Here is a list of personal development books sorted by categories to help you master personal development skills.
Personal Development Books by Category
I used the following categories:
Getting Started | Attitude, Character | Body Development | Career Development | Communication Skills | Courage, Self-Confidence | Decision Making, Choice | Emotional Intelligence | Focus | Goals, Achievement | Habits | Happiness, Feeling Good | Intelligence, Thinking Skills | Intuition | Leadership | Learning | Motivation, Self-Discipline | People Skills, Interpersonal Skills | Positive Thinking, Optimism | Purpose, Passion | Relationships | Self-Awareness | Spiritual Intelligence | Strengths | Stress | Success | Wealth | Work-Life Balance
Getting Started
- 180 Climbing the Two Ladders to Inner Strength & Outer Freedom, by Rob White
- A Philosopher’s Notes: On Optimal Living, Creating an Authentically Awesome Life and Other Such Goodness, by Brian Johnson
- Getting Results the Agile Way, by J.D. Meier
- Go Put Your Strengths to Work, by Marcus Buckingham
- Personal Development for Smart People, by Steve Pavlina
- Success Principles by Jack Canfield
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey
- The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, by Stephen Covey
- The Inner Edge: The 10 Practices of Personal Leadership, by Joelle K. Jay
- The Success Journey, by John Maxwell
- Unlimited Power, by Tony Robbins
- Work from the Inside Out, by Nancy O’Hara
Attitude, Character
- Art of Living, by Epictetus
- Attitude 101, by John Maxwell
- Be the Hero, by Noah Blumenthal
- The Winning Attitude Your Key To Personal Success, by John Maxwell
Body Development
- The 4-Hour Body, by Tim Ferris
Career Development
- Is Your Genius at Work?, by Dick Richards
- The Dip, by Seth Godin
- The Perfect Resume, by Tom Jackson
- Work from the Inside Out, by Nancy O’Hara
Communication Skills
- How to Communicate, by Martha Davis
- Lifescripts, by Stephen M. Pollan
- The Exceptional Presenter, by Timothy J. Koegel
- Verbal Judo: The Gentle Art of Persuasion, by George J. Thompson PhD
Courage, Self-Confidence
- Screw It, Let’s Do It: Lessons in Life and Business, by Richard Branson
- Unleash the Warrior Within, by Richard J. Machowicz
Decision Making, Choice
- Choices That Change Lives, by Hal Urban
- Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions, by Gary Klein
Emotional Intelligence
- Emotional Capitalists: The New Leaders, by Martyn Newman
- Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman
- The Emotional Energy Factor, by by Mira Kirshenbaum
Focus
- Simple Zen: A Guide to Living Moment by Moment, by by C. Alexander Simpkins
- The Power of Full Engagement, by Jim Loehr
- The Power of Less, by Leo Babauta
- The Power of Focus, by Jack Canfield
Goals, Achievement
- Awaken the Giant Within, by Tony Robbins
- Be All You Can Be, by John Maxwell
- Goal-Free Living, by Stephen M. Saipiro
- Goals!, by Brian Tracy
- Living an Extraordinary Life, by Robert White
- Living At The Next Level, by John Maxwell
- Overachievement, by John Eliot
- Maximum Achievement, by Brian Tracy
- Success 101, by John Maxwell
- The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, by Benjamin Franklin
- Unlimited Power, by Tony Robbins
- Your Road Map for Success, by John Maxwell
Habits
- Atomic Habits, by James Clear
- Getting Results the Agile Way, by J.D. Meier
- Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Success, by Napoleon Hill
- Personal Development for Smart People, by Steve Pavlina
- Tactics: The Art and Science of Success, by Edward de Bono
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey
- The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, by Stephen Covey
- The 80/20 Individual, by Richard Koch
- The Success Principles, by Jack Canfield
Happiness, Feeling Good
- Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, by David D. Burns
Intelligence, Thinking Skills
- 7 (Seven) Kinds of Smart, by Thomas Armstrong
- Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell
- Brain Rules, by John Medina
- How Successful People Think, by John Maxwell
- How to Have a Beautiful Mind, by Edward de Bono
- Managing Your Mind: The Mental Fitness Guide, by Gillian Butler
- Mind Hacks: Tips & Tools for Using Your Brain, by Tom Stafford
- Mind Magic Techniques for Transforming Your Life, by Marta Hiatt
- Mind Performance Hacks, by Ron Hale-Evans
- Power Thinking, by John N. Mangieri
- Six Thinking Hats, by Edward de Bono
- Smart Questions, by Gerald Nadler
- The Art of Worldly Wisdom, by Willis Barnstone
- The Magic of Thinking Big, by David J. Schwartz
- The Memory Book, by Harry Lorayne
- The Seven Sins of Memory, by Daniel L. Schacter
- Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques, by Michael Michalko
Intuition
- The Power of Intuition, by Gary Klein
Leadership
- Developing the Leader Within You, by John Maxwell
Learning
- Secrets of a Buccaneer, by James Bach
- The 4-Hour Work Week Tim Ferriss
Motivation, Self-Discipline
- Self-discipline in 10 days: How to go from thinking to doing, by Theodore Bryant
- The Now Habit, by Neil A. Fiore
People Skills, Interpersonal Skills
- Antipatterns: Identification, Refactoring, and Management, by Phillip A. Laplante
- Coping with Difficult Bosses, by Robert Bramson
- Crucial Confrontations, by Kerry Patterson
- Crucial Conversations, by Kerry Patterson
- Dealing with People You Can’t Stand, by Dr. Rick Kirschner
- Get Them On Your Side, by Samuel B. Bacharach
- How To Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
- Masters of Networking, by Ivan R. Misner
- Personal Village, by Marvin Thomas
- Social Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman
- The Art of Talking to Anyone, by Rosalie Maggio
- The Likeability Factor, by Tim Sanders
Positive Thinking, Optimism
- Learned Optimism, by Martin E. P. Seligman
Productivity
- Getting Results the Agile Way, by J.D. Meier
- Getting Things Done, by David Allen
- How Full Is Your Bucket?, by Tom Rath
Purpose, Passion
- The Success Journey, by John Maxwell
- Who Are You? What Do You Want?, by Mick Ukleia
Books on Relationships
- For Men Only, by Shaunti Christine Feldhahn
- For Women Only, by Shaunti Christine Feldhahn
- Forgiveness Is a Choice, by Robert D. Enright
- Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, by John Gray
- Should I Stay Or Go?, by Lee Raffel
Self-Awareness
- 180 Climbing the Two Ladders to Inner Strength & Outer Freedom, by Rob White
- egonomics: What Makes Ego Our Greatest Asset, by David Marcum
- Lifetypes, by by Sandra Krebs Hirsh
- What You Can Change and What You Can’t, by Martin Seligman
Spiritual Intelligence
- The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle
Strengths
- Character Strengths and Virtues, by Chris Peterson and Martin Seligman
- Go Put Your Strengths to Work, by Marcus Buckingham
- Now, Discover Your Strengths, by Marcus Buckingham
- StrengthsFinder 2.0, by Tom Rath
Stress
- 10 Simple Solutions to Stress, by Claire Michaels Wheeler
- Learn to Relax, by Mike George
- Overachievement, by John Eliot
Success
- 180 Climbing the Two Ladders to Inner Strength & Outer Freedom, by Rob White
- How Successful People Think, by John Maxwell
- Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Success, by Napoleon Hill
- Success 101, by John Maxwell
- Success Principles by Jack Canfield
- Tactics: The Art and Science of Success, by Edward de Bono
- Unlimited Power, by Tony Robbins
- Your Road Map for Success, by John Maxwell
Wealth
- 7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness, by Jim Rohn
- Getting Rich Your Own Way, by Brian Tracy
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Robert T. Kiyosaki
- Think and Grow Rich, by Napolean Hill
Work-Life Balance
- Fat,Forty,Fired, by Nigel Marsh
- Work from the Inside Out, by Nancy O’Hara
