What books does Ali Abdaal recommend?
A field guide to intentional living is what Ali Abdaal's book recommendations amount to, coming from the world's most-followed productivity expert, a former doctor turned entrepreneur and author of Feel-Good Productivity. This collection gathers 25 titles he has championed across his Deep Dive podcast, YouTube channel, and LifeNotes newsletter, spanning self-improvement, psychology and human behaviour, business and strategy, philosophy, and personal finance. The throughline is a rejection of hustle culture in favour of evidence-based flourishing. His top picks include Your Money or Your Life, which he says "completely changed my relationship with money," alongside Oliver Burkeman's Four Thousand Weeks, which he calls "essential for ditching hustle culture." From James Clear's Atomic Habits to Brandon Sanderson's fantasy epics that he rereads for pleasure, the list balances rigour with genuine delight in reading.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
Your Money or Your Life
9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence
byVicki Robin, Joe Dominguez
2018384 Pages“Completely changed my relationship with money.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: Ali Abdaal's Official Newsletter
Read by Peter Attia, Chris Williamson, Ali Abdaal and 1 others
Four Thousand Weeks
Time Management for Mortals
byOliver Burkeman
2021288 Pages“Essential for ditching hustle culture. Profound.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: Ali Abdaal's YouTube Channel
Die With Zero
Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life
byBill Perkins
2020240 Pages“This has kind of changed the way that I approach thinking about money... shifts focus from endless saving to joyful spending.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: YouTube: 15 Books To Read to Change Your Life
Read by Ali Abdaal
Storyworthy
Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling
byMatthew Dicks
2018368 Pages“Transformed how I share online.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: Ali Abdaal's Website: Top Book Recommendations
The Millionaire Fastlane
Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime!
byMJ DeMarco
2011322 Pages“Despite the click-baity title, it's a solid guide to wealth creation. There are some great models that I've started to incorporate into my thinking about money.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: LifeNotes Newsletter: My 2021 Favourites
Read by Ali Abdaal
Make Time
How to Focus on What Matters Every Day
byJake Knapp, John Zeratsky
2018304 Pages“Practical tools for intentional living.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: Ali Abdaal's YouTube: How I Plan My Life
Read by Mark Manson, Ryan Holiday, Rich Roll and 9 others
Atomic Habits
An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
byJames Clear
2018320 Pages“Whether I'm reading fiction to wind-down or non-fiction (currently 'Atomic Habits' by James Clear) to get inspired/learn new stuff, it's a tonne more value.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: LifeNotes Newsletter
Anything You Want
40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur
byDerek Sivers
201596 Pages“I think anyone could gain quite a lot from reading this book and it certainly had an enormous impact on my own life.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: Ali Abdaal's website: 3 Books That Changed My Life
Read by Ali Abdaal
Hell Yeah or No
What's Worth Doing
byDerek Sivers
2020144 Pages“I found myself revisiting some of the lessons in there... 'If it's not a hell yes then it's a no thank you'.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: LifeNotes Newsletter: The Power of 'No'
Read by Ali Abdaal, Cal Newport, Ramit Sethi and 1 others
The 4-Hour Workweek
Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
byTim Ferriss
2009448 Pages“For me, this was the book that has perhaps singlehandedly enabled me to set up my business... all helped enormously in enabling the company to grow.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: Ali Abdaal's website: 3 Books That Changed My Life
Deep Work
Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
byCal Newport
2016304 Pages“I'm trying harder and harder to apply to my life... meaningful progress and all the stuff that I'm working on comes from all of the deep work that I do.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: YouTube: How I ONLY Work 4 Hours a Day
Read by Tobias Lütke, Rhonda Patrick, Peter Attia and 5 others
Why We Sleep
Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
byMatthew Walker
2017368 Pages“One of the best books I have read in sleep... drastically improved the quality of my sleep.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: YouTube: 12 Evidence Based Tips to Improve Your Sleep
The Way of Kings
Book One of the Stormlight Archive
byBrandon Sanderson
20101007 Pages“Probably my favorite book series of all time... It's almost even better the second time round.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: YouTube: My Favourite Fantasy Books
Read by Ali Abdaal
Mistborn: The Final Empire
Book One of the Mistborn Saga
byBrandon Sanderson
2006541 Pages“Absolutely loved... The Mistborn series is bloody incredible.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: YouTube: My Favourite Fantasy Books
Read by Ali Abdaal
Building a Second Brain
A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential
byTiago Forte
2022272 Pages“Completely changed my life... speaking to my very soul.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: LifeNotes Newsletter: Building a Second Brain
No More Mr. Nice Guy
A Proven Plan for Getting What You Want in Love, Sex, and Life
byRobert A. Glover
2003192 Pages“Every few years I find myself rereading it... could potentially change the course of your life.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: YouTube: 4 Books That Changed My Life
Read by Ali Abdaal
Oversubscribed
How to Get People Lining Up to Do Business with You
byDaniel Priestley
2020320 Pages“My most highlighted book on kindle of hundreds of books in my library.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: Ali Abdaal's website: Deep Dive with Daniel Priestley
Read by Andrew Huberman, Ali Abdaal, Craig Groeschel and 4 others
Never Split the Difference
Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It
byChris Voss, Tahl Raz
2016288 Pages“Completely game-changing... I've listened to twice already on Audible.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: YouTube: 15 Books To Read to Change Your Life
The Go-Giver
A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea
byBob Burg, John David Mann
2015176 Pages“Changed the way that I think about like business and life and relationships with people.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: YouTube: 15 Incredible Books to Read in 2022
Read by Ali Abdaal
The Motivation Myth
How High Achievers Really Set Themselves Up to Win
byJeff Haden
2018288 Pages“Motivation isn't something you have, motivation is something you get... motivation is basically a myth.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: Ali Abdaal: How To Stop Procrastinating
Read by Ali Abdaal
Designing Your Life
How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life
byBill Burnett, Dave Evans
2016272 Pages“I've recently been re-reading the book... I applied this to my own life back in 2020.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: LifeNotes Newsletter: The 20-minute rule
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
A Guide to Wealth and Happiness
byEric Jorgenson
2020242 Pages“I've highlighted it a tonne... it's a great read for very bite-sized but timeless wisdom.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: LifeNotes Newsletter: The Trap I Fell Into
Read by Ali Abdaal
The Pathless Path
Imagining a New Story for Work and Life
byPaul Millerd
2022222 Pages“Great if for example you are struggling with trying to figure out what to do with your career.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: YouTube: 15 Incredible Books to Read in 2022
Read by Marc Andreessen, Tobias Lütke, Andrew Huberman and 1 others
The Courage to Be Disliked
The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness
byIchiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga
2018288 Pages“When I focus on stuff that's within my control instead of getting angry... I feel a lot more tranquil.”
— Ali Abdaal
Source: LifeNotes Newsletter: 12 Life Lessons from 2021
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Ali Abdaal recommend?
Across 25 recommendations, Ali Abdaal highlights Your Money or Your Life, Four Thousand Weeks, Die With Zero, Storyworthy, and Atomic Habits, among titles on productivity, money, and human behaviour. His list ranges from practical self-improvement to Brandon Sanderson's fantasy novels.
What is Ali Abdaal's favourite book?
Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez is among his top picks, a book he says "completely changed my relationship with money." He also repeatedly flags Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman as "essential for ditching hustle culture."
Where do Ali Abdaal's book recommendations come from?
They are drawn from his Deep Dive podcast, his YouTube channel, his LifeNotes newsletter, and his official website, where he regularly shares reading lists such as "3 Books That Changed My Life" and "15 Books To Read to Change Your Life."
What genres does Ali Abdaal read most?
His recommendations lean heavily toward self-improvement, psychology and human behaviour, and business and strategy, with threads of philosophy and personal finance. He also reads fiction for pleasure, citing Brandon Sanderson's work as a favourite.
Does Ali Abdaal recommend any books on money?
Yes. Money is a recurring theme, from Your Money or Your Life to Die With Zero, which he says shifted his focus "from endless saving to joyful spending," and The Millionaire Fastlane, which he calls "a solid guide to wealth creation."
All 25 Books Ali Abdaal Has Recommended
- Your Money or Your Life · Vicki Robin
- Four Thousand Weeks · Oliver Burkeman
- Die With Zero · Bill Perkins
- Storyworthy · Matthew Dicks
- The Millionaire Fastlane · MJ DeMarco
- Make Time · Jake Knapp
- Atomic Habits · James Clear
- Anything You Want · Derek Sivers
- Hell Yeah or No · Derek Sivers
- The 4-Hour Workweek · Tim Ferriss
- Deep Work · Cal Newport
- Why We Sleep · Matthew Walker
- The Way of Kings · Brandon Sanderson
- Mistborn: The Final Empire · Brandon Sanderson
- Building a Second Brain · Tiago Forte
- No More Mr. Nice Guy · Robert A. Glover
- Oversubscribed · Daniel Priestley
- Never Split the Difference · Chris Voss
- The Go-Giver · Bob Burg
- The Motivation Myth · Jeff Haden
- Designing Your Life · Bill Burnett
- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant · Eric Jorgenson
- The Pathless Path · Paul Millerd
- The Courage to Be Disliked · Ichiro Kishimi
- Who Not How · Dan Sullivan