We all know that the most precious resource in life is time. Once lost, you can never rewind the clock. For entrepreneurs, this pressure is enhanced.
Having an idea and a vision for a business requires courage. Launching that business in a world where many are satisfied with their comfort zones requires guts. Once you’ve launched the business, the goal is to be consistent.
Success is directly related to consistency. Consistency is the direct result of how you manage your time.
Here are 10 awesome time management books that have been recommended by successful entrepreneurs.
1. The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
This is an awesome resource that jolts everything you’ve ever learned about the time needed to build a successful career. Personally, I was shell-shocked when I first heard of a “4-hour workweek.” At the time, I could hardly get through the typical 9-5.
I read the book and my life has never been the same. I’ve managed to escape the rate race, work less hours, and live life to the fullest.
Joel Bomgar, founder and CEO of Bomgar, had the following to say about the book:
“The productivity principles and philosophy of productivity and effectiveness encompassed in [The 4-Hour Work Week] are powerful. I read it a few years back and it was one of the most life-transforming books I’ve ever read.”
2. Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
This is another fantastic resource that shifts your paradigm and mindset. This book taught me that income-generating assets usually provide healthier bottom-line results than even the best of traditional jobs. This might not always mean millions of dollars in your bank account, but it may give you that priceless time freedom.
Dane Maxwell, founder of an incredible resource called The Foundation – a community of over 60,000 entrepreneurs – had this to say:
“It all started when I read the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I’m not a typically really super intelligent guy so I really appreciated the simplistic way that Rich Dad, Poor Dad explained financial wealth. He talked about passive income and not exchanging time for money.”
3. No B.S. Time Management For Entrepreneurs by Dan Kennedy
Being an entrepreneur is tough. You’ve got to set some serious targets upfront. You might not achieve them all, but you have to gun for them.
This book gives you three incredibly powerful tips and targets:
- Self-discipline is the magic power that makes you unstoppable
- Avoid the time vampires that want to suck you dry
- As an entrepreneur, your time is worth $340 per hour
It is impossible to start as $340-per-hour entrepreneur. But, it should certainly be your target as you grow.
Paul Gallipeau, Digital Marketing entrepreneur, has this as one of his highly recommended reads.
4. In Praise of Slowness by Carl Honore
We live in an unnecessarily fast-paced world. In Praise of Slowness advocates for the reversal of a fast-forward mentality and lifestyle. It entrenches a culture revolution against the notion that faster is always better.
For any entrepreneur, this is a must-read.
There are too many opportunities out there. There are opportunities within opportunities. In the midst of all these opportunities, you need to slow down and have a clearly defined vision that will help you avoid growing into a chaotic entrepreneur.
This is a resource highly recommended by Joe Griffin, co-founder of iAcquire.
5. Priorities: Resources for Changing Lives by James C. Petty
This book addresses time management from a spiritual perspective.
I’m a huge advocate for the idea that less is more. I truly believe you can get more done by doing less.
The success of this theory all lies in your ability to prioritize. Not everything that screams for your attention is important. You need to proactively ignore things that are not your most urgent priorities.
With this resource, James C. Petty helps bring focus into frazzled lives. Using the “Assessing My Priorities” worksheet, he walks you through the process of organizing time under the categories of God, the people of God, and God’s work in the world.
With sound biblical advice and practical applications, this booklet demonstrates ways in which you can reduce unnecessary stress, identify true priorities, and begin to get your overbooked schedule under control.
6. On The Shortness Of Life by Seneca
Recommended by Tim Ferriss, the incredible entrepreneur and author of The 4-Hour Work Week, this resource highlights that we have more than enough time to live our lives to the fullest.
Unfortunately, we waste much of it.
The book teaches how you can live a more fulfilled life by tweaking your perspective on time management.
7. Organize Yourself by Kate Kelly
Shifting your paradigm and mindset is important. That’s the reason why most of these books are geared at changing the way you think about the relationship between time and entrepreneurship.
This book is about shifting your thinking about execution. Before execution, you need a plan. You need to be organized.
This book will help you get organized by providing you with essential rules for better time, money, space and paper management.
It reveals a professional organizer’s proven techniques for streamlining daily life.
It provides fast, effective methods for dealing with common clutter, along with helping you to overcome procrastination and other organizational ailments.
8. Time Efficiency Makeover by Dorothy K. Breininger
We all are prone to procrastination at some point or other in our entrepreneurial journey. When things are not going quite according to how you planned, it is all too easy to get distracted.
This book will help you decide whether procrastination is a real problem or if you are experiencing other life challenges.
For true procrastinators, this book is filled with step-by-step guidelines on how to stop putting off those home and work projects, unpaid bills and neglected relationships. You will understand what is holding you back and how to keep focused and motivated on present and future events.
A must-read for anyone who wants to improve the efficiency and satisfaction of their lives.
Phil McGraw, an American television personality, author, psychologist, and the host of the television show Dr. Phil, highly recommends this resource and has the following to say:
“These guys really know how to get things set up to maximize your time. They absolutely can create time that seems to come from nowhere.”
9. How Did I Get So Busy? by Burton Valorie
I was once a busy bee and quickly realized that being busy was not necessarily the most effective way to reach my destiny. As the editor at Run For Wealth, a Nike Run Club Coach, and an online marketer, I have to constantly have to find the true balance between business versus productivity.
I highly recommend this book because it’s a simple and effective way to rediscover your true priorities, shift out of overdrive, and reclaim your life and schedule.
10. Aligned Thinking: Make Every Moment Count by Jim Steffen
Ultimately, we all want to live a fulfilled life. Having a great paradigm shift and being organized means nothing if you can’t make every moment count.
This book, written in the style of a simple fable, helps you to develop practical ways to focus on what’s important now and make the moment count.
Conclusion
As an entrepreneur, you’ll come across many challenges. But, the biggest challenge will often be the issue of using your time effectively – especially early on in your entrepreneurial journey. This is the time when you’ll feel obliged to make everyone happy.
Time is a precious resource. For those who truly understand its value, it often seems like they are living in a cocoon.
You are not living in a cocoon. As an entrepreneur, you are in the minority, but it’s fine. I hope this list of resources will help you find comfort in the fact that being in the minority probably means you are well on your way to a fantastic and successful entrepreneurial journey.
More Useful Books
- 35 Books on Productivity and Organizational Skills for an Effective Life
- 30 Best Productivity Books You Should Read To Boost Your Productivity
- 20 All-Time Best Motivational Books to Inspire You
- 25 Best Self Improvement Books to Read No Matter How Old You Are
Featured photo credit: Helena Lopes via unsplash.com
