1. Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Remarkable book that gave me a coherent framework to think about life. The title simply does not do it enough justice, it's

1. Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Remarkable book that gave me a coherent framework to think about life. The title simply does not do it enough justice, it's not just about the "flow" state, it's about his mental framework for how to organize your life with flow as the centerpiece of your experience. I've used the copy on my desk so much, dipping in and out I now remember most of the chapters, sub-sections and so on. I'm starting to feel I'm using this book the same way many religious people use their Bibles, Gita etc..maybe I'll eventually memorize large parts of it. 2. Why we do what we do by Edward Deci It's an older book about human motivation and how it works, it changed the way I think about how to get myself or other people to act meaningfully and I'd say that touched almost all aspects of my behavior.