Sometimes you just get stuck. Your massive project at work begins to feel interminable, you run out of creative ideas, a bone-deep malaise sets in—and forward movement grinds to a halt.
Fortunately, you don’t have to stay stuck forever. In fact, 2024 was chock-full of productivity books that helped us buckle down, loosen up, and get things done here at the Next Big Idea Club. Below you’ll find 14 of our favorites.
Toxic Productivity: Reclaim Your Time and Emotional Energy in a World That Always Demands More
By Israa Nasir
It’s time to untangle yourself from the web of toxic productivity and embrace a life that is not just productive but profoundly meaningful. Let this book guide you toward a transformative journey of self-discovery-helping you reclaim your time, energy, and joy. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Israa Nasir, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts
By Oliver Burkeman
A map for a liberating journey toward a more meaningful life―a journey that begins where we actually find ourselves, not with a fantasy of where we’d like to be. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Oliver Burkeman, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
Uptime: A Practical Guide to Personal Productivity and Wellbeing
By Laura Mae Martin
Google’s Executive Productivity Advisor offers insights on how to make the new way of work work for you, providing actionable steps to optimize your productivity, accomplish more, prevent burnout, and cultivate a harmonious work-life balance. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Laura Mae Martin, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
Over Work: Transforming the Daily Grind in the Quest for a Better Life
By Brigid Schulte
From the New York Times bestselling author of Overwhelmed comes a deeply reported exploration of why American work isn’t working—and how our lives can be made more meaningful. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Brigid Schulte, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout
By Cal Newport
From the aggressive rethinking of workload management, to introducing seasonal variation, to shifting your performance toward long-term quality, Slow Productivity reveals how to escape overload and arrive at a more timeless approach to pursuing meaningful accomplishment. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Cal Newport, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
Never Not Working: Why the Always-On Culture Is Bad for Business—and How to Fix It
By Malissa Clark
A preeminent researcher on the culture of overwork delivers a comprehensive, nuanced definition of workaholism, busting myths along the way. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Malissa Clark, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
Hyperefficient: Optimize Your Brain to Transform the Way You Work
By Mithu Storoni
Drawing on the latest research, a University of Cambridge-trained physician shows us how to seamlessly shift our brains into the best gear for the tasks we need to be doing, so we can perform at our best throughout the day, every day. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Mithu Storoni, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
Big Goals: The Science of Setting Them, Achieving Them, and Creating Your Best Life
By Caroline Adams Miller
Packed with practical advice and real-world insights, Big Goals will inspire you to dream bigger and work smarter―whether you’re aiming for personal transformation, career advancement, or organizational success. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Caroline Adams Miller, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
Burnout Immunity: How Emotional Intelligence Can Help You Build Resilience and Heal Your Relationship with Work
By Kandi Wiens
An essential guide everyone needs to protect themselves from burnout by learning to develop and master key emotional intelligence skills. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Kandi Wiens, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
Never Play It Safe: A Practical Guide to Freedom, Creativity, and a Life You Love
By Chase Jarvis
An award-winning photographer argues that we don’t need gimmicky new life hacks or productivity gadgets. We already have what’s necessary—all we need is to learn to leverage it. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Chase Jarvis, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
Optimal: How to Sustain Personal and Organizational Excellence Every Day
By Daniel Goleman and Cary Cherniss
Based on research of how hundreds of people build the inner architecture of having a good day, Optimal sketches what an optimal state feels like, and shows how emotional intelligence holds the key to our best performance. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author Daniel Goleman, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
MicroSkills: Small Actions, Big Impact
By Adaira Landry and Resa Lewiss
MicroSkills is built on one core, easy-to-learn principle: every big goal, complicated task, healthy habit, and, yes, even what we think of as character traits, can be broken down into small, learnable, skills that can be practiced, and incorporated real-time. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by authors Adaira Landry and Resa Lewiss, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
The Happy High Achiever: 8 Essentials to Overcome Anxiety, Manage Stress, and Energize Yourself for Success―Without Losing Your Edge
By Mary Anderson
A game-changing road map for ambitious people to transform chronic stress and anxiety into sustainable happiness and success. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Mary Anderson, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
The PLAN: Manage Your Time Like a Lazy Genius
By Kendra Adachi
A bestselling author brings her signature Kind Big Sister Energy to a practical time management book for people weary of productivity but eager to live a good life. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Kendra Adachi, in the Next Big Idea App or view on Amazon
The Key Ideas in 15 Minutes
“If you are going to get anywhere in life, you have to read a lot of books,” Roald Dahl once famously said. The only trouble is, reading even one book from cover to cover takes hours—and you may not have many hours to spare.
But imagine for a moment: What if you could read a groundbreaking new book every day? Or even better, what if you could invite a world-renowned thinker into your earbuds, where they personally describe the 5 key takeaways from their work in just 15 minutes?
With the Next Big Idea App, we’ve turned this fantasy into a reality. We partnered with hundreds of acclaimed authors to create “Book Bites,” short audio summaries of the latest nonfiction that are prepared and read aloud by the authors themselves. Discover cutting-edge leadership skills, productivity hacks, the science of happiness and well-being, and much more—all in the time it takes to drive to work or walk the dog.
Go Deeper with a Next Big Idea Club Membership
The Next Big Idea App is free for anyone to try—and if you love it, we invite you to become an official member of the Next Big Idea Club. Membership grants you unlimited access to Book Bites and unlocks early-release, ad-free episodes of our LinkedIn-partnered podcast. You also gain entry to our private online discussion group, where you can talk big ideas with fellow club members and join exclusive live Q&A sessions with featured authors.
For a more focused learning experience, we recommend a Hardcover or eBook Membership. Every few months, legendary authors and club curators Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink select two new nonfiction books as the must-reads of the season. We then send hardcover copies straight to your doorstep, or eBook versions to your favorite digital device. We also collaborate with the authors of selected books to produce original reading guides and premium e-courses, 50-minute master classes that take you step by step through their most life-changing ideas. And yes, it’s all available through the Next Big Idea App.
Learn Faster, from the World’s Leading Thinkers
Whether you prefer to read, listen, or watch, the Next Big Idea is here to help you work smarter and live better. Wake up with an always-fresh Idea of the Day, the perfect shot of inspiration to go with your morning coffee. Then dive into one of our Challenges, hand-picked collections of Book Bites that form crash courses in subjects like communication, motivation, and career acceleration. Later, watch the playback of an interview with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Stanford psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt, or philosopher John Kaag. And be sure to check the “Events” tab in the app, so that you can join an upcoming live Q&A and personally chat with the next featured thought leader.
If you’re hoping to grow as a person or as a professional, we hope you’ll join us and tens of thousands of others who enjoy the Next Big Idea. Get started by downloading the app today!
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