Can self-help help?
First up. Do you read self-help genre? Are you one of those who assume that life doesn’t need to be navigated with lessons? Do you think you can solve most of your problems intuitively? Well I cannot and I need help. For me living isn’t entirely as simple as that and I find it useful to have somewhere to turn to. Where? Books, of course. You can get help on anything you want – life goals, productivity, happiness, decision making, networking, fitness, self-appraisal etc.
While I enjoy reading this genre, I am also mindful of the fact that no amount of advice and suggestions can yield results unless I do something. ‘Do something’ could start small like making changes that make me more productive at work. This genre can work very well for you if you pick the right book that offers practical hacks to your asks. Here are 5 books I recommend:
1. On the Shortness of Life, by Seneca
This book brought the concept of Stoicism to my life. I built my ways on how to de-clutter my mind, prioritise my time and not lose myself to everyday issues. This was written in 49 AD, but it so relevant even today.
2. The Art of Thinking Clearly, by Rolf Dobelli
A must read. It helped me dispel many wrong notions I’ve always carried around.
3. Deep Work, by Cal Newport
This book helped me build techniques to achieve optimal level of productivity at work, manage my time on social networks, ritualizing a lot of habits and most importantly dealing with boredom.
4. Happiness by Design, Paul Dolan
While I strongly feel that the concept of happiness is so elusive that there is always a huge element of subjectivity, there are still ways of managing it. All I need to do is manage my ‘attention’, and reset mistaken beliefs, desires and projections. I’d say I am getting better at it.
5. Never Eat Alone, by Keith Ferrazzi
Making connections has to be a lifestyle choice and not be opportunistic. Networking is an art and I haven’t been great at it. This book gave me tips and practical ways of doing it. I am still far away from getting good at it, but I’ve taken the steps to succeed at it.
Hope you enjoying reading these five. Saying it again, read this genre to learn as well as apply.
