Top 3 Books on increased productivity

[agnostic]

I'm trying to build up my library in that area a bit, so it would be cool if you could help.
What do you think are the top 3 books on increasing your productivity and why?

Of course, I'll lead by example.

My current top 3 are:

The Seven Habits by Stephen Covey
The Power Of Focus by Jack Canfield
The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch

The first is about building the character strength to pull increased productivity off and is focused on the principles behind it. The second is about focusing on what's important with much practical help. The third is about the idea that we waste 80% of our time by doing unneccessary work.


Thanks for any suggestions.

[Tim Brownson]

Well it seems you're getting about as many responses as my request so I'll jump in. I was asking because I am always on the lookout for new audio programmes. I get through 1 book about every 3 weeks but listen to at least one audio book every week.

Not necessarily on purely increasing productivity but these are the 3 that influenced me the most:

The Maverick Mindset by Dr John Eliot. I'll tell you how much I love this. The guy refused me permission to use one of his stories in my book even when I offered full accreditation and a link back from my website and then also refused to offer me a testimonial, but I still tell anybody that'll listen how great his book is. BTW, I'm not bitter and twisted

The Success Principles by Jack Canfield. I like all of JC's work but imho this is the best and one I never get tired of listening to. It provided me with a true A-ha moment!

Wherever You Go - There You Are by John Kabat-Zinn. A seminal work that has had so much influence on me. For anybody that wants to get a basic handle on meditation and Buddhism then this is a great starting point. He's got a great voice for guided meditations too.

I hope others join in here and link to the stuff because I think this could really benefit everybody.

BTW, I have a list on my all time top favorites here

[Joely]

I'm not sure if these relate directly to productivity, but they're my favourites in the area of personal development.

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari - Robin Sharma - Tim you might like his podcasts on iTunes. There's a series of books and my favourite is "The Seven Stages of Awakening". They're fictionalised, but very good.

Things Falling Apart - Pema Chodron - a Buddhist perspective on dealing with difficult times. Pretty much anything by Pema Chodron is a bit like having somebody run a hot bath for you after a very hard day and reassuring you you're really okay. As my friend says, "they're very 'stroky' books." As opposed, I assume, to stroke books.

The Sedona Method - Hale Dwoskin - the book version of the audio course.

[LawofAttractionHandbook]

I would recommend Brian Tracy's 21 Great Ways to Manage Your Time and Double Your Productivity Although its an audio course, it's still just as or more helpful.

I listen to a lot of Brian Tracy's programs because he explains things clearly and he has the results to show that his stuff works.

Hope that helps.

[agnostic]

Thanks a lot guys.

Tim:

Thanks a lot for breaking the ice.
I've paid it back by doing the same in your thread.

I've read Eliot's book and it was really great. Finally someone with new ideas. I liked the squirrel thing. It's really helpful for a nerd like me. I didn't know he has an audio-program. You've truly identified a must-have there.

Success principles is on my list, being a fan of "Power of Focus". Thanks for the recommendation. I'll check it out.

The buddhism audio seems interesting, too, even though it's not about productivity, I guess. I've been reading a lot of Zen-stuff and found it really good about becoming more peaceful.

Joely:

I've already read "The Monk ..." and "The Sedona Method" and found both really enlightening, especially the sedona method. "Things falling apart" seems to be what the doctor ordered for me right now. Heh, even though these books had not much to do with productivity, you gave me a very good recommendation.
Thanks.

LawofAttractionHandbook:

That looks like exactly what I was searching for. And Brian Tracy produces quality stuff. Thanks a lot.

[Adrian]

I second "The Success Principles" by Jack Canfield. While some of the topics and tips are pretty trite and overdone, there's a LOT in that book that's easily applicable and incredibly useful. Well worth the read, highly recommended.

[beautyscientist]

Jack Canfield's book is a good starting point and a very easy read. He doesn't really go into enough depth on anything so you need to look into further reading. My personal favourite is Getting Things Done by Dave Allen.

[agnostic]

Adrian:
Thanks for the info in Success principles. I've taken a peek at amazon, liked it and finally bought it.

beautyscientist:
Yeah, judging from the TOC, he covers a lot which makes it hard to go into detail. The excerpt I've read seems like he's somehow managed to do it anyway though.
Getting things done got a lot of hype which made me a bit sceptical. Why is it your favorite?

[Tim Brownson]

Joely, thanks for that I frequently forget about podcasts, I'll check them out.

agnostic I think you'll love his audio because they cut in a lot of him talking live, and he has a great delivery. He tends to talk quickly but I just love it. As for Getting Things Done by Dave Allen it's a useful book and I guess it is strictly on productivity whereas some of the books we're talking about are improving performance in general and becoming more like the person you want to be.

LOAH. I do like Brain Tracey although occasionally his delivery irks me the way he insists on emphasising words in a strange manner. He is the man though when it comes to peak performance and ranks up their with Norman Vincent Peale, Early Nightingale, Napoleon Hill, Jim Rohn and Dennis Waitley as the Godfathers of self-development.

[Stephen]

I suppose 'productivity' can be interpreted in various ways, but my three recommendations to increase your productivity would be the following gems:

Getting Things Done by David Allen

How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Bettger

Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude by Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone

[Tim Brownson]

C'mon people I want more!!

agnostic, it's weird I have the Sedona Method and have picked it up to read so many times and thought, nah, don't want to read that.

I want it on audio but it's like $220 or something equally outrageous!

Joely, I downloaded the monk chap and I'll listen when I'm next at the gym.

If anybody has any really great audio porgrammes I'm all ears.

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by Tim Brownson

C'mon people I want more!!

Have you read ALL of the recommendations above yet?

[evelynlim]

Gee...there seems to be a nice list of books to read here for me....I'm going to check all, with the exception of those I've already read, out....

I'm addicted to Self Help Books...LOL!!

All the best,
Evelyn

[agnostic]

Originally Posted by Tim Brownson

C'mon people I want more!!

agnostic, it's weird I have the Sedona Method and have picked it up to read so many times and thought, nah, don't want to read that.

I want it on audio but it's like $220 or something equally outrageous!

Hehe, thanks for motivating people, Tim.

You may want to release on your unwillingness to read the Sedona Method.
Seriously, It's a very good book. Even though the method is simple to the point of stupidity it's highly effective. You don't have to read the entire book (I wonder how he managed to write such a large book on what boils down to three questions anyway). Read the chapter where he explains the basic techniques, that's just a few pages.
The rest of the book is more of a clarification and recommendations regarding its use. I also think you can get audio excerpts for free on their website.

One reason I prefer books is because they are the cheapest form of getting new information (apart from getting it for free on the web, of course). You can get a book for 5 bucks and it can change your entire life if you've picked wisely. That kind of deal seems like a no-brainer to me. The key, though is to have a system in place to actually use what's in the book. The information is usually the same you'd get in a seminar or an audio program, but I admit that the delivery of the information is different in seminar or audio format.

Stephen:
Thanks for the recommendations.
I've ordered Getting things done. It seems like this goes straight into what I want to read so I'll take a look. I already have Bettger's book. What's Success through PMA about? I've read Think and Grow Rich. I guess it's similar.

There's also "First things first" by Stephen Covey, which I forgot to mention, which is about effectiveness and productivity, too, but still very philosophical, which is something I like, though.

Evelyn:

As long as you know how to use the info in all these books, that's a good addiction to have.

[gkittinger]

I would add two to the list:

The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, and for character development (whether you are a "believer" or not!) the New Testament of the Bible.

[Zombie]

There's a good chance that you're attempting to become ultra-productive at things that just don't matter. For that reason I highly recommend The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris. Of all the books I've ever read it is the most brutally precise at helping you find what's important and eliminating distraction.

However, it is very "business-y" (for lack of a better term) so if you're looking for touchy-feely "the universe flows through you" fluff then this isn't the book for you.

[Jonathan Mead]

I totally agree with you Zombie. I just started reading the 4 hour workweek and it has already brought me a lot of clarity on the difference between efficiency and effectiveness. I'm just starting to get into his writing on the 80/20 principle as well, I can't wait to read the rest!

[agnostic]

Thanks, Zombie. The 4 hour work week is a great book. Can't believe I forgot to mention it here.

Originally Posted by Zombie

There's a good chance that you're attempting to become ultra-productive at things that just don't matter. For that reason I highly recommend The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris. Of all the books I've ever read it is the most brutally precise at helping you find what's important and eliminating distraction.

However, it is very "business-y" (for lack of a better term) so if you're looking for touchy-feely "the universe flows through you" fluff then this isn't the book for you.

[Tim Brownson]

In the words Paula Sadbul I agree one million % with gkittinger. The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz is fantastic and in my top 10 of all time. The follow up by Jim Loehr 'The Power of Story' is equally as good.

[Jcs]

Agnostic,

I remember seeing the book at the local bookstore. Hard to miss with the hammock . Just wondering though, it had some kind of box with it. Don't remember what it was, you happen to know?

[agnostic]

Hmm... I don't remember a box. I ordered it online. Maybe there's a special edition out or something like that.

[jackieulmer]

Gotta go with the 4 Hour Work Week as my top right now. I went on the email diet about a month ago and WHAT a DIFFERENCE in my productivity. And, the world didn't come crashing down!

It's amazing what a drain on time and productivity email can be. Even time surfing the web.

At first. I had a hard time figuring out what to do with my extra time, which is pretty sad. Now, I am having a blast and spending a lot more quality family time.

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by jackieulmer

Gotta go with the 4 Hour Work Week as my top right now. I went on the email diet about a month ago and WHAT a DIFFERENCE in my productivity. And, the world didn't come crashing down!

It's amazing what a drain on time and productivity email can be. Even time surfing the web.

At first. I had a hard time figuring out what to do with my extra time, which is pretty sad. Now, I am having a blast and spending a lot more quality family time.

I nearly had a stroke and crashed the car whilst listening and laughing about