Perhaps the Number One Rule That Productive People Emphasize is the Need to Have a Mentor

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s tough to keep up and stay productive. With so many distractions, responsibilities, and tasks to accomplish, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unproductive. However, the number one rule that productive people emphasize is the need to have a mentor. Someone who can guide and advise you on your journey towards success. Unfortunately, with our busy lifestyles, it is difficult to find time to build that relationship. Thankfully, great mentors and teachers for a productive life are only an arm’s reach away in the form of books. Here are 20 essential productivity books that will turn you into a productivity machine:

1. The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Timothy Ferriss

Tim Ferriss has fast become the “go-to guy” when it comes to productivity, accelerated learning, and life hacks. In this book, he gives his 4-step method of speed learning: Deconstruct, Selection, Sequence, Stakes. His latest book is a comprehensive coverage of what he also touches on in his earlier books, The 4 Hour Work Week and The 4 Hour Body.

2. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield

Perhaps one of the greatest books on overcoming obstacles in creative work is this by Steven Pressfield. In it, he explains Resistance as being that crippling enemy we face every day and gives great short reflections on how to break through.

3. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

A classic by David Allen, one of the most successful corporate coaches, his book is described by Time Magazine as, “the definitive business self-help book of the decade.” A great tip from this book is the two-minute rule: if there is any task that takes less than two minutes to finish, then drop whatever it is that you are doing and finish that task.

4. Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long by David Rock

Understanding how your brain works is crucial for success and being productive. David gives a great metaphor for the mind as a stage performance. Your brain’s functions are like a director trying to manage actors and actresses – you need to find the optimum amount that you can work with to be productive.

5. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

Get an insight into what makes good habits and bad habits with this book. Charles Duhigg breaks down the stages of building habits: cue, routine, reward. Productivity is very much dependent upon what your daily habits are. Create better habits and understand why we do the things we do in work and life.

6. Made To Stick, by Chip Heath & Dan Heath.

It is one thing to work hard, but it can be futile if you are not working smart also. This book will teach you about what sets a winning brand apart from the rest. Be productive but also stand out from the crowd.

7. What to Say When You Talk to Your Self by Shad Helmstetter

That voice in your head can make all the difference in terms of how productive you are. Shad Helmstetter teaches you to become mindful of negative thoughts that are holding you back and replace them with productive and positive self-talk you need.

8. See You at the Top by Zig Ziglar

Another classic by the great Zig Ziglar. Learn how to turn “lemons into lemonade” in this book. If you have gone through some difficulties recently, Zig gives some great advice along with a healthy all-round approach to success and being productive.

9. The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It by Dr. Kelly McGonigal

Procrastination and lack of self-discipline are the greatest enemies of productivity. Dr. Kelly McGonigal is a professor at Stanford University where she teaches on many subjects, including self-discipline through a psychological lens. She reveals much of her lessons in this book.

10. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman helps you to be more productive through understanding the two different faculties of your thinking: the fast, intuitive, and emotional; and slower, more deliberative, and more logical.

11. The Psychology of Color: A Designer’s Guide to Colour Association & Meaning by Smashing Magazine

There are so many subliminal effects at play that may be holding back your productivity. It may simply be the color of your room that is making you lazy. Uncover what some of these are in this book.

12. The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything Fast by Josh Kaufman

Josh Kaufman unpacks his 4-step method to rapid learning. He teaches an important point on making pre-commitments of 20 hours to your learning to see great results and be productive.

13. The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance by Josh Waitzkin

Josh Waitzkin is a grandmaster chess player who also became a champion martial artist. He breaks down the secrets to learning and being successful in this book as he shares his own personal experiences of what he found to be productive and what was not.

14. Crush It!: Why Now Is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuck

Gary Vaynerchuck is dominating the online marketing world, and he gives the secrets to making huge progress and seeing profitable results. He gives an incredible amount of case studies showing what practices are the most productive for online work.

15. Your Creative Brain: Seven Steps to Maximize Imagination, Productivity, and Innovation in Your Life by Dr. Shelley Carson

Dr. Shelley Carson from Harvard gives 7 steps to maximize imagination, productivity, and innovation in your life. She explains that creative brains are developed and trained, and breaks down the creativity process to allow you to be creatively productive.

16. The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

Being the publisher of Success Magazine, Darren Hardy ought to know a thing or two about being productive and successful. In this book, he discusses the crucial accumulation of the little decisions we make each day and how they can drive us toward our goals.

17. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

Regarded by many as one of the greatest books for writers. Lamotte’s incredibly entertaining book helps not only writers but all artists overcome those demons that keep us from being stagnant and overwhelmed with our work.

18. The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How. by Daniel Coyle

Journalist Daniel Coyle takes readers through 9 different case studies from sports teams to music academies, uncovering the truth behind talent. Rather than a gift, it is a product of hard work and productivity.

19. How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler

This book includes an exceptional section on developing your memory and speed-reading. The ability to read and remember well is crucial for being productive.

20. How to become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less by Cal Newport

Cal Newport teaches some unconventional paths and strategies to getting high grades through more refined studying strategies. Rather than continually cramming, he gives effective methods that can be applied to those outside a school setting also.

In conclusion, adding some of these titles to your growing library can lead to a more productive life. These essential productivity books provide critical tips, techniques, and strategies to help you become a productivity machine. So why wait? Get started today and make productivity your new norm!