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Do your days slip away too fast? Between the meals, laundry, work and activities it seems like there’s not enough time to get it all done. These productivity books I’ve read throughout the years helped me in my career but they have helped me tremendously in my career as a mother.
I have personally read all of these books, well listened because I’m an audio book junky. And have personally implemented into my working mom journey. I hope these books are helpful for you as well!
This post is all about productivity books.
Best Productivity Books For Moms
1. Who Not How
This is the best book on building teams around tasks instead of figuring out how to do them all yourself. It’s helped me tremendously in the art of delegation and getting creative on how to find the money to get the “who” in place.
Because of this book, I hired a housekeeper and had my husband outsource the gardening and landscaping. We have such limited time with our kids every week and these are the best ways to get time back in this season of our life.
2. 4 Hour Work Week
The best tips from this book include creating a lifestyle by design. It’s building the team, outsourcing the task while focusing on getting time back. This book showed me how freedom is the highest and best currency because the only thing that is limited in this life, is time.
3. 10x Is Easier Than 2x
This book is similar to the ones above because it teaches that going bigger is easier than just doubling. The reasons this is true is because going big requires a different operating system. It requires systems, support, people and an entire new way of thinking.
My husband and I have always wanted a big family. Having a big family requires a different kind of parenting, a different household operating system for everything from meals to cleaning to discipline to one on one time.
It’s such an inspiring read (or listen)!
4. Rich Routines
I heard about this book from the blogger BySophiaLee and it is just so inspiring. The author Steven Houghton talks through all his life lessons of building a large life full of love, wealth, faith, health and success. He seems to have achieved in every area of his life and he attributes it all to having rich routines.
Motherhood is all about raising the next generation while showing our kids the how behind building a successful life. There’s nothing I want more than what Steve has seemed to accomplish in his life.
5. Atomic Habits
Atomic habits changed the way I look at goal setting. James Clear, the author, argues that changing habits overtime doesn’t come from setting massive goals but on building systems around changing those habits.
Post reading this book, I have built the habit of getting up before my kids. I now have a full hour before they wake up where I read my Bible, work on my blog and drink coffee and relax into my day. It makes me a better mom and wife.
6. The Gap And The Gain
This book helps me when I get discouraged in different areas I’m working so hard to change in. The author challenges the reader to look at how far they have come rather than how far they have to go. It’s a mindset book and one that has helped me in my motherhood journey as well.
7. The 12 Week Year
The 12 Week Year takes year long goals and consolidates them down into 12 week sprints. The goal is to create urgency and action to get things done faster than you ever thought you could.
As this relates to my motherhood journey, as a working mom, I utilize this principle in my work tasks and have learned how to ruthlessly prioritize everything in my life. I delegate more, say no more and get a whole lot done versus my prekid life.
8. Deep Work
Cal Newport is a genius in so many different things but this book takes the cake for me. I have never been more distracted now that I’m a mom and finding pockets in my week to get focused and uninterrupted work in is crucial.
It’s the only way I can get anything done and I have stopped all multitasking because of it. After reading this book, I started doing a brain dump exercise every day as well as time blocking my days every month and retweek them each week.
9. Death By Meeting
This book is a fable about meetings and leadership. I don’t know about you, but showing up to a meeting where nothing gets done has got to be the most frustrating thing ever. And when it takes away from time I can be getting something done, it’s even more aggravating.
After reading this, I simplified my work team communication to 2 meetings a month and limit interaction to crucial business needs. My team overdelivered their plan numbers 2 years in a row because of it.
10. The ONE Thing
The One Thing by Gary Keller is such a good read. I will have all my kids read this one day. It shows the power of focusing on one thing throughout your life and becoming the best at it. Becoming an expert will help propel you forward faster in every area of your life.
In my motherhood journey, I have picked a motto as my “one thing” and I share and talk about it with my kids regularly. It’s something we can tie every action back to and learn every life lesson off of.
What other books on productivity have helped you as a mom? Let me know in the comments below!
This post was all about productivity books.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclaimer for more info.