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regular-article-logo Wednesday, 08 May 2024

Self-help books that force you to upgrade your life

From work-life management to adopting the routines of a genius, The Telegraph brings you a curated list

Faiza Hazarika (t2 Intern) Published 16.06.21, 12:30 AM

Reclaim Your Time Off: The 3-Step Solution to Overworking by Fab Giovanetti

In a world where being in the rat race has become second nature to most of us and where 24 hours in a day feels ‘not enough’, author Fab Giovanetti breaks down the basics of how to balance your work-life, how to avoid burnouts, and how to reclaim your 24 hours and make the most of them. He offers a simple three-step solution he calls “Simplify, Delegate and Automate”, which is directed towards making sure you put out the maximum amount of output while undertaking a minimum amount of daily stress and exhaustion. The book also offers several mental and wellness exercises and strategies you can practise to really get in a zone where you can reclaim your downtime without feeling guilty.

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Decluttering At The Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle With Stuff by Dana K. White

If every inch of your house is filled with age-old items that you haven't used in years but preserve because you might just need them one day, then you might have a tiny hoarding problem. Decluttering At The Speed Of Life helps you overcome your hoarder habits by investigating the hoarder mindset and what changes you can make mentally and emotionally to help you declutter yourself first, and then your space. The author will take you through an introspective and investigative journey where you cover your house inch by inch and figure out what to toss, how to toss it, and how to recognise that it’s finally time to part with those odds and ends you have stuck at the back of your drawers.

The Hidden Habits of Genius by Craig Wright

Craig Wright, a professor at Yale University, delves deep into the lives of geniuses and presents an in-depth analysis into what truly qualifies one to be crowned a genius amongst men. The book explores the behavioural patterns, methodologies, thoughts, emotions, and work ethics of the people that the world considers to be geniuses and presents an argument about how you can cultivate the same mindset to yield better and more holistic results in your work and life. The book argues that more than a high IQ and an exceptional scientific bent of mind, one’s intense curiosity, passion, creativity, imagination, sense of originality and resilience, amongst others, is what makes one a true genius in every sense of the term.

Unwinding Anxiety by Judson Brewer

Author Judson Brewer, a renowned addiction psychiatrist and neuroscientist, has brought together more than 20 years of research and experience to understand anxiety, what triggers it, and what we can do to overcome anxiety when things decide to go a little haywire. Unwinding Anxiety brings to you a practical and reflective guide towards tackling your anxiety and how you can effectively deal with the negative byproducts of the same, like stress-eating and procrastination, to live a more holistic life.

Humour, Seriously: Why Humour is a Superpower in Work and in Life by Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas

Are you tired of having your jokes meet with nothing but crickets? If so, then this book is all that you need to understand the science behind a well-placed pun and how humour can help you enhance the quality of your life by boosting the atmosphere surrounding you with a few giggles here and there. Authors Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas build on the importance of humour in our daily lives and how you can go about identifying and personalising your own kind of humour to see whether you’re a ‘Magnet’, a ‘Sweetheart’, a ‘Sniper’, or a ‘Stand-up’ kind of comic. Read to find out!

Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic by Lisa Congdon

Author and illustrator Lisa Congdon offers you an insight into the professional world of art and how you can go about honing, perfecting and identifying your personal art style and ways of expression. Filled with striking illustrations and interviews from both renowned and struggling artists from all over the world, the book is a goldmine for those interested in the arts to connect with their people and understand the nuances behind the brushstrokes. The book further dives deep into the questions surrounding how an artist can enter the professional world, how they can practise their skills, and what motivators should they look out for to keep their head in the game.

First You Write A Sentence by Joe Moran

Sometimes when writing, starting is the most difficult step of all, but author Joe Moran has compiled his years of experience and expertise with the English language to yield a book that lends a helping hand to all those struggling to string a simple yet compelling sentence together. The book guides you through the nuances of the English language, while also teaching you the tricks of the trade and shows you how you can use simple words to convey a complex idea. A must-read for budding writers everywhere, First You Write A Sentence decodes everything you think you know about the language and helps you piece it back together one sentence at a time to make you a master in your art.

The Little Book of Sloth Philosophy by Jennifer McCartney

This book takes a leaf out of the sloth life and applies it to our everyday life by assessing how we can benefit by taking life slow and easy, much like a sloth in the wild. Author Jennifer McCartney explores the world of sloths and humans to provide compelling arguments towards shunning the high-paced hustle life and rather adopting the slow and steady sloth temperament where we make time for ourselves by being mindful, contemplative and relaxed. Changing the modern-day perception about productivity, the book also offers advice about how to integrate your sleeping schedule, exercise, and work habits to be sloth-like, to maximise your efficiency while retaining a sense of zen.

Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide To Reclaiming Yourself by Nedra Glover Tawwab

A licensed counsellor and relationship therapist Nedra Glover Tawwab breaks down the importance of building boundaries and having the confidence to say no. The book explores the meaning of “boundaries” and how having or not having them in our everyday relationships, in life and work, influence our relationship with ourselves. The author dives into topics such as building your self-esteem and self-confidence with an assertive attitude towards life using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and how that can do wonders to the quality of your life and your general self-satisfaction with it. The book offers markers and indications for its readers to recognise where and when boundaries should be established and how you can train yourself towards becoming comfortable enough to say no when you mean it.

The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma

A tried and tested method to boost your productivity and ride the exclusive wave to success, Robin Sharma presents The 5 AM Club in which he declassifies the routine, patterns, and daily schedules of the most successful businessmen, entrepreneurs and tycoons of our world today, and how we can maximise our own output by doing exactly what they do — get up early. The book, however, doesn’t only encourage an early rising habit but also goes into how you can maintain your 5 AM wake-up call, get rid of online distractions, and really connect with yourself in the wee hours of the morning. The reader is encouraged to add more hours to their days to really give themselves that early headstart that is guaranteed to increase the quality and quantity of everything that they do.

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