I generally try to stay away from productivity-themed reading because I just need a break. Plus, I like to think I’m more about being purposeful than efficient.
But a ton of good books on this big topic have been released in the past year (including my own). So if you need a boost of Togetherness over the holiday break, here are a few I’ve enjoyed:
–Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport. This may actually be one of my favorite reads on Togetherness in a long, long time. The author (who I’m about to friendly-stalk because he is DC-based!) talks a ton about how to make time for deep work and minimize shallow work.
–Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg. His first book was outstanding, but I loved this one too for the practicality of creating priority-driven To-Do lists.
–The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan. This one caught a lot of hype this year, and while parts of it can read as a bit obtuse, it also focuses a ton on actual prioritization.
–The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload by Daniel J. Levitin. He explains a lot of the why behind what I teach!
–Smart, but Scattered: The Revolutionary “Executive Skills” Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare. Not new this year, but I am keenly interested in executive functioning for kids. I wish there had been completed templates though!
One thing I find fascinating is that so many of these books are written by men. Why? Of course, some of my favorite female productivity authors (Laura Vanderkam, Gretchen Rubin, and Brigid Schulte, to name a few) usually take a slightly different perspective that leans more towards changing our country’s culture and structures.
What else am I missing? Don’t worry, I’m not all about the purposeful. During break, I hope to take a reading day and read this, this and this! Happy holiday reading! See you in the New Year!
PS Still need some Together gifts? Check out our past gift guides here, here and here!
