In 1989, Stephen Covey published “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” and nearly four decades later, his framework for setting and meeting long-term goals is still a classic. It has also helped spawn a whole self-help subgenre.
Best-sellers have explored every facet of productivity. Charles Duhigg’s “The Power of Habit” looked at the neuroscience of behavior change. “Atomic Habits” by James Clear touted small, deliberate steps as the way to growth, and Oliver Burkeman’s “Four Thousand Weeks” took on time management from an existential perspective.
Books like these aren’t just useful for juggling our obligations, said Anne Welsh, a psychologist and executive coach in Cambridge, Mass. “Four Thousand Weeks,” she noted, has also helped her clients come to terms with their limits — that there isn’t enough time to do everything they’d like.
In other words, productivity books can encourage us to prioritize what really matters. These four books were recommended by psychologists, business professors and professional coaches. They provide evidence-based tools you can use on your path to healthy productivity.
“Joyful” by Ingrid Fetell Lee
What we do with our time is important, but where we spend it is also critical. Ingrid Fetell Lee, an industrial and product designer, stresses this idea in her 2018 book, which explores how physical spaces can inspire us to be more productive.
With chapters focusing on themes like “energy” and “renewal,” Ms. Lee illustrates how our “environment shapes motivation and creativity,” said Emily Cassel Copeland, host of the podcast “Like Nobody’s Business.”
Ms. Lee includes case studies in urban design to illustrate how our immediate surroundings can change us. For instance, she describes how moods lifted in Tirana, Albania, when the mayor repainted gray Communist‑era buildings in bright colors.
Gretchen Rubin, the host of the “Happier with Gretchen Rubin” podcast, says the book gives us small ways for “amplifying delight and beauty in our environment.” Ms. Lee recommends that readers practice what she calls joy-spotting, in which you pay attention to the colors and objects that inspire happiness on your daily commute.
“Deep Work” by Cal Newport
This book isn’t nudging people to get more done, said Amy Wrzesniewski, a professor of management at the Wharton School; it’s encouraging them to focus on one task at a time.
Dr. Newport, a professor of computer science at Georgetown University, differentiates “deep work” — like writing research papers or discovering theorems — from “shallow work,” such as drafting quick email responses. Deep work is invaluable, he writes, but it cannot happen when our attention is scattered.
To make his case, Dr. Newport presents examples of people who have successfully used time blocking or social media bans. His book also points to behavioral science and neuroscience research on productivity, such as the finding that interrupted work, which leads to fractured attention, harms the quality of what we make.
The book is “filled with practical insights for finding flow,” said Adam Grant, a professor at the Wharton School, who included the book in his 2025 syllabus.
“The Checklist Manifesto” by Atul Gawande
In this 2009 book, Atul Gawande, a surgeon, public health researcher and writer, highlights a tool that can help us do things better: the humble checklist.
Checklists, he argues, encourage us to stop, think and improve the tasks we take on. “Just ticking boxes is not the ultimate goal here,” Dr. Gawande writes. “Embracing a culture of teamwork and discipline is.”
Though Dr. Gawande draws on health care settings to make his case, the book explores how checklists can improve fields like aviation, finance and engineering.
“The Checklist Manifesto” isn’t a how-to, but the appendix includes lots of checklist examples, even “a checklist for checklists.” It serves as a “crucial reminder that we all must do thorough checks and ask the right questions to get the results we want,” said Jan Yager, a sociology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
“Burnout” by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski
Emily Nagoski, a researcher and sex educator, and her sister, Amelia Nagoski, a former music professor at Western New England University, question the pressures women face to be unceasingly productive.
They argue that, if we aren’t careful, the relentless grind to stay on top of everything can fuel burnout, which has been linked to issues like poor sleep, physical pain and stomach problems.
“Burnout” is written for women, who often bear the weight of household and caregiving responsibilities. The authors share steps to “help alleviate chronic stress and allow for growth,” said Christal Castagnozzi, a psychologist in Toronto, who works with clients facing burnout.
By being clear about how stress is experienced in the body, readers can set themselves up to become their most effective selves. The first step is to “complete the stress cycle,” intentionally moving out of fight-or-flight mode. The authors offer a host of techniques for doing this, including giving readers permission to feel their feelings — crying when the need arises, for instance.
“One thing we know for sure doesn’t work,” the authors write, “just telling yourself that everything is OK now.”
The post Want to Accomplish More This Year? These Books Can Help. appeared first on New York Times.
