Self Help & Psychology Book Summaries

Deep Work is about focusing deeply so you can thrive in your professional career. Cal Newport says reducing distractions and increasing our ability to concentrate will allow us to learn new skills faster and produce higher quality work.

The Power of Now is about living in the present moment so you suffer less and have more inner peace. It's really about reconnecting to your physical senses rather than being lost in thinking. Eckhart Tolle says past and future are only mental simulations because your life always happens Now.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** is like your smart but impolite friend explaining some great lessons from philosophy. Mark Manson shows how to live by your values so you can act with less hesitation, do what's most important to you, and stop worrying what people think.

12 Rules for Life is about putting your life in order and taking responsibility for what happens. Jordan Peterson begins each chapter with a simple Rule like "Stand up straight" then he launches into thought provoking lessons from science, religion, history and psychology.

The True Believer shows how the same human frustrations drive all mass movements—whether social, political or religious. People join mass movements to escape their ineffectual and helpless individual self. Eric Hoffer wrote this book 70 years ago, but it's still frighteningly relevant today.

Thinking, Fast and Slow explains how people make decisions using two mental systems: "fast" thinking is instinctive and emotional, while "slow" thinking is deliberate and logical. Daniel Kahneman helps us understand our when our mind fall into common biases and irrational shortcuts, so we can make better decisions in the future.

As a Man Thinketh says our thoughts set the course our life, not our circumstances. James Allen says thoughts are seeds for actions, so our mind is a garden where we must cultivate the right seeds. This short, inspiring book still influences many modern self-help teachers.

The Body Keeps the Score is about fascinating new trauma treatments based on the latest research, like eye movement therapy and neurofeedback. Van der Kolk says many of us carry traces of trauma from childhood adversity or neglect. Emotional healing can happen through practices like mindfulness, yoga, play and more.

The Four Agreements shows how to love yourself more, not take things personally, and heal your relationships. Don Miguel Ruiz shares wisdom from the indigenous Mexican Toltec culture to help us stop living in this false "dream" of social rules, expectations and judgments.