Best Books for Self Development Through Reading

I read two similar yet different books recently. The first, Indistractable by Nir Eyal, is about the pull of technology and how we can live with it, rather than rail against it. The second, Irresistible by Adam Alter, is about the pull of technology and how we are all hopelessly addicted to some form of tech, and our brains are turning from cucumbers into pickles because of it. Yes – that is an analogy from the book.

Many people read books and take them as infallible. If you don’t read much, you have fewer data points from which to conclude. Books have authority. They carry with them an “it’s published so it must be true” aura. However, it’s not the case. Books are still written by humans, who hold biases and interpret data and studies uniquely. Sometimes, the author’s interpretation is biased based on the topic of the book. Both Indistractable and Irresistible referenced a handful of the same studies. Yet the reader is left to interpret the information differently based on the tone of each of the books.

The beauty of books is that, when well done, they are fact-checked, often with sources cited, and biases noted by the author. It’s essential for you, the reader, to reflect on not only what resonates with you, but also why it resonates. I knew someone who would read a book and immediately want to implement the ideas with his team. He would read a book or two each month. Before too long, his team felt a mental whiplash from changing strategies so many times.

Just because an idea is in a book doesn’t mean it’s right for you or your team or business. However, if a belief in a book causes you to reflect and bring about change, embrace it, and allow small experiments to move you toward the new goal. Without self-reflection during reading, you’ll adopt a new idea after new idea without long-term success, leaving you and those around you confused and disappointed. When you read with self-reflection, you’re able to adopt new ideas successfully at the conceptual level and adapt those ideas to your life, team, and business.

If you’re looking for self-discovery through books, here are several of my favorites

Philosophy Trilogy - Ryan Holiday

• The Obstacle is the Way

• Ego is the Enemy

• Stillness is the Key

History / Current Events / Politics

• These Truths: A History of the United States - Jill Lepore

• A Warning - Anonymous

• The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap - Mehrsa Baradaran

Entrepreneurship / Leadership

• Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley - Emily Chang

• It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy At Work - Jason Fried

• Start With Why - Simon Sinek

• Dare to Lead - Brene Brown

Finance

• I Will Teach You To Be Rich - Ramit Sethi

Psychology

• Atomic Habits - James Clear

• Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less - Greg Mckeown

• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success - Carol S. Dweck

Happiness

• The Atlas of Happiness: The Global Secrets of How to be Happy - Helen Russell

• Big Magic -Elizabeth Gilbert

• Playing Big - Tara Mohr

Technology

• Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World - Cal Newport

• Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World - Cal Newport

Additional

• Educated: A Memoir - Tara Westover

• Why We Sleep - Matthew Walker

• The Four-Hour Body - Tim Ferriss

• Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers - Tim Ferris

Finally, journal. Take time each day and write what’s in your brain. You can copy words from a book to get started. You can doodle. You can write beautiful prose. The act of physically writing (not typing) is excellent for your mind and body. I highly recommend The Daily Stoic and The Daily Stoic Journal. Start there and see where the practice takes you.