In Progress
The Laws of Human Nature
Robert Greene
Psychology
Books
Everything I've read, with personal notes and ratings.
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The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone's Mind
Jonah Berger
PsychologyBusiness
Read: July 29, 2026
Rating:
★★★★★★★★★
- Changing someone's mind is usually less about pushing harder and more about removing whatever's holding them back. Reduce the friction before adding more force.
- People resist being told what to do (reactance) far more than they resist the idea itself. Letting someone arrive at a conclusion on their own sticks better than arguing them into it.
- Uncertainty kills action even when the upside is obvious. Making something easy to try, not just easy to want, is what actually moves people.
The 4-Hour Workweek
Timothy Ferriss
ProductivityBusiness
Read: May 21, 2026
Rating:
★★★★★★★★★
- The goal isn't permanent retirement. It's designing a life with regular mini-retirements rather than deferring all freedom to the end.
- Apply the 80/20 principle ruthlessly. Focus on the 20% of clients and inputs that generate 80% of your results, then cut or automate the rest.
- Relative income matters more than absolute. Someone earning $50K working 10 hours a week is functionally wealthier than someone earning $100K working 60.
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman
PsychologyScience
Read: April 4, 2026
Rating:
★★★★★★★★★
- We operate in two cognitive modes: fast (instinctive, bias-driven) and slow (deliberate, analytical).
- Fast thinking handles daily routines efficiently and with little effort. It's useful until it isn't.
- Slow thinking is essential for high-stakes decisions and overriding impulse.
- Setting a 5 AM alarm is slow thinking. Hitting snooze is fast thinking winning.
Man's Search for Meaning
Viktor E. Frankl
PhilosophyMemoir
Read: February 24, 2026
Rating:
★★★★★★★★★★
- Suffering is unavoidable. The only meaningful choice is what you suffer for and how you carry it.
- A clear sense of purpose is what separates those who endure from those who don't. Always have something to live for.
The Art of War
Sun Tzu
StrategyPhilosophy
Read: February 17, 2026
Rating:
★★★★★★★★
- Victory comes from finding and exploiting the gaps your opponent can't defend. Focus on niches and weak points, not head-on competition.
- Rigidity loses. Conditions shift constantly, opportunities open and close, and the ones who adapt fastest win.
- People perform at the level they're rewarded for. Align incentives with the outcomes you actually want.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Stephen R. Covey
Self-HelpProductivity
Read: February 10, 2026
Rating:
★★★★★★★★★
- Prioritise based on importance, not urgency. If a task is due tomorrow but carries no real consequence either way, it can wait, or be skipped entirely.
- Invest in yourself consistently. Compounding personal growth in skills, health, and mindset is the highest-return investment you can make.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Mark Manson
PhilosophySelf-Help
Read: February 5, 2026
Rating:
★★★★★★★★★★
- Toxic positivity is a trap. When there's a real problem, confront it; pretending otherwise makes it worse.
- Your attention is finite. Not every problem or conflict deserves it.
- Problems don't disappear; they evolve. Solving one simply upgrades you to the next level.
- Action comes before motivation, not after. Move first; clarity follows.
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness
Richard H. Thaler & Cass R. Sunstein
PsychologyEconomics
Read: January 30, 2026
Rating:
★★★★★★★★★
- Most behaviour is driven by cognitive shortcuts rather than deliberate reasoning. We are the product of our defaults.
- The brain operates in two modes: automatic (intuitive, fast) and reflective (deliberate, slow). Automatic thinking tends to lead us astray on complex decisions, which is why we cave to cravings we know we'll regret.
To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others
Daniel H. Pink
PsychologyBusiness
Read: January 22, 2026
Rating:
★★★★★★★★
- Sales is universal: everyone is persuading, convincing, or moving someone, every single day.
- People will accept lower quality if they trust the source. Transparency builds more loyalty than perfection ever will.
Eat That Frog!
Brian Tracy
ProductivitySelf-Help
Read: January 11, 2026
Rating:
★★★★★★★★★★
- Tackle your hardest, most important task first, before email, before distractions, before anything else.
- Avoiding a difficult task doesn't make it easier. It drains mental energy and compounds procrastination.
- If you have multiple hard tasks, always start with the worst one. Everything after it feels manageable.
Atomic Habits
James Clear
HabitsProductivity
Read: June 23, 2025
Rating:
★★★★★★★★★★
- Small improvements compound dramatically. Getting 1% better every day leads to 37x improvement over a year.
- Winners and losers often share the same goals. What separates them is the system they build and maintain.
- Habits change when your identity changes. Don't aim to run a mile; aim to become a runner.
The Secret
Rhonda Byrne
MindsetSelf-Help
Read: March 2025
Rating:
★★★★★★★
- The core premise, that belief alone manifests reality, is an oversimplification that doesn't hold up to scrutiny.
- That said, there is real value in maintaining a positive mental framework. Faith in a positive outcome genuinely improves focus and resilience.
- Where it fails: ignoring a problem doesn't eliminate it. Belief must be paired with action, not used as a substitute for it.