of Work
- 23 min reading time
- audio version available
Whether you’ve fallen out of love with your job or you’ve reached management level and want to motivate your team, The Joy of Work can help.
Bruce Daisley was the head of the European branch of Twitter, and he’s now a bestselling author and thought leader on work-life topics.
In his book, he dives into how you can get more done with distraction-free mornings, why walking meetings can boost creativity, and why you should organize social gatherings at your company to improve productivity and well-being.
5. Unprepared to Entrepreneur by Sonya Barlow
Unprepared to Entrepreneur
- 18 min reading time
- audio version available
Ready to quit your job and start your own business in your 30s? You need Unprepared to Entrepreneur by Sonya Barlow.
Barlow is an entrepreneur herself and in both 2020 and 2021, she was named one of the most influential women in UK technology by Computer Weekly.
Barlow shares personal anecdotes as well as practical advice for battling imposter syndrome, growing your network, and creating a social media presence for your new business.
Level Up Your 30s in 15 Minutes
Your 30s are a busy time of life with work, social events, and personal errands all battling it out for a place on your calendar. Add reading the top nonfiction books to that list and things suddenly get stressful.
To help, Blinkist gives you everything you need to know from a book in about 15 minutes. The team pulls out the most powerful insights, actionable advice, and memorable anecdotes and shares them in one handy bite-sized explainer.
–Hitha Palepu, entrepreneur and author.
You Choose What’s Important to You
Beyond the five books we dive into above, the 10 Books for Your 30s collection contains other top titles like Millennial Money Makeover and The Squiggly Career.
You can also explore Blinkist’s ever-growing library for inspiration — the team adds 70 new books each month — and dive into topics like personal development, leadership, and psychology.
And expert curators have created reading lists for just about anything you may want to improve or achieve in your 30s — from How to Become a Homeowner to how to Cultivate Your Confidence.
Listen and Learn On the Go with Blinkist’s Audio Explainers
You don’t even need to sit down to read Blinkist’s explainers. Get career advice while working out, relationship tips on your commute, and the latest health best practices while running errands, all thanks to the audio format.
25 Million Users Already Trust Blinkist with Their Personal Growth
There’s a lot of talk about the milestones you should reach in your 30s. But most of it is unhelpful and stress-inducing. Get your 30s advice from people you can trust who are experts in their fields.
Blinkist shares advice from bestselling nonfiction books, leading thought leaders, and qualified experts, and 25 million users already trust the app with their personal growth.
They’re not shy about it, either. They’ve given Blinkist 94,000 5-star ratings across app stores.
–5-star review.
–5-star review.
One of the World’s Best Apps for Your 30s and Beyond
Beyond millions of users around the world, Blinkist is loved by the likes of The New York Times and Forbes, it’s won awards from Google and the United Nations.
What’s more, Apple named it one of the top 20 apps for lifelong learning, meaning it can help you through your 30s and beyond.
Want to discover how to make your 30s your best decade yet? Download the Blinkist app to get started and check out the 10 Books for Your 30s collection.
