5 Best Time Management Books for More Productivity

All small business owners need these time management books in their personal library!

They say that all great entrepreneurs are avid readers. We 100% agree with that. Business books can teach you so much.

When it comes to productivity, the books below are a goldmine. They have so many fantastic techniques that will help you with time management.

Some are more practical in nature. They’ll contain actionable techniques to optimize your work schedule. Some are more about mindset. Fundamental principles that will change the way you look at work forever.

Whichever you need most right now, this list of books is for you!

Here’s What We’ll Cover:

1. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport

2. 80/20 Principle: The Secret of Achieving More with Less by Richard Koch

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

4. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

5. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss

Key Takeaways

1. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport

Deep Work is probably my favorite time management book of all time. It will revolutionize the way you see your work. When you can identify the tasks that require full attention, deep work kicks in. Cal Newport’s well-researched book provides actionable tips with time management theory. You’ll learn the best way to create a deep work schedule every week. You’ll also learn which tasks best suit the deep work ethos.

Biggest takeaway: How to eliminate distractions effectively for in-depth work sessions. Cal Newport makes a case that effective people create focus in everyday life to tackle a challenging task.

2. 80/20 Principle: The Secret of Achieving More with Less by Richard Koch

The 80/20 Principle is based on the Pareto Principle. The idea is that 80% of results come from 20% of the effort. Doesn’t that sound too good to be true? Well, Richard Koch will change your mind with his profound book. It is one of the older books on this list, but the core principles are universal. This book is all about focusing on what truly matters. Which part of your work tasks really move the needle for your business? Focusing on those will transform your business and your daily life.

Biggest takeaway: How to prioritize effectively for a streamlined work schedule. One of the biggest bad habits we have as entrepreneurs is believing everything is urgent. That’s how we end up burned out. Learning to prioritize helps eliminate overwhelm in every aspect of life.

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

This is one of the most popular business books of all time. It remains a best seller in the business space and with good reason! Its fundamental time management techniques are so useful to entrepreneurs of all kinds. This book is both mindset and technique. You’ll learn how to manage your to-do lists without overwhelming yourself. Managing stressful situations is also a skill David Allen covers proficiently. Anyone with a passing interest in personal organization absolutely needs this book.

Biggest takeaway: Defeating overwhelm with good task management. Knowing how to tackle a difficult task list is key to a stress-free life.

4. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

This is not your average productivity book. This is more about the philosophy of essentialism. Once you internalize the meaning of essentialism, I guarantee your relationship with work will change. The core principle is figuring out the absolute essential tasks of any project. What is the most important thing? You’ll look at your task lists differently and stop piling on. You’ll also come to peace with not completing absolutely everything. This will help your productivity overall.

Biggest takeaway: How to do less to get your time back. This comes back to prioritizing, but also knowing which tasks to let go of completely. You can only do so much work in your daily routine.

5. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss

Ask 100 entrepreneurs for their best productivity book. The 4-hour workweek will be on most people’s lists! Tim Ferriss has supercharged his career with this one book. There are over 50 practical tips in this book. There are also case studies that show you how fellow business owners have made the 4-hour workweek work for them.

One thing to note is Tim Ferriss’ ideas can be a bit radical. The best way to read this book is with a “pick and choose” mindset. You don’t have to use 100% of the book’s advice. Read and review each time management tip for yourself to see if it’ll work for you.

Biggest takeaway: How to outsource. Delegation is one of the cornerstone productivity hacks that Tim talks about in the book. Effective outsourcing can help you a achieve work-life balance.

Key Takeaways

We hope you find this list of impactful books helpful! No matter which book you pick up, you’ll learn basic principles of time management that will hugely improve your life. Though for my personal book recommendation, Deep Work will change your life!

For more time management tips, head to our resource hub.

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