Books that help you get things done
The right productivity book could change the way you work. It can be hard finding something you can connect with though. If you’re like me, you don’t want a bootcamp that makes you feel inferior or some kind of get-rich-quick scheme. You want something you can relate to. Something you can quickly put into action. These are the books that could help you.
Deep Work by Cal Newport
A lot of people talk about books that changed their lives, but this one changed my house. After reading it, I disposed of all the furniture in my spare bedroom and set about creating a home office, where I could put these ideas into practice.
Deep Work outlines the clear benefits of distraction-free working and shows you how you can get things done in the modern world.
It’s often impossible to just sit down and focus on something. Phone calls, queries and emails are just a few of the distractions we face. A lot of us just seem to tread water and firefight in this ‘shallow’ work and it rarely delivers the results we need.
This book delivers practical solutions and it will take you on an interesting journey. There are some great examples from history of how great minds have taken action to shut down everything that isn’t essential.
Deep Work is all about being focussed and finding somewhere you can get your best work done.
As I’ve said, all of this is so important as it’s easy to get swept away by distractions now. There’s also an interesting look at the technology attempting to take away our attention.
This book is an important reminder that your best work won’t just happen. You need to take action, and it shows you just what to do. It has transformed my approach to work and as I write this, I’m grateful when I look around my ‘deep work room’ and appreciate what a difference it made in my life.
Three easy things you’ll get from Deep Work:
Practical tips to help you get more done
An understanding of how distractions can really slow you down
Help dealing with all this technology around us
Cal Newport is a computer science professor at Georgetown University. His writing focusses on the intersection of technology and culture and I suggest you take a look at his other books. He also has a great podcast.
Autopilot by Andrew Smart
Prepare for a new way to think about things. It’s time to approach the mind differently and be completely blown away in the process. I honestly think this book will increase your chances of getting great ideas.
Doing nothing is often frowned on in our society, but Autopilot will show you why it’s essential.
Andrew Smart explains how the mind really works and what goes on behind the scenes in your brain. You’ll find out why you need to give it time to piece everything together.
The best thing about this book for me is that it explains all the neuroscience in simple terms, so you’ll quickly get the message.
Autopilot is full of fresh ideas that often go against traditional thinking. I personally loved the way he exposes the flaws in the Six Sigma system and I’m sure those of you who are fed up with unnecessary corporate jargon will feel the same.
This book will reward anyone with an open mind and a passion for learning.
It’s about giving yourself space to let your mind do the work behind the scenes. This is effectively communicated in the book by likening all the neural pathways to airport hubs, that need space to get connected.
It’s also full of great advice, like how noise in the background can really help you get more done. Quite simply, these are all lessons you can’t ignore.
Three easy things you’ll get from Deep Work:
A better chance of getting great ideas
Motivation to step back and do nothing
Advice on how to let the brain do the work behind the scenes
Andrew Smart is a scientist and engineer. His work focuses on consciousness and technology and he is currently an Associate Principle Machine Learning Fairness Researcher at Google.
The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey
After graduating college, Chris Bailey set aside an entire year to study and self-experiment with productivity ideas. The result is this amazing book that will really help you get things done.
The Productivity Project delivers great ideas to help you work smarter, rather than harder.
His project started off with a blog, but soon evolved into a lot more. In my work, I often credit Chris Bailey for what I consider to be the best introduction to meditation that I’ve ever read.
It’s in this book, and I think it clearly demonstrates that The Productivity Project can help you with far more than simple techniques to get your work finished faster.
This isn’t someone preaching from an ivory tower either. This is a regular guy experimenting and being really honest and open about his approach.
The key message delivered here is that it’s best to focus on your energy and attention if you really want to be more productive.
You’ll also discover that it’s important to deeply care about your goals if you want to make them happen. The 80/20 rule is explored as well, where it often works out that around 20% of your work will account for around 80% of the results.
This is something that has really made a difference to me, and it’s just one of the game-changing lessons this book can teach you.
I can’t recommend The Productivity Project enough. If you’re looking for a simple and down-to-earth introduction to this subject, it’s perfect.
Three easy things you’ll get from The Productivity Project:
Simple and effective productivity ideas
An amazing introduction to meditation
Inspiration to get started and get things done
Chris Bailey is a Canadian author and consultant. Things really took off for him after his year-long experiment with productivity, as his blog was read by over one million people. He also has a podcast, Time and Attention.
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
Time is precious, so that’s what this book explores. It takes us on a fascinating journey as we learn how people have approached work throughout history. It’s all about mastering time and productivity.
The interesting thing about Four Thousand Weeks is that it suggests you’ll never get there, and that’s ok.
This book is here to help you avoid ‘hustle culture’. To make you aware of what can go wrong.
It helps you appreciate the price you can pay if you’re always pushing through an endless and ever-expanding workload.
If you’re wondering about the title, it’s roughly the amount of time you have to get things done in the average lifetime. The book is based on this concept.
You’ll be pushed to think hard about what’s important. How you can make changes, alter your approach and keep yourself motivated.
Oliver Burkeman understands this situation. This is all coming from someone who struggled in lockdown. He’s sympathetic, so you’re in good hands here.
This book should encourage you to change the way you work, so you don’t burn out hitting someone else’s goal. You’ll also find out why Rod Stewart has a model railway. That has to be worth a look
Three easy things you'll get from Four Thousand Weeks:
Encouragement to go easy on yourself
A sense of relief and meaning
Ways to find balance and prevent burnout
Oliver Burkeman is an author and journalist. He’s also been a guest on several of my favourite podcasts and always makes sense. You can subscribe to his helpful email newsletter ‘The Imperfectionist’ on his website.
Getting Things Done by David Allen
This is THE productivity book for a lot of people. It’s considered a classic and it’s not one I would overlook.
It introduces the GTD system, and so many great ideas.
David Allen makes it clear, the brain is for having ideas, not holding them. This book focusses stress-free productivity. New ways of working.
It starts off with something I find fascinating. The concept of ‘mind like water’, based on the way water reacts to its environment, is introduced. It’s all about gaining clarity and changing the way you respond to things.
For me, the main reason you’ll want to read Getting Things Done is to benefit from all the practical tips. There’s so much here you can take on right away. They certainly helped me.
The book will also encourage you to create your own system. As you’ve probably seen on this site, this is something I consider essential.
You’ll get so many ideas here, and it all makes sense. You’ll soon see why so many other people value this book.
Three easy things you’ll get from Getting Things Done:
Simple and effective productivity tips
Everything you need to create your own system
New ways to approach work
David Allen is a productivity consultant and author. His Getting Things Done methodology goes far beyond this book.
Essentialism by Greg McKeown
Greg McKeown was motivated to write this book after the birth of his first child. When he almost missed it, as he felt he needed to attend a business meeting.
Essentialism will help you work out what’s really important
The key message is that if you don’t prioritise your life, someone else will. It’s all about learning how to say no, the right way, and investing in the right activities.
You’ll be guided through meaningful stories and presented with helpful tips and suggestions. All of these should point you to a new way of approaching work.
It’s worth reading just to find out why he has a full-size Star Wars stormtrooper outfit in his office. There’s a lesson for all of us there.
Like all great productivity books, this isn’t just about work. It will encourage you to think about you life. To work out what’s really important.
You’ll be glad you read this book when you’re struggling. It’s all about finding the right way forward. You’ll also want to read his other book, Effortless as it builds and expands on everything covered here.
Three easy things you’ll get from Essentialism:
Ways you can take control
An important reminder that burnout can be just around the corner
Encouragement to work out what’s really important
Greg McKeown is an academic and author. He is also a speaker and the host of The Greg McKeown Podcast.
I hope this list helps you and that at least one of these books makes a difference. They are all people I listen to. In fact, a lot of these authors also have podcasts you’ll want to explore. Take a look at my post, Great podcasts > to find them.
Please keep checking back to this list, as I’ll keep it updated and it’s sure to expand in future.
Just as a reminder, I don’t participant in any affiliate schemes and don’t benefit from you choosing these in any way. They are simply the books I’ve come to rely on.