Books like The Art of Learning

01

Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise

Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool · Science

Peak is Anders Ericsson's definitive account of deliberate practice — the specific type of focused, feedback-driven training that, more than any other factor, determines how expert people become in demanding fields.

Shares learning and mastery with The Art of Learning.

02

Mastery

Robert Greene · Self-help

Mastery is Robert Greene's long account of how extraordinary human mastery develops — from childhood inclinations through apprenticeship through creative independence to the integration that characterizes true mastery.

Shares learning and mastery with The Art of Learning.

03

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Angela Duckworth · Psychology

Duckworth's central claim is that talent is overrated.

A kindred self-help read.

04

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi · Psychology

Flow is Csikszentmihalyi's landmark study of optimal experience — those moments when people are so deeply absorbed in an activity that time warps, self-consciousness disappears, and effort feels effortless.

Both dig into mastery.

05

Ultralearning

Scott Young · Self-help

Ultralearning is Scott Young's synthesis of principles drawn from his own extreme learning projects — completing MIT's four-year computer science curriculum in one year, learning four languages in a year, and other aggressive self-directed learning experiments — and from the academic research on skill acquisition and deliberate practice.

Shares learning and mastery with The Art of Learning.

06

The Growth Mindset Coach

Annie Brock and Heather Hundley · Self-help

The Growth Mindset Coach is a practical guide for teachers and educators who want to bring Carol Dweck's mindset research into actual classroom practice.

Shares learning and resilience with The Art of Learning.

07

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Carol S. Dweck · Psychology

Carol Dweck's central claim is simple but far-reaching: people hold one of two basic beliefs about their own abilities.

Shares learning and resilience with The Art of Learning.

08

A Mind for Numbers

Barbara Oakley · Self-help

A Mind for Numbers is Barbara Oakley's guide to learning hard subjects effectively, written primarily for students struggling with mathematics and science but drawing on cognitive science principles that apply to any demanding field.

Both dig into learning.

09

Ego Is the Enemy

Ryan Holiday · Self-help

Ego Is the Enemy is Ryan Holiday's argument that ego — the inflated sense of our own importance, the need to be seen and validated — is the most consistent obstacle to doing meaningful work and living well.

Both dig into resilience.

10

Everything Is Figureoutable

Marie Forleo · Self-help

Everything Is Figureoutable is Marie Forleo's argument that almost any problem — personal, professional, creative — becomes solvable once you adopt a foundational belief that a solution exists and that you're capable of finding it.

Both dig into resilience.

11

Keep Going

Austin Kleon · Self-help

Keep Going is Austin Kleon's third book in his series on creative practice, following Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work.

Both dig into resilience.

12

Learn Like a Pro

Barbara Oakley and Olav Schewe · Self-help

Learn Like a Pro is a concise, evidence-based guide to studying more effectively, written by Barbara Oakley — the engineer-turned-neuroscientist best known for A Mind for Numbers and the Coursera course "Learning How to Learn" — and Olav Schewe, a student learning consultant.

Both dig into learning.