By Ch. Maderthoner [CC0], from Wikimedia Commons

I’m a self-help book junkie.  I love reading them, working through the activities and, when relevant, recommending them to my coaching clients.  I work with DaVincis — smart creative people who are juggling too many ideas, too many projects and too many talents.  Over the years, these have been the books that I’ve recommended the most frequently:

1. The Now Habit by Neil Fiore

By far, the book I recommend the most to DaVincis is Neil Fiore’s classic. His ‘unschedule‘ technique is a proven way to beat procrastination and to get more balance in your life, thanks to the joy of ‘guilt-free play‘.  As I wrote in a blurb for the cover of the most recent edition of the book:  “it provides clear, practical, effective advice for getting things done without beating yourself up”.

2.  Refuse to Choose by Barbara Sher

Tailored for DaVincis, this book provides many practical suggestions for managing too many ideas and too many projects.  Like us here at DavinciDilemma, Barbara Sher knows the joy of pursuing more than one passion.

3.  Finding Water by Julia Cameron

Most creative people know Julia Cameron from her seminal book The Artist’s Way.  In this book, she addresses the topic most problematic for DaVincis — perseverance.  If you find it challenging to ‘keep going’ on a project — especially amid all your competing ideas, projects and talents — this book offers much empathy and many practical activities to help you stay on track.

4.   Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway by Susan Jeffers

Everyone feels fear.  The difference is what people do with it.  For some it’s fuel, for others it’s a stop sign.  If fear is hampering your progress or interfering with your creativity, this book will guide you through it.  Remember:  whatever happens, you’ll handle it.

5.  Overcoming Procrastination for Multi-Talented People:  — How to Keep Too Many Ideas Keep You From Getting Things Done by Lisa Rothstein

Whatever the cause of your procrastination, be it fear or being overwhelmed or overworked, here are practical fixes, tailored specifically for DaVincis.

6.  Goal Setting and Planning for Mulit-Talented People:  How to figure out  what you really want — and how to actually get it by Liisa Kyle

Packed with proven techniques to prioritize effectively, to set achievable goals and to get things done.  I wrote this to help DaVincis discover how to make strategic plans and implement them.  It’s packed with proven ways to get started, to stay on track and to finish — as well as what to do when you get thrown off track.

7.  Acceptance:  A Workshop for Perfectionists by Liisa Kyle

Many of my coaching clients are perfectionists — people who hold themselves (and those around them) to sky-hand standards.  It’s a stressful, painful way to live.  I developed this workbook as a way of offering practical exercises to address and reduce perfectionism.

8.  Woulda Coulda Shoulda by Arthur Freeman and Rose DeWolf

If regrets are an issue for you, this is an excellent book for working through “what might have been”.

9.  Ask & It is Given by Esther & Jerry Hicks

This “Law of Attraction” touchstone might seem like an odd recommendation.  What’s been most useful for my coaching clients are the  “22 processes” described in the back half of the book.  These are effective activities and exercises through which you can adjust your thinking — and improve your attitude — about particular issues.

10.  Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Meditation has myriad benefits to your health, well-being and creativity.  This book is a good introductory primer on how to meditation

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What about you? What are your favorite self-help books?  What’s been the most helpful to you? Please tell us about them in the comments section below.

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Want to re-publish this article? Go for it – just include the author’s name, a link to this original post and the following text blurb:

Are you struggling with too many talents, skills, ideas? You may have The DaVinci Dilemma™! Find tools, fun quizzes, coaching, inspiration and solutions for multi-talented people at http://www.davincidilemma.com/ .

 

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