Ask The Readers: What Are Your Favorite Productivity Books?

October 22, 2008 Ask The Readers

In the next few weeks I will do a post covering my three favorite productivity books, why I am like them and what sort of information they can offer you. However in the meantime I would be really interested in knowing what books my readers enjoy. Getting Things Done, The Four Hour Work Week and even The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People are probably the most obvious ones (and one of them will certainly be in my list) but it would be great to read recommendations for any other, less obvious classics. So, please leave a comment listing your three favorite productivity books and, if you have time, why not explain why you like them? I look forward to all your suggestions. Who knows, if the response is good I might be able to compile a league table of the most popular productivity books out there.

Related reading

There are currently 9 responses to this post

Shanel Yang says:
October 22, 2008 at 06:36PM

Great idea, James! For me, I there is only one, and it’s hands down… Eat that Frog! I’ve summarized it so everyone can benefit from Brian Tracy’s excellent but easy to follow advice.

Ari Koinuma says:
October 22, 2008 at 09:33PM

Hmmm, I am afraid I don’t have anything to offer in this department, as I don’t generally consider getting things done to be my problem. I have read a number of books but in my opinion Seven Habits trumps them all.

Steven says:
October 23, 2008 at 12:26PM

For an operations standpoint, The Goal by Eliyuha Goldratt is a great book. Helps open your mind to seeing work problems from a different angle, inspiring new ways to tackle those problems.

James says:
October 23, 2008 at 03:54PM

Interesting choices, thanks for sharing them. There are two books I’ve never heard of which I will have to check out.

SZ says:
October 23, 2008 at 09:23PM

The Power Of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz. This book takes the view that energy management and not time management is the key, and energy has to be managed in all areas (physical, mental and spiritual). It also describes the need to allow for recovery, and increase stress tolerance incrementally to be able to increase one’s energy levels to sustain high level performance.

The Art Of Learning by Josh Waitzkin. More of an autobiography, but says that learning a little bit thoroughly is more important than learning a lot on the surface level.

Ready For Anything by David Allen. It’s an easier read than GTD as it focuses on the principles behind system, rather than the system itself.

John says:
October 24, 2008 at 06:45AM

I was very impressed by the audiobook of Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog, so I think I’ll follow it up with a full read (and a quick read of Shanel’s excellent summary). Like most works in this area, it is based on good, solid commonsense.

Chris @ Lifestyle Project says:
October 27, 2008 at 09:00AM

My favorite is T4HWW, but a close second is The Magic Of Thinking Big by David Schwartz. I love the way it makes you think and dream big and encourages you to get the action habit, which is the most important habit to obtain to be productive.

Matthew Cornell says:
November 2, 2008 at 06:31AM

A book that’s given (if you’ll excuse the point) lip service is Koch’s The 80-20 Principle. Go out and actually read the whole book. It’s well worth the effort – big perspective changer. Mark Forster’s Do It Tomorrow is an important work, and Stephanie Winston’s classics still have a lot to offer. I recently mentioned a few on my blog. I could list another six…

Nick Cernis says:
November 2, 2008 at 11:46AM

It would be impossible to talk about productivity books without mentioning the work of Peter Drucker. Peter wrote 39 books on the subjects of management and effectiveness, and his influence can be seen in almost every major work that has touched the productivity theme since, notably David Allen’s Getting Things Done. For a taster, check out The Daily Drucker: 366 Days Of Insight And Motivation For Getting The Right Things Done.

Other than that, I think that some of the greatest insights on productivity and leading a happy life can be found in works which never get mentioned either. A particular favorite of mine is Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach, a short novella on the search for perfection that should be required reading for all.

Shanel Yang says:
October 22, 2008 at 06:36PM
Great idea, James! For me, I there is only one, and it’s hands down… Eat that Frog! I’ve summarized it so everyone can benefit from Brian Tracy’s excellent but easy to follow advice.
Ari Koinuma says:
October 22, 2008 at 09:33PM
Hmmm, I am afraid I don’t have anything to offer in this department, as I don’t generally consider getting things done to be my problem. I have read a number of books but in my opinion Seven Habits trumps them all.
Steven says:
October 23, 2008 at 12:26PM
For an operations standpoint, The Goal by Eliyuha Goldratt is a great book. Helps open your mind to seeing work problems from a different angle, inspiring new ways to tackle those problems.
James says:
October 23, 2008 at 03:54PM
Interesting choices, thanks for sharing them. There are two books I’ve never heard of which I will have to check out.
SZ says:
October 23, 2008 at 09:23PM
The Power Of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz. This book takes the view that energy management and not time management is the key, and energy has to be managed in all areas (physical, mental and spiritual). It also describes the need to allow for recovery, and increase stress tolerance incrementally to be able to increase one’s energy levels to sustain high level performance.

The Art Of Learning by Josh Waitzkin. More of an autobiography, but says that learning a little bit thoroughly is more important than learning a lot on the surface level.

Ready For Anything by David Allen. It’s an easier read than GTD as it focuses on the principles behind system, rather than the system itself.
John says:
October 24, 2008 at 06:45AM
I was very impressed by the audiobook of Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog, so I think I’ll follow it up with a full read (and a quick read of Shanel’s excellent summary). Like most works in this area, it is based on good, solid commonsense.
Chris @ Lifestyle Project says:
October 27, 2008 at 09:00AM
My favorite is T4HWW, but a close second is The Magic Of Thinking Big by David Schwartz. I love the way it makes you think and dream big and encourages you to get the action habit, which is the most important habit to obtain to be productive.
Matthew Cornell says:
November 2, 2008 at 06:31AM
A book that’s given (if you’ll excuse the point) lip service is Koch’s The 80-20 Principle. Go out and actually read the whole book. It’s well worth the effort – big perspective changer. Mark Forster’s Do It Tomorrow is an important work, and Stephanie Winston’s classics still have a lot to offer. I recently mentioned a few on my blog. I could list another six…
Nick Cernis says:
November 2, 2008 at 11:46AM
It would be impossible to talk about productivity books without mentioning the work of Peter Drucker. Peter wrote 39 books on the subjects of management and effectiveness, and his influence can be seen in almost every major work that has touched the productivity theme since, notably David Allen’s Getting Things Done. For a taster, check out The Daily Drucker: 366 Days Of Insight And Motivation For Getting The Right Things Done.

Other than that, I think that some of the greatest insights on productivity and leading a happy life can be found in works which never get mentioned either. A particular favorite of mine is Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach, a short novella on the search for perfection that should be required reading for all.

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