The New Year always starts off the same: We pick a few resolutions, stick to them for a couple of weeks, and then slowly fall back into our old, resolution-less routine.
But not this year, not 2024. Because thanks to the nine motivating books below, you’ll be newly equipped with the skills and mindset needed to sustain those overdue changes in your life, the ones that will make this year the best you’ve had in ages.
Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most
By Adam Alter
Whether you’re muddling through a midlife crisis, wrestling writer’s block, trapped in a thankless job, or trying to remedy a fraying friendship, Anatomy of a Breakthrough is the roadmap we all need to escape our inertia and flourish in the face of friction. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Adam Alter, in the Next Big Idea App
Sparked: Discover Your Unique Imprint for Work That Makes You Come Alive
By Jonathan Fields
Sparked takes you deep into the world of the “Sparketypes,” revealing an entirely new depth of insights about what makes you come alive in work life, along with what empties you out and trips you up. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jonathan Fields, in the Next Big Idea App
Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation
By Ayelet Fishbach
With fascinating research from the field of motivation science and compelling stories of people who learned to motivate themselves, Get It Done illuminates invaluable strategies for pulling yourself in whatever direction you want to go—so you can achieve your goals while staying healthy, clearheaded, and happy. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Ayelet Fishbach, in the Next Big Idea App
Intrinsic Motivation: Learn to Love Your Work and Succeed as Never Before
By Stefan Falk
Intrinsic motivation―doing a thing for its inherent satisfaction rather than external rewards―is the key to success and satisfaction in any endeavor. A legendary performance coach shares his simple, proven, and fun methods for cultivating and keeping it. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Stefan Falk, in the Next Big Idea App
Unapologetically Ambitious: Take Risks, Break Barriers, and Create Success on Your Own Terms
By Shellye Archambeau
Full of empowering wisdom from one of Silicon Valley’s first female African-American CEOs, this inspiring leadership book offers a blueprint for how to achieve your personal and professional goals. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Shellye Archambeau, in the Next Big Idea App
The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Change Your World
By David Robson
Melding neuroscience with narrative, a science journalist takes readers on a deep dive into the many life zones the “expectation effect” permeates—like how associating aging with wisdom can add seven plus years to your life. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author David Robson, in the Next Big Idea App
Start More Than You Can Finish: A Creative Permission Slip to Unleash Your Best Ideas
By Becky Blades
Using digestible data, humorous and honest personal experience, interviews with artists and entrepreneurs, and assignments to help you get started, Start More Than You Can Finish challenges the tropes our dads, moms, and third-grade teachers told us about finishing. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Becky Blades, in the Next Big Idea App
One Bold Move a Day: Meaningful Actions Women Can Take to Fulfill Their Leadership and Career Potential
By Shanna Hocking
More than just a career guide, One Bold Move a Day shows you how a single, measurable act each day will help you fulfill your potential, both personally and professionally. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Shanna Hocking, in the Next Big Idea App
Dream First, Details Later: How to Quit Overthinking & Make It Happen!
By Ellen Marie Bennett
The author shares her incredible journey from young line cook to the founder and CEO of Hedley & Bennett, an apron and kitchen gear brand that outfits the world’s best chefs. Her book will help anyone who’s procrastinating on a goal, career change, or business idea to stop the obsessive worrying and leap into action. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Ellen Marie Bennett, in the Next Big Idea App
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 video 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!
