During my journey to redesign my life, I dedicated time to learning, experimenting and mastering skills I didn’t possess at all. It required an awful amount of time dedicated to reading several different books, practicing techniques, and failing many times.
I am aware we have no time to waste. I have gathered the books, tools and strategies that I think can help other people out there. They significantly helped me overcome certain situations, or changed my way of thinking.
Books
On The Shortness Of Life by Seneca
“There is nothing the busy man is less busy with than living: there is nothing that is harder to learn”. I read this book probably once a month. It’s my compass and reminder to cultivate my awareness of time. It’s a short, easy read that tells us how immoral we are by giving priority to banal things rather than the things that matter in our lives; some power jabbing slaps to the face.
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
The reason I may sound brainy during dinner with friends is thanks to this masterpiece of human history briefly explained through the lens of happiness. It is an eye opening experience, to get to know why we behave the way we do, why we believe in myths and how that affects the collective thoughts of society. No one will ever fool me again regarding human history.
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
This is the book I can’t stop suggesting to my friends. If you want to learn how to endure pain, suffering, or how to live a serene life, this will become your best friend right after reading the first passages.
Joy on Demand by Chade-Meng Tan
A very fun and educational read about meditation, created by a software engineer like me. Chapter Six, working with emotional pain is just priceless. I revisit these pages every time I fall back on bad habits or when I’m feeling disgusted at myself because I did something wrong again.
Tools
Kindle Paperwhite
This is by far, one of the best gifts I have ever received, after life. I used to read on my phone. I always ended up with sight-tired, watery eyes. The experience was definitely not healthy for me. Right after I switched to the Kindle, oh my, it was a jackpot for reading.
Apps
Headspace
It helped to set a steady pace on my meditation practice. If you are having difficulties staying engaged, this app has gamification features that won’t make you miss sitting down with your mind again.
Some of the items posted here are affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through them, I get a very small commission, at no extra cost to you. This supports my mission to provide content to you. I only recommend tools, books, and strategies that I have personally tested or experimented with somehow. Thanks for the fish.