Books — Ideas that arrived at the right moment
Books that shaped my thinking.
Not necessarily my universal favourites. These are books that met me at the right moment and changed how I think about work, focus, boundaries, and what actually matters.
01
Read while learning how to become a founder
Set Boundaries, Find Peace
Nedra Glover Tawwab
Someone I admire recommended this to me early in my founder journey. It helped me realise that many of my so-called good behaviours were being driven by weak boundaries, especially with work, partners, and people I cared about. A few chapters hit uncomfortably close to home and genuinely changed how I think about responsibility.
What stayed with me: High standards are not the same thing as healthy boundaries.02
Read when focus started to feel harder than it used to
Hyperfocus
Chris Bailey
I picked this up when I felt I had lost something I used to rely on deeply: the ability to focus. It gave me useful language and some practical handles, but it also helped me realise the problem was more subtle than distraction. In hindsight, it was one of the books that nudged me toward recognising burnout.
What stayed with me: Sometimes the problem is not productivity technique, but the state your mind is already in.03
Read while trying to understand why caring so much was not making me happy
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Mark Manson
I found parts of this book interesting and useful, even though I do not agree with all of it. The author often speaks with more conviction than the evidence seems to support, and I think he sometimes generalises too quickly from anecdotes. Even so, it pushed me to question what I was carrying as important, and whether caring about everything was actually helping me live well.
What stayed with me: Discernment matters more than intensity.