Personal development books Part 2

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Did you know that about 40% of our daily activities are actions we repeat every day? This book is a real bible on habits, explaining how to understand them, how they work, and how to better manage them to make them work for us. It is more "documented/theoretical" than Gretchen Rubin's book, but very complementary. If you are interested in the topic of habits, you can order both books for yourself with your eyes closed!

The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor

"Most people think that success in life makes them happy, but the opposite is true: it is happiness that makes you successful": that is the main idea behind this positive psychology book, which offers a very interesting approach to happiness and how to achieve it. The book consists of 7 principles to help you become happier in your daily life and increase your success, all backed up with concrete and interesting examples and references. Most of the book is "business/corporate" orientated, but the lessons can easily be transferred to the personal sphere as well.

The Four Hour Weekby Tim Ferriss

You've probably already heard of this book, whose promising title caused quite a stir not too long ago. A four-hour week? How is that even possible? Despite the fact that the book's teachings are sometimes a bit extreme and very "American", it provides very interesting food for thought, particularly about time management. It is thanks to this book that you will look at your emails less often, not waste time constantly dealing with your inbox and messengers, trying to reply in a second when all the topics are not urgent (if you are honest with yourself, less than 5% of the emails and messages you deal with every day are really urgent), and that is a real revelation! The great thing about this book is that it's full of precise, practical advice, ready to be applied as soon as it's released. It may not be to everyone's taste, but they will make you wonder, and that's great! While the book is of interest to everyone, it will be especially useful to those who are self-employed: it's easier to apply the principles when you have complete freedom to manage your time.

Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

This is a great book on personal development, especially if you are a "morning person". The book proves that small changes can have a big effect! Hal Elrod enthusiastically shares his tips on how to become happier by creating a routine and offers to "test" his teachings yourself. That's what's so appealing: the methods are given in a ready-made form and can be applied the very next morning. Although you may be sceptical about some of the points, but believe me, by putting his methods into practice (by getting up earlier and following his morning routine, which he describes in detail in his book), you will really become much more productive and effective. For example, if you start meditating in the morning, you will soon feel how much you enjoy it! It will only take you a few months to adapt your routines to your new lifestyle (adapting them to your preferences and free time in the morning) and you will find that these routines are a real breath of fresh air of a new day!

Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin

This book came out in 2012 and is not just about personal development, but about happiness in the home! Like Operation Happier, Gretchen Rubin decided to write her book over the course of a year, with specific themes for each month. There are many parallels to her first book, but here she delves into the intimate and personal realm and, as always, gives easy to follow tips and advice on reconnecting with "home" and making your apartment/home a place of joy for yourself and others!