Business and Productivity

Brian Tracy is one of the most successful personal growth coaches. In his book "Eat that Frog" he explains 21 ways to change your life and be more productive. What I like about the book is, that he always gives an explanation first and then a task for yourself to work on a particular topic.

This book is very short and explains in 7 steps how to “just shut up and do it”. It tells you which obstacles to overcome and how you can reach your goals step by step. As already mentioned the book is very short but full of key learnings.

Brian Tracy talks about how to establish good habits and routines. As in his other books, he gives practical information as well and guides you step to step on how to achieve what he writes. 

This is also one of the most-read books on personal development and how to be productive and effective. Stephen Covey presents 7 principles for effectivity. The first 3 principles are for yourself, the next 3 are if you work with other people. The 7th habit is the final key.

In this book, Brené Brown explains how to lead with empathy. She says that the key to leading is vulnerability. The book gives many pieces of advice and also examples of her own life as a business leader. Brown has also delivered a TED talk on vulnerability which is one of the most-watched TED talks. My favorite quote from this book is: I choose courage over comfort.

In the 4-hour Workweek, Tim Ferris explains how he built his business and earns money by working only 4 hours a week from anywhere in the world. What I loved about this book was how practical it was. He literally explains every single step and gives you ideas to open your own Online-Side-Business in an easy and non-complicated way.

This book explains concrete steps on how to concentrate on the essentials and not get distracted by anything else which is not important. It makes you answer some questions in order to find out what is essential or important at the moment and leave everything else aside.

Confucius said: “All men are alike. It’s their habits that drive them far apart.” As you may know, I am a very big fan of habits – small habits can change a lot if you stick to them permanently. That’s why I prefer working out or reading for less time but doing it daily. “Atomic Habits” is an amazing book on how to build a new habit and also on how to remove bad habits from your life. There are many practical steps that you can directly implement. Really recommendable!

Daniel Coyle writes about what makes good teams and co-workers and why some groups outperform others. He talks about different key points which are important to give the group the power it has.

In this book, Ryan Holiday explains why your ego is your enemy and how to “get rid of it” in different steps. I think that many ideas of the book are true although we shouldn’t put the “ego” completely away from us or else it will create what Carl Jung calls “a shadow self”.

In this book Simon Sineks talk about his philosophy of asking "Why?" before asking "What?" and "How?". It’s a concept that can be used by individuals for their ideas or also by big companies. I found it interesting and agree 100% with what he says.