“One of the very worst uses of time is to do something very well that need not to be done at all.”
It’s easy to lose motivation as a student. From the hours poured into homework to the subjects being boring or confusing, it can be hard to remain fully focused on getting the most from your time in school. Thankfully, motivational books have become one of the most effective tools for remedying that. Books that help motivate students are designed to be accessible pockets of energy that explain the mechanics behind getting things done and provide handy tips on the changes and exercises we can do to feel better and more effective. Join us today at What We Reading as we run you through some of our favourite inspirational and motivational books that have students in mind as they teach readers looking for the drive to revise better, overcome stress and achieve their goals.
The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons In Personal Change – Stephen R. Covey
Kicking off our list of the best motivational books for students is Stephen R. Covey’s global bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. One of the most lauded self-help books of all time, it has become one of the most recognisable resources for readers looking to understand how to live life effectively and realign what ‘success’ means to them.
Across his book, Covey outlines seven habits that he believes are essential for finding personal and professional achievement: be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek first to understand and then to be understood, synergise, and sharpen the saw. By using these practices, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People helps students become more effective in and out of the classroom, allowing them to feel happier and more fulfilled.
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Dare To Lead – Brene Brown
Brene Brown is the fifth-most watched TEDx Talker and has achieved worldwide recognition with her books that motivate, inspire and empower students. In Dare to Lead, she condenses two decades’ worth of research alongside leaders, change makers and culture shifters to examine what it means to dream big, rise strong and brave the wilderness.
This motivational book explains the emotions that give meaning to our lives. Brown finds that leaders, from the smallest start-ups, non-profits, civic organisations and sprawling megacorporations, are all asking how society can cultivate braver, more daring leaders. Featuring actionable strategies and real-life examples, Dare to Lead demonstrates how courage, in any walk of life, can be taught, measured and developed.
Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff… And It’s All Small Stuff – Richard Carlson
Stress and students are a pairing as old as peanut butter and jam. In his motivational book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, Richard Carlson shows students how to keep the little things in life from driving them crazy. Featuring insightful and empathetic language, Carlson reveals ways to calm down even when life is at its most hectic.
Carlson uses advice such as: ‘Think of your problems as potential teachers’ to help readers learn how to put things in perspective by making the small daily changes he suggests. Through his gentle and supportive suggestions, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff unveils how to make your actions more peaceful and caring, whilst simultaneously having the benefit of making your life more calm and stress-free.
Shoe Dog: A Memoir By The Creator Of Nike – Phil Knight
Shoe Dog is a candid and riveting memoir by Phil Knight, CEO and founder of Nike. In it, he chronicles the early days of the company as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic and profitable brands. Undoubtedly one of the best books for motivation for students looking for an inspiring story to follow, Shoe Dog takes readers beyond the figures and profits, and into the mind of its leader.
Knight details the many risks and daunting setbacks that stood between him and his dream. He recounts the formative relationships with his partners and employees, a rag-tag group who eventually became a band of brothers for him. Joined by the power of a shared mission, and a profound belief in the spirit of sport, they built a global brand together that changed everything.
The 5 AM Club – Robin S. Sharma
Legendary leadership and elite performance expert Robin Sharma introduced The 5 AM Club concept over twenty years ago; based on a revolutionary morning routine that has clients maximise their productivity and activate their health, even in this age of overwhelming complexity. In his self-help book, The 5 AM Club, he helps readers discover the early-rising habits that have helped so many find happiness and accomplish epic results.
The 5 AM Club teaches readers how the most successful people start their mornings to produce incredible results, a little-known formula for waking up feeling inspired, overcoming digital distractions, and protecting the quietest hours of daybreak to ensure you have time for exercise, self-renewal and personal growth.
Mindset: The New Psychology Of Success – Carol S. Dweck
After decades of research, world-renowned psychologist Carol S. Dweck discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset. In her iconic motivational book, Mindset, Dweck sheds light on how success in school, work, sports, the arts and almost every other aspect of life can be dramatically influenced by the way in which we think about our talents and abilities.
People with fixed mindsets – those who believe their abilities are fixed – are less likely to succeed than those with growth mindsets, who believe that abilities can be developed. Mindset is a handy resource for showcasing how teachers, parents, managers and coaches can put this concept into practice to help usher outstanding accomplishments.
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Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way To Build Good Habits & Break Ones – James Clear
Another one of the most acclaimed books about motivation, James Clear’s Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving every day. One of the world’s most prominent experts on habit formation, Clear guides readers through everything they need to know about forming good habits, breaking bad ones and mastering the tiny behaviours that lead to remarkable results.
Atomic Habits is one of the best self-help books for students in how it distils complex topics into simple and relatable behaviours that can be applied easily to daily life. Drawing on proven ideas from biology, psychology and neuroscience, Clear inspires and entertains with true stories from leaders, Olympians, artists, physicians and comedians for an easy-to-understand guidebook on how to make good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible.
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How To Calm Your Mind: Finding Presence And Productivity In Anxious Times – Chris Bailey
How to Calm Your Mind is a self-help book by productivity expert Chris Bailey that helps guide readers to productivity even when they’re feeling anxious. After suffering a panic attack on stage, Bailey recognised how critical it was to invest in calm as we invest in productivity. By finding calm and overcoming anxiety, he shows how we not only feel more comfortable in our own minds but also build a deeper reservoir of energy to tap into during the day.
How to Calm Your Mind is one of the best motivational books for students for navigating anxiety, achieving calm and staving off burnout. Bailey explains how the digital world drains us, and how hidden sources of stress plague our days. He also uses his tested concepts and practices to show us how to reclaim calm, demonstrating how investing in it can prove to be the best productivity strategy available.
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Eat That Frog!: 22 Ways To Stop Procrastinating And Excel In School – Brian Tracy
Having sold over 450,000 copies in 23 different languages, Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog! has become one of the most recognised books about motivation for students. With distraction and procrastination one of the biggest challenges facing students, this guidebook is designed to teach students the power of effective time management and come out from their school days with more success.
Combining insights, advice and practical, proven techniques that have all been chosen specifically with students in mind, Eat That Frog! shows how starting work with the most challenging task is the key to feeling more productive and motivated. The concept of learning how to ‘eat that frog’ is a skill that will motivate students and leave them feeling grateful they have discovered.
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Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us – Daniel H. Pink
Most people believe that rewards are what motivate us the most. However, in his provocative and persuasive book about motivation, Drive, Daniel H. Pink argues that the secret to high performance and fulfilment at work, school and at home, comes from the deep human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.
Drawing on four decades of research on human motivation, Pink demonstrates the differences between what science knows and what businesses do, and how that affects every aspect of life. He examines the three true elements of motivation – autonomy, mastery and purpose – and offers readers smart, practical and surprising techniques for putting these into action.
The Power Of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact – Chip Heath And Dan Heath
In their motivational book, The Power of Moments, bestselling authors Chip and Dan Heath explore why certain brief experiences can jolt, elevate and change us – and how we can learn to create these extraordinary experiences in our everyday lives. Positive moments are dominated by four elements: elevation, insight, pride and connection. By embracing these elements, we can find a way of conjuring more moments that matter.
The Power of Moments delves deep into the fascinating mysteries of experience. Readers discover how brief experiences have the capacity to change entire lives. Many of the defining points in our lives are the result of accidents, luck or coincidence but, through this powerful self-help book, The Power of Moments shows us how we can create them purposefully and be the authors of richer experiences.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
