7 Best Books on Habits for Entrepreneurs — And the Order to Read Them

There are a lot of great books on habits right now. Not all of them are equally useful for entrepreneurs and leaders — and the order in which you read them matters more than most people realize.

Here are the seven I recommend most highly, in the sequence that creates the biggest compounding effect.

1. The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson

This is the book that has to come first — not because it teaches habit mechanics, but because it will get you genuinely committed to the long game that habits require. Olson's core argument is that the small, daily disciplines that seem insignificant in the moment are the exact disciplines that create extraordinary results over time. Without this foundation, you will try and abandon habit systems repeatedly. With it, you understand why sticking with small things is the strategy.

2. Atomic Habits by James Clear

Once you are committed to the long game, this book gives you the best practical system for designing and maintaining specific habits. Clear's four laws of behavior change — make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, make it satisfying — are practical and immediately applicable. This is the mechanics book.

3. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Duhigg goes deeper into the neuroscience and psychology behind why habits form and how to change them. Understanding the habit loop — cue, routine, reward — gives you tools for working with habits at a level that Atomic Habits does not fully address. This pairs well as the third book because you now have the motivation and the system; this gives you the deeper understanding.

4. Mindset by Carol Dweck

This is the pivot point in the list. Dweck's research on fixed versus growth mindset is the foundational academic work behind much of what I teach. For entrepreneurs specifically, this book is critical because so many habit failures are not really habit failures — they are mindset failures. Understanding how your beliefs about your own capacity affect your behavior is essential before moving into the more advanced books.

5. High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard

Burchard identifies six specific habits of high performers — clarity, energy, necessity, productivity, influence, and courage — that apply to both your personal life and your business leadership. This book is specifically for entrepreneurs and leaders and addresses the habits that support performance at scale, not just individual discipline.

6. The ONE Thing by Gary Keller

Most entrepreneurs struggle with focus, not effort. Keller's argument is simple: identify the one thing that makes everything else easier or unnecessary, and build your habits around protecting the time for that thing. For business owners dealing with competing priorities and shiny object syndrome, this is one of the most practically impactful books available.

7. Deep Work by Cal Newport

Newport makes the case that the ability to focus without distraction is becoming increasingly rare and increasingly valuable. For entrepreneurs who rely on creating, thinking, and solving complex problems, the habit of deep work is not optional — it is the foundation of your competitive advantage. This book closes the list because it requires everything the previous books have built: the long-game commitment, the habit systems, the mindset, and the performance orientation.

Read these in order, implement as you go, and revisit them. The first time you read any of these books, you absorb what you are ready to absorb. The second time, you often find a completely different book than you thought you read the first time.

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