8 Productivity Books Time-Management Experts Actually Use

It probably doesn’t come as a shock that productivity researchers are always looking for new ways to use their time wisely.

They need guidance just like the rest of us, said Sahar Yousef, a cognitive neuroscientist and lecturer at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. “The moment you think you actually know it all, it’s usually a sign you know very little.”

Reading books on productivity, Dr. Yousef said, can offer both practical tips and “a shift in perspective.”

We asked organizational psychologists, researchers and business school professors for the titles that have helped them in their professional and personal lives. Their favorites are below — some of the recommendations are classics, while others may be new to you.

1. Get It Done, by Ayelet Fishbach

This 2022 title, written in a warm, engaging tone, is “jam-packed with value” said Katy Milkman, a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Fishbach, a behavioral psychologist who studies motivational science, is “arguably the world’s foremost expert on motivation,” Dr. Milkman said.