8 Best Books to Sky-Rocket Your Productivity

There is at least one thing that has been equally distributed. Yes, you guessed it right. It’s TIME. We all are blessed to have equal 24 hours in a day yet some people become Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Elon Musk, whereas some of us still complain about not having enough time.

I was from the second category but I read somewhere a quote that goes like this.

“Either you run that day or the day runs you” 

And guess what? I found myself again in the second category.

Result?

I ended up reading dozens of books on productivity to find out how I can get my work done on time while having enough time to unwind and enjoy the peaceful evenings. Today, I will share with you top 8 books that can sky-rocket your productivity!

1. Eat That Frog
2. HyperFocus
3. Deep Work
4. The One Thing
5. Make Time
6. Essentialism
7. Getting Things Done
8. The 80/20 Principle

Let’s see how these books can help you in becoming your best version.

1. Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy

Last update on 2023-09-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Eat That Frog, as the name itself suggests, shares the technique of eating frog to become productive. No, you don’t have to eat the real frog, relax!

Frog means the biggest and most important task of your day that will bring 80% results of your day. The author shares the importance of making a to-do list, how to make a to-do list, how to execute your to-do list by listing down 21 practical techniques on productivity. 

Although, making a to-do list is neither new nor a rocket-science yet most people don’t know how to really make a to-do list and that’s where Eat That Frog comes into light.

The author says, we often watch a motivational video or read a powerful motivational book and think we can achieve anything and everything in our life. And that’s how we end up making a long to-do list. 

First, people do the silliest task from their list and when they are drained, they jump on important tasks. Result? Neither you feel productive nor your life changes by doing small unimportant tasks.

“One of the very worst uses of time is to do something very well that needs not to be done at all.”

Click here to buy Eat That Frog on Amazon.

2. Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey

Last update on 2023-09-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Hyper-Focus takes a different approach than any other book on productivity by digging deeper into ‘why do we procrastinate’ in the first place. The author says,

“We are what we pay attention to, and almost nothing influences our productivity and creativity as much as the information we’ve consumed in the past.” 

According to Chris Bailey, there are two things that holds us back from achieving our targets,

• Distractions: This goes without saying that we are living in the most distracted time. Every device is designed to capture your attention so that you become a slave. Look around you and in your mobile phone, you will realize how you have successfully created a distracted world.
• Monkey Mind: Our monkey mind keeps jumping from one place to another, from past to future, from good thoughts to bad thoughts that focusing on one thing is nearly impossible for many of us.

The author suggests some of the most practical techniques that will help you design your inner and external environment in a way that you will get your work done without thinking about it twice.

Hyper-focus is a kind of book that will not only help you become more productive but more creative with your work too. Because it’s not only about how much work you do but how well you do that matters.

Click here to buy Hyperfocus on Amazon.

3. Deep Work by Cal Newport

Last update on 2023-09-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Deep work is not a book that will teach you zillions of productivity techniques but it is focused on one idea that is the root of creating the masterpiece with your work.

The author says, the way to get more meaningful work done is by working deeply-Indulging in deep work. Deep work means activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit.

There are only a few people in the world who do deep work and these are the few people who actually end up creating exceptional work. Deep work is a book that teaches us how a common man can also do deep work by following certain strategies that not only sets your mood but also keeps you in the flow state.

“If you don’t produce, you won’t thrive—no matter how skilled or talented you are.”

The book is divided into 2 sections. The first section is all about the importance of deep work and examples of people who follow deep work. The section is about how you can get into a deep work state and actually become best at what you do.

Definitely, this is one of the best books on productivity.

Click here to buy Deep Work on Amazon.

4. The One Thing by Gary W. Keller & Jay Papasan

Last update on 2023-09-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Not much yet so much to say on The One Thing. Though the name itself suggests the book is about focusing on one thing that you are truly passionate about.

Once Steve Jobs, founder of Apple said, “don’t try to do everything, do one thing well” Probably this is one of the reasons behind Apple’s success. 

The authors say that the problem with humans is that they want to do everything while doing everything simply means dividing your energy, time, creativity, and focus on multiple things. And all these activities create stress which eventually kills your core purpose. In simple words,

“You need to be doing fewer things for more effect instead of doing more things with side effects.”

We are already living in a world where everything is designed to steal your attention and in that case, if you are trying to focus on everything, you are merely wasting your time and then complain about not having enough time. It is not that we have too little time to do all the things we need to do, it is that we feel the need to do too many things in the time we have.

The One Thing is a book that actually challenges the so-called definition of modern productivity and pulls you out of anxiety and stress.

Click here to buy The One Thing on Amazon.

5. Make Time by Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky

Last update on 2023-09-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The king of all productivity techniques, Make Time is one of the most useful guides on time management and getting your tasks done with full efficiency.

Make Time is all about killing distractions, taking out quality time for your work, and focusing on important tasks one at a time. The author says, 

“Every time you check your email or another messaging service, you’re basically saying, “Does any random person need my time right now?”

Make Time is 4 stages, rehashed each day:

1. Highlight: Pick a solitary movement to focus on and safeguard in your schedule
2. Laster: Explicit strategies to remain laser-zeroed in on your feature
3. Energize: Step by step instructions to accuse your battery of activity, food, rest, calm, and eye to eye time
4. Reflect: Reflect on what to improve and how you can do better

Make Time is all about building a strong system that helps you get more time in your day and become 1% better every day at what you do so you actually become the industry expert.

Make Time contains 87 different tactics that are tested by the authors during their job at Google and after careful analysis all these techniques are shared to change your approach towards productivity.

Click here to buy Make Time on Amazon.

6. Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Last update on 2023-09-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Do you sometimes feel overworked and underutilized? Have you ever said “yes” simply to please and then regret it?

Don’t worry! We all have been there and these are some of our habits that restrict us from becoming productive, focusing on important tasks, and achieving excellence. 

Essentialism is a book that takes us on the path of Essentialism that involves doing less, but better, so you can make the highest possible contribution in your life. The Way of the Essentialist isn’t tied in with accomplishing more in less time. There’s no need to focus on doing less. It’s tied in with finishing just the right things. 

It’s tied in with testing the central suspicion of ‘we can have everything’ and ‘I need to do everything’ and supplanting it with the quest for ‘the correct thing, in the correct way, brilliantly’. It’s tied in with recapturing control of our own decisions concerning where to invest our energy and energies as opposed to giving others authority to decide for us.

We all at times become greedy to do everything so that we can have more money and success but at the end the greed of more makes us mediocre. Greg shares his experience of working with top-class business owners and performers of the world to show us how those successful people maintain the discipline of pursuing less.

The name of the book itself says it but let me say it again, this is an absolutely essential book for your success.

Click here to buy Essentialism on Amazon.

7. Getting Things Done by David Allen

Last update on 2023-09-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

We have too many thoughts, tasks, work pressure, and family concerns in our mind that we often forget the important tasks or simply forget how to be creative. David says, 

“Your brain is for having ideas, not for holding them”

Getting Things Done is more like a step-by-step guide on stress free productivity, helping you build a flawless system, reminders, and weekly reflection to set your mind free from unnecessary worries. When you clean your mental space and create a perfect system instead, your mind doesn’t have to remember every little task which eventually improves your focus and creativity. 

“You can fool everyone else, but you can’t fool your own mind.”

No matter what I say it would not be enough to define the beauty of this book. In fact, some people say that Getting Things Done is the bible of productivity. The system that David has shared is simple to understand, easy to follow, and quick to implement. 

Just to give you a glimpse on what you can expect, here are 3 steps to cleanse your mind that David has shared in his book,

1. Use a “collection bucket” so you can store things outside your mind and improve your focus
2. Create an estimated “next actions” list for all your projects to avoid thinking at the last moment
3. Do a weekly reflection on everything!

Ready to be your best productive self? Let’s go!

Click here to buy Getting Things Done on Amazon.

8. The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch

Last update on 2023-09-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Do you ever feel that you worked really hard or you did almost everything yet the results disappoint you? Well, high-five, you are not alone in this misery.

Most people, mostly, work hard on their daily lives, try to cut down on Netflix, social media and focus on everything that can help them achieve success. Well, you might call such people hard workers but Koch calls such people fools.

He has shared the  ‘Pareto Principle’ in The 80/20 Principle which claims that 80% results come form 20% efforts or 80% of consequences flow from 20% of causes. In simple words, if you want to enjoy your life and achieve success at the same time, The 80/20 Principle shows the path to walk on.

Koch says that almost everyone today wastes their precious energy and time on tasks that didn’t need to be done in the first place and that’s how they always lack energy and time. Energy and Time both are limited resources. Successful people have hijacked the fact of how to use them effectively while mediocre people are still trapped.

The book has a bunch of examples, statistics and data to back how 80% results in our life come from 20% efforts. Now, it’s you who has to decide what exactly this 20% is going to be. And if you lack clarity, The 80/20 Principle shows the path yet again.

The 80/20 Principle is all about getting out of the trap of working hard and adopting the habit of working smarter.

“Those who seize the day become seriously rich.”

Click here to buy The 80/20 Principle on Amazon.

CONCLUSION

I have read more than these 8 books on productivity but these 8 are the top-class books that stand out for me. These books will help you to become,

1. Productive
2. Creative
3. Relaxed
4. Smart
5. Happy
6. Successful

If you want to be any of these 6 things, go grab your copies NOW!