Book Recommendations
I've read all the books in this list and found them useful
Top Productivity Books
Getting things done by David Allen
Buy this book if you want to hear from the master of productivity. Written in 2001, this one's the bible for most modern productivity enthusiasts.
After reading this book, you will gain a conceptual understanding of productivity systems.
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Work Clean by Dan Charnas
Buy this book if you want to understand how to work with a clear mind and a clean system. This book teaches us how chefs work and draws paralell to the modern workforce.
After reading this book, you will understand how chefs work and practical knowledge of applying that in the modern workforce
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How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens
Buy this book if you want to up your note taking game. This is the best book, hands down. Quite complex but worth it.
After reading this book, you will understand the Zettelkasten system used by a German Sociologist Niklas Luhman. He collected over 900,000 notes and published 70 books and 400 articles.
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Make Time - How to focus on things that matter by Jake Knapp
Buy this book if you want practical advice on how to get things done. This book accounts for our everyday busy lives, our distractful environment and recommends techniques that will fit well within this system.
After reading this book, you will learn practical tips and hacks to make progress on your projects. I recommend the physical copy, print quality is lit.
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Top Steve Jobs Books
Creativity Inc by Ed Catmull
Buy this book if you want to get a first hand account of how Pixar operates. More than a biography, this book is a practical guide on how to build a creative company.
After reading this book, you will know the entire journey of Pixar as a company. Plus, Steve Jobs. Lot of Steve Jobs.
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Insanely Simple by Ken Segall
Buy this book if you want to understand how simplicity helped Apple succeed. Filled with anectodes, Ken Segall takes you inside Apple's key meetings and gives us a candid view of Steve Jobs
After reading this book, you will understand why it's important to have relegious beliefs in philosophy and not just pay lip service.
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Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Buy this book if you want to feel like you're watching Steve Jobs life from the sidelines. A brilliantly written biography that'll help us get to know Steve Jobs better.
After reading this book, you will understand Steve as a person more than a CEO.
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To Pixar and Beyond by Lawrence Levy
Buy this book if you want to understand Pixar's challenging IPO journey. Written by the CFO, the book starts with him getting a call from Steve Jobs
After reading this book, you will understand the IPO journey from a CFOs lens. Very different.
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Steve Jobs Presentation Secrets by Carmine Gallo
Buy this book if you want to learn pratical tips on how to present like Steve Jobs. This book codifies the presentation approach and breaks it down.
After reading this book, you will know the tacitcs used by Steve Jobs. Not promising the same kind of audience reactions.
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Top Underrated Books
Actionable Gamification by Yu-kai Chou
Buy this book if you want to understand gamification beyond the buzzword. Yukai Chou is the biggest name in Gamification and he teaches you his framework of Octalysis, the drivers of human behaviour.
After reading this book, you will learn the tactics to gamify anything. Very useful for product builders.
Get the book here
Masters of Doom by David Kushner
Buy this book if you want to understand the evolution of first person gaming. A very candid journey, captured brilliantly by David Kushner.
After reading this book, you will know what it means to build something from absolute scratch. Goosebumps guaranteed for gamers.
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Top UX Books
Don't make me think by Steve Krug
Buy this book if you want a honest and candid account on web usability. This one's a fun read about building websites (can apply to products too)
After reading this book, you will know the basics of web usability and you can explain it to someone else
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Creative Selection by Ken Kocienda
Buy this book if you want a first person view into a part of Apple's product building journey. Ken takes you inside his workplace to tell us how Apple approaches design.
After reading this book, you will get a sense of companies like Apple operate when it comes to product decisions
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Top Product Management Books
The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick
Buy this book if you want to get better at validating your product ideas and not receive fake positive feedback.
After reading this book, you will understand why our approach to validating ideas is flawed and how to get better at it
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User Story Mapping by Jeff Patton
Buy this book if you want to understand how to break complex problems into requirements through real world examples
After reading this book, you will understad best practices in software development and write user stories that make sense
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