Skip to content
About

Noah Kanyo

Founder of mindima

Noah Kanyo is the founder of mindima. He builds the app and writes about evidence-aware mental performance: focus, memory, speed reading, and the daily habits that make practice stick. mindima is his attempt to turn what the research actually supports into short, honest daily sessions, without the miracle claims.

The same standard runs through the articles and the science page.

Questions and corrections are welcome at support@mindima.com.

The shelf behind mindima

mindima is built on other people’s work. These are 114 of the books that shaped it. Influences, not citations; the sourced evidence is on the science page.

Habits & behavior change

  • Atomic HabitsJames Clear
  • The Power of HabitCharles Duhigg
  • Tiny HabitsBJ Fogg
  • HookedNir Eyal
  • IndistractableNir Eyal
  • The Willpower InstinctKelly McGonigal
  • WillpowerRoy F. Baumeister & John Tierney
  • NudgeRichard H. Thaler & Cass R. Sunstein
  • SwitchChip Heath & Dan Heath
  • Better Than BeforeGretchen Rubin
  • Habit StackingS. J. Scott
  • The Compound EffectDarren Hardy

Focus & attention

  • Deep WorkCal Newport
  • Digital MinimalismCal Newport
  • HyperfocusChris Bailey
  • Stolen FocusJohann Hari
  • FocusDaniel Goleman
  • The Distracted MindAdam Gazzaley & Larry D. Rosen
  • RaptWinifred Gallagher
  • The ShallowsNicholas Carr
  • Attention SpanGloria Mark

Learning & memory

  • Make It StickPeter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III & Mark A. McDaniel
  • Moonwalking with EinsteinJoshua Foer
  • PeakAnders Ericsson & Robert Pool
  • UltralearningScott H. Young
  • LimitlessJim Kwik
  • A Mind for NumbersBarbara Oakley
  • How We LearnBenedict Carey
  • Why We SleepMatthew Walker
  • The Talent CodeDaniel Coyle
  • Learn BetterUlrich Boser
  • Unlimited MemoryKevin Horsley
  • The Art of MemoryFrances A. Yates

Motivation & drive

  • DriveDaniel H. Pink
  • GritAngela Duckworth
  • MindsetCarol S. Dweck
  • Why We Do What We DoEdward L. Deci
  • Punished by RewardsAlfie Kohn
  • The Motivation MythJeff Haden
  • FlowMihaly Csikszentmihalyi

How the mind works

  • Thinking, Fast and SlowDaniel Kahneman
  • Predictably IrrationalDan Ariely
  • The Organized MindDaniel J. Levitin
  • IncognitoDavid Eagleman
  • The Brain That Changes ItselfNorman Doidge
  • How Emotions Are MadeLisa Feldman Barrett
  • BehaveRobert M. Sapolsky
  • The Undoing ProjectMichael Lewis
  • SuperforecastingPhilip E. Tetlock & Dan Gardner
  • The Marshmallow TestWalter Mischel
  • Phantoms in the BrainV. S. Ramachandran & Sandra Blakeslee
  • Descartes' ErrorAntonio Damasio
  • RangeDavid Epstein

Games & gamification

  • Reality Is BrokenJane McGonigal
  • SuperBetterJane McGonigal
  • Actionable GamificationYu-kai Chou
  • For the WinKevin Werbach & Dan Hunter
  • The Art of Game DesignJesse Schell
  • Rules of PlayKatie Salen & Eric Zimmerman
  • A Theory of Fun for Game DesignRaph Koster
  • Gamification by DesignGabe Zichermann & Christopher Cunningham
  • Game FeelSteve Swink
  • The Gamification of Learning and InstructionKarl M. Kapp
  • Glued to GamesScott Rigby & Richard M. Ryan
  • Homo LudensJohan Huizinga
  • The GrasshopperBernard Suits

Deep work & productivity

  • Getting Things DoneDavid Allen
  • The 7 Habits of Highly Effective PeopleStephen R. Covey
  • EssentialismGreg McKeown
  • Four Thousand WeeksOliver Burkeman
  • The One ThingGary Keller & Jay Papasan
  • Make TimeJake Knapp & John Zeratsky
  • The Effective ExecutivePeter F. Drucker
  • Eat That Frog!Brian Tracy

Emotion & resilience

  • Emotional IntelligenceDaniel Goleman
  • The Body Keeps the ScoreBessel van der Kolk
  • Option BSheryl Sandberg & Adam Grant
  • ResilientRick Hanson
  • The Upside of StressKelly McGonigal
  • Emotional AgilitySusan David
  • Self-CompassionKristin Neff
  • Man's Search for MeaningViktor E. Frankl
  • Learned OptimismMartin E. P. Seligman
  • FlourishMartin E. P. Seligman

Mindfulness & calm

  • Wherever You Go, There You AreJon Kabat-Zinn
  • Full Catastrophe LivingJon Kabat-Zinn
  • The Miracle of MindfulnessThich Nhat Hanh
  • 10% HappierDan Harris
  • Why Buddhism Is TrueRobert Wright
  • Altered TraitsDaniel Goleman & Richard J. Davidson
  • BreathJames Nestor
  • The Relaxation ResponseHerbert Benson

Mastery & performance

  • MasteryRobert Greene
  • BounceMatthew Syed
  • The Rise of SupermanSteven Kotler
  • Stealing FireSteven Kotler & Jamie Wheal
  • The Art of LearningJosh Waitzkin
  • With Winning in MindLanny Bassham
  • The Inner Game of TennisW. Timothy Gallwey
  • Talent Is OverratedGeoff Colvin
  • OutliersMalcolm Gladwell
  • Peak PerformanceBrad Stulberg & Steve Magness
  • The Practicing MindThomas M. Sterner
  • So Good They Can't Ignore YouCal Newport

Character & the classics

  • How to Win Friends and Influence PeopleDale Carnegie
  • Think and Grow RichNapoleon Hill
  • The Power of NowEckhart Tolle
  • Awaken the Giant WithinAnthony Robbins
  • The Slight EdgeJeff Olson
  • Can't Hurt MeDavid Goggins
  • Ego Is the EnemyRyan Holiday
  • The Obstacle Is the WayRyan Holiday
  • MeditationsMarcus Aurelius
  • The Practice of GroundednessBrad Stulberg
Join the list