12 Personal Development Blogs You Need To Read Right Now

Photo by Maddox

As I venture into the vast sea of personal development blogs, I’m learning more and more each day as to which blogs in this niche tend to stand out among the thousands of others. The term or phrase “personal development” leaves the door wide open to other categories such as personal transformation, organization, goal achievement, health and fitness, and more. Many blogs I have read hit the mark, and some don’t.

With my new blog here, TheHappySelf.com, my goal or direction falls in these same categories but more on the focus of bringing about natural happiness within ourselves. Basically my goal is to mix life with mindfulness, achievement, organization, and learning how to de-clutter our lives. Yes, easier said than done…but very possible in a society drenched with news full of fear, daily job pressures, family responsibilities, the list goes on and on.

So far my adventure (that is what I like to call it) with this blog has been a pleasant and rewarding one. Sure, I know I’ve only posted a few articles, but the fulfillment of writing them has been rewarding already. And yes, rewarding even if I know not many, if any, have read the articles yet. But that is ok.

Blogs and blog readership don’t happen overnight. Blogging is like growing a garden. You have fertile ground (the Internet), next you have to decide what seeds you want to plant (the articles/posts). The more you plant, the more it grows. Right now, I’ve just got a few seeds planted. The reward is creating it, watching it grow, and developing it. That is why I am here. But of course before one can start a blog or grow a garden, one needs to seek out what makes other blogs successful. What makes them unique. What makes them grow. To answer these questions, the last few weeks I’ve been scouring the Internet for some of the best blogs on personal development not only for my own interest, but also to learn what makes them successful and why.

What I have found are 12 absolutely killer blogs on personal development that you should read and why.

Sure, not every one of these blogs may not be up your alley or fit your taste, but I’m betting one or two will.

Below I have listed my Top 12 Personal Development blogs and what I love about them.  I hope you enjoy this list. I had an absolute great time finding these blogs and now I’m an avid reader of all of them.

(Drum roll please…)

Here are the Top 12 Personal Development Blogs
You Need to Read Right Now…

1. ZenHabits.net - My personal favorite. Nothing but great content, a simple clean design, and super addictive. The creator is Leo Babauta, a father with six kids, that somehow manages to find the time to create some amazing posts.

2. StevePavlina.com - Steve Pavlina’s blog is just mind blowing. Why? When he writes posts on personal development…I really mean he WRITES a post! Some posts are several thousands words long, but all high quality content.

3. Sethgodin.typepad.com - Seth Godin’s blog is more on the side of marketing and business culture. But his view and angle on life and business is fascinating to say the least. Posts may be small, but always highly entertaining.

4. Illuminatedmind.net - Jonathan from IlluminatedMind runs a blog that is very similar to ZenHabits.net (#1 in the list), but has his own unique voice in personal development. The goal of his blog is to bring about the “less boring side” of personal development, and I think he has done it very nicely.

5. Lifehack.org – Voted as one of the Top 100 blogs in the blogosphere, Lifehack.org is dedicated to “lifehacks”. This term refers to “any hacks, tips and tricks that get things done quickly by automating, increase productivity and organizing.”

6. FourHourWorkWeek.com/blog - Tim Ferriss, the author of The 4-Hour Workweek, has an amazing blog that covers all kinds of posts on self-development, gadgets and more. You can tell the guy has fun at the same time, and it shows. A highly addictive blog to follow.

7. DumbLittleMan.com - This nifty blog was created by Jay White one night after realizing that his free time was disappearing after the birth of his second child. Great articles that touch on aspects that can improve anyone’s life.

8. MildlyCreative.com - Ken’s blog is based on leading a creative and fulfilling life. His blog is a mix of self development, while mixing in getting in touch with your inner creative child. It also has a nice mix of personal artwork that gives it a nice touch.

9. UrbanMonk.net - The mission statement of this blog is: “To make as big a positive difference in the happiness, consciousness, personal power, and lives of as many people as possible, primarily through writings, interaction with readers, and recommendations. Maximize website traffic and profit without compromising the first statement, reader experience and benefit, and the author’s honesty and integrity.”

10. ThinkSimpleNow.com – I simply love ThinkSimpleNow.com. This blog is run by Tina Su who started TSN, over a weekend in late September of 2007 – with the vision of having 100 subscribers by the end of 2007, while writing about her passion for personal development, and sharing her own lessons learned. By December 2007, the site had over 3000 subscribers, and it took on a life of its very own. Today, she is honored to be writing for over 13,000 readers…including me.

11. Positivityblog.com – This blog is run by Henrik Edberg, a 28 year old guy in Sweden who absolutely loves everything to do with self development. The Positivity Blog has been online since September 2006. So far it has had about 1.6 million visitors and it has 9500+ subscribers (as of June 21 2008).

12. 43folders.com – Productivity expert Merlin Mann gives top notch advice on this blog on all kinds of subjects that can help you get more done, from fighting procrastination to changing the way you use technology.