Many of us wake up one day and realize that we’re feeling kind of… stuck. Every day we commute to the same office, examine the same spreadsheets, eat the same sandwich at lunch, and come home to watch another episode of the same show.
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with savoring your routine—but maybe you’re starting to get antsy. Maybe you want to shake things up, to get life moving in an exciting new direction. If that describes how you’re feeling, the nine inspiring books below can help get you going.
The Power of Saying No: The New Science of How to Say No that Puts You in Charge of Your Life
By Vanessa Patrick
An award-winning professor and researcher delves into the new science of saying no. She introduces the groundbreaking concept of “empowered refusal” and reveals surprising secrets about the power of the word no. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Vanessa Patrick, in the Next Big Idea App
Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today
By Hal Hershfield
Many of us view the future as incredibly distant, making us more likely to opt for immediate gratification that disregards our health and well-being in the years to come. People who are able to connect with their future selves, however, are better able to balance living for today and planning for tomorrow. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Hal Hershfield, in the Next Big Idea App
Rise and Shine: How to Transform Your Life, Morning by Morning
By Kate Oliver and Toby Oliver
Based on the latest scientific research, as well as ancient traditions and insights gathered from decades of personal and professional experience, Rise and Shine offers thirty different practices that will encourage you to curate a morning routine that blends seamlessly with your lifestyle. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author Toby Oliver, in the Next Big Idea App
The Choice Point: The Scientifically Proven Method to Push Past Mental Walls and Achieve Your Goals
By Joanna Grover and Jonathan Rhodes
Merging mindfulness, motivational interviewing, and cognitive behavioral therapy into a user-friendly model—the first non-academic book of its kind—The Choice Point grants us control of the decisions that define us. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-author Jonathan Rhodes, 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
From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life
By Arthur C. Brooks
Drawing on social science, philosophy, biography, theology, and Eastern wisdom, as well as dozens of interviews with everyday men and women, a Harvard professor shows us that true life success is well within our reach. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Arthur C. Brooks, in the Next Big Idea App
Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity
By Gloria Mark
It takes 25 minutes to bring our attention back to a task after an interruption—and we interrupt ourselves more than we’re interrupted by others. In Attention Span, a renowned psychologist reveals these and more surprising results from her decades of research into how technology affects our attention. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Gloria Mark, in the Next Big Idea App
Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness
By Steve Magness
Drawing from mindfulness, military case studies, sports psychology, neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy, a beloved performance coach provides a roadmap for navigating life’s challenges and achieving high performance that makes us happier, more successful, and, ultimately, better people. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Steve Magness, 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
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!
