Tabitha is trying to find time to paint more because it helps her relax. After a long day at work she comes home and does her chores, watches some television, and before she knows it, it’s time to go to bed.
She wonders where the time went and suddenly she gets up to try to accomplish something before it is time for her to go to sleep. She finally accomplishes something on her to-do list and it’s 2 hours past her bed time.
Does this story sound familiar?
Lets face it, time management is something that everybody deals with. Check out these 9 books that we recommend to improve your time management skills.
So what is it that some people do so that it seems they have more hours in the day than they need? It certainly isn’t doing things fast because [insert name here] moves slower than my grandmother and they still have plenty of time at the end of the day to relax.
Just like myself, I struggle with time management skills and I wanted to share with you 9 books that have drastically increased my ability to manage my time.
9 Books to Improve Your Time Management
1.) Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time
Brian Tracy is one of my favorite self-help authors. His information is easy to read and you can apply it immediately. This book will give you 21 methods to avoid procrastination and help you accomplish more things on your to-do list.
The paperback is only 128 pages of easy to digest information and I highly recommend making notes and using the information he provides. While there is no “new information,” this book provides you with information to create new positive habits to “eat your frog.”
This book is available in:
- Kindle
- Hard Cover
- Paperback
- Audible
- Audio CD
2.) Goal Setting: 7 Ultimate Secrets to Archieving Any Goal Quickly
Before you ask, I’m not sure how or why “Archieving” made it into the title and cover of this book… but I assure you it is worth the read.
I will say that with this book being only 54 pages, it makes for a quick read and it gives you some good tips on achieving any goal.
There are 6 things you will learn in the book:
- How to Create a Blueprint
- How to Become Personally Attached
- How to Include Support Groups
- How to Assess, Modify, and Maintain Readiness
- How to Continue to Succeed
This book is available in:
- Paperback
- Kindle
3.) An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything
The author of this book, Chris Hadfield spent nearly 4000 hours in space and has lived a fascinating life. This book is full is entertaining stories that teach you some of the insights that Hadfield has learned throughout the time he’s spent in space.
This book has received multiple raving reviews from big names you may recognize.
This book is a hefty 320 pages but I guarantee that you will get sucked into this book.
I was told that this book would change my life and it was right. I don’t care who you are, you need to read this book.
This book is available in:
- Hardcover
- Paperback
- Kindle
- Audible
- Audio CD
4.) The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It
Taking a science-backed approach to explaining what willpower is, Kelly McGonigal PhD writes about what exactly willpower is and how it works.
While this book isn’t strictly about improving your time management, The Willpower Instinct goes into detail about how willpower is a mind-body response and how this affects our daily life. The book mentions how “guilt and shame over your setbacks lead to giving in again, but self-forgiveness and self-compassion boosts self-control.” This definitely applies to me and it is something we all need to work on.
If you’ve ever been told that you are “too hard on yourself” and you want to stop procrastinating and losing track of time, this book will show you how to fix that.
The book is 288 pages; while it is science-backed, it certainly isn’t a difficult read.
This book is available in:
- Hardcover
- Paperback
- Kindle
- Audible
- Audio CD
5.) Procrastinate on Purpose: 5 Permissions to Multiply Your Time
Rory Vaden wrote a powerful book here about how to manage your time better by procrastinating on purpose.
You read that right…
This book takes a different approach on time management; eliminating what we don’t have to do and be free to do your best work. This is a completely different view on time management than I’ve seen in any other book… and I like it. This book is something you will turn to a few times before you start to realize exactly how powerful this book is.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Eliminate
- Automate
- Delegate
- Consolidate
- Procrastinate
This book is 256 pages and Vaden’s writing style is great. It will be easy to read but I bet you go back through it and pick up new points every time.
This book is available in:
- Hardcover
- Paperback
- Kindle
- Audible
- Audio CD
6.) Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
New York best-selling author David Allen takes an approach to time management similar to Vaden in that you need to cut out distractions and things that take away from the goal at hand. Relieve stress about a project’s due date quickly approaching by focusing on the project itself, and taking action instead of thinking about a goal are two of the many points I took away from this book.
This is a rewritten version that was updated to include more information dealing with technology. The original was written in I believe 2002; a lot has changed since then.
The book is 292 pages and a little bit bland to read through, but you learn quite a bit from reading.
This book is available in:
- Kindle
- Paperback
I would highly recommend buying the Kindle version, I had a physical copy and it was cheaply made. A friend of mine showed me the kindle version and it is much easier to read and enjoy.
7.) What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast
Have you ever been alert and awake before your alarm and get a few chores done before work? Didn’t your day feel productive afterwards?
What about the days your alarm doesn’t quite wake you up and you seem to be unable to accomplish anything? Yeah, we’ve all been there.
This book talks about how to use every hour more productively. The author, Laura Vanderkam, helps inspire you to think about your morning routine in a different light and jump-start your day with a productive beginning.
This book is great because you get to see how others turn their waking hours into productive pieces of machinery while getting digestible information that you can apply to yourself. The book is 192 pages and the way it is written makes it easy to finish.
This book is available in:
- Kindle
- Paperback
- Audible
- Audio CD
8.) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families
If you’re looking at the title and you think it rings a bell, this book was written by Steven Covey, who also wrote The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Taking a step outside of the business and corporate life, this book focuses on the family. This book has some entertaining stories about ordinary people as well as nuggets of information that you can apply to your everyday life. This book goes over things like how and why to have family meetings, the importance of keeping promises, and more.
To me, this book is much more digestible and applicable to my own daily life than The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People because of the approach taken. This book is a whopping 390 pages but it is worth the read.
This book is available in:
- Kindle
- Hardcover
- Paperback
- Audible
- Audio CD
9.) The Fringe Hours: Making Time for You
Jessica Turner does a great job with this book by writing about ways to get rid of guilt and finding time to pursue your passion.
This book is primarily written towards women but if you have a thirst for knowledge like I do, this book is still worth the read if you’re a man.
There is no revolutionary information here, just a different take on a way to approach life and let go of thoughts that limit you from pursuing a passion.
The book is 272 pages and a decent read.
This book is available in:
- Kindle
- Paperback
- Audible
- Audio CD
On a side note:
Learning how to manage your time better will improve your life and performance on all levels. These books are a great tool to open your mind and provide some new insights on ways to increase productivity and decrease inactivity.
For anyone who has goals or has dreams they want to achieve. Have you ever heard of S.M.A.R.T. goals? Smart goals stand for Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely and using this as a guide to create your goals are important if you want to achieve them. Check out the article I wrote on another website here.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the reviews of the books. I highly encourage you to check them out and let me know what you think.
Be the first to comment on "9 Books to Improve Your Time Management"