To be successful in business and in life, you must learn how to manage your time. And you can learn how to manage your time by reading the best time management books.
You must learn how to manage your time effectively in other to balance the number of tasks and your capacity to work on them at any given time.
When you get that down, you’re also saving yourself tons of stress, since you won’t feel like you’re constantly rushing and burning the candle at both ends.
In this blog post, I review the best time management books of all time which will help you in time management and productivity.
When you’re starting a new business, it’s easy to get sidetracked by tasks that aren’t high-value.
After all, as a startup entrepreneur, your time is valuable—you don’t want to waste it.
The problem is, in our fast-paced society, we’re constantly being bombarded with stimuli.
From an endless stream of social media updates and emails to coworkers stopping by your desk every few minutes with questions (or worse: interruptions);
It can be difficult to stay focused on what really matters.
And in order for your business to grow, succeed, and reach its full potential, you have to have a laser focus on what’s most important.
One way you can do that? By reading the best time management book
What are the Best Time Management Books to Read?
If you’re looking for the best time management books, you’ve come to the right place.
There are some great titles in this list of the top 27 time management books, and you’ll find that each one offers a different perspective on time management.
Whether you’re looking for a book to help you manage your time at work, or you’re looking for a book to help you develop good habits, this list has something for you.
1) Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
Author: David Allen
This book is a simple system for managing everything you need to get done, so you can stop worrying about all those things and focus on what matters most.
With it, over 10 million people have replaced their time-management systems, to-do lists, calendars, text files, and more; with something far better.
Reading this book will help you to hit your goals by eliminating open loops so there’s no unfinished business hanging over your head
2) Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time
Author: Brian Tracy
According to the author, if you ate a frog first thing in the morning, you’d have a pretty good idea of what kind of day you were going to have.
The frog here represents your biggest task for that day.
When it comes to achieving your goals, priorities, and responsibilities – and yes, even managing your time – knowing what needs to be done is just as important as doing it.
3) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
Author: Stephen R. Covey
I read a lot of books, but this is one of the best time management books. It’s not just a book about being more productive – it’s much deeper than that.
The 7 Habits are broken down into different sections:
- Be Proactive
- Begin with the End in Mind
- Put First Things First
- Think Win-Win
- Seek First to Understand
- Then to be Understood
- Synergize and Sharpen Your Saw.
Each one helps you work through some aspects of time management and productivity from a different perspective.
4) The 4-hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the Rich
Author: Tim Ferris
A lot of time management books emphasize managing yourself, your time, your energy, and your priorities.
But what if you could spend less time managing all that stuff and more time actually doing things?
In the 4-hour Workweek, lifestyle design guru Tim Ferriss lays out how to get from here to there;
- how to reduce or eliminate unimportant tasks
- decide what you want to do with your life (or at least what type of business you want to start)
- and even drop bad habits.
Some may call it laziness, but Ferriss believes in being productive while relaxing.
This book will help you work smarter, not harder – so that more time can be spent on activities that add meaning and quality of life.
5) Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
Author: Oliver Burkeman
In the book, the author details his efforts to develop a time-management system that will actually help him get things done.
The book’s subtitle says it all: A Year of Productivity and Purpose.
In other words, not only will you learn how to manage your time better in order to get more work done
But you’ll also learn how to reorient yourself as a person with a set of productive purposes rather than just another boring clock puncher.
6) 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management
Author: Kevin Kruse
What do some of history’s most productive and highly effective people have in common?
According to productivity expert Kevin Kruse, it isn’t an Ivy League education or a corner office with a view.
He maintains that it’s simpler than that. Successful and highly effective people know what time management techniques work best for them and make sure they get things done when they need to be done.
In this book, Kruse shares insights from some of history’s most prolific minds on how they stay organized and productive.
7) Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Author: Cal Newport
Deep work is a concept that’s become popular over recent years, particularly among knowledge workers.
In this book, Cal Newport writes about how to make deep work a reality in your professional distraction-free life.
He explains that we live in an age where distractions abound and shallow tasks can seem easier and quicker than taking on larger projects with greater depth.
However, deep work is possible if you know how to manage your time well;
Newport breaks down what you need to do to embrace both depth and efficiency when it comes to your workflow.
If you’re interested in getting more out of each day (and who isn’t?), then consider reading this book.
8) 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think
Author: Laura Vanderkam
This is a great read for anyone who’s ever felt that they don’t have enough time to do everything. It’s another best time management book out there.
In 168 Hours, Vanderkam breaks down how you can make your 168 hours each week work for you in order to get more things done.
From planning around busy schedules and making room for spontaneity to how to find free time in your life
This book provides an in-depth look at prioritizing your schedule so that you get things done and feel less stressed about it.
If you feel like you never have enough time on your hands, pick up a copy of 168 Hours!
9) Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind
Authors: Camille Darby and Jennifer Garvey Berger
Creative and highly effective people are already familiar with Mantras like focusing on your priorities or stopping multitasking.
However, knowing what to do and actually doing it can be two very different things.
This book will teach you how to find your focus, and sharpen your creative mind.
The author also discusses how everyone (not just creatives) can gain focus and become more productive. This is one of the best time management books.
10) Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day
Authors: Jake Zeratsky and John Knapp
If you’re looking for something simple and straightforward, getting this book is a good place to start.
It breaks down the four key components of being better with time:
- planning,
- attention management,
- communication, and
- organization.
If you’re looking for a step-by-step plan to improve your time management skills then make sure you read Make Time.
11) Strategies and Tips for Time Management: Secrets to Organizing Yourself and Ending Procrastination
Author: Jack Barret
The basics of time management are simple, but they’re also difficult to pull off in practice.
When you start feeling overwhelmed, it’s easy to fall into a cycle of procrastination where you feel like you need to finish everything that needs doing right now.
Rather than thinking about how little time you have left, work backward from your end goal and figure out what needs to be done today, tomorrow, and next week.
By looking at things from a bird’s-eye view and using the principles discussed in this book, you’ll learn practical ways for not only managing your time better
But setting yourself up for success along the way.
12) Organize Tomorrow Today: 8 Ways to Retrain Your Mind to Optimize Performance at Work and In Life
Authors: Dr. Jason Selk and Tom Bartow
This book is one of the best time management books for those who need to develop more focus.
In this book, Selk and Bartow provide lots of practical advice about how to create an actionable plan that works for you.
This is a must-read if you’re serious about improving your optimized performance at work – and in life.
13) The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right
Author: Atul Gawande
The Checklist Manifesto is pure gold and it should be in every single entrepreneur’s library.
- If you have ever struggled with getting things done
- Like your team was a mess and unorganized
- or you are interested in increasing productivity
Read this book. It will definitely change your life will change for good.
In fact! The Checklist Manifesto helped me in creating checklists, which have made my life easier and my goals clearer.
14) The Power of Habit: Why We Do What Do In Life and Business
Author: Charles Duhigg
It might be a little ironic that you see a book about habits on this list.
However, this book is an interesting look at how to break destructive habits and cultivate good ones.
If you want to get in control of your life, this is one of the best time management books by Charles Duhigg.
it’s well worth reading.
15) Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
Author: Greg McKeown
The author of this book makes a powerful lesson for why less will always be more in our lives.
He explains that Essentialism: The disciplined pursuit of less is not about how to get everything done; it’s about getting only what matters done. The right thing.
If you want to accomplish your highest priorities, then you must eliminate all the nonessential activities in your life.
16) The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less
Author: Richard Koch
Koch’s 80/20 Principle focuses on tasks, outcomes, and achievements.
This book shows you how to identify your top 20% of tasks that give you 80% of results, and then focus on what is most important while getting rid of excess or unnecessary activity.
Although it is similar to David Allen’s GTD (Getting Things Done), it differs in being more results-oriented with less emphasis on systems.
The concept has been popularized as the Pareto principle or the law of the vital few, which states that for many events, roughly 80% of effects come from 20% of causes.
17) Time Management in 20 Minutes a Day: Simple Strategies to Increase Productivity, Enhance Creativity, and Make Your Time Your Own
Author: Holly Reisem Hanna
Do you know?
- In 20 minutes, you can fit in a shower and shave your legs.
- within these 20 minutes, you can cook two meals.
- You can work on one of your most important projects and make measurable progress in 20 minutes.
The truth is when we think of time as a limited resource – as if there’s so much to do each day – then we feel hasty and pressured.
If you’re guilty of saying I don’t have enough time! Read and try out some of the strategies from this book.
These powerful productivity tactics are designed for you if you want to
- set aside more time for creative pursuits,
- spend less time at your desk, and
- be able to say yes when friends ask for help.
18) Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself
Author: Mike Michalowicz
If you want to get things done and not spend every waking moment scrambling to keep up;
You’ll need a business that runs itself or at least one where your time is spent more effectively.
With Clockwork you will be able to do just that. This book breaks down the process for building systems and infrastructure into a business so it can run by itself.
Whether you’re just starting out or thinking about upgrading your existing system, Clockwork has something valuable to teach you about time management and productivity.
19) How to Stop Procrastinating: a Simple Guide to Mastering Difficult Tasks and Breaking the Procrastination Habit
Author: S.J. Scott
One of your main responsibilities as an entrepreneur is to get things done in a timely manner and deliver results on time.
But sometimes you can’t seem to stay focused long enough, even when there are a lot of tasks at hand.
- So how do you stop procrastinating?
- How do you stop putting off what needs to be done so that you can move forward?
Simple: turn to self-help guru S.J. Scott for help!
In his book, Scott shares his own experiences and tips on how to overcome procrastination and stick with productive behaviors instead.
20) The 30-Day Productivity Plan: Break The 30 Bad Habits That Are Sabotaging Your Time Management – One Day At A Time!
Author: Damon Zahariades
For most people, daily to-do lists are overwhelming, stressful, and keep us from achieving our goals.
If you’re looking for a new productivity plan that really works, look no further!
This book is geared towards anyone who has trouble managing their time and accomplishing their goals—from work to family.
It will show you how to break your bad habits and develop good ones.
21) Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
Author: James Clear
Habits are one of those things that everyone wants to work on, but no one really knows how.
Thankfully, James Clear has written a guide on exactly how to build good habits and break bad ones.
Atomic Habits breaks down each step of forming good habits into easy-to-follow steps that anyone can use.
It’s simple and clear enough for any beginner to understand, which means it’ll help take your productivity to new heights in no time at all.
This book is straightforward and practical – it might be just what you need!*
22) Surge: Your Guide to Put Any Idea into Action
Author: Matt Kane
Entrepreneurs will tell you that they need to have strong willpower and self-discipline to keep their business going.
But the truth is, you can’t just turn on those skills when you want them – they require mental preparation before use.
That’s where Surge comes in “Drum roll”
The book’s lesson focuses on a simple formula: if you want something to happen, get started immediately and don’t stop until it does.
Whether your goal is to start a company or go for a run, doing more things with more energy will always lead to success.
It may sound too easy – which means it just might work.
23) Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention–and How to Think Deeply Again
Author: Johann Hari
Attention is a resource. Once depleted, it requires time to replenish.
If you find yourself constantly distracted and never able to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes at a time, you’re not alone.
The ability to focus seems to be decreasing worldwide at an alarming rate.
As our culture becomes increasingly fast-paced and attention spans continue getting shorter;
It’s more important than ever that we recapture that ability to pay attention deeply in order to think well – and do good work.
Deep thinking isn’t just a luxury, it’s essential if we want our workplaces and communities to be productive places of innovation, imagination, and creativity.
24) No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs: The Ultimate No Holds Barred Kick Butt Take No Prisoners Guide to Time Productivity and Sanity
Author: Dan S. Kennedy
Would you like to use your time more effectively? If so, you need to read this best time management book.
The book is a truly honest look at what you need to do in order to manage your time better, whether you’re self-employed or have a job that makes time management difficult.
It is extremely straightforward, as well as easy to understand, making it incredibly easy for anyone who’s looking for an improvement in their own personal productivity.
25) The Workplace Guide to Time Management: Best Practices to Maximize Productivity
Author: Phoebe Gavin
This book is written by two experts in time management and covers a wide variety of topics, including calendar management, e-mail, meetings, phone calls, and more.
It features instances from actual businesses that have implemented these principles and now has checklists, worksheets, and training tips, so you can go on to apply them yourself.
The authors also emphasize that reducing stress should be a top priority for all managers and gives step-by-step suggestions on how to make it happen.
26) Take Back Your Time: The Guilt-Free Guide to Life Balance
Author: Christy Wright
Looking for a time management guide that’s easy to read and even easier to follow? If so, this book is your best bet.
The step-by-step approach helps readers find a balance between work and life, making it one of the best time management and productivity books of all time.
Also, there are practical rules in this book, like setting boundaries with technology, etc., so you feel more in control without restraining yourself.
27) The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth about Extraordinary Results
Author: Gary Keller
The bottom line is, time management isn’t about managing time. It’s about setting priorities and making sure you focus on one thing at a time.
That’s exactly what this book preaches: How to do more by working smarter, not harder.
The author explains that it’s not enough to have clear goals; you also need clarity on what exactly you’re trying to achieve with each goal.
This is where many run into trouble because they have too many goals (and not enough hours in a day).
In fact, he claims that everyone should only have one thing: whatever it is that must be done for your long-term vision to come true.
Final Words
We all know that time management is important.
And we also know that it is the key if we want to create time for ourselves, spend time with our families, and of course, our careers.
But only a few have mastered it.
There’s no way you can read all the best time management books mentioned here. There are just too many of them, and they’re all trying to solve problems.
So instead of trying to read all of them, pick one or two, read them, apply them, and get back to getting things done.
The ideas in these books may seem simple, but they’ve helped change lives for decades.
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