BEST OF HACKER NEWS · 39 TALKS

Best Productivity & self-improvement Talks Recommended on Hacker News

This ranked list contains 39 Productivity & self-improvement talks from a 93-video topic archive. Entries are ordered by distinct Hacker News recommenders, then by the catalog score; the leading titles include Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005, Hammock Driven Development - Rich Hickey, and Mike Monteiro: F*ck You, Pay Me. The broader topic archive has 653 labeled comments across 2007–2026, but this list only includes videos classified as talks. Each row shows its recorded recommendation count and a reason based on its tags and HN history. Use the recent-video archive to browse every format by latest HN mention instead.

  1. 1
    Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

    13 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Productivity & self-improvement; the recorded mentions span 2007–2015.

    13 recommenders
  2. 2
    Hammock Driven Development - Rich Hickey

    12 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Functional programming; the recorded mentions span 2014–2024.

    12 recommenders
  3. 3
    Mike Monteiro: F*ck You, Pay Me

    12 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Startups & entrepreneurship; the recorded mentions span 2015–2026.

    12 recommenders
  4. 4
    Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

    9 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Productivity & self-improvement; the recorded mentions span 2009–2023.

    9 recommenders
  5. 5
    Ira Glass on Storytelling 3

    7 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Productivity & self-improvement; the recorded mentions span 2018–2026.

    7 recommenders
  6. 6
    How to sound smart in your TEDx Talk | Will Stephen | TEDxNewYork

    6 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Satire & parody; the recorded mentions span 2015–2024.

    6 recommenders
  7. 7
    7 Habits For Effective Text Editing 2.0

    5 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Testing, debugging & developer tools; the recorded mentions span 2013–2023.

    5 recommenders
  8. 8
    Bryan Cranston's Advice to Aspiring Actors

    5 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Productivity & self-improvement; the recorded mentions span 2015–2022.

    5 recommenders
  9. 9
    The first 20 hours -- how to learn anything | Josh Kaufman | TEDxCSU

    5 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Productivity & self-improvement; the recorded mentions span 2014–2024.

    5 recommenders
  10. 10
    Emacs Org-mode - a system for note-taking and project planning

    5 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Testing, debugging & developer tools; the recorded mentions span 2009–2024.

    5 recommenders
  11. 11
    Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator | Tim Urban | TED

    5 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Productivity & self-improvement; the recorded mentions span 2016–2023.

    5 recommenders
  12. 12
    This Is Water by David Foster Wallace Full Speech

    5 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Productivity & self-improvement; the recorded mentions span 2015–2022.

    5 recommenders
  13. 13
    Learning from dirty jobs | Mike Rowe

    4 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Labor, work & inequality; the recorded mentions span 2012–2018.

    4 recommenders
  14. 14
    Emacs For Writers

    3 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Testing, debugging & developer tools; the recorded mentions span 2016–2024.

    3 recommenders
  15. 15
    The Power of belief -- mindset and success | Eduardo Briceno | TEDxManhattanBeach

    3 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Psychology & human behavior; the recorded mentions span 2014–2020.

    3 recommenders
  16. 16
    Practical Creativity

    3 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Game design; the recorded mentions span 2018–2026.

    3 recommenders
  17. 17
    The Energy Project | Tony Schwartz | Talks at Google

    3 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Productivity & self-improvement; the recorded mentions span 2010–2016.

    3 recommenders
  18. 18
    A real person, a lot like you

    3 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Productivity & self-improvement; the recorded mentions span 2011–2013.

    3 recommenders
  19. 19
    THIS IS WATER! by David Foster Wallace

    3 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Productivity & self-improvement; the recorded mentions span 2020–2024.

    3 recommenders
  20. 20
    University of Texas at Austin 2014 Commencement Address - Admiral William H. McRaven

    3 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Productivity & self-improvement; the recorded mentions span 2017–2026.

    3 recommenders
  21. 21
    Life is easy. Why do we make it so hard? | Jon Jandai | TEDxDoiSuthep

    3 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Productivity & self-improvement; the recorded mentions span 2015–2025.

    3 recommenders
  22. 22
    Forget big change, start with a tiny habit: BJ Fogg at TEDxFremont

    3 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Productivity & self-improvement; the recorded mentions span 2014–2017.

    3 recommenders
  23. 23
    How to Achieve Your Most Ambitious Goals | Stephen Duneier | TEDxTucson

    3 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Productivity & self-improvement; the recorded mentions span 2018–2023.

    3 recommenders
  24. 24
    Your Brain at Work

    3 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Neuroscience & the brain; the recorded mentions span 2011–2015.

    3 recommenders
  25. 25
    Keep your goals to yourself | Derek Sivers

    2 distinct Hacker News commenters recommended this talk about Productivity & self-improvement; the recorded mentions span 2010–2023.

    2 recommenders