I love reading and my favorite books are on improving your life in some way. One of the best things one of my first managers ever did was hand me a copy of a book on improving your career by improving your life.
Here are a few of my favorite picks:
Atomic Habits by James Clear
I love the book Atomic Habits because it helped me understand that I don’t have to make a huge life change to make a new habit stick. And frankly, I shouldn’t! Instead, do you want to find a spot where you can insert a new small habit.
Maybe you hate flossing, so maybe your tiny habit is that you put your floss on top of your toothbrush every night. Maybe you can’t remember your vitamins so you put them on top of your coffee pot.
If you want to be a runner, put your running shoes out. If you want to be a better coder, leave open a side project on your screen so you’ll work on it for twenty minutes!
Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read this book. The book is about taking unstoppable ownership over your life. It’s about giving 30% more than you think you have left.
How does this help your career?
It helps you stop setting limits for yourself. Too often, I felt that I couldn’t do something in my career and the largest voice saying I couldn’t do it was my own.
I’ve switched from frontend to backend, frontend to blockchain, and frontend to iOS. I never thought I could do any of that. A big part of that was just persevering.
Deep Work by Cal Newport
Deep Work is a career changer. Nobody actually does deep work anymore! You think you do, but you don’t. If you’re checking your phone throughout a working session,
In the last two weeks, I completed 30 sprint points at my job thanks to focusing on deep work instead of being distracted.
If you need a little extra help learning how to be productive again, I highly recommend Focused.space as well.
15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management by Kevin Kruse
Okay, yes this book looks like one of those books that you might poke some fun at. BUT it’s actually a really amazing book. I’ve implemented so many of the suggestions into my own life and it’s become a game changer for me.
The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
How often do you sit up and just get on your phone? If you can create more hours in your day to learn, you can improve your career.
On the days I wake up and focus on a good morning, the entire day is better. The days that I wake up and sit on my phone? Not so great.
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my own book, the Junior to Senior Guidebook which is everything I’ve learned over the years about going from junior to senior.
Leave a Reply