Personal development is one of my favourite ways to continue learning throughout the summer without having to read books that are specific to teaching. I truly do believe that personal development books make me a better teacher as they help me to learn how to better “do life”. Check out the following personal development book recommendations for summer reading for teachers.

My favourite way to fit in non-fiction reading like personal development books is to read a chapter or two each morning as I sip my morning coffee. Reading non-fiction has become part of my morning routine. 

1. Everything Is Figureoutable

I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Marie Forleo. She changed my perspective on a lot of things! It was the perfect combination of anecdotes and actionable advice. She truly did convince me that everything is figureoutable: the big stuff, the little stuff and everything in between.

2. The Year of Yes

This book is one of my favourite personal development books that I’ve ever read. If you’re only going to read one personal development book, I recommend that this is it!

I decided to commit to a year of yes. This book had me trying new opportunities all over the place.

I was saying yes to new adventures, new experiences with friends, and trying new things at work. This is the year that I tried CrossFit for the first time and I even participated in the CrossFit open.

The only problem was, when my friends caught on that I was having a “year of yes” they asked me to participate in more activities that I would normally say no to. And that’s how I got into CrossFit!

The best part is, it didn’t stop after a year. This book has me living my life differently.

3. The Untethered Soul

If I’m honest, I avoided reading this book for a while, despite the great reviews, because it seemed a bit “woo-woo”. I won’t say that it isn’t that way, but if you go into it with an open mind you can get A LOT out of it. It’s changed my frame of mind and has help me to live more presently. I see day to day situations differently because of this book.

4. Atomic Habits

If you want to build new healthy habits, this is the book for you! Although I did find it a bit dry, I still highly recommend it because it had tons of advice on building new habits.

5. Chasing the Bright Side

This book is a ray of sunshine! I love how Jess Ekstrom talks about how more positively doesn’t mean that you don’t go through hard stuff. I believe that I really connected with this book in part because I listened to it as an audiobook. When listening, I felt like I was sitting down to coffee with a friend since it is narrated by Jess, herself.

6. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

This book reads just like the title does. It is bold, to say the least. If cussing offends you, this book is not for you.

I actually liked the crassness of this book because it was a change of pace from the regular personal development books. Although I didn’t agreed with everything the author said or suggested, I did like his main philosophy about how we should not give an F (as he so gently put it) about a lot of the things that we do care about.

7. Girl, Stop Apologizing

In contrast to Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis, I really loved this book! I enjoyed all her advice and anecdotes. I especially loved the advice of having 10 goals and focussing on those 10 goals each day by writing them out. This is something that I have continued since reading this book and it has giving me perspective and help me live a goal driven life.

8. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Beware! This book will have you on a cleaning spree. I highly recommend listening to this book when you have time to do the purging that it recommends! I listened to this one as an audiobook. After each chapter, I went on a cleaning rampage in my house and did most of the things that she suggested to do. I’ll admit, I still don’t organize my closet or my drawers exactly how she suggests but it did give me the push to get rid of a ton of stuff!

9. Furiously Happy

I read this book years ago and it remains as one of my favourites! I’m not sure how a book about depression and other serious topics can be written in such a hilarious way, but it happened in this book! It had some really hard hitting moments and some really beautifully written advice. I’m looking forward to reading the second book by this author.

More Summer Reading for Teachers…

If you’re anything like me, you like to stay connected to your “teacher self” by doing some good summer reading for teachers. I mean, you FINALLY have the time for it. The only trouble is: what do you read?

Well, I’ve got you covered. Check out another blog post for summer reading for teachers titled: “10 Must Read Teacher Professional Development Books”.