Optimize You: Productivity, Focus & Personal Effectiveness

Read these books when you’re feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or distracted—and need to regain focus, improve habits, and make better decisions faster.

Atomic Habits – James Clear

Read this when you want to make small changes that compound into big results—this is the go-to guide for building better habits and breaking bad ones.

Deep Work – Cal Newport

Read this when distraction is killing your productivity—this book helps you reclaim focus and do meaningful work that moves the needle.

The 80/20 Principle – Richard Koch

Read this when you’re overwhelmed and need to focus—this book teaches how a small percentage of inputs create the majority of your results, and how to identify and amplify them.

The Paradox of Choice – Barry Schwartz

Read this when you or your customers are frozen by too many options—this book explores how excessive choice creates anxiety and indecision, and what to do about it.

Buy Back Your Time – Dan Martell

Read this when you’re stuck in the weeds—this book shows how to delegate tasks, reclaim your calendar, and scale yourself as a founder.

The 4-Hour Workweek – Tim Ferriss

Read this when you’re overworked and want more freedom—this book shows how to automate, outsource, and design a life on your own terms.

Building a Second Brain – Tiago Forte

Read this when you’re drowning in ideas, notes, or content—this book teaches a system for organizing your thoughts and using them to take action.

Drive – Daniel H. Pink

Read this when your team (or you) lacks motivation—this book explores what really drives people beyond just money or rewards.

Thinking, Fast and Slow – Daniel Kahneman

Read this when you want to understand how your brain makes decisions—this deep dive into cognitive bias helps you lead and decide more effectively.

Lateral Thinking – Edward de Bono

Read this when you’re stuck solving problems the same old way—this book teaches how to think differently and unlock creative breakthroughs.

Principles: Life and Work – Ray Dalio

Read this when you’re ready to codify your values and decision-making process—this book shares timeless principles for life, leadership, and business.

Decisive – Chip Heath & Dan Heath

Read this when you’re struggling to make big decisions with clarity—this book offers a research-backed process to counter bias and make smarter choices.

The Personal MBA – Josh Kaufman

Read this when you want a crash course in business fundamentals without the cost or fluff of a traditional MBA.

Measure What Matters – John Doerr

Read this when you want to align your team around goals that actually move the business forward—this book introduces the OKR system used by Google and others.