Besides this book's main purpose — to help you manage your time more wisely and plan your affairs — the book has another valuable side. Before writing it, over the last 5 years I read over a hundred other books. Although the first half were on IT topics, the second half covered a wide range: self-improvement, planning, popular science, psychology, health and many others. As you may have noticed, throughout the theoretical part I often referred to various books and authors. It is time to list them again — you may already know some, others perhaps not. Before publishing my top recommended books, I must mention that I have an Instagram account (@books_re_views) where I briefly review books I have read and comment on them. There is also my recommended list there; the difference is that on Instagram it is more up to date. So I recommend subscribing and following the books and my top list.
The first few books are not directly about productivity, planning or efficiency. They are mainly scientific but written for the general reader. I see every day that the vast majority of people — and yes, probably you too — have a distorted view of reality and the world we live in. Distorted reality leads to distorted beliefs. Distorted beliefs in turn lead to distorted goals and desires. Distorted goals and desires waste your energy, money and time on things that are empty and pointless. First and foremost, people need to be rational in life and know at least the basics of how the world works and what laws it follows. If they are not, no productivity book will help. So here are the first 7 books. You can find the rest I recommend in my other book or on my Instagram.
Sergey Yazev — Myths of the Past Century
Genre: Popular science
Comment: So far this is the best book I have ever read. I would not say I learned a lot that was new, but I was glad to find a kindred spirit who is not just an enthusiast but a scientist: professor, doctor of physics and mathematics, laureate of various prizes and member of scientific bodies. Relying on science but explaining in plain language, the author demolishes pseudosciences such as horoscopes, astrology, ufology, Nostradamus's predictions, and exposes some medical "miracle" devices. He describes popular charlatans of the past century who, as respected figures, spread their crazy ideas through public trust and poor education. I strongly recommend this book to everyone.
Asya Kazantseva — Someone Is Wrong on the Internet!
Genre: In search of truth, Interesting facts, Investigative journalism, Popular science, Social psychology
Comment: The telling title does not fully capture the book's meaning, but that is for the better. The book covers the uselessness (or rather harmlessness) of homeopathy, the benefits or lack thereof of acupuncture, and why you should not only not fear GMO products but often they are safer and more beneficial. It also touches on vegans and vegetarians, religion, the pros and cons of meat, vitamins and much else. From a biological and evolutionary standpoint the author dispels popular myths and received wisdom. The information is backed by many medical studies in lab and clinical settings and by psychology. All topics are tied to biology and the human body, and the style is free of jargon and accessible to non-specialists. At the end the author returns to the title and explains how to tell scientific research from pseudoscience and dubious sources in the flood of online information. One of the best books I have read — a must-read!
George Clason — The Richest Man in Babylon
Genre: Personal effectiveness, Personal finance, Self-improvement, Financial well-being
Comment: Probably one of the best books I have read on money and financial well-being. It covers saving, budgeting, investing, and even promissory notes and secured loans. All in very clear language with examples from ancient tales and stories.
Alexander Panchin — Apophenia
Genre: Dystopia, Ironic prose, Social fiction
Comment: The book is a dystopia written in a humorous style. I rather envy the author: he wrote this, not I. It is one of the first books I would give to conspiracy theorists, horoscope fans, believers in charged water and anyone who sees hidden meanings where there are none. To me, as someone who has been into the exact sciences for about 15 years, the everyday behaviour and decisions of most people often seem as absurd as the situations in the book. Reading it, everyone will be struck by how ridiculous the scenarios are. Yet in real life every one of us does even sillier and funnier things — we just do not notice. 10 out of 10. A must-read! The book is short and can be finished in one or two evenings.
Malcolm Gladwell — Outliers: The Story of Success
Genre: Success stories, Self-improvement / personal growth, Social psychology, Psychology of success
Comment: A general-development book I knew about in advance; I was familiar with some examples and the theme. But while reading it still regularly surprised me with interesting facts. I liked it so much that instead of re-reading my long notes I plan to listen to the audiobook on runs. The book explains how month of birth affects a person — not from astrology or horoscopes but from the morals and rules we have built in society. It covers many national traits and mindsets. The author addresses why Asians are especially successful in maths (dispelling the myth of their "mental superpowers"), why passenger planes piloted by Korean pilots used to crash often, and compares Robert Oppenheimer with Christopher Langan, the man with the world's highest IQ. One of the book's main messages is the importance of luck: being born at the right time, in the right generation and society.
Carol Tavris, Elliot Aronson — Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)
Genre: Psychology
Comment: This book is a bombshell! I strongly recommend it to everyone. It is about how important it is to admit your mistakes and stop in time instead of doubling down and making things worse. It touches on many areas of life, from family to school and work. It has a wide range of examples and true stories of both famous and ordinary people. Easy to read and leaves a deep impression. Highly recommended!
Robert Kiyosaki — Rich Dad Poor Dad
Genre: Personal finance, Self-improvement, Financial well-being
Comment: The book's content stayed with me even years after reading, which shows how engagingly the author described events and structured the book. Overall it compares the influence and very different advice of the narrator's own father and his friend's father, with whom the hero also spent a lot of time.
