Reading List & Playlist
I like to read. I like to listen to music. It’s not all related to work, but these are some books and tunes that are particularly relevant to trying to figure out midlife.
I know not everyone wants to purchase from Amazon. The links here are just so you can get the book details, they’re not affiliate links. Feel free to purchase from your favourite book seller.
This was the book that started this whole thing off for me. Proof that what I was feeling was NORMAL - expected even. Economist Danny Blanchflower (formerly Bank of England) was one of the original authors of Happiness Curve research.
the happiness curvejonathan rauchA blueprint for life design. If you’re not familiar with design thinking principles, Burnett & Evans from the Stanford Design Lab expertly show you how they apply to designing the life you want.
Designing your lifeBill Burnett & Dave EvansI love this book! Such an interesting proposition: pairs of people who’ve led near-identical lives up until a cliff edge, and then an examination of what they each did next and where it got them. I’ve loved Jim Collins’ research since ‘Good to Great’ - this is a truly unique study.
what to make of a lifeJim collinsFor me, the most effective approach to habit breaking and new habit forming. Whether it’s diet and fitness, productivity, or addictive behaviours this is a great template to follow to bring about real change in your life.
atomic habitsJames clearEveryone should take a sabbatical. And I’ve encouraged my adult kids to plan and save for one every 7-10 years. This book explains why and how you can do it.
big time offdj didonnathe meaning of your lifearthur c. brooksAll of Arthur Brooks’ books are good. But this latest one is especially worthwhile if you struggle to define what meaning and purpose are to you.
This is a very blokey, very white playlist - that’s not intentional. Maybe that’s just who writes songs about dealing with midlife kind of stuff? The playlist is sort of ordered around the three phases of my Midlife Reimagined framework. If you want more info on why I chose them and the way they’re ordered, you can download some listening notes below.