Here are five books on the topic of productivity that I’ve read and would highly suggest you add to your reading list.

What’s Best Next by Matt Perman

In What’s Best Next, Matt Perman guides you from the overarching theological view of what work and productivity are and why they matter to practical ways of applying key principles in how you manage your time at work, including handling diaries and emails.

“Our conscious mind is intended as a focusing tool, not a storage place. When we seek to keep all the things we have to do in our head, they constantly pull at our attention and become large sources of our stress.” Matt Perman

Deep Work by Cal Newport

We’re living in a world full of distractions. Cal Newport writes about the importance of being able to find space and time to dive into focused work.

“Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not.” Cal Newport

“Law of Productivity is High quality work produced = Time spent x Intensity of focus” Cal Newport

The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni

Could it be that we experience dissatisfaction and burnout at work not just because of the amount of work but also because of the type of work we do?

Patrick Lencioni explains six types of work, called ‘Working Genius’, which are involved in completing tasks from conception to finalisation. He states that we all possess two of these six Working Geniuses that energise us and where we naturally excel, while we also have two Working Frustrations that drain us if we must perform them for too long.

Here are the six Working Geniuses explored in the book:

  • The Genius of Wonder: The natural gift of pondering the possibility of greater potential and opportunity in a given situation.
  • The Genius of Invention: The natural gift of creating original and novel ideas and solutions.
  • The Genius of Discernment: The natural gift of intuitively and instinctively evaluating ideas and situations.
  • The Genius of Galvanizing: The natural gift of rallying, inspiring and organizing others to take action.
  • The Genius of Enablement: The natural gift of providing encouragement and assistance for an idea or project.
  • The Genius of Tenacity: The natural gift of pushing projects or tasks to completion to achieve results.

It’s worth noting that just because we find something draining doesn’t mean we are bad at it. We might excel at a certain kind of work but feel exhausted by it, leading others, and perhaps ourselves, to believe we’re doing the right type of work when it’s actually draining us internally.

A great team is going to feature people who have Working Geniuses that cover all areas of work between them.

Watch Patrick Lencioni explain the concept better here.

Find out more about Working Genius here, and you can even take the assessment.

I love that you can immediately put the insights into practice, and it helps you value the contributions and differences others bring to a team.

For those interested, my Working Genius is ‘Wonder’ and ‘Enablement’, and my Working Frustrations are ‘Galvanizing’ and ‘Tenacity’.

Essentialism by Greg McKeown

This book changed my perspective on productivity. Yes, we can be busy, but are we truly being effective? In this book, Greg McKeown encourages us to be essentialists – to focus on what only we can do. I appreciated the section on learning to say no and the practical examples provided to do so kindly and without rudeness.

“If you’re too busy to think, then you’re too busy.” Greg McKeown

“Our highest priority is to protect our ability to prioritise.” Greg McKeown

“A choice is not a thing. Our options may be things, but a choice is an action. It is not something we have but something we do. While we may not always have control over our options, we always have control over how we choose among them.” Greg McKeown

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Atomic Habits seems to be recommended everywhere, and for good reason; it’s excellent. The main idea that James Clear shares is that small, intentional changes and habits performed consistently will lead to significant long-term results. Even just the clear and practical steps on how to establish a good habit or how to break a bad habit are worth the time invested in reading Atomic Habits.

“You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than your current results.” James Clear

“The cost of your good habits are in the present, the cost of your bad habits are in the future.” James Clear

“Your habits are how you embody your identity. When you make your bed each day, you embody the identity of an organised person. When you write each day, you embody the identity of a creative person. When you train each day, you embody the identity of an athletic person. The more you repeat a behaviour, the more you reinforce the identity associated with that behaviour.” James Clear

Have you read any of these books? Are there any other books on productivity that you would recommend?

Thank you very much for reading. If you found this encouraging and helpful, please share it with friends and followers. I’d love to hear from you – leave a comment with your reflections or questions.

Dan :)

Read the tips I’ve shared on how to read more here, and take a look at what books are on my bookshelf.

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