In 2024 I helped over 50 DJs engage their audience.

I’m a big believer in the power of learning from proven experts who have dedicated themselves to understanding productivity and effectiveness. When clients ask for reading recommendations, there are three books I often suggest because they tackle the topic from different, yet highly complementary, angles that I find particularly relevant for freelancers and entrepreneurs.

First, I always recommend Atomic Habits by James Clear. For me, its core insight is transformative: achieving significant goals isn’t about massive, heroic efforts, but about focusing on implementing tiny, consistent daily habits – the idea of getting just 1% better each day. I find this invaluable for freelancers because it provides a practical framework for building sustainable routines around crucial activities like marketing, focused work blocks, or even financial tracking. It helps make success feel more automatic, less dependent on fleeting motivation, by applying his Four Laws of Behavior Change: Make it obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying.

Second, I encourage exploring Deep Work by Cal Newport. This book powerfully argues that the ability to concentrate without distraction on cognitively demanding tasks – what he calls “deep work” – is becoming increasingly rare and, consequently, extremely valuable. In my experience working with entrepreneurs, cultivating this capacity for deep work is essential for producing high-quality client deliverables, developing unique professional skills, or engaging in the strategic thinking needed for real business growth. The book offers actionable philosophies and frameworks for scheduling and fiercely protecting this vital focus time, drawing a crucial distinction between valuable deep work and less impactful “shallow work.”

Third, I suggest delving into Essentialism by Greg McKeown. This book champions the disciplined pursuit of less, but better. It’s about consciously choosing to focus your limited time and energy only on activities and commitments that are truly essential. For freelancers, I find this provides a powerful mental model and practical strategies for learning to say “no” gracefully to non-ideal clients or projects, preventing scope creep, identifying the highest-impact activities, and intentionally designing a business that aligns with personal goals, rather than letting the business dictate their lives.