Every year, our community shares amazing and inspiring books and articles that changes the way we work, think, and live. Here are our favorite books and articles of the last year. Hope it inspires you to be more productive, intentional and effective in the coming year!

Caveday’s Required Reading from 2019

Books

“Atomic Habits” by James Clear
Small changes can make a big difference over time. Unlike other habit books, it’s very practical and relatable to making lifelong changes.

“Company of One” by Paul Jarvis
Building a business that is sustainable without killing yourself trying to be the next unicorn.

“Culture Code” by Daniel Coyle
Building better team cultures through psychological safety and giving honest feedback.

“Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown
Having brave conversations as the cornerstone of better leadership. How to align your values and “rumble” as she calls it.

“Digital Minimalism” by Cal Newport
Learning to focus in the age of distraction. Cal Newport continues to be a big influence on our business.

“How to Break up with Your Phone” by Catherine Prince
A basic primer to minimizing our biggest addiction and becoming more aware of our use of tech.

“Indistractible” by Nir Eyal
Becoming resilient and impervious to distractions and interruptions is how we get the life and work we desire and deserve.

“The Infinite Game” by Simon Sinek
Relationships, business, careers are not about “winning.” It’s about setting a vision and working towards a just cause bigger than yourself or your organization.

“Invisible Women” by Caroline Criado Perez
The world is designed for men, and the data that our world is built on is completely biased against women.

“It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work” by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
The founders of Basecamp on rethinking how an office and company should be run. Refreshing and practical tips using their own culture as examples.

“Keep Going” by Austin Kleon
Getting unstuck creatively and finding ways to push through and unlock inspiration and process.

“This is Marketing” by Seth Godin
Helping reframe finding your audience and who it’s for. A lot of the basic tenets of the altMBA course and Akimbo workshops are rooted in this book.

“An Undivided Life” by Parker J. Palmer
Aligning our soul, purpose, and work in our values and modules for living more courageously.

“Unsubscribe” by Jocelyn K. Glei
Managing your inbox (and other tech) with practical tips.

Articles

“Not Every Hobby is a Side Hustle” (New York Magazine) by Ann Friedman
The value of having creative outlets and using our talents as gifts, not just to make us money.

“The Case for Doing Nothing” (NYTimes) by Olga Mecking
Why relaxing and having the space for thinking and being is so important to our mental health and our work.

“Donut Manifesto” by Lara Hogan
What happens when you keep track of your wins (in this case with donuts) and document each one?

“Why the Depth Year was my Best Year” by David Cain
Instead of trying a million new things and learning from scratch, go deeper on what you already have, do and love.

“Work before Passion” by Seth Godin
Passion doesn’t come out of the blue. It comes from experience of a field. Start with the work, let the passion come.

“Roads or Buildings?” by Seth Godin
An idea for building our work’s legacy. What gets remembered longer and how can we be building things that last?

“How to Do What You Love and Make Good Money” by Derek Sivers
It’s simpler than you think, but it might not be a choice that you’re willing to make.

“I’m Boring” by Paul Jarvis
Designing a business and a life without surprises, fire drills, or craziness. It’s possible and reminds us that most of our lives are used to such wild swings.

“Who Will Teach Silicon Valley To Be Ethical?” (NYTimes) by Kara Swisher
No one is keeping track of the designers, developers, and engineers building the tools that influence the way we think and interact with our world.

“In Search of Lost Screen Time” (NYTimes) by Paul Greenberg
Imagine what we could do if we put down our phones for a year. All the hours we spend on our phone is taking away from the lives we want.

“Why Freelancing Creates Anxiety About Money” (New York Magazine) by Charlotte Cowles
What happens when our time is what we’re selling and how to think about our lives not in the billable hour but in the value we can deliver.

“Tech is Downgrading Humans” (Wired) interview of Tristan Harris
The founder of The Center for Humane Technology talks about his new phrase for how technology affects our brains and why it’s so dangerous.

“Productivity Isn’t About Time Management. It’s About Attention Management” (NYTimes) by Adam Grant
Focus is the learned superpower of the 21st century. This just proves that.

“The Attention Diet” by Mark Manson
Not a cleanse, but how can we put our attention on a diet and limit what we spend our focus on in order to be more productive, fulfilled humans?

“Work is Like Water” (NYTimes) by Karen Rinaldi
Like water, work will fill the space it’s given. Using surfing as an analogy, Rinaldi walks through her navigating a toxic work environment.

“The Moral Peril of Meritocracy” (NYTimes) by David Brooks
The peaks that we reach in our 20s and the inevitable valleys that follow, and how to reach a second peak by redefining and recalibrating our morals.

“The List vs The Experience” by Kirk Souder
Why getting through your to-do list or yearly goals might not give you the experience you’re looking for.

“How to Build an Audience of 1000 True Fans in a Noisy World” by Srinivas Rao 
It’s been said that in order to be a successful artist, you only need 1000 true fans. Not millions. This is the math and philosophy behind the idea.

“How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation” (Buzzfeed) by Anne Helen Petersen
A look at the cultural influences and the work environments that have lead to so much burnout for such a large part of the working population.

Thanks for reading! Hope you found something inspiring that hit you at the right time. If you have more books or articles (podcasts or documentaries too!) for us to check out, we’d love to hear them!

Caveday is a company aimed at improving your relationship to work. We write regular posts on Medium and send out monthly Newsletters with productivity tips, life hacks, and recommendations. Sign up for the mailing list here.

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