The Best Books For Founders Looking To Boost Productivity

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Being a founder means being involved in every part of the business. It means leading and motivating the team, even during a productivity slump.

In fact, the best founders are able to toe the line between productivity and burnout, all whilst keeping their employees happy.

 

What Are Some Tactics For Boosting Productivity?

 

When it comes to encouraging productivity in teams some of the best tactics include:

  • Time management tools – perfect for helping them manage their time and avoid feeling overwhelmed and burnt out.
  • Well-designed workspaces – offices that cater to the needs of the team, for example with quiet spaces and places to collaborate are perfect for ensuring the team stays productive in the office.
  • Encouraging movement – teams that are encouraged to take breaks and move are more likely to be productive when they sit back down to work again.
  • Providing good food – when things get busy, it might seem like grabbing some sugar is what teams need to keep going. But the problem is, these cause productivity highs and then big slumps. Providing good food for fuel is important to keep teams (and yourself!) productive.

Luckily, if you need some more inspiration, we’ve pulled together some books to help you and your team stay productive, whilst keeping burnout at bay.

 

Deep Work

 

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport |  Goodreads

 

Deep Work is all about the power of focus, putting distractions aside. It shows how you can change habits to process information and produce better results in less time.

For founders, mastering this idea of deep work is important, helping them work productively to solve big problems.

Buy the book here

 

The Productivity Project

 

The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time,  Attention, and Energy by Chris Bailey | Goodreads

 

All of us want to be productive, but not everyone knows how. This book is all about experimenting to find the best way to be productive.

Whether it’s ditching the morning coffee or taking an afternoon nap, this book is all about the journey to productivity.

Buy the book here

 

Getting Things Done

 

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity: Amazon.co.uk:  Allen, David: 9780349408941: Books

 

Getting Things Done (GTD) is a productivity classic that talks about how to manage professional and personal tasks.

This is especially useful for founders looking to stay productive in work/life balance, helping to be productive in and out of the office.

Buy the book here

 

 

Make Time

 

Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day: Knapp, Jake, Zeratsky,  John: 9780525572428: Amazon.com: Books

 

Designed for busy working people, Make Time is all about focusing on what matters each day.

The authors use over 80 tactics to help you design your day around the things that matter, including spending time with friends, eating without screens and losing social media.

Buy the book here

 

The Effective Executive

 

The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things  Done (Harperbusiness Essentials): Drucker, Peter F.: 9780060833459:  Amazon.com: Books

 

Int his book, Author Peter Drucker talks about 5 practices that can help make businesses more effective, including: managing time, being selective about contribution, using strengths, setting priorities and decision making.

Buy the book here

 

Extreme Productivity

 

Amazon.com: Extreme Productivity: Boost Your Results, Reduce Your Hours:  9780062188533: Pozen, Robert C.: Books

 

A pile of work can feel overwhelming, but true productivity is not about hours work, it’s about work produced.

This book is all about the importance of prioritisation, providing tips and tricks to improve their time at work.

Buy the book here

 

The 80/20 Principle

 

The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less: Koch, Richard:  9780385491747: Amazon.com: Books

 

The 80/20 principle is all about how 80% of results come from 20% of efforts – it’s just about finding out what that 20% is.

This book is all about the power of being selective, working on things that produce results and setting aside those that don’t.

Buy the book here