I read 75 Books in 2022. Here are my Top 10.

2022 was a great year for reading. I was able to read 75 books, several of which have measurably improved the way I think and live.

The first question you may be asking is how in the world did I read 75 books? Well, let me begin by sharing I did not start off this way.

?Here is what the last few years have looked like:

2022: 75 Books

2021: 61 Books

2020: 35 Books

2019: 10 Books

2018: 4-5 Books?

There are 5 things that have helped me read more each year that I hope can help you too:

?1.???Set a Clear Goal: How many books would you like to read a year? 10? 20? 50? I begin each year with setting a clear intention for how many books I would like to read, and I write that down. People who write down their goals are 42% more likely to achieve them.

?2.???Build a Recommended List of Books: Collect ideas from friends, colleagues and other sources (Good Reads etc.) on the kinds of books you could read, and maintain that list. Not only will this create greater excitement for reading all those books, it will stop decision fatigue from setting in.

?3.???Carve Out Time - Start with Just 1% of Your Day: Do you know how much just 1% of your day is? It’s 14 minutes and 24 seconds. If 1% of your day is all you can devote to reading, given that the average book takes 6 hours to read, you would read 15 books. Double that and now you are reading 30 books a year! I typically read for an hour a day, and more on weekends and holidays.

?4.???Embrace All Mediums: Embrace all reading mediums beyond physical books – Kindle, Audible etc. Finally moving over to audio books via Audible has been a life-saver for me. I am now able to convert any dead time (walking to run errands, doing the laundry, getting ready etc.) to reading time. Plus, I read at 2x speed, which allows me to go through 1-2 books a week.

?5.???Jot Down Your Top 3-5 Points from Each Book: To ensure you retain key ideas from the books, jot down your top 3-5 ideas that have added the greatest value to you. And, as an added bonus, you might even share those ideas on social media to create external accountability, as I was doing on LinkedIn.

“Do not read, as children do, to amuse yourself, or like the ambitious, for the purpose of instruction. No, read in order to live.” - Gustave Flaubert.

?Here is my list of Top 10 Books for 2022:

??1. Be Your Future Self Now by Dr. Benjamin?Hardy - I love the new branch of psychology called Prospection that says your future matters much more than your past in defining how you show up in the present moment.?If you've ever felt stuck because of your past, this would be a great concept to embrace to experience greater freedom and growth.

?2. Peak Mind by Dr. Amishi Jha – This is now one of my favorite books on the power of meditation and mindful living, and is backed by the latest scientific research.?Did you know all it takes is 12 minutes to reshape your brain for greater calm and happiness?

?3. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant - I was amazed by how much practical everyday wisdom was packed into this little book for building both wealth and happiness.

?4. Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke – I love the genre of decision making in general, and this book in particular was filled with simple but powerful insights that I now leverage in my everyday work and life.

?5. Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown – When you can define something, you can better manage it. In this book, Brene Brown gives us a clear way to define and understand the myriad emotions we experience which goes a long way in helping you become more emotionally intelligent.

?6. The Happiness Trap by Dr. Russ Harris – There are many books on happiness, but this stood out to me because it actually provides a set of powerful tools drawing on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to fundamentally enhance the quality of the human experience.

?7. Living Untethered by Michael Singer - ?I read the Untethered Soul last year and absolutely loved it. This year, I knew I had to read more works by Michael Singer and I’m so glad I did. If you've ever wondered about how to answer the question - Who are you? - this book is for you.?

?8. Think Like a Rocket Scientist by Ozan Varol - If you want to upgrade the quality of your thinking and be able to view common challenges in a new light, this book is bursting with practical insights.?This is one of the books that I will definitely be re-reading. It’s that good!

?9. Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman ?- A class apart from other time management books with its almost philosophical take on time, this book will make you?rethink and redefine your relationship with time, and what you choose to prioritize.

?10. Grit by Angela Duckworth – While I understood why grit would be important even before reading this book, this book has given me a whole new language and a nuanced understanding of how to actually build grit, not just for ourselves but also for our children or our teams at work.

Bonus – How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan: This book has completely changed my view of psychedelic drugs. If you are interested in the deeper, more mystical aspects of the mind, and how that relates to our mental health, this would be a complete eye-opener!?

?Here is full list of books I read in 2022:

1.???Subtract by Leidy Klotz

2.???Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

3.???Fierce Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff

4.???Essentialism by Greg McKeown

5.???Effortless by Greg McKeown

6.???The Almanack of Naval Ravikant

7.???The Power of Regret by Daniel Pink

8.???Seven and Half Lessons About The Brain By Lisa Feldman Barrett

9.???The Gendered Brain by Gina Rippon

10. Cues by Vanessa Van Edwards

11. Captivate by Vanessa Van Edwards

12. 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Jim Dethmer?

13. The Confident Mind by Nathaniel Zinsser

14. Pre-Suasion by Robert Cialdini

15. Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins

16. Hooked by Nir Eyal

17. A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink

18. The Power of Meaning by Emily Eshfani Smith

19. Peak Mind by Amishi Jha

20. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

21. Radical Candor by Kim Scott

22. Making Numbers Count by Chip Heath

23. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck By Mark Manson

24. Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty

25. From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks

26. Limitless by Jim Kwik

27. Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown

28. The Startup of You by Reid Hoffman

29. The Conscious Parent by Dr. Shefali Tsabury

30. How to Decide by Annie Duke

31. Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely

32. Transcend by Scott Barry Kaufman

33. Mindset by Carol Dweck

34. Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kaufman

35. Quiet by Susan Cain

36. Shakti Leadership by Nilima Bhat

37. Golden by Justin Talbot-Zorn

38. Clearer, Closer, Better by Emily Balcetis

39. The Art of Bitfulness by Tanuj Bhojwani

40. Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke

41. Think Like a Rocket Scientist by Ozan Varol

42. Do Epic Shit by Ankur Warikoo

43. Be Your Future Self Now by Dr. Benjamin Hardy

44. The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone

45. Learn Like a Pro by Barbara Oakley

46. The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

47. Key Person of Influence by Daniel Priesly

48. Grit by Angela Duckworth

49. The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris

50. Being Nobody by Ram Dass

51. How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan

52. The Shero’s Journey by Laurie Morin

53. Self-Compassion Step by Step by Kristin Neff

54. Mindful Self Compassion by Chris Germer

55. Limitless by Radhika Gupta

56. Modern Wisdom Ancient Roots by Srikumar Rao

57. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Harari

58. Option B by Sheryl Sandberg

59. The Art of War by Sun Tzu

60. Leading Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion by Rohini Anand

61. The Long Game by Dorie Clark

62. The Authority Gap by Mary Ann Seighart

63. Quit by Annie Duke

64. The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath

65. How to be an Imperfectionist by Stephen Guise

66. Decisive by Chip and Dan Heath

67. Lies our Mothers Told Us by NIlanjana Bhowmik

68. SuperThinking by Gabriel Weinberg

69. Secrets of Super Gurus by Rupa Publishers

70. The Motivation Myth by Jeff Hayden

71. Living Untethered by Michael singer

72. The Second Brain by Tiago Forte

73. Break the habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza

74. Tools by Phil Stutz

75. What’s In It For Them by Joe Polish

Another great way to be consistent with your reading habits is to join a reading community. We have a book club called the Conscious Woman Book Club where we read books that help us live and lead more consciously (Atomic Habits, Man’s Search for Meaning, Lies our Mothers Told Us and more), and meet virtually for an hour the last Friday of each month. To sign up, click here .

?Finally, as I build out my list of 2023, I would love your recommendations on what I could read. Please share below.

?Happy Reading! And here's wishing you a delightfully Happy New Year!