In Progress
The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone's Mind
Jonah Berger
PsychologyBusiness
Books
Everything I've read, with personal notes and ratings.
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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 — 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 — it's 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.