Being an epic procrastinator doesn’t bring much joy. Sure, you’ve probably absorbed a whole Wikipedia’s-worth of general knowledge in the time collectively you’ve spent dodging open Word documents, but when it comes to achieving anything in this life, getting stuff done is where it all starts.

If you regularly struggle to knuckle down and focus, there are a number of proven productivity books out there that can serve as excellent guidelines on how to put down your phone and improve flow.

Whether you need help with tuning out pinging WhatsApp messages, you want better clarity on your long-term goals, or you’re simply keen to stay ahead of the wellness curve, these titles can help you thrive and survive in the age of digital distraction.

The Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman (Vermilion)

When you’re dealing with a permanently overflowing inbox, endless to-do lists and life admin that keeps piling up, it’s easy to swing from task to task, doing your best to get through each 24-hour day. The problem is, those harried days can quickly turn into weeks, and before you know it, you’ve spent months running on survival mode.

With ‘The Four Thousand Weeks’, productivity writer Oliver Burkeman serves up the ultimate reality check, reminding us of the ridiculously brief time we have on this planet (roughly four thousand weeks, if you hadn’t already guessed).

With time ticking on, he argues that it’s not about ‘getting it all done’, but shifting your focus to the stuff that really matters. Oscillating through practical tools and philosophical exercises, he’ll help you to decide what’s important in life’s finitude and how to best optimise your time while you have it.

Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy (Career Press)

Before there were slick digital productivity tools like Asana and Todoist, there was ‘Eat That Frog’. According to author Brian Tracy, who penned this book back in 2001, this simple mantra can save you from procrastinating on the difficult stuff that really needs to get done.

His thinking goes like this: if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that it’s probably the worst thing you’ll do all day. The same deliciously simple theory can be applied to drafting high-pressure presentations, replying to tricky work emails and tackling complicated money admin.

By bumping these deep work tasks to the top of your list, Tracy says you’ll not only get more done faster, but get the right things done first. If you need guidance, this book can coach you on the art of zeroing in on these critical tasks and organising your day accordingly.

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear (Random House)

Behavioural researchers say that habits dictate a large portion of our day, but many of them are subconscious, and not all of them are healthy. Whether it’s reaching for your phone every five minutes, snoozing your alarm or skipping breakfast, there’s a lot we do without much in the way of conscious decision-making.

In this deep dive into what makes the human brain tick, habit researcher James Clear drills into the latest neuroscience and presents a transformative guide to building and breaking habits, one step at a time.

Covering everything from the laws of behaviour change to the 1% improvement rule (which suggests that big habits are built on tiny actions), Clear has crafted a genuinely compelling resource for anyone that struggles to make healthy new routines stick.

High Output Management by Andy Grove (Penguin Business)

If you run your own business or lead a team at work, you’ll know that losing focus can be a costly mistake for everyone involved. Written in the 1980s by Andy Grove, who was the CEO of Intel, this old-school management manifesto remains the ultimate blueprint for people who want to scale their business productively. (It was rumoured to have been a favourite read of Silicon Valley legend Steve Jobs, as well as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.)

Born out of Grove’s experiences leading Intel from a startup to one of the largest and most influential technology companies in the world, he argues that effective management is all about prioritising tasks based on their impact, getting clear on your metrics and making decisive decisions. A classic in the field of management literature, this is a must-read for anyone struggling to keep their team on task.

Feel Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal (Hodder & Stoughton)

We all know that dreary tasks can take a lot longer to complete than those we enjoy doing. Without the enthusiasm to throw ourselves in head-first, they can really drag into our downtime, sabotaging our sleep and ruining our mental health in the process. Eventually, we hit a wall and fall further behind on our to-do list.

Penned by doctor-turned-YouTuber and productivity expert Ali Abdaal, this no-nonsense guide is all about upping your productivity without tipping yourself over into burnout.

Chapter by chapter, Abdaal lays out a clear roadmap for avoiding overwhelm, explaining that the key to striking a balance is to focus on tasks and work that makes us happy. Because when we feel good about our work, we are more creative, more energetic and therefore more productive

Drawing on cutting-edge science and real-life stories, this healthier, happier approach to productivity might just be the anti-grind mindset you need to adopt this year.