Reading

The books behind the writing.

Books I have finished that shaped how I think. They are influences, not citations: none of them is the evidence for a claim in an essay. Where I rely on evidence, the essay cites it.

Books that shaped an essay

Mindset (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Carol DweckRead
Shaped 16 essays
+13 moreShow fewer
Grit (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Angela DuckworthListened
Shaped 8 essays
+5 moreShow fewer
How We Learn (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Benedict CareyListened
Shaped 8 essays
+5 moreShow fewer
Find Your Why (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Simon Sinek and othersListened
Shaped 7 essays
+4 moreShow fewer
Drive (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Daniel H. PinkListened
Shaped 6 essays
+3 moreShow fewer
So Good They Can't Ignore You (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Cal NewportListened
Shaped 6 essays
+3 moreShow fewer
The Scout Mindset (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Julia GalefListened
Shaped 6 essays
+3 moreShow fewer
Black Box Thinking (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Matthew SyedListened
Shaped 5 essays
+2 moreShow fewer
- Is your fixed mindset preventing you from learning?
- The truth makes us lie
Four Thousand Weeks (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Oliver BurkemanListened
Shaped 5 essays
+2 moreShow fewer
- The way we use computers will change forever
- What you spend your time on
Start with Why (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Simon SinekListened
Shaped 5 essays
+2 moreShow fewer
- Why this idea?
- You always gain something by beginning something
The Lifelong Learner (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Peter HollinsListened
Shaped 5 essays
+2 moreShow fewer
- How to make atomic literature notes using the Zettelkasten method
- Unlimited learning
Building a Second Brain
Tiago ForteRead
Shaped 4 essays
+1 moreShow fewer
- Why You Take Notes But Never Get Smarter
Critical Thinking In A Nutshell
ThinkneticRead
Shaped 4 essays
+1 moreShow fewer
- Watch out, they're gaslighting you for attention
Mastery (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Robert GreeneListened
Shaped 4 essays
+1 moreShow fewer
- What they don't teach you about programming
Range (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
David EpsteinListened
Shaped 4 essays
+1 moreShow fewer
- You always gain something by beginning something
The Craving Mind (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Judson BrewerListened
Shaped 4 essays
+1 moreShow fewer
- You vs your future self
The Lean Startup (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Eric RiesListened
Shaped 4 essays
+1 moreShow fewer
- You always gain something by beginning something
Thinking in Systems (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Donella H. MeadowsListened
Shaped 4 essays
+1 moreShow fewer
- What they don't teach you about programming
Atomic Habits (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
James ClearListened
Shaped 3 essays
Influence (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Robert B. CialdiniListened
Shaped 3 essays
Master Your Emotions (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Thibaut MeurisseListened
Shaped 3 essays
Measure What Matters (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
John DoerrListened
Shaped 3 essays
Richard Feynman’s Mental Models (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Peter HollinsListened
Shaped 3 essays
The Achievement Habit (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Bernard RothListened
Shaped 3 essays
The Brain that Changes Itself (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Norman DoidgeListened
Shaped 3 essays
The E-Myth Revisited (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Michael E. GerberListened
Shaped 3 essays
The Innovator's DNA (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Jeff Dyer and othersListened
Shaped 3 essays
How to Teach Anything (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Peter HollinsRead
Shaped 2 essays
- Do your ideas get rejected by others?
- How to make atomic literature notes using the Zettelkasten method
Leaders Eat Last (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Simon SinekListened
Shaped 2 essays
- Do you have a growth mindset?
- What role are you playing?
Liminal Thinking (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Dave GrayListened
Shaped 2 essays
- Can you contradict yourself?
- The gravity of influence
Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me) (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Carol Tavris and Elliot AronsonListened
Shaped 2 essays
- Can you contradict yourself?
- The truth makes us lie
Never Split the Difference (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Chris Voss and Tahl RazListened
Shaped 2 essays
- Do your ideas get rejected by others?
- The truth makes us lie
Originals (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Adam GrantListened
Shaped 2 essays
- Evolve your thinking to have original ideas
- You always gain something by beginning something
The Dip (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Seth GodinListened
Shaped 2 essays
- Do you have grit or will you quit?
- No more side quests
The Happy Brain (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Dean BurnettListened
Shaped 2 essays
- The sasquatch and the architect
- What even is happiness?
The Infinite Game (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Simon SinekListened
Shaped 2 essays
- Discovering the missing piece to your why
- Hard work is the illusion
The Mom Test (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Rob FitzpatrickListened
Shaped 2 essays
- Good startup idea vs bad startup idea: find your product market fit
- Is conjunction fallacy killing your personas?
The Silent Guides (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Steve PetersListened
Shaped 2 essays
- The sasquatch and the architect
- Your self-esteem
A Guide to the Good Life (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
William B. IrvineListened
Shaped 1 essay
- If I'm going to spend the time doing it anyway, I might as well do it with impact
Buy Back Your Time (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Dan MartellListened
Shaped 1 essay
- What you spend your time on
Clockwork (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Mike MichalowiczListened
Shaped 1 essay
- What you spend your time on
Deep Work (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Cal NewportListened
Shaped 1 essay
- Hard work is the illusion
Good Sugar Bad Sugar (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Allen CarrListened
Shaped 1 essay
- You vs your future self
Habit Stacking (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Tony BennisListened
Shaped 1 essay
- Systems over goals
Hacking Growth (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Morgan Brown and Sean EllisListened
Shaped 1 essay
- A better question to unlock a more ambitious strategy
Hacking The Unconscious (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Rory SutherlandListened
Shaped 1 essay
- Discovering the missing piece to your why
Inspired (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Marty CaganListened
Shaped 1 essay
- Is conjunction fallacy killing your personas?
Man's Search for Meaning (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Viktor E. FranklListened
Shaped 1 essay
- Ask big questions
Sell or Be Sold (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Grant CardoneListened
Shaped 1 essay
- Do your ideas get rejected by others?
Stress-Proof (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Mithu StoroniListened
Shaped 1 essay
- What even is happiness?
Supercommunicators (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Charles DuhiggListened
Shaped 1 essay
- Entropy is everywhere
The Art of Living (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Thich Nhat HanhListened
Shaped 1 essay
- Why is everyone else doing better than me?
The Art of the Good Life (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Rolf DobelliListened
Shaped 1 essay
- If I'm going to spend the time doing it anyway, I might as well do it with impact
The Explosive Child (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Ross W. GreeneListened
Shaped 1 essay
- Your self-esteem
The Gap and the Gain (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Dan Sullivan and Benjamin HardyListened
Shaped 1 essay
- Why is everyone else doing better than me?
The Millionaire Fastlane (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
MJ DeMarcoListened
Shaped 1 essay
- What you spend your time on
The Now Habit (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Neil FioreListened
Shaped 1 essay
- Mentoring isn't about giving advice, it's about creating motion
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Mark MansonListened
Shaped 1 essay
- Your self-esteem
The Unfair Advantage (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Ash Ali and Hasan KubbaListened
Shaped 1 essay
- Unlimited learning
Traction (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Gabriel Weinberg and Justin MaresListened
Shaped 1 essay
- Good startup idea vs bad startup idea: find your product market fit
When (opens audible.co.uk, external site)
Daniel H. PinkListened
Shaped 1 essay
- Is conjunction fallacy killing your personas?

Also on my shelf102 more finished books

Other books I have finished. They have not been tied to a particular essay yet, and they are not sources for anything I have written.

#AskGaryVee (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Gary VaynerchukListened
$100M Leads (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Alex HormoziListened
$100M Money Models (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Alex HormoziListened
$100M Offers (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Alex HormoziListened
A Mind for Numbers (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Barbara OakleyListened
Accelerated Learning (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Jimmie PowellListened
Anything You Want (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Derek SiversListened
Autophagy (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Ryan CarterRead
Be Obsessed Or Be Average (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Grant CardoneListened
Better Web Typography for a Better WebMatej LatinRead
Brainfluence (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Roger DooleyListened
Buddhism for Busy People (opens audible.co.uk, external site)David MichieListened
Building a StoryBrand (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Donald MillerListened
Building a StoryBrand 2.0 (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Donald MillerListened
Chaos Monkeys (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Antonio Garcia MartinezListened
Click (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Jake Knapp and John ZeratskyListened
Coach Builder (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Donald MillerListened
Company of One (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Paul JarvisListened
Competing Against Luck (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Clayton M. Christensen and othersListened
Content Machine (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Dan NorrisListened
Creative Calling (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Chase JarvisListened
Crush It! (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Gary VaynerchukListened
Disrupted (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Dan LyonsListened
Elon Musk (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Ashlee VanceListened
Expert Secrets (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Russell BrunsonListened
Flip the Script (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Oren KlaffListened
Founders at Work (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Jessica LivingstonListened
Gravitas (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Caroline GoyderListened
Growth Hacker Marketing (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Ryan HolidayListened
High Performance Habits (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Brendon BurchardListened
How Big Things Get Done (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan GardnerListened
How the Mighty Fall (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Jim CollinsListened
How to be a Productivity Ninja (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Graham AllcottListened
How to Be Confident (opens audible.co.uk, external site)James SmithListened
How to Be F*cking Awesome (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Dan MeredithListened
How to Get and Stay Motivated (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Grant CardoneListened
How to Get Rich (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Felix DennisListened
How to Live (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Derek SiversListened
How to Persuade and Get Paid (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Phil M. JonesListened
How to Write ClearlyTom AlbrightonRead
How To Write Non-FictionJoanna PennRead
Hyperfocus (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Chris BaileyListened
Indistractable (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Nir Eyal and Julie LiListened
Laying The FoundationsRead
Lifespan (opens audible.co.uk, external site)David A. SinclairListened
Made to Stick (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Chip Heath and Dan HeathListened
Magic Words (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Jonah BergerListened
Master the Day (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Alexander HeyneListened
Momentum (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Shama HyderListened
Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Steven PressfieldListened
Pitch Anything (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Oren KlaffListened
Podcast Launch (opens audible.co.uk, external site)John Lee DumasListened
Product-Led Growth (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Wes BushListened
Profit First (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Mike MichalowiczListened
Radical Candor (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Kim ScottListened
Ready Player One (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Ernest ClineListened
Rework (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Jason Fried and David Heinemeier HanssonListened
Scaling Up (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Verne HarnishListened
Self Discipline (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Shawn NormanListened
Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Ken Blanchard and othersListened
Shoe Dog (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Phil KnightListened
Side Hustle (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Chris GuillebeauListened
Silence (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Thich Nhat HanhListened
Sleep Smarter (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Shawn StevensonListened
Slow Productivity (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Cal NewportListened
Sprint (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Jake Knapp and othersListened
Startup Muse (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Alexander MuseRead
Steve Jobs (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Walter IsaacsonListened
Storyworthy (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Matthew DicksListened
Superfans (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Pat FlynnListened
Systemology (opens audible.co.uk, external site)David JenynsListened
The 1% Rule (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Tommy BakerListened
The 5 Second Rule (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Mel RobbinsRead
The 7 Day Startup (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Dan NorrisListened
The Advantage (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Patrick LencioniListened
The Alchemist (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Paulo CoelhoListened
The Art of Focus (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Dan KoeListened
The Complete Guide to Fasting (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Jimmy Moore and Jason FungListened
The Daily Stoic (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Ryan Holiday and Stephen HanselmanListened
The DevOps Handbook (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Gene Kim and othersListened
The Examined Life (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Stephen GroszListened
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Patrick LencioniListened
The Hard Thing About Hard Things (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Ben HorowitzListened
The Magic of Thinking Big (opens audible.co.uk, external site)David SchwartzListened
The Miracle Morning (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Hal ElrodListened
The Obesity Code (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Jason FungListened
The Pathless Path (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Paul MillerdListened
The Slight Edge (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Jeff Olson and John David MannListened
The Start-Up of You (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Reid Hoffman and Ben CasnochaListened
The Startup Way (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Eric RiesListened
The TenX Rule (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Grant CardoneListened
The Thank You Economy (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Gary VaynerchukListened
They Ask You Answer (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Marcus SheridanListened
Think and Grow Rich (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Napoleon Hill and othersListened
Think Like a Monk (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Jay ShettyListened
Traction (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Gino WickmanListened
Traffic Secrets (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Russell BrunsonListened
Triggers (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Marshall Goldsmith and Mark ReiterListened
Will It Fly? How to Test Your Next Business Idea So You Don't Waste Your Time and Money (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Pat FlynnListened
Write Useful BooksRob FitzpatrickRead
Your Next Five Moves (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Patrick Bet-DavidListened
Zero to Sold (opens audible.co.uk, external site)Arvid KahlListened

The lists come from my Audible library and my Kindle reading, refreshed when I finish something new. Books I am part-way through are not shown.