The best productivity books, according to hackers
4 productivity books were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 1 earns the Hacker Approved badge.
Top pick
The most recommended productivity book with the badge. Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Getting Things Done by David Allen
14 recommend, 4 criticize, 78% approval
Ranked 1 of 4 by recommenders
Capturing everything into trusted lists
People recommend it for a capture-and-review system that clears mental clutter and makes overwhelmed work manageable.
We may earn a commission. It never changes the order.
We may earn a commission. It never changes the order.
All 4 productivity books, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Getting Things Doneby David Allen | 14 | 4 | 78% | 7 | — | Approved |
| 2 | Deep Workby Cal Newport | 7 | 1 | 88% | 7 | — | — |
| 3 | Four Thousand Weeksby Oliver Burkeman | 6 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | — |
| 4 | Essentialismby Greg McKeown | 3 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same productivity book in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to productivity books that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.