Books to Help You Achieve Your Goals & Be More Productive With Your Time
Are you looking for book recommendations to help you achieve your goals and manage your time better? Then you’re in the right spot! This post will equip you with a book list that will inspire you in your journey of greater productivity as a Christian woman!
This post was originally published March 4, 2015. It has been revised and updated to reflect the best books I’ve read to date on time management and productivity.
Setting goals is one of the best things you can do to be more intentional in your everyday life. However, setting goals means nothing if you can’t get organized and follow through on those goals, right?
Maybe you’ve set goals for the first time this year.
Maybe you’re realizing that you need to manage your day-to-day life a little better so you can work on your goals.
Maybe one of your goals is to manage your time better.
Whatever the reason you landed on this post, I hope this book list inspires and encourages you on your journey to becoming the woman of God you were created to be.
These are books I have personally read and found helpful in my journey to becoming more intentional with my time. Enjoy!
Books to Help You Achieve Your Goals & Be More Productive With Your Time
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Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
No matter your goals or preferred way of getting things done, Atomic Habits gives you a proven framework for improving in every area of your life. Bad habits are something you can change, and it’s easier than you think! You need a better system for managing your day, and this book will teach you how. I found so many great tips and ideas in this book that I hadn’t thought of before.
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
This was one of the first books I read on better time management and productivity, and honestly, it’s probably shaped my mindset toward planning more than any other book. His approach to managing your time is common sense and can be applied in a variety of settings.
What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done by Matt Perman
This book is written exclusively from the Christian worldview, which makes it a unique and interesting read. This book takes you through productivity in light of the gospel, walking you through purpose and mission, goals, and then how to make those goals happen with daily, weekly, and monthly planning. Plus so much more!
Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life by Nir Eyal
Another great one for focusing your attention and choosing what’s most important. This book gives a framework for focusing that is simple and easily applied. This is a great one for helping you control your time and your attention.
Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Richard A Swenson
If you feel like your schedule is overloaded and pushing capacity, then this book is a great one to start with. This book will help you reevaluate your priorities, revisit your need for rest, and help you simplify your life.
The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM) by Hal Elrod
I resisted reading this book to be completely honest with you. However, I picked up so many good tips and ideas for being more intentional and building good habits to start the day that I would be remiss to add this book to your book list. The way we start our day matters deeply, and this simple framework is a great launching pad for crafting a morning routine that will help you achieve your goals and be more productive each day.
The 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family by Patrick Lencioni
Patrick Lencioni is traditionally a business book writer, but this book crosses over into the family sphere because it makes sense. This book will help you gain perspective on how to manage your family goals and schedule with more sanity and unity. This is one of the best books I’ve, personally, ever read. We use it as a family, but I also use it heavily in my goal setting and and seasonal goal planning. It’s quite likely one of the heaviest influences on my goal setting system.
The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t, and Get Stuff Done by Kenra Adachi
This book will guide you in choosing what’s most important to you. Be intentional about what matters and let go what doesn’t. It’s inspirational and filled with nuggets that will encourage you and equip you with practical steps you can take to be more intentional and productive in your everyday life.
Own Your Life: Living With Deep Intention, Bold Faith, and Generous Love by Sally Clarkson
This book will take you through step-by-step what it means to live a meaningful and intentional life. She will also help you bring order to your chaos with your practical ideas for taking control of your schedule and life.
Additional Books on My Book List to Help Me Achieve My Goals and Be More Productive
Below are the books on my book list that I want to read. They come highly recommended to me, and I can’t wait to read them. I thought I’d share them with you in case you want to check them out, too.
- Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most by Greg McKeown
- 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, Jim Huling, & 2 More
- Win the Day: 7 Daily Habits to Help You Stress Less & Accomplish More by Mark Batterson
- Measure What Matters by John Doerr
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
What books have helped you achieve your goals and be more productive with your time? Share your books list in the comments so I can add them to my list!

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What’s Best Next by Matt Perman
Love this! Thanks for these book recommendations.