Last Updated on November 28, 2022 by Chimezie Chidi
This post lists some of the best time management books that can help you strike the proper balance between work, productivity and life.
There is a lot of challenges faced by the Online business owner, but time management is the biggest problem. We face issues with managing our time because we must wear many hats.
According to Deluxe, when we achieve control over our time, we can make more money and live a fulfilled life.
How do you achieve a balance between your work life and your other life’s?
Books.
Non-fiction books contain a wealth of knowledge derived from the lives of its authors.
They can be a source of inspiration, providing insights into practical tips for survival in this world.
Reading is an important trait if you must attain success.
Even successful entrepreneurs like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg who are always busy, find time to read books daily.
Table of Contents
Why manage your time?
As an online entrepreneur, you must do a lot of tasks and do them correctly, and this requires a combination of several skills, wisdom, and understanding of the domain. What better way to gain insights than reading the works of great minds?
In this article, I have compiled a list of the best time management books you should read, whether or not you own a business online.
The business time management books in this article would make an excellent read for online business owners such as
- Freelancers
- Creatives
- Marketers
- Designers
- Digital Nomads
- Photographers
- Writers
- Bloggers
- etc.
To achieve all-around productivity, manage your time and fulfil your heart’s desires, reading books provides the medium to gain all you need for your business. Also, they will keep you inspired in those moments, when you are bored or grumpy to work. Now, let’s get right to our top picks of time management books, you need to read.
14 Best Time Management Books for The Online Business Owner
1. The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki
Turning a business idea into a realistic set up is never easy. This book would be handy to you because it features everything you need to begin your online business, starting from the idea, getting your idea to the right investors and much more. It contains timeless principles that would be excellent for you on your way to success. It is one of the most popular books ever written and focuses mainly on management for the entrepreneur. Guy Kawasaki was an evangelist for Apple back in the 1980s, and expect nothing less because he enriched this book with his wealth of personal experience and background.
2. The 4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
As an online business owner, the struggle for balancing our workflow and personal life is a big challenge. This book presents principles you must learn about a time to build a successful career without spending your entire life in front of a screen. Naturally, we are all used to the 9-5 work hours, and as the online business owner, our work time could seep beyond that. This book will help you work fewer hours, avoid the rat race and live a fulfilled life.
3. No B.S Time management for Entrepreneurs by Dan Kennedy
The life of an entrepreneur is a tough choice. Being your own boss can be a double-edged sword if you do not have a level of control over your work. You may have some serious targets, but It is important, that you understand you cannot achieve all of them at once. This book will help you avoid getting harried all the time and attain the desired level of self-discipline. According to Dan Kennedy, your time work as an entrepreneur is $340 per hour, and he will explain, how to reach that target in this lovely guide.
4. Virtual Freedom by Chris Ducker
As an entrepreneur, we all suffer from superhero syndrome. We not only wish to be boss but equally the HR, salesperson, virtual assistant, marketing expert, copywriter and so much more. We are forever struggling to find time to do all the work we have burdened on ourselves. With this book, you will learn the right ways to outsource projects, even when on a tight budget. You will discover the power of creating a team of virtual employees who can help you operate, support and grow your business.
5. In Praise of Slowness by Carl Honore
In this book, Carl Honore shares with us the benefits of slowing down. This is of great importance, since today’s world, is infinitely on the fast-forward. By adopting the lifestyle introduced in this book, you will reverse the fast-forward mindset and be able to live a more fulfilled life.
There are lots of opportunities out there, and even more, opportunities exist within these opportunities. You cannot have it all and must slow down to gain clarity about what you really want as an entrepreneur. By achieving a defined vision, you avoid becoming a chaotic entrepreneur.
6. Priorities: Resources for Changing Lives by James C. Petty
Time management is not entirely physical but has a spiritual perspective. James C. Petty takes the spiritual view on time and advocates that we get more done by doing far less. In this book, we will learn that it is not everything we see screaming for attention that needs our attention. James C. Petty categorizes time through assigning priorities and would use biblical principles to help you get rid of stress and embrace your real priorities.
7. On the Shortness of Life by Seneca
Whether or not you are an entrepreneur, we all waste a lot of our time on meaningless things, that is, things that do not give us fulfilment in any way. This book contains an immense resource on how to change your perspective about time and effectively manage your life. In this lovely, guide the works of the philosopher Seneca, who lived from 5.B.C to AD 65 is explored including the art of living, the importance of morality and reason and a profound wealth of wisdom to remain rational in all endeavours.
8. How did I get so busy? by Burton Valorie
Rushing through life would get us nowhere. Moving your business from an idea into fruition might have meant long hours in the beginning, but it is time to get organized. Life Coach, Valorie Burton explores in a 28-day practical session, everything you would have to do, to get back control of your life. You will discover how to organize and identify your highest priorities. This lovely resource contains realistic action steps to reduce stress and help you become more satisfied with your life.
9. The ONE Thing: The surprisingly simple truth behind extraordinary results by Gary Keller
This resource is one of the most essential bestselling business books in this decade. It includes information on how to dream and build a big vision and they narrow it down to a single focus which can be further divided into measurable actions, one step after another until you achieve your greater vision. It will explore all famous productivity killers and teach you the various ways to avoid them. You will also learn how to create actionable and realistic plans geared toward fulfilling your big dream.
10. The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals by Chris Mc Chesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Hulling.
The 4 Disciplines of Execution is an impressive book that outlines rules that can help you translate strategy into action. These disciplines of execution as discussed in this guide are engagement, accountability, leverage, and focus. It was written by members of the FranklinCovey organization which is a firm that has worked with a lot of companies, teaching them better ways to manage time. This book will offer proven sets of practices that can recreate your lifestyle and improve your productivity without having to sacrifice yourself.
11. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
One of the most critical skill, you need as an online business owner can focus without distraction. In this guide, Cal Newport explores the practical steps that would help you master this skill. If you find it hard, getting your priorities straight or you are caught between a lot of tasks, this guide can help get back to doing only what you do best while outsourcing the rest.
12. Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity by Charles Duhigg
Making the right decisions is vital for your online business. There is a lot of things you must choose to do and not do. You cannot use all social media marketing platforms. You cannot have all the clients, and you cannot carry out all the tasks by yourself. In this, guide, you will discover the right way to make concrete decisions.
Charles Duhigg, premises on the fact, that your focus does not depend on “how you think” but rather, “what you think.” He further lays own compelling reasons why never ignore all small decisions because they can create dynamic changes to your business.
13. Time Efficiency Makeover by Dorothy K. Breininger
Procrastination is a big challenge you must overcome on your entrepreneurial journey. In some events, when things are not going according to your plans, it’s so easy to lose focus. This book explores practical steps on how to stop putting off your relationships, bills and other projects. With this guide, you will trace the roots of your problem and discover what is holding you back from getting into the game. It will also help you become satisfied and improve your efficiency in all areas of your life.
14. Aligned Thinking: Make Every Moment Count by Jim Steffen
In this little guide, Jim Steffen explores timeless principles that would help you focus on the essential things and make every moment in your life count. It will shift your focus on actualizing desires towards achieving balance in all aspects of your life, to live a fulfilled life. He wrote this guide in a fable styled pattern and so, it makes an exciting read, notwithstanding the weight of knowledge in it.
Concluding thoughts
Reading is my passion, there is always an untapped well of wisdom, somewhere. And so I recommend that you read all the time management books on this list.
According to research, the smartest people in the world read a lot of books at once, and some never get to the end of any book.
In fact, many of these entrepreneurs only read about 20 to 40 per cent of the books they purchased and yet, a lot of them, enjoy reading 10 books at once. This does not in any way mean you should buy all these books at once, but that you should buy all of them in time!
See books as an experiment, develop the taste to explore more of them. Even when you are not too much of a reader, you can invest in audiobooks. A lot of the books on this list have audio versions that can make good company while carrying out your daily tasks.
According to, Michael Simmons, there are many more ways you can have fun reading books, they include:
- Read the metadata that books generate such as book summaries, reviews, first & last chapters, quotes, and author interviews.
- Don’t seem to have time? Take advantage of “hidden minutes.” Trust me, we all have them.
- Read more physical books
- Invest in audiobooks; they make divinely inspired music.
- Use books to tap into your creative mind
Time management is essential to all of us. We all have 24-hours daily, but having control over every second, will help us live a fulfilled life.
In addition, it is the key to building an impressive business empire.
What time management books have you read that impacted your life positively?
I would really love if you share your thoughts in the comments below.