20 Best Time Management Books to Add to Your Reading List

All our lives, we have been taught the importance of time management. And yet, the majority of people suffer from poor time management. 

Procrastination, a lack of self-discipline, and distractions make it difficult to follow good time management strategies.

But, how can you change that? Fortunately, we have got some books on time management that will teach you how to manage your time effectively. 

When you browse through the internet, you find hundreds of options. How do you identify the best time management books?

Fret not, we have curated a list of the 20 best time management books that will help you make a conscious choice. We have laid down the summary for each book to help you with your to-read list.

Let’s begin, shall we?

List of Top 20 Time Management Books To Read

#1. Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy

Are you guilty of procrastinating? Do you constantly worry about not being able to meet deadlines? Then you must read Brian Tracy’s ‘Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time.’

In this book, Tracy addresses one of the most common issues that people face when it comes to time management: too much to do too little time.

The author uses the old saying of eating a live frog every morning to tackle the most difficult tasks of your day. He uses this as a metaphor to explain that if you start your day by eating a live frog or completing the most challenging tasks first, it will help better organize your day and increase productivity.

With the advent of technology, Tracy also addresses prioritising your tasks and preventing distractions due to social media. 

#2. The Pomodoro Technique: The Life-Changing Time-Management System by Francesco Cirillo

Francesco Cirillo’s ‘The Pomodoro Technique: The Life-Changing Time-Management System’ is counted among the best books on organization and time management.

Like many time management books, this book too addresses the problem of completing too much in too little time. Cirillo attempts to solve this problem by introducing the Pomodoro technique. The Pomodoro technique helps improve our productivity by dividing our day into 25-minute intervals, known as ‘pomodoros’.

During these 25-minute intervals, Cirillo suggests that people complete their tasks without any distractions or interruptions, with frequent short breaks. This technique enables us to achieve more in less time and regain control of our daily lives.

#3. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join The New Rich by Timothy Ferriss

If you are someone who does not want to join the rat race or work a 9 to 5 job for the rest of their lives, then this book is for you. Timothy Ferriss’s book ‘The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join The New Rich’ provides tips on how you can achieve what you do in a 40-hour workweek in a 4-hour workweek.

Ferriss emphasises the Pareto principle or the 80/20 rule – 80% of your productivity comes from 20% of your time while the remaining 20% consumes 80% of your time.

The author proposes getting more done in less time by eliminating the remaining 20% of your productivity. He advises you to determine your goals, get rid of all possible distractions, automate or delegate manual tasks, and design your job in such a way that increases mobility.

#4. 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam

We all strive to be productive, accomplish our goals, and develop good habits. However, living in a fast-paced world, where time seems to be a luxury, being productive seems like a distant dream.

What if someone told you that you have more time than you think? Laura Vanderkam’s time management book ‘168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think’ convinces you of the same.

In the book, Vanderkam explains how successful people manage their time differently than commonfolk. She describes that we need to control our time instead of letting it control us. By prioritizing the most important tasks, you can get eight hours of sleep, exercise daily, and make time for your family, friends, and hobbies.

#5. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport

If you are searching for the best books on time management in the workplace, look no further than Cal Newport’s ‘Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World’. 

Newport’s book discusses how the workforce of today chooses quantity over quality and rewards excessive multitasking. This affects the productivity of young professionals and stops them from engaging in ‘deep work’ or working in an environment free from all distractions.

The book emphasizes the importance of introspection and taking time off social media. It also encourages workers to not take shortcuts to success and tips to improve one’s cognitive abilities.

#6. Pressed for Time-The Acceleration of Life in Digital Capitalism by Judy Wajcman

Judy Wajcman’s book ‘Pressed for Time-The Acceleration of Life in Digital Capitalism’ talks about the relation between technology and time.

Today, most of us can attest to the fact that technology has made our lives easier. At the same time, it has also made our lives fast-paced. Wajcman argues that digitalization is not responsible for our time constraints. Instead, the priorities and tasks we set for ourselves, along with living in a world that thrives on a ‘hustle culture’, have made us appear busy all the time.

In this book, the author does not provide any tips on time management. Instead, she explains how you can leverage technology to navigate a fast-paced life. 

She gives insights into how the advent of the industrial era has led to the commodification of time and how its usage differs among various sections of society. Additionally, the book also helps readers understand how changes to the working environment, family setup, and parenting can impact time stress.

#7. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

Many people associate high productivity levels with high levels of stress. However, David Allen would disagree. His book ‘Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity’ proposes a methodology to achieving your peak productivity without undue stress.

Allen’s methodology, known as ‘Gettings Things Done’ or ‘GTD’, is a five-step process to help you become productive at home and in the workplace. It also aims to change the way you view your life and work.

The five steps included in the GTD methodology are Capture, Clarify, Organize, Reflect, and Engage. The first step, Capture, helps you record or document everything that has your attention. 

The next step, Clarify, helps you brainstorm on whether the things you want to do are actionable or not. If they are actionable, you should decide your next course of action.

The third step, Organize, helps you set reminders on what tasks you need to complete to achieve your intended outcome.

Reflect helps you look back at your actions, regain focus, and find ways to complete your work in a more efficient manner.

The final step, Engage, encourages you to trust yourself and take decisions with confidence and clarity.

#8. The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande

 

Atul Gawande’s ‘The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right’ addresses how we can use checklists to solve the challenges life throws at us.

Gawande’s book argues that despite the strides made in science and technology, we still face avoidable problems.

Checklists are something that all of us have used at some point in our lives. However, how many of us actually complete it? In the book, the author explains what checklists can and cannot do, and why they are required in almost every field.

Through stories, Gawande discusses how complex problems have been overcome through the use of simple checklists. This book has become among the bestsellers on time management and has been adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO) to create a simple surgical checklist. 

#9. The Bullet Journal Method: Track Your Past, Order Your Present, Plan Your Future by Ryder Carroll

A New York Times Bestseller, Ryder Carroll’s ‘The Bullet Journal Method: Track Your Past, Order Your Present, Plan Your Future’ helps you transform your life using the simple Bullet Journal Method.

Carroll describes his own experiences with time management apps and planners, all of which failed to reap the desired results. He then began creating bulleted journals, which were not only effective but helped him complete tasks in a stress-free way.

Furthermore, this book describes a three-step process to improve your life: Track your past, Order your present, and Plan your future.

Track your past helps you create a simple and comprehensive record of your thoughts and goals.

The next step, Order your present, includes reducing your workload and creating mindful yet productive checklists.

Plan your future is the final step and helps you introspect your long-term and short-term goals, simplify complex tasks, and align your beliefs and actions with each other.

#10. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change by Charles Duhigg

If you are looking for a good time management skills book, Charles Duhigg’s ‘The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change’ is your answer. 

This book tackles one of the most common issues we humans face: how to develop good habits? It provides insights into why some people learn new habits quickly while others continue to stay in a rut.

Using neuroscience, Duhigg explains how we can develop the right habits and the secret pressure points that can make all the difference between failure and success.

#11. Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half The Time by Jeff Sutherland

A scrum is a unique approach to project management that has been adopted by various companies worldwide.

In this book, Jeff Sutherland explains how the practice of scrum operates and how it can be used to accomplish tasks in lesser time, be it at home or work.

With the help of scrum, you can understand what exactly you want to achieve, how to achieve it, and how to track your progress. The book is replete with examples from small and large organizations on how to get things done.

Although the practice of scrum is usually designed for teamwork, individuals can use its principles in real-life to accomplish their goals.

#12. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

Stephen R. Covey’s ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ is considered among the best books on time management and productivity. This time management book is one of the most selling book.

The book stresses the importance of looking within our mental, physical, and spiritual health. It also presents a classic principle-centric approach to solving problems in our personal and professional lives.

Covey states that one should live a life led by honesty, fairness, integrity, and dignity. To achieve the same, he proposes seven habits that everyone should adopt to become successful: recognize your responsibilities, set clear goals, prioritize your tasks, adopt a win-win approach to nurture relationships, become a good listener, strive to synergize with others, and work on yourself daily.

#13. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

Essentialism is a technique that only helps you focus on the most important things at hand.

Greg McKeown’s book ‘Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less’ elaborates on the practice of essentialism. By adopting the practice, you can identify the absolutely essential tasks and eliminate everything else. As a result, you are only focusing on the most important things you need to work on.

The book aims to help you regain control of your choices so that you can channelize your time, efforts, and energy to things that actually matter.

#14. Make Time: How To Focus On What Matters Every Day by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky

‘Make Time: How to Focus On What Matters Every Day’ by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky is for all those who struggle with keeping productive.

Knapp and Zeratsky, both productivity experts, explain a four-step framework that you can use to design your time around important things. The framework consists of over 80 tactics, including making your bed, eating without staring at screens, exercising daily, controlling social media usage, and spending time with like-minded people.

The four-step framework proposed in the book consists of selecting a highlighted task that is important and achieving it daily, eliminating all distractions, and staying in good physical condition.

#15. Time Warrior: How to Defeat Procrastination, People-pleasing, Self-doubt, Over-commitment, Broken Promises and Chaos by Steve Chandler

It is not uncommon for us to fulfill our promises to people and ourselves. Often, poor time management skills like procrastination affect our productivity, which in turn, negatively impacts our self-image and self-esteem. For some, it can also lead to spiraling into a vicious circle of self-loathing and self-doubt.

Steve Chandler’s book ‘Time Warrior: How to Defeat Procrastination, People-pleasing, Self-doubt, Over-commitment, Broken Promises and Chaos’ is meant for people who have time and again, failed to develop healthy time management skills.

The book encourages people to become ‘non-linear’ and prioritize their tasks more effectively. By accomplishing this, you will also be able to get rid of bad habits such as over-commitment, people-pleasing, and letting fear hold you back.

#16. 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management- The Productivity Habits of 7 Billionaires, 13 Olympic Athletes, 29 Straight-A Students, and 239 Entrepreneurs by Kevin Kruse

Ever wanted to know how your favourite sportspersons and entrepreneurs manage their time? Have you felt envious of the straight-A students in your class? Not anymore, as Kevin Kruse’s book ‘15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management- The Productivity Habits of 7 Billionaires, 13 Olympic Athletes, 29 Straight-A Students, and 239 Entrepreneurs’ is here to spill the beans.

This book contains all you have ever wanted to learn about successful time management. It consists of the top 15 habits adopted by some of the world’s most successful people for effective time management. 

These habits include focusing on minutes, not hours, following the 80/20 rule, delegating tasks, establishing and following a fixed morning routine, using a notebook, and maintaining energy levels by adopting healthy eating and sleeping habits.

#17. Organize Tomorrow Today: 8 Ways to Retrain Your Mind to Optimize Performance at Work and in Life by Dr. Jason Selk and Tom Bartow

Do you have control over your mind? Or does your mind control you? In the time management book ‘Organize Tomorrow Today: 8 Ways to Retrain Your Mind to Optimize Performance at Work and in Life’, Dr. Jason Selk and Tom Bartow offer tips on how you can retrain and change your mindset to maximum performance.

Selk and Bartow help people understand how to achieve more by doing less and offer eight fundamental tips on optimizing your time and getting rid of your bad habits.

#18. The 80/20 Principle: The Secret of Achieving More With Less by Richard Koch

Richard Koch’s ‘The 80/20 Principle: The Secret of Achieving More With Less’ is counted among the best books on time management and productivity.

This book emphasizes the Pareto principle, which states that 80% of our productivity can be achieved with 20% of work. It explains the importance of how less is more and focusing more on doing things you are good at.

Koch also provides tips on succeeding on both the personal and professional front and living a happy and healthy life.

#19. Zen to Done: The Ultimate Simple Productivity System by Leo Babauta

‘Zen to Done: The Ultimate Simple Productivity System’ by Leo Babauta is your guide to creating a peaceful and stress-free life.

Babauta, in his book, explains how you can make your life more productive with a few simple habits. The book teaches you the habits you need to stay on top of your schedule, inculcate these habits, simplify large projects into smaller tasks, and minimize your workload.

#20. The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention, and Energy by Chris Bailey

Chris Bailey’s book ‘The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention, and Energy’ is meant for those who strive to excel by achieving more in less time.

Bailey offers tips and insights into improving his productivity levels by changing small habits. These habits had a significant impact on his professional and personal life and helped him accomplish a lot more than before.

In the book, the author explains ways to achieve your desired results. These steps include eliminating distractions and unimportant work, stopping trying to be perfect, allocating less time to insignificant tasks, and the 20-second rule to distract you from common distractions.

Conclusion

Time management books help you develop better time management skills and help with your physical and mental well-being. These books explain how you can achieve more in less time while being stress-free. What’s more, these books aim to help you understand that it is not difficult to develop good management skills, provided you are committed to doing so!