Even though I read a lot, I read more intentionally and purposefully in 2020 than I had previously in my entire life. In my 2020 Year in Review, I listed the most impactful books I read and listened to. Today, I’m going to dig into the three most influential books I read in 2020. In total, I read ten books, listened to two audiobooks, and read the entire New Testament. Most of the reading was directed towards learning and focusing on self-improvement. Specifically, I wanted to become more efficient and productive. For me, I like to know the ‘why’ for doing things, and some of the books helped me understand the why about myself, productivity, and efficiency. Two of the books I read and one of the audiobooks I listened to have been eye-opening, while also being incredibly informative and helpful. The most influential books I read (and listened to) this year were Atomic Habits, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, and Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
This book had the biggest direct impact on my everyday life. I read Atomic Habits early in 2020, and I changed and added some habits that have certainly helped me be more productive and efficient. A few of the ideas from Atomic Habits that I’ve implemented are habit stacking, habit tracking, and breaking bad habits.
The story that had the biggest impact on me from Atomic Habits was about a focus on ‘marginal gains’ that brought the British cycling team from obscurity to the top of the sport. No Brit had won the Tour de France in over a century. By focusing on marginal gains (and a ton of hard work and training), the British cycling team was able to become the top Olympic cycling team and have the individual winner of the Tour de France six times from 2012-2018. The change wasn’t accomplished overnight, but the results speak for themselves.
This is a book I would recommend to everyone. Even if you’re only able to apply a few techniques from the book, that could lead to positive and considerable changes in your future.
What ‘marginal gains’ or small habits can you start or change in 2021?
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Some people are surprised to find out that I am an introvert, but I definitely am. Quiet certainly reinforced that. Some of the descriptions in this book made me realize just how much I am an introvert. From wanting to go on long, challenging hikes alone to realizing the exhaustion that comes with spending time and energy in groups of new people, I definitely realized my need for ‘quiet time’ by myself. After reading Quiet, I gained a much greater understanding about how to operate in extroverted settings better and how to recover after being in those settings.
I’d highly recommend this book for all introverts, anyone in a relationship with an introvert, and anyone that is in a leadership or managerial position. For those in leadership or managerial roles, this book will be a great help for you to better understand introverts and interact with them as their supervisor.
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
Although we think we have passion and perseverance, many of us fall quite short of having the follow-through or grit needed for to show true passion and perseverance. Grit digs into what grit is, what makes us have grit throughout our lives, ways to find our passions, ways to improve our own grit, and ways to help our children grow their own grit. By diving into historical and current research, Grit uncovers some great insights.
I highly recommend this book for all parents, people looking to find their passion, professionals who have ‘plateaued’ and are looking to breakthrough to the next level, and anyone else curious about finding out what it takes to be the best at something.
Wrapping Up
I hope some of you do try out and benefit from some of these books. I hope they can be as helpful and informative for you as they were for me. What books do you recommend?
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