The start of a new year always puts me in planning mode.
Not the “new year, new me” kind -but the quieter, more strategic version. I take stock of where I am, what feels aligned, and what needs to change. Reading has become one of the most important tools I use in that process.
I don’t read to escape productivity. I read to sharpen it.
To slow my thinking down enough to see patterns.
To improve my leadership skills. To grow.
To borrow perspective from people who have spent years wrestling with the questions I’m asking now.
My Strategy for Reading More (Without More Time)
At the start of each year, I set a clear reading goal and build a structure around it. The number matters less than the habit.
A few rules that make it work:
Audiobooks are non-negotiable. Car time, walks, chores – those minutes add up.
I read multiple books at once, but only one per category (business, investing, parenting, faith, fiction). That keeps momentum without overwhelm.
I mostly opt out of TV. Reading has become how I decompress at night.
I track everything on Goodreads. Accountability matters – even when it’s just to myself.
Some years I hit my goal. Some years I don’t. But every year, the act of reading intentionally changes how I think – and how I show up.
If I had to distill everything I’ve read down to the books that truly shaped my worldview, these are the 15 I’d start with.
The 15 Books That Shaped How I Think
These aren’t just books I enjoyed.
They’re the ones that changed how I see work, cities, money, parenting, faith, and responsibility—and how all of those systems quietly shape human lives.
1. The E-Myth – Michael Gerber
This book permanently rewired how I think about work. It clarified the difference between doing the work and designing a system that works—a distinction that applies far beyond business.
2. Atomic Habits – James Clear
If systems beat motivation, this is the proof. Atomic Habits shaped how I think about discipline, parenting, investing, and long-term change—quiet, boring, compounding change.
3. Pivot – Jenny Blake
This book gave language to something I already believed: meaningful careers evolve. Pivot reframed change as strategy, not instability.
4. 10x Is Easier Than 2x – Dan Sullivan & Benjamin Hardy
A mindset shift that challenged incremental thinking and forced me to ask better questions about leverage, focus, and what not to do.
5. Deep Work – Cal Newport
This book made me fiercely protective of attention. In a distracted world, focus isn’t a productivity hack—it’s a moral choice.
6. Dare to Lead – Brené Brown
Values don’t matter unless they show up under pressure. This book helped connect courage, accountability, and leadership in practical ways.
7. Vital Little Plans – Jane Jacobs
This book shaped how I see cities forever. It taught me that the smallest, most human details often determine whether places thrive or fail.
8. Walkable City – Jeff Speck
A persuasive case for designing places around people—not just efficiency, metrics, or cars.
9. Abundance – Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson
A powerful reframing of housing, infrastructure, and political courage. Scarcity is often a choice.
10. The Coddling of the American Mind – Jonathan Haidt & Greg Lukianoff
This book reshaped how I think about resilience, parenting, and education. Comfort is not the same thing as care.
11. Cribsheet – Emily Oster
A sanity-saving approach to parenting that replaces fear and guilt with data and thoughtful tradeoffs.
12. Changes That Heal – Henry Cloud
A deeply formative book on emotional health, responsibility, and spiritual maturity.
13. Garden City – John Mark Comer
This book reframed ambition, work, and rest—showing they don’t have to be at odds.
14. The Essays of Warren Buffett – Warren Buffett
A masterclass in fundamentals, patience, and restraint. Simple ideas executed consistently.
15. The Algebra of Wealth – Scott Galloway
A modern, pragmatic framework for building wealth grounded in time, income, and discipline—not shortcuts.
Why These 15 Matter
Together, these books form a worldview:
Systems matter more than intentions
People are shaped by environments
Resilience beats comfort
Long-term thinking is a moral responsibility
Work, money, faith, and family are deeply connected
If the new year is about anything, it’s about choosing what shapes us next.