I’m on a bit of a non-fiction kick at the moment. I’ve been slowly working my way through a whole stack of this goodness. My go-to non-fiction books tend to be ones that tackle subjects like being a creative person, the craft of writing, organising my work life, or learning how to be more focused and disciplined. I particularly love books with practical applications. It’s like having a mentor and teacher right at your fingertips, and on your schedule. I’ve taken to making notes on all the things that I want to remember in particular, copying out quotes that really meant something to me, and highlighting any key points that stood out as I was reading. These non-fiction books have been my main source of inspiration recently, and today I thought I’d share three of my current favourites.
Finish
Jon Acuff
If you’re tired of being a chronic starter and want to become a consistent finisher, you have two options: You can continue to beat yourself up and try harder, since this time that will work. Or you can give yourself the gift of done.
‘Finish’ is all about goals and how to actually achieve them. As a writer who particular loves setting big, challenging goals for myself, this book is an absolute must-read. It has an amazing sense of humour, and is jam packed with wisdom and practical advice at the same time. Learning has never been so fun. ‘Finish’ helped me achieve my goal of publishing my first book, ‘The Crystal Tree’, and I’ve come back to it multiple times to give myself a creative boost when I’m struggling. If you, like me, love setting and achieving goals, but struggle to get them done in time, or can’t stay motivated the whole time, this book will really help you.
Indistractable
Nir Eyal
What would be possible if you followed through on your best intentions? What could you accomplish if you could stay focused and overcome distractions? What if you had the power to become “indistractable”?
If there’s one thing I think all of us understand, it’s the constant struggle against the lure of distractions. You sit down, ready to get some great work done, and the next thing you know, you’ve been scrolling Twitter for three hours and your page is as empty as when you started. ‘Indistractable’ is great because not only does it give you practical ways to stay motivated and avoid distractions, but it also explains the reasons why we get distracted, which is super helpful when you’re trying to learn how to become ‘indistractable’. If you, like me, struggle with the shiny lure of distraction while you’re working, you should definitely give this book a try.
Atomic Habits
James Clear
If you’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don’t want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you’ll get a proven system that can take you to new heights.
I’m only about halfway through this book, but already I feel so inspired and I can just tell that it’s going to be so helpful. James Clear explains the science behind habit building, and give you simple and practical steps for building a new, good habit, or breaking a bad one. As someone who has failed at picking up new habits more times than I am willing to count, I’m so eager to put the wisdom from this book into action. If you’re struggling to change your habits and adopt new routines, like me, you should definitely check out this book.
These three books have influenced my creative life in all sorts of ways, and are my top recommendations for anyone looking to make some changes as a creative person. But I’d love to hear from you. What non-fiction books have you been reading recently? Have you read any of these books?
Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash
