Best Productivity Books to Get the Most Out of Your 2018

Everyone comes into a new year with a new set of goals. Whether they’re specific or vague, simple or complex, resolutions are written to inspire us to improve ourselves. Because each person’s dreams and desires are different, the changes you hope to make at the start of a new year can involve just about anything.

Still, improving your productivity is a great — and common — resolution among the world’s do-gooders. It can help you rise through the ranks at work or get the most out of your free time. Making the most of every minute will help you make this year better than the last. That’s where productivity books come in — a simple read can help you achieve your desired benchmark of productivity, however you define it.

In order to make that quest easier, the following are the six best productivity books. Grab one — or all six — find a cozy spot and start reading. Soon, when you’re focused and fueled up, you’ll realize the power productivity books can have in your quest to work harder and more effectively. Let’s get started:

1. “Eat That Frog!: Get More of the Important Things Done – Today”

“Eat That Frog!” presents a set of 21 methods designed to help you in your quest to become more productive. You’re not supposed to read through the methods and find the one that most inspires you. Instead, each one is supposed to come in handy in a different situation, thus making you adaptively productive, no matter what life throws at you.

2. “The Art of Fear: Why Conquering Fear Won’t Work and What to Do Instead”

It may not be a lack of productivity that’s holding you back – it could be a fear that’s preventing you from being all you’re supposed to be. The book’s author, Kristen Ulmer, knows a lot about fear — she used to be one of the world’s best skiers.

She skillfully guides readers to re-evaluate and reconsider their relationship with the fears that have been holding them back. Ulmer’s words inspire readers to understand why they feel afraid, the first step in living with fear and eventually excelling alongside it.

3. “When”

Life is all about timing — you probably already know this to be true. This book explores the importance of timing in our day-to-day lives. The author, Daniel H. Pink, creates a group of chronotypes that readers can divide themselves into to better understand their mood and performance peaks and valleys throughout the day.

This information can affect everything from your ethical decision-making to your professional accomplishments to the way your body functions throughout the day. Clearly, this information can be key in helping you make the most of your productive moments and moods and being the best version of yourself in 2018 and beyond.

4. “Zen and the Art of Productivity: 27 Easy Ways to Have More Time, Earn More Money and Live Happier”

The title sounds pretty enticing, right? Author Alan P. Brown knows that our world is a chaotic one, and he also knows all of us have the power to block out the unnecessary and focus on what needs to be done. All you need to do is harness the power of your brain in order to become the most productive version of yourself. The book provides easy-to-follow tips on how to achieve this state of mental productivity — and zen.

5. “Good Enough Now: How Doing the Best We Can With What We Have Is Better Than Nothing”

In some cases, traditional distractions might not be what’s holding you back from peak productivity. It could be a lingering sense of self-doubt, along with a cache of go-to excuses as to why you’re not achieving in a way that mirrors your true potential.

In “Good Enough Now,” author Jessica Pettitt shares her guide to getting over these limiting and downright untrue sentiments. Instead, she inspires readers to become the best version of themselves, while helping those around them to be great, too. You might just find this information comes in handy for you and the rest of your team, allowing you to bring everyone up to their productive potential. That’s a pretty incredible side effect of reading this self-help book.

6. “Faster Than Normal: Turbocharge Your Focus, Productivity and Success With the Secrets of ADHD”

It may seem counterintuitive, but “Faster Than Normal’s” author Peter Shankman believes he’s unlocked the key to productivity — and it’s his own ADHD. Shankman has harnessed his boundless energy into pursuing a successful career and an equally as-rich social life, highlighted by such hobbies as skydiving and marathon running.

In this book, he teaches those with and without ADHD how to take practical steps to reigning in an overly active brain in order to get everything done, and get it done well. Spoiler alert: It’s possible to be productive without running yourself on overdrive 24/7.

7. The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence With Everyday Courage

Who inspired you to become who you are? Your teachers, your parents, your older siblings? Even though they played a big role in pushing you to do better and be better, they’re no longer mentoring you through every one of life’s trials and tribulations.

This book teaches you how to become your own motivation through a five-second process. That’s all it will take to remind you what you want to accomplish and that you can do whatever it is that you set your mind to. If that’s not incentive enough to pick up this book, consider the fact that the book’s author, Mel Robbins, has touched more than 8 million viewers through a video of her TEDx Talk on the subject, and brands worldwide have used her method to boost productivity.

Find Your Productivity

There are countless books out there that provide valuable tips and tricks for those hoping to become more productive. At the end of the day, though, it’s up to you to find the methods that work best for you and consciously put them into practice. With that, you’ll have the power to be just as productive as you want to be — and get the most out of 2018 as you possibly can.