‘5 problems and 5 books to solve them’: Ankur Warikoo’s reading list for money, focus and success

Feeling stuck with money, constantly overthinking decisions or struggling to finish what you start? Entrepreneur and content creator Ankur Warikoo believes the right book can offer a useful perspective when life feels confusing. In a social media post, he matched five common problems with five books, covering everything from financial awareness and decision-making to productivity, time and beliefs about wealth. His list includes Make Epic Money, Clear Thinking, Four Thousand Weeks, Eat That Frog and Mindset.

Ankur Warikoo’s 5 books for 5 common problems

Warikoo's recommendation is built around a simple idea: identify the problem first, then find a book that addresses the way you think about it. Sharing his list on social media, he wrote, “5 problems and 5 books to solve them.”

From understanding where your salary goes to changing your perception of wealth, here are the five books he recommends.

You earn money but don't know where it goes?

The first problem Warikoo addresses is financial awareness. For people who earn an income but struggle to understand where their money disappears each month, he recommends Make Epic Money. Warikoo describes it as “a simple book that will teach you how to think about money.”

The recommendation focuses less on simply earning more and more on developing a better understanding of money and how to approach financial decisions. For someone who receives a regular salary but finds it difficult to track spending, saving and financial priorities, changing their approach to money could be an important first step.

You overthink before taking action

The second problem is decision-making. If you constantly analyse possibilities, second-guess yourself and struggle to act, Warikoo recommends Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments Into Extraordinary Results by Shane Parrish. The book fits his second problem: “You keep overthinking before taking action.”

The recommendation suggests that better thinking is not necessarily about thinking more. It can also involve learning how to approach decisions clearly enough to move forward instead of remaining trapped in endless analysis.

You feel like you're falling behind

The third recommendation addresses a feeling many people experience: the sense that everyone else is progressing faster. For those who feel they are “falling behind in the race of life,” Warikoo recommends Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman.

The title refers to the approximate number of weeks an average person gets over a lifetime. Warikoo highlights this idea as the reason the book can provide perspective. Instead of constantly measuring your progress against other people's careers, incomes, achievements or timelines, the book encourages readers to think differently about the limited time available to them.

You start things but quit soon after

The fourth problem is consistency. If you frequently begin projects, goals or tasks but lose momentum soon after, Warikoo recommends Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy. He describes it as “perhaps the best book on time management.” The recommendation is particularly relevant to people who have plenty of intentions but struggle to translate them into consistent action.

Rather than simply collecting more goals, the idea is to develop a better approach to prioritising and completing important tasks.

You believe wealth is already distributed

Warikoo's final recommendation tackles a mindset around money and opportunity. He describes the problem as believing “there is only so much wealth in the world” and that it has already been distributed, leaving little for anyone else. His recommendation is Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck.

According to Warikoo, the book can fundamentally change how readers think about their possibilities, saying, “Your mindset will change forever.” The recommendation shifts the focus from seeing wealth as a fixed pie to questioning the beliefs that may be limiting someone's perception of opportunity.