A goal to reach? Check. A road to take you there? Check. But how fast are you moving on that road, and how long will it take to arrive? That all depends on your daily productivity. So if you’d like to get more done and race toward your goal at light speed, check out the five eye-opening bestsellers below.
The Work of Art: How Something Comes from Nothing
By Adam Moss
Weaving conversations with some of the most accomplished artists of our time together with the journal entries, napkin doodles, and sketches that were their tools, a former New York magazine editor breaks down the work—the tortuous paths and artistic decisions—that led to great art. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Adam Moss, in the Next Big Idea App
Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout
By Cal Newport
From the aggressive rethinking of workload management, to introducing seasonal variation, to shifting your performance toward long-term quality, Slow Productivity reveals how to escape overload and arrive at a more timeless approach to pursuing meaningful accomplishment. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Cal Newport, in the Next Big Idea App
Just the Good Stuff: No-BS Secrets to Success (No Matter What Life Throws at You)
By Jim VandeHei
A deeply personal, authentic, and clear-eyed guide to navigating today’s complex world and building a meaningful, successful career and life—no matter where you start out—from the bestselling author and cofounder of Axios and Politco. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jim VandeHei, in the Next Big Idea App
Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection
By Charles Duhigg
From a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist comes a fascinating exploration of what makes conversations work—and how we can all learn to be supercommunicators at work and in life. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Charles Duhigg, in the Next Big Idea App
Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health
By Casey Means, with Calley Means
Good Energy offers a new, cutting-edge understanding of the true cause of illness that until now has remained hidden. It will help you optimize your ability to live well and stay well at every age. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Casey Means, in the Next Big Idea App
The Key Ideas in 15 Minutes
“If you are going to get anywhere in life, you have to read a lot of books,” Roald Dahl once famously said. The only trouble is, reading even one book from cover to cover takes hours—and you may not have many hours to spare.
But imagine for a moment: What if you could read a groundbreaking new book every day? Or even better, what if you could invite a world-renowned thinker into your earbuds, where they personally describe the 5 key takeaways from their work in just 15 minutes?
With the Next Big Idea App, we’ve turned this fantasy into a reality. We partnered with hundreds of acclaimed authors to create “Book Bites,” short audio summaries of the latest nonfiction that are prepared and read aloud by the authors themselves. Discover cutting-edge leadership skills, productivity hacks, the science of happiness and well-being, and much more—all in the time it takes to drive to work or walk the dog.
Go Deeper with a Next Big Idea Club Membership
The Next Big Idea App is free for anyone to try—and if you love it, we invite you to become an official member of the Next Big Idea Club. Membership grants you unlimited access to Book Bites and unlocks early-release, ad-free episodes of our LinkedIn-partnered podcast. You also gain entry to our private online discussion group, where you can talk big ideas with fellow club members and join exclusive live Q&A sessions with featured authors.
For a more focused learning experience, we recommend a Hardcover or eBook Membership. Every few months, legendary authors and club curators Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink select two new nonfiction books as the must-reads of the season. We then send hardcover copies straight to your doorstep, or eBook versions to your favorite digital device. We also collaborate with the authors of selected books to produce original reading guides and premium video e-courses, 50-minute master classes that take you step by step through their most life-changing ideas. And yes, it’s all available through the Next Big Idea App.
Learn Faster, from the World’s Leading Thinkers
Whether you prefer to read, listen, or watch, the Next Big Idea is here to help you work smarter and live better. Wake up with an always-fresh Idea of the Day, the perfect shot of inspiration to go with your morning coffee. Then dive into one of our Challenges, hand-picked collections of Book Bites that form crash courses in subjects like communication, motivation, and career acceleration. Later, watch the playback of an interview with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Stanford psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt, or philosopher John Kaag. And be sure to check the “Events” tab in the app, so that you can join an upcoming live Q&A and personally chat with the next featured thought leader.
If you’re hoping to grow as a person or as a professional, we hope you’ll join us and tens of thousands of others who enjoy the Next Big Idea. Get started by downloading the app today!
