Staying productive during the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t been an easy feat, especially after months of home-based work. Whether you feel like you lose whole days of work thanks to a lack of productivity, you have too much to do or you’re just in need of inspiration, here are three productivity books to help you change your outlook or inspire you to adjust your habits while working remotely.
If you are having negative thoughts about the prospect of starting something new or daring, and are trying to get over your fear, this is the book for you. The book’s central premise revolves around sharing one’s expertise. It suggests that although you may not be an expert in a particular field, if you have attempted anything at all, you can still share that experience as there may be an individual who will find that knowledge helpful. The author offers suggestions for getting one’s work out there and contends that by sharing your work, you are helping others which is an inherently good and worthwhile cause.
This book is easily read within one hour and is full of quotations, impactful ideas and real, tangible advice. It encourages you to take small steps to sharing something that you know and allows you to see that in taking risks, there really isn’t much to be afraid of. So much of what Kleon writes will resonate with anyone looking to boost their output of creativity or for anyone looking to try something new.
This book is the perfect boost of motivation and is a great read for anyone who is looking for the secret to outstanding achievement. In this book, University of Pennsylvania psychologist, Angela Duckworth, explores why “passion and resilience are the secrets to success.” She talks about the concept of ‘Grit’, which she defines as the sustained effort derived from a combination of passion and perseverance. She combines evidence from her own research and case studies to debunk the idea that there is an innate natural gift or talent that allows some people to stand out of the crowd. Although she does not deny that natural talents exist, she suggests that “as much as talent counts, effort counts twice.”
In her book, Angela highlights that ‘Grit’ is not a fixed quality and can, in fact, be developed by cultivating its four key components – interest, practice, purpose and hope. In this book, you will not find that ‘Grit’ is about “sucking it up and getting it done.” Instead, the reader is prompted to abandon the notion that our abilities are fixed and adopt a growth mindset when coping with adversity and challenges.
Angela urges the reader to reflect on the work that they are already doing and how that makes a positive contribution to society. She also prompts the reader to make changes to their work in order to strengthen its connection an individual’s core values. This book serves as a reminder that when you try new things, the goal is not to be the next Mozart or Dickens but rather, to put persistent effort in what you like in order to reach your personal potential which is far greater than most of us believe.
If you’re looking for ways to make the most out of your day and focus on what really matters to you, then this book is a worthwhile read. Both authors are former Google employees who devoted their time to designing products like Gmail and Google Hangouts. This experience has given them special insight into why these platforms are so captivating and how to prevent them from taking over our lives. This little book filled with charming illustrations recognizes that there is no one size fits all approach to improving productivity and suggests various efficient tactics.
The authors tackle fundamental questions like “Why is life so busy?” and in doing so, they acknowledge that today, we experience many more distractions than there were just a generation ago. These are categorized as either ‘the busy bandwagon’ or ‘the infinity pools’. The former leads to endless tasks while the latter, leads to endless distraction. The authors contend that we cannot solely rely on willpower to manage these external forces and instead, they suggest a four-part framework for the reader to use to deal with these distractions.
Make Time is short with simple composition, offering very practical and easily digestible strategies to use daily, ideal for anyone who feels overwhelmed at work, at home, or in any part of life. The book serves as an excellent reminder to prioritize your life around your values and passions instead of fixating on the demands of other people, school or society.