Some books leave an impact for a short time, other books inspire you to do life changing moves. Here is a list of the books that have made a real impact in my life.
1. Getting Things Done*
It should come as no surprise that I start this post by recommending Getting Things Done – The art of stress-free productivity by David Allen.
This is the revised 2015 edition of the book that started a productivity movement. The book is so good that, if I could, I would sell it with a money-back-guarantee.
2. Good to Great*
This is not a new book, but the history is still interesting. Collins and his research team identified a set of elite companies that made the leap to great results and sustained those results for at least fifteen years.
Over five years, the team analyzed the histories of all twenty-eight companies in the study. After sifting through mountains of data and thousands of pages of interviews, Collins and his crew discovered the key determinants of greatness — why some companies make the leap and others don’t. The findings of the Good to Great study will surprise you.
3. Gentleman
This is one of the best books ever written on the subject of menswear. It is so good that I wrote a separate blog post about why I recommend it.
What book to give to a young, aspiring Gentleman?
4. Millionaire Upgrade
The book Millionaire Upgrade: Lessons in Success from Those Who Travel at the Sharp End of the Plane is maybe the one book I have made most notes from.
Inspired by the true story of a flight with Sir Richard Branson, Millionaire Upgrade blows the lid off the accepted beliefs about successful entrepreneurs.
Through the combined wisdom of interviews with 50 self-made millionaire entrepreneurs, this book takes you on your own personal master class in success.
5. How Ronald Reagan changed my life*
When a young and aspiring speech writer meets an American president called the great communicator he get’s a unique chance to learn from the very best.
This book gives a unique insight into how it was to work alongside a man that set out to change a nation and ended up changing the world.
6. Start with Why*
Don’t ask me why. Just read the book. 😉
Start with Why and Getting Things Done – The art of stress-free productivity are the two books that have made the biggest impact on my daily life.
Start with Why literally changed how I relate to my commitments, both professionally and privately.
A lot of my inspiration to create a personal mission statement came to me after reading this book and re-thinking my purpose and motivation in life.
Read my blog post Why you should have a personal mission statement.
7. Who moved my cheese*
This is an entertaining and thought-provoking little book. Cheese is the metaphor for what is important in our life.
Change is happening at an ever faster pace, both in our work-life and personal life. In other words: Someone is always moving the cheese. Read this in order to learn how to expect the unexpected.
Disclosure: Links marked with * are affiliate links. This means that if you buy a product using this link, I may get a small commission. Book Depository has free worldwide shipping. I would never recommend a product without trying it and liking it myself.