20 best books to read in 2020! These personal growth books for 2020 will help you tackle your reading goals this year, increase productivity, and motivate you to become your best self. Here are the best motivational books to read this year!
With the start of a new year, many people begin to create New Year goals and resolutions. One that we could all benefit from is reading more!
I’ve been pretty rusty with my reading lately. I find it hard to sit down and read a book when I have a million other things to do with the blog. BUT, it is so important to get in a few minutes of daily reading. It is relaxing and sparks creativity.
So with the new year in mind, I created a list of the 20 best books to read in 2020! I included a wide range of books that will help you get your life together this year. Some focus on shifting your mindset, while others encourage minimalism and decluttering. Regardless, all of these books are worth your time.
Too busy to read but still want to reap the benefits of a personal growth book? Check out audiobooks on Audible! You can sign up for a free 30-day trial AND get 2 audiobooks to try for free.
I love Audible because I can easily listen to a book while making breakfast or walking the dogs. Many people also enjoy listening to Audible while driving (and audiobooks are awesome for road trips!).
It is an excellent way to stay on top of your reading goals this year!
20 personal growth books that will encourage productivity in 2020.
One Question a Day: A Personal Time Capsule of Questions and Answers
Author: Aimee Chase
Description: A simple guided journal that offers one question per day, to be answered on the same day for five years in a row. The questions range from the prosaic (“What did you have for lunch today?”) to the contemplative (“Can people really change?”), giving readers a comprehensive look back at their thoughts and feelings over a five-year span.
Let Me Out: Unlock Your Creative Mind and Bring Your Ideas to Life
Author: Peter Himmelman
Description: Do you want to stop procrastinating? Would you love to be more creative? Is there an idea you’ve dreamt of making a reality? Whether it’s learning ragtime piano, losing 30 pounds, or starting an organic jellybean company, Himmelman’s unique, inspiring methods will give you the tools and confidence you need to harness your fear and take steps to make your goals a reality.
The Joy of Less: A Minimalist Guide to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify
Author: Francine Jay
Description: Ready to sweep away the clutter? Just open this book, and you’ll be on your way to a simpler, more streamlined, and more serene life.
The Imagineering Pyramid: Using Disney Theme Park Design Principles to Develop and Promote Your Creative Ideas
Author: Louis Jay Prosperi
Description: Even if you’re not building a theme park, the Imagineering Pyramid can help you plan and achieve any creative goal. Lou Prosperi designed the pyramid from the essential building blocks of Disney Imagineering.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
Author: Marie Kondo
Description: Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again.
With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house “spark joy” (and which don’t), this international bestseller featuring Tokyo’s newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home—and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate—Discoveries from A Secret World
Author: Peter Wohlleben
Description: Are trees social beings? In this international bestseller, forester and author Peter Wohlleben convincingly makes the case that, yes, the forest is a social network.
He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers
If trees can form bonds with one another, surley we all can.
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
Author: James Clear
Description: If you’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don’t want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you’ll get a proven system that can take you to new heights.
The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember
Author: Fred Rogers
Description: There are few personalities who evoke such universal feelings of warmth as Fred Rogers. An enduring presence in American homes for over 30 years, his plainspoken wisdom continues to guide and comfort many. The World According to Mister Rogers distills the legacy and singular worldview of this beloved American figure.
An inspiring collection of stories, anecdotes, and insights–with sections devoted to love, friendship, respect, individuality, and honesty, The World According to Mister Rogers reminds us that there is much more in life that unites us than divides us.
Good Days Start With Gratitude: A 52 Week Guide To Cultivate An Attitude Of Gratitude
Description: Good Days Start With Gratitude is a 52 week guide to cultivate an attitude of gratitude! It is a self exploration journal designed to focus on being thankful for what we have, the big things in life, as well as the simple joys.
The Lifegiving Home: Creating a Place of Belonging and Becoming
Author: Sally Clarkson
Description: Does your home sometimes feel like just a place to eat, sleep, and change clothes on the way to the next activity? Do you long for “home” to mean more than a place where you stash your stuff? Wouldn’t you love it to become a haven of warmth, rest, and joy . . . the one place where you and your family can’t wait to be?
In this unique book designed to help your family enjoy and celebrate every month of the year together, you’ll discover the secrets of a life-giving home from a mother who created one and her daughter who was raised in it: popular authors Sally and Sarah Clarkson.
Declutter Your Mind
Author: S.J Scott
Description: The truth is…We all experience the occasional negative thought. But if you always feel overwhelmed, then you need to closely examine how these thoughts are negatively impacting your lifestyle.
The solution is to practice specific mindfulness techniques that create more “space” in your mind to enjoy inner peace and happiness. With these habits, you’ll have the clarity to prioritize what’s most important in your life, what no longer serves your goals, and how you want to live on a daily basis. And that’s what you’ll learn in Declutter Your Mind.
A Year of Positive Thinking: Daily Inspiration, Wisdom, and Courage
Author: Cyndie Spiegel
Description: Yes, you can change your life by changing your thoughts. In A Year of Positive Thinking, you’ll transform your mindset and motivate positive life changes one thought, one day, and one year at a time.
The 5 Second Rule
Author: Mel Robbins
Description: In The 5 Second Rule, you’ll discover it takes just five seconds to:
- Become confident
- Break the habit of procrastination and self-doubt
- Beat fear and uncertainty
- Stop worrying and feel happier
- Share your ideas with courage
The Bucket List: 1000 Adventures Big & Small
Author: Kath Stathers
Description: This invaluable guide to fun, fantastic, and life-affirming activities features an eclectic range of ideas such as self-improvement, sports-related endeavors, natural wonders, cultural experiences, culinary delights, and more.
From glassblowing in the Czech Republic to swimming with dolphins in New Zealand, The Bucket List is the perfect gift for the passionate traveler—an around-the-world, continent-by-continent listing of beaches, museums, monuments, islands, inns, restaurants, mountains, and more.
When Less Becomes More: Making Space for Slow, Simple, and Good
Author: Emily Ley
Description: Statistics don’t lie. People today are more fatigued, burned out, and overwhelmed than ever. Smartphones constantly ping and alert and demand our attention. And social media can eat up hours of our days with mindless scrolling and tapping while leaving many feeling empty and lonely.
In this book, Emily Ley takes readers on a journey out of that empty place and shows them how to fill their wells with the nourishment that only true connection can provide. She also presents some radical concepts that push against the tethers of modern life, with the promise that more of the good stuff comes when we say yes to less of what keeps us empty:
Unlimited Memory
Author: Kevin Horsley
Description: In Unlimited Memory, you’ll learn how the world’s best memory masters get themselves to concentrate at will, anytime they want. When you can easily focus and concentrate on the task at hand, and store and recall useful information, you can easily double your productivity and eliminate wasted time, stress and mistakes at work.
Good Morning, Good Life: 5 Simple Habits to Master Your Mornings and Upgrade Your Life
Author: Amy Schmittauer Landino
Description: Morning routines. We hear about them all the time. We see them on social media feeds and in online videos. We read about them in memoirs and self-improvement books. So, what’s the big deal? What’s so important about what we do every morning?
In Good Morning, Good Life, Amy Schmittauer Landino— the world’s #1 productive lifestyle coach—reveals the truth about mornings and how to create daily rituals that are truly right for you.
Make it Happen
Author: Lara Casey
Description: This is the story of how I chose to make “it”―a greater purpose than mine―happen, and how you can too. You know all those things you’ve always wanted to do? You should go do them.
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff . . . and It’s All Small Stuff
Author: Richard Carlson
Description: This groundbreaking inspirational guide–a classic in the self-help genre–shows you how to put challenges in perspective, reduce stress and anxiety through small daily changes, and find the path to achieving your goals.
Among the insights it reveals are how to:
- Think of your problems as potential “teachers”
- Do one thing at a time
- Share glory with others
- Learn to trust your intuitions

This Year I Will…: A 52-Week Guided Journal to Achieve Your Goals
Author: Tiffany Louise LCSW
Description: This is your year. This year you will grow. This year you will set goals―and meet them. This journal will guide you there.
This Year I Will is your personal guided journal to realizing your greatest achievements. Over the course of 52-weeks, you will zero-in on what is most important to you, set goals, and celebrate success every step of the way. Keeping your journey on track with week-by-week prompts and questions, this guided journal makes sure you’ll never lose your way to becoming the person you want to be.
If you read one of these books, tag me on Instagram @suchasweetheartblog! I’d love to see your photos.
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