10 Books to Boost Your Creativity and Productivity
When’s the last time you read a book that changed everything? I mean, a book that completely captivated you and gave you renewed excitement about living in a new era after what you had learned?
1. Linchpin by Seth Godin: If you’re feeling a little lost in your career or need some inspiration, Seth Godin is here to help. Rockstar sections include overcoming your resistance (self-doubt) and creating a map instead of always following directions, but there’s a lot to love here. It’s a book that forces us to acknowledge just how silly our excuses are and make things happen.
2. Play by Stuart Brown: Remember when you were a child and had more time to play? It turns out you weren’t just goofing off and it was essential to your development. Even today, there’s so much science behind why play may be crucial to your success and creativity.
3. The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau: This is the kind of read that gives you a kick in the rear if there’s something you really want to do, but have somehow convinced yourself that it’s not possible. Guillebeau helps us identify when we’re just making excuses. You’re going to be so fired up once you read this. (Image via 1 Year Sabbatical)
4. Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky: There are so many great ideas out there, but only a fraction of them ever come to fruition. Curious as to why that is? Scott Belsky has taken years of experience, research and observation to pinpoint exactly what the difference is between the geniuses that deliver and everyone else. (Image via Levenger)
5. Ignore Everybody by Hugh McLeod: The best ideas are always resisted because threaten others with change. So you can’t be worried about what everyone thinks. Ready for 39 other keys to creativity? I thought so. (Image via Enticing the Light)
6. Spark: How Creativity Works by Julie Burstein: This collection of stories investigates what inspired some of our most creative artists and thinkers plus the processes behind their work. Hearing the stories of Yo-Yo Ma, Kevin Bacon and others just might help you find a spark of you own.
7. Manage Your Day to Day by Jocelyn Glei: Today’s genius has less to do with ideas than it does with our ability to focus. You’ll learn to build a rock-solid routine, find focus in a distracted world, tame your tools, and sharpen your creative mind from some of the best in the biz. (Image via Creative Inspiration)
8. It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want To Be by Paul Arden: A pocket guide to reaching your potential. You’ll be reminded why failure can we a great thing and why ambition is far more important than just being born talented. These are all things we know, but need reminders of. Oh, and you’ll never guess what Posh Spice aspired to be like and why it was pretty brilliant. (Image via Joshua Stocker)
9. I Swear To Good You Are God At This by Dave Brown: 72 pages of creative inspiration featuring 25 awesome people, products and ideas. You’ll be convinced that now is the perfect time to take risks and start investing in you. (Image via Holiday Matinee)
10. I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi: Okay, so this title doesn’t have anything to do with creativity, but do we really want to spend any more time than necessary dealing with our personal finances? We want it spend it doing the work we love! Sethi gives us the essentials of personal finance in a non-stuffy voice, something that many of our parents and schools have failed to do.
Did I miss any creativity and productivity reads you’d vouch for? Tell us in the comments below!
