The Compound Effect

Darren Hardy publishes SUCCESS magazine, and the habits and tactics he has seen people try over the years are the raw material for this self-help guide. It sets out the core principles behind achievement and lays out what high performers need to know, practise and master.

The book is practical and organised around strategies. One covers a method for pursuing any goal and beating competitors who are smarter, more talented or more experienced. Another deals with bad habits that slow progress, including some the reader may not know they have.

Other sections cover how to put a few key disciplines in place without strain and how to get motivated to do things a person does not feel like doing. A further topic is momentum: how to build it and why it matters once it starts.

The last strand looks at what separates high achievers from everyone else and how to borrow their methods. The book is aimed at readers who want to change their habits and work toward a bigger goal, and it addresses them directly with advice to apply.