12 best books like Atomic Habits for motivation in 2024

Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by BJ Fogg

Read Tiny Habits for… a practical guide that will inspire you to create lasting change through the smallest steps.

Tiny Habits is the most frequently recommended book to read next after Atomic Habits, and for good reasons. As you might guess, it’s another book about habits, in particular the quick wins, little steps, and small choices that will transform your everyday life and routines.

As BJ Fogg – research psychologist and founder of Stanford’s Behaviour Design Lab – explains, starting small is exactly how you lose weight, build your business, sleep more, or do anything else for that matter.

Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You by Ali Abdaal

Read Feel-Good Productivity for… the anticipated new book by popular productivity expert Ali Abdaal for December 2023, exploring how if you make your work feel good, productivity takes care of itself.

As Dr. Ali Abdaal explores in this highly anticipated new personal growth book, productivity doesn’t have to be at the expense of your mental health. In fact, with feel-good productivity, you can get more done while feeling better than ever.

Together with inspiring stories of founders, Nobel Prize-winners, and Olympians, Ali draws on decades of psychological research to show that the secret to productivity and success isn’t hustle and grind – it’s feeling good.

Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport

Read Slow Productivity for… Cal Newport’s new guide to the lost art of accomplishment without burnout, available from March 5, 2024.

Slow Productivity is 100% one of the most exciting new personal growth books for 2024. Written by Cal Newport – one of my favourite non-fiction authors (you’ll find two more of his books in this list) – this is his new guide to pursuing meaningful accomplishment while avoiding overload.

With timeless lessons from the routines and habits of history’s most creative and impactful writers, artists, philosophers, and scientists, Newport explores the key principles of “slow productivity” in an age of pinging notifications and overflowing inboxes.

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

Read Essentialism for… a powerful reminder of the value of doing less (and doing the right things).

Essentialism is one of the best books to read after Atomic Habits. It’s all about the power of simplicity and a narrow focus, offering valuable tools to help you build the right habits and avoid overwhelm, especially in your work life and creative projects.

If you love reading Essentialism, I can also recommend reading Greg McKeown’s 2021 book, Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most.

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport

Read Deep Work for… an in-depth look at how to train your focus and reach your biggest goals, whether it’s writing a book, completing a degree, or anything else.

In today’s age of distraction, focus is one of your most powerful – and neglected – ways to stand out from the crowd and achieve your goals.

Deep Work is Cal Newport’s essential guide for anyone seeking focused success and the rewards of slow, imaginative ways of thinking in a fast-paced world.

When I first read the book in 2016, Deep Work helped me to narrow my focus and balance my energy so I could work on my personal projects outside of work. It’s one of the personal growth books I most want to re-read in 2024.

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

Read Getting Things Done for… an introduction to the art of stress-free productivity – and a reminder that the quality of your work correlates with how relaxed and clear-headed you feel.

There’s a reason why Getting Things Done is recommended by so many founders and leaders: it’s one of the best productivity books of all time to help you organise your mind, create systems for success, and get more done.

The main takeaways from the book? 1) Get things out of your head and onto lists or systems. 2) If you can do something in less than two minutes, do it now.

So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport

Read So Good They Can’t Ignore You for… a guide to identifying what you do well and doubling down on it (which is especially useful for twentysomethings).

I first came across Cal Newport’s writing through his productivity books for students, all of which I can thank for teaching me how to prepare for exams in the shortest time.

I read So Good They Can’t Ignore You as soon as it was released, covering the book with annotations and Post-its as reminders to prioritize the skills I wanted to excel at – in particular, writing, which became my career.

It offers a fantastic deep dive into why skills are more important than passion in finding work you love.

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

Read Four Thousand Weeks for… gentle philosophical encouragement to think about what’s most important to you in the grander scheme of things – and a reminder to give it the attention it deserves.

In this life-changing book, Oliver Burkeman writes beautifully about productivity, but with a different definition than the one you’re probably used to.

Burkeman defines productivity as prioritising what matters to you in the grand scheme of things: the four thousand weeks you have to live your life. It’s a fantastically thought-provoking book to pick up if you want to think more deeply about how you spend your time.

The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan

Read The ONE Thing for… a transformative reminder of the power of focus and single-tasking in your life and work.

I read The One Thing early in my twenties and still think back to it when I find myself overwhelmed and unfocused – it’s such a powerful read.

This bestselling productivity book is ultimately about narrowing your focus to find the one thing that will make everything else easier or unnecessary. As the authors show, if you can do that – over and over again – you can create extraordinary results.

I Didn’t Do The Thing Today: On Letting Go of Productivity Guilt by Madeleine Dore

Read I Didn’t Do the Thing Today for… a permission slip to celebrate the messy unpredictability of life, written for anyone who’s ever felt pressure to do more and achieve more.

I couldn’t resist the premise of this book (nor the cover). Published in 2022, I Didn’t Do The Thing Today is Madeline Dore’s guide to letting go of productivity guilt and accepting that you can’t do all of the things – and nor should you.

Oliver Burkeman has described the book as “the best kind of productivity manual, filled with guidance for actually getting around to more of the things that matter.”

The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

Read The Miracle Morning for… the inspiration to wake up earlier and create the best possible start to your day.

If you love reading books that blend motivation with productivity advice, read this. After nearly losing his life in his early twenties, Hal Elrod knew that he needed to shake things up.

This book is his story of how he did just that – in the hours before 8 am. Try your own Miracle Morning for a week to see how it changes your level of joy, focus, and productivity.

Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential by Tiago Forte

Read Building a Second Brain for… a game-changing guide to creating a digital archive of your most valuable memories, ideas, and knowledge – and freeing up your focus for what matters most in each moment.

“How often have you tried to remember something important and felt it slip through your mental grasp?”

So begins Tiago Forte’s bestselling guide to the simple act of writing things down, teaching you how to best organize your knowledge and ideas and spend more time doing the most creative work you’re capable of. It’s one of the best books to read after Atomic Habits to apply your new habit setting prowess to your digital life.

For more inspiring books about productivity, habit-setting, and achieving your goals, you might also like…

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