Books that helped

Burned out & overwhelmed

Books commenters say helped when they were exhausted and overwhelmed.

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Books several people mention

Ranked by how many different people say it helped. Small numbers, so the order is a hint.

Cover of Deep Work

Deep Work

Cal Newport

2 people say it helped them

Why focused, distraction-free work is valuable, and how to train yourself to do it.

Because of the book, I was able to make changes in my work, life and personal priorities and I’m far, far happier and less stressed.

Rethinking work and priorities

These readers used books to question their jobs, say no, and change how they work. (Theme name written by AI.)

Cover of So Good They Can't Ignore You

So Good They Can't Ignore You

Cal Newport

5 people say it helped them

An argument that building rare skills, not following your passion, leads to work you love.

It helped me climb out of burnout cycles by doing some longer-term career planning and slowing down to figure out my values.

Cover of The Truth About Burnout

The Truth About Burnout

Christina Maslach

1 person says it helped them

Explains how workplace conditions, not personal weakness, cause job burnout, and what organizations should change.

Reading books like "The Truth About Burnout: How Organizations Cause Personal Stress" (Christina Maslach) helped me identity the stressors in my corporate environment and move away from these.

Cover of Deep Work

Deep Work

Cal Newport

9 people say it helped them

Why focused, distraction-free work is valuable, and how to train yourself to do it.

Because of the book, I was able to make changes in my work, life and personal priorities and I’m far, far happier and less stressed.

Cover of Ego Is the Enemy

Ego Is the Enemy

Ryan Holiday

1 person says it helped them

Shows how ego undermines learning, success and recovery from failure, using stories from history.

I read "Ego is the Enemy", which helped me a lot in identifying why I stayed so long in a position that was bad for me (I was addicted to the title).

Cover of Essentialism

Essentialism

Greg McKeown

1 person says it helped them

A method for cutting out the nonessential so you spend time only on what matters.

The one book that's been helping me a lot is Essentialism by Greg McKeown.

What Should I Do with My Life?

Po Bronson

1 person says it helped them

Real stories of people who left or changed careers to find work that feels meaningful.

Had a run-in with serious burn-out about 12 years ago and had considered leaving software entirely and starting a landscaping business. This book was inspirational in that it helped me figure out what I might LOVE doing

Cover of The Power of Full Engagement

The Power of Full Engagement

Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz

1 person says it helped them

Managing energy rather than time, balancing stress and recovery, to avoid burnout and perform better.

I read The Power of Full Engagement (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0743226755) and it really helped frame the problem for me.

Cover of Better Off

Better Off

Eric Brende

1 person says it helped them

A couple's eighteen months living without modern technology, and what it taught them about a simpler life.

Better Off inspired me to move to a small cabin on Vancouver Island; for the past year and a half

Cover of Boundaries

Boundaries

Henry Cloud and John Townsend

4 people say it helped them

Guidance on knowing when to say yes or no and taking control of your life.

"Boundaries" helped me learn that it's actually good to be able to say no to some things. I used to feel that if I didn't say yes to everything, that made me a bad person.

Calming thoughts and emotions

These stories describe books that offered practical ways to handle stress, worry, and hard feelings. (Theme name written by AI.)

Cover of Learned Optimism

Learned Optimism

Martin Seligman

5 people say it helped them

Techniques for changing negative thinking habits to become more optimistic, resilient, and happier.

I started actively reframing worries using some of the exercises in the book “Learned Optimism” (Martin Seligman, 2006). This book also made me realize how deeply hardwired my pessimistic defaults were

Cover of Feeling Good

Feeling Good

David D. Burns

16 people say it helped them

A drug-free, cognitive therapy approach to overcoming depression, anxiety, and negative thinking.

I also found the book Feeling Good by David D. Burns MD helpful. He has several ways to retrain your inner voice to recognize when you're self sabotaging.

Cover of Emotional Equations

Emotional Equations

Chip Conley

1 person says it helped them

Simple formulas for understanding and shifting difficult emotions into more positive ones.

it's not perfect, but the frame of reference in a math like state helped me identify what to DO when I felt a certain way.

Energityvene

1 person says it helped them

The book helped me tremendously and was life changing.

Cover of The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook

The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook

Martha Davis

1 person says it helped them

A workbook of practical techniques for relaxing and reducing stress.

This book, with its practical, actionable suggestions, saved my sanity.

Letting go and slowing down

These readers found peace by easing their grip, accepting struggle, and not demanding results from every moment. (Theme name written by AI.)

Meditations

Marcus Aurelius

1 person says it helped them

Personal reflections of a Roman emperor on Stoic philosophy, self-discipline, and living well.

This translation [2] of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations is powerful as a daily reminder that no matter the year or station in life, the struggles are universal.

Tao Te Ching

Lao Tzu

1 person says it helped them

Ancient Chinese poetry on living simply, humbly and in harmony with the natural flow of things.

Every time I'm feeling down, tired and burned out, I find something in there that helps me let go a bit.

Cover of Be Here Now

Be Here Now

Ram Dass

1 person says it helped them

A spiritual guide to living in the present moment, drawing on Eastern practices and psychedelic experience.

After a 2 year long burn-out his book ‘Be Here Now’ brought back balance, a peace of mind, and incredible love and joy in my life.

Cover of The Secret of Letting Go

The Secret of Letting Go

Guy Finley

1 person says it helped them

Guidance on releasing worry, fear and negative thoughts to find inner peace.

Two things that have completely changed my perspective that I suggest is reading two books, "The Secret of Letting Go" by Guy Finley and "The 28 Laws of Attraction" by Thomas Leonard.

Cover of The 28 Laws of Attraction

The 28 Laws of Attraction

Thomas Leonard

1 person says it helped them

Two things that have completely changed my perspective that I suggest is reading two books, "The Secret of Letting Go" by Guy Finley and "The 28 Laws of Attraction" by Thomas Leonard.

Habits and getting organized

These readers used systems for habits, deadlines, and focused time to tame overwhelm. (Theme name written by AI.)

Cover of The Now Habit

The Now Habit

Neil Fiore

9 people say it helped them

Strategies to overcome procrastination and get work done with less anxiety and stress.

the book helped me to understand that I was feeling overwhelmed about the gigantic ideas and the unrealistic deadlines I was imposing to myself.

Cover of Deep Work

Deep Work

Cal Newport

9 people say it helped them

Why focused, distraction-free work is valuable, and how to train yourself to do it.

calendar - preallocating time for various tasks I want to do, and committing to doing them without distractions (phone set to silent, mail program closed, etc.) for that period of time

Self Discipline in 10 Days

Theo Gold

1 person says it helped them

A short self-help guide to building discipline and following through on goals.

helped me get over a few of those inevitable slumps/burnout periods and prevented them for the most part since then.

Cover of Getting Things Done

Getting Things Done

David Allen

23 people say it helped them

A system for organizing tasks and commitments to reduce stress and get more done.

Last year I got busy with lots of small organizational things that were overwhelming. I read and implemented GTD and it helped me out a lot.