10 books that teach the 10 most important and usable life skills and lessons

May 17, 2025 Aakanksha Sharma

Books that teach essential skills

Experience teaches people a lot in life. Be it experiencing heartbreak, first success, guilt, love, and much more. But, there are some books so profound yet so practical that they end up teaching us much more. Here we mention 10 books to learn 10 important life lessons. Canva-AI

To learn good habits - ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear

If you wish to unlearn bad patterns and learn and live with good habits, ‘Atomic Habits’ is the book to pick. It helps people understand and apply the theory of small habits over time, making big changes, and it helps break bad ones and keep them away for life. Random-House-Business

To develop a growth mindset - ‘Mindset’ by Carol S. Dweck

In ‘Mindset’, Carol Dweck’s research explains the difference between a ‘fixed mindset’ and a ‘growth mindset’, where one makes people stick to what they already know and are comfortable in, and the next one helps them improve through effort. Constable-Robinson

To live in the present - ‘The Power of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle

Another amazing book in the list, ‘The Power of Now’ teaches people the importance of living in the moment, and how suffering comes from being stuck in the past and worrying about the future. New-World-Library

Improving relations – ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ by Dale Carnegie

A timeless classic, ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ teaches some of the most important lessons in life. It talks about how to strike up conversations, maintain them, handle disagreements, be a people person, and more. Amazing-Reads

To learn empathy - ‘The Empathy Effect’ by Helen Riess

In her book, Helen Riess, a psychiatrist, uses neuroscience to show how empathy works and why it matters. The book talks about bridging the gap between ‘me’ and ‘the other person’ in times of emotional distress. Sounds-True

On productivity - ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ by Stephen R. Covey

One of the best books to increase productivity and work like a successful, effective person is this one. The book talks about important qualities like being proactive, managing your time, thinking about both parties in a win-win situation, and the likes. Free-Press

To manage distractions - ‘Deep Work’ by Cal Newport

In a world of constant distractions, Cal Newport’s ‘Deep Work’ is all about taking matters in your hand, and removing distractions so that you are able to focus 100% on the task at hand. He talks about the importance of distraction-free zones to get more done in less time. PIATKUS

To build wealth - ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ by Robert T. Kiyosaki

While some feel it is an overrated read, there are far more supporters of Kiyosaki around the world. It is a comparison between two fathers, one rich and one poor, and how their money-making, saving, and growing habits differed. Plata-Publishing

Waking up early - ‘The 5 AM Club’ by Robin Sharma

Robin Sharma’s book is perfect for people who wish to wake up early, but are distracted, and who do wake up early, but do not know what to do with the extra time at hand. Sharma introduces the ‘20/20/20’ for movement, reflection, and learning. Jaico-Publishing-House

For communication - ‘Talk Like TED’ by Carmine Gallo

Great communication is a learnable skill, and Gallo helps people with just that. In ‘Talk Like TED’, Gallo analyses and lists down the techniques used by TED talk speakers, and teaches people what makes the audience listen, remember, and act. Macmillan

Next: 9 exceptional books that will magically improve your communication & negotiation skills

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