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The Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life
A galvanizing playbook for success from Steven Bartlett, one of the world’s most exciting entrepreneurs and the host of the No. 1 podcast The Diary of a CEO
"This is a must-read for anyone dreaming of doing something audacious." Jay Shetty
"Valuable lessons about the importance of following a different and unconventional path to power.” Robert Greene
At the very heart of all the success and failure I've been exposed to - both my own entrepreneurial journey and through the thousands of interviews I’ve conducted on my chart-topping podcast - are a set of principles that ensure excellence.
These fundamental laws underpinned my meteoric rise, and they will fuel yours too, whether you want to build something great or become someone great. The laws are rooted in psychology and behavioral science, in my own experiences, and those of the world's most successful entrepreneurs, entertainers, artists, writers, and athletes, who I’ve interviewed on my podcast.
These laws will stand the test of time and will help anyone master their life and unleash their potential, no matter the field.
They are the secret sauce to success.
"This is a must-read for anyone dreaming of doing something audacious." Jay Shetty
"Valuable lessons about the importance of following a different and unconventional path to power.” Robert Greene
At the very heart of all the success and failure I've been exposed to - both my own entrepreneurial journey and through the thousands of interviews I’ve conducted on my chart-topping podcast - are a set of principles that ensure excellence.
These fundamental laws underpinned my meteoric rise, and they will fuel yours too, whether you want to build something great or become someone great. The laws are rooted in psychology and behavioral science, in my own experiences, and those of the world's most successful entrepreneurs, entertainers, artists, writers, and athletes, who I’ve interviewed on my podcast.
These laws will stand the test of time and will help anyone master their life and unleash their potential, no matter the field.
They are the secret sauce to success.
368 pages, Hardcover
Published August 29, 2023
3739 people are currently reading
20146 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 860 reviews
January 20, 2024
There are too many laws we should know and implement in our business and life.
I will keep and reread this book to remind myself from time to time.
Don't be afraid to be different and challenge the status quo.
What drives you and gives your work meaning?
Surround yourself with talented and like-minded people.
Always be curious and open to new ideas.
Develop the mental strength to bounce back from setbacks.
Don't be afraid to step outside your comfort zone.
Prioritize your health, well-being, and personal development.
Be true to yourself and your values.
Keep chasing your dreams, no matter what.
I will keep and reread this book to remind myself from time to time.
Don't be afraid to be different and challenge the status quo.
What drives you and gives your work meaning?
Surround yourself with talented and like-minded people.
Always be curious and open to new ideas.
Develop the mental strength to bounce back from setbacks.
Don't be afraid to step outside your comfort zone.
Prioritize your health, well-being, and personal development.
Be true to yourself and your values.
Keep chasing your dreams, no matter what.
September 13, 2023
Good if you are in your 20s. Ok if in 30s. Basic if in 40s. Not worth your time if you are in your 50s. Examples shared are powerful but the moment you use probabilities, you know it would not work for you. And, Yes, the author is a wonderful podcaster.
April 12, 2024
While I did go in with preconceived notions of this that it was going to be complete nonsense and an absolute money grab, having been presented with a copy of this book I decided I’d be open minded and give it a go. Just in case I was wrong, in which case I would’ve happily sat down and given you a review on how great it surprisingly was. However, I can’t do that, because this book was exactly what I knew it would be - a load of waffling rubbish. A book written by a successful man to inspire other men that you can be just like him if you just start doing positive affirmations and being more disciplined in your gym routine or whatever else he was peddling as a key to success. Haha.
My favourite part of this book was actually in the very first pages, when he states that he’s written the book based on five core beliefs - one of them being that most books published nowadays are a lot longer than they need to be and so he has cut out the nonsense in his. Incorrect. If this was true, half of the pages in here wouldn’t be size 35 font generic inspirational throwaway quotes used as filler. It was so unintentionally funny. For someone aiming to condense this insanely motivational drivel to just the core elements and nothing else, he fails repeatedly. He actually just can’t stop talking. It was giving ‘live, laugh, love’ in grey sparkly letters on your moms kitchen wall.
It was honestly pointless as a book, and I’m baffled as to who this was supposed to be written for, and what they were supposed to be taking from it. It didn’t inspire or intrigue me at all, it was really dry and boring. Not a standout from anything in the market right now, and nothing you couldn’t just Google. In fact, there’s probably more inspiring and life changing posts on Reddit than what’s in here. The writing wasn’t the worst I’ll admit, but he had a very flat voice as a narrator. No sense of humour or snappy pacing to be found. And the grammatical and punctuation errors were driving me mad - has nobody around here ever heard of an Oxford comma?!
This is a book written by an egotistical, obnoxious man who wants you to look at him and everything he’s achieved and clap. Bow down to him. It was honestly just so slimy and it reeks of narcissism when every other sentence you need to name drop how many millions you’ve made or how many people work for you or every company you’ve got shares in. It just made my eyes roll. I feel like a very specific audience of people would adore this book, but it was not at all for me. And anyone who does enjoy it is probably also not for me. I’m glad I satisfied my curiosity though and can now hate freely.
I imagine Mr Barlett would tell me I’ve somehow given into some sort of confirmation bias by just confirming what I suspected about the book, but listen, I promise I did try and see the positives. I have very generously given it a two star, because there are some tiny complimentary thoughts I had. I did quite enjoy all of the psychology being discussed as that’s an area I studied in, so that captured my attention and was really interesting. On the other hand, one could argue that he’s filled a book with other people’s ideas and hasn’t actually had anything original to say…
My favourite part of this book was actually in the very first pages, when he states that he’s written the book based on five core beliefs - one of them being that most books published nowadays are a lot longer than they need to be and so he has cut out the nonsense in his. Incorrect. If this was true, half of the pages in here wouldn’t be size 35 font generic inspirational throwaway quotes used as filler. It was so unintentionally funny. For someone aiming to condense this insanely motivational drivel to just the core elements and nothing else, he fails repeatedly. He actually just can’t stop talking. It was giving ‘live, laugh, love’ in grey sparkly letters on your moms kitchen wall.
It was honestly pointless as a book, and I’m baffled as to who this was supposed to be written for, and what they were supposed to be taking from it. It didn’t inspire or intrigue me at all, it was really dry and boring. Not a standout from anything in the market right now, and nothing you couldn’t just Google. In fact, there’s probably more inspiring and life changing posts on Reddit than what’s in here. The writing wasn’t the worst I’ll admit, but he had a very flat voice as a narrator. No sense of humour or snappy pacing to be found. And the grammatical and punctuation errors were driving me mad - has nobody around here ever heard of an Oxford comma?!
This is a book written by an egotistical, obnoxious man who wants you to look at him and everything he’s achieved and clap. Bow down to him. It was honestly just so slimy and it reeks of narcissism when every other sentence you need to name drop how many millions you’ve made or how many people work for you or every company you’ve got shares in. It just made my eyes roll. I feel like a very specific audience of people would adore this book, but it was not at all for me. And anyone who does enjoy it is probably also not for me. I’m glad I satisfied my curiosity though and can now hate freely.
I imagine Mr Barlett would tell me I’ve somehow given into some sort of confirmation bias by just confirming what I suspected about the book, but listen, I promise I did try and see the positives. I have very generously given it a two star, because there are some tiny complimentary thoughts I had. I did quite enjoy all of the psychology being discussed as that’s an area I studied in, so that captured my attention and was really interesting. On the other hand, one could argue that he’s filled a book with other people’s ideas and hasn’t actually had anything original to say…
October 30, 2024
Wow, what an amazing book. Listened on Audible. Fantastic information and strategy. I learned a lot. Well worth a listen.
August 22, 2024
This is an awesome book. Great valuable knowledge and perspectives. The book I'd extremely well researched with quotes from people at the top of their fields, from research, management, leaders, sports, entertainment, and more.
The writing style of the book is also great. It is to the point. No wastage. Also, the book does not come across as preaching but teaching and inspiring. This is the straight of the book it does not seem to be written from or for Steven's ego, but to genuinely help or advise others.
Though the chapters/laws in the book are quite short (yes, some are longer than others), there is a lot of knowledge to download in each. The best way I found to read through it was as soon fell my head getting full. I stopped to reflect and then continued reading a few hours later or the next day.
Also, keep reading to the there is a surprise at the end.
The writing style of the book is also great. It is to the point. No wastage. Also, the book does not come across as preaching but teaching and inspiring. This is the straight of the book it does not seem to be written from or for Steven's ego, but to genuinely help or advise others.
Though the chapters/laws in the book are quite short (yes, some are longer than others), there is a lot of knowledge to download in each. The best way I found to read through it was as soon fell my head getting full. I stopped to reflect and then continued reading a few hours later or the next day.
Also, keep reading to the there is a surprise at the end.
October 22, 2023
Some chapters are oddly named. For example, "create a cult mentality."
I'm sorry... but that's not something I ever want to read. Also, the author has a chapter named "p*ssing people off."
Seriously?
In the book, Steven acknowledged that people would skim some chapters. To me, that implies he already knows that some are way better than others.
Just remove them...
Two stars. Some good points but this book should've been a blog post.
I'm sorry... but that's not something I ever want to read. Also, the author has a chapter named "p*ssing people off."
Seriously?
In the book, Steven acknowledged that people would skim some chapters. To me, that implies he already knows that some are way better than others.
Just remove them...
Two stars. Some good points but this book should've been a blog post.
September 15, 2023
I read this new book ( had preordered it) from cover to cover . I wish I had spread it out more so there was more chance of remembering chapters important to me… will back track and re read some. It is well written and I like the chapter starts and ends- which tell you what the ‘law’ is then summarises it and stresses its importance. The meat of each chapter ( each law ) is based on info SB has gleaned from his impressive podcast guests or from his equally impressive business life. I sort of wanted to find him arrogant. But I don’t. He writes well and presents his findings with humility - he gives credit where it is due and openly acknowledges he is failings personally and his learning curves. He is an avid learner, he listens constantly to the advice and he surrounds himself with the best scientific and business understanding . It is impossible not to rate him and therefore rate his book. I especially liked the last chapter!
December 20, 2023
If you see me eat 15 lollipops a day in the future, don't ask questions
October 14, 2023
I love Stephen’s podcast. But I feel like this book could’ve gotten a better structure. The boasting in the beginning is pretty off-putting, and the overwhelming feeling of this book just collecting other people’s advice doesn’t help the matter in any way. It gets better once his advice turns to marketing and things that actually support his statements from the beginning of the book.
January 7, 2025
When I bought this, I generally thought it was going to be Steven Bartletts' personal diary. 🤔 was a bit confused when all it did was talk about marketing the entire time but found out some cool facts and some interesting mind framing tools
December 9, 2023
The author states the following in the introductory chapter:
“The design of this book is based on five core beliefs:
1. I believe most books are longer than they need to be.”
He is correct, applies to this one as well.
“The design of this book is based on five core beliefs:
1. I believe most books are longer than they need to be.”
He is correct, applies to this one as well.
February 7, 2025
A couple of the laws stood out to me:
- law 11 - avoid wallpaper at all costs - I found the psychology of habituation eye opening. It’s the idea that the “brain adjusts to repeated stimuli by ignoring or downgrading their significance.” In marketing, if your saying or asking the same things as everyone else, your not going to stand out in people’s minds. You need to be telling stories in a unique way to stand out.
- law 13 - shoot your psychological moonshots first - a psychological moonshot is a relatively small investment that drastically improved the perception of something. This chapter included a few interesting principles, operational transparency and reducing uncertainty anxiety. In one of the examples provided, a public transit company was rated as having low cleanliness when in fact they had cleaners go through multiple times per day. By simply creating matching, vibrant uniforms for the cleaning staff so people would notice them, the ratings increased - despite not increasing the number of cleanings happening per day. Relatively small value adds can increase customer ratings.
- law 21 - you must out-fail the competition - as someone who doesn’t particularly love to fail, this chapter was a challenging reality check. The companies that fail the most also grow the most. There are no such things as perfect decisions and procrastination will waste time. It also takes a safe team atmosphere for this to play out effectively.
There are more laws I could note! Overall a good read.
- law 11 - avoid wallpaper at all costs - I found the psychology of habituation eye opening. It’s the idea that the “brain adjusts to repeated stimuli by ignoring or downgrading their significance.” In marketing, if your saying or asking the same things as everyone else, your not going to stand out in people’s minds. You need to be telling stories in a unique way to stand out.
- law 13 - shoot your psychological moonshots first - a psychological moonshot is a relatively small investment that drastically improved the perception of something. This chapter included a few interesting principles, operational transparency and reducing uncertainty anxiety. In one of the examples provided, a public transit company was rated as having low cleanliness when in fact they had cleaners go through multiple times per day. By simply creating matching, vibrant uniforms for the cleaning staff so people would notice them, the ratings increased - despite not increasing the number of cleanings happening per day. Relatively small value adds can increase customer ratings.
- law 21 - you must out-fail the competition - as someone who doesn’t particularly love to fail, this chapter was a challenging reality check. The companies that fail the most also grow the most. There are no such things as perfect decisions and procrastination will waste time. It also takes a safe team atmosphere for this to play out effectively.
There are more laws I could note! Overall a good read.
September 25, 2024
Loved it, it's been my go-to book whilst editing, I have to wait to update, upload images during this process and it gives me bite size minutes to read. This book is perfect to fill those spaces, it's short to the point chapters take you on a journey of learning, best practices and fantastic insights all things business, management and life! Lots of simple explanations, examples makes for an easy interesting read. I made notes, added tabs to make sure I can find those nuggets of knowledge easily. I shared as I read to both my husband and friends. Would recommend to anyone, business owner or not.
October 18, 2023
Thought provoking and interesting. Very easy to read and laid out logically.
January 8, 2025
A good read - some things not relevant to me.
Key takeaways:
Work smart. Ask hard questions. Be disciplined. Sweat the small stuff. Fail. Pressure is a privilege. To master something - teach it.
Key takeaways:
Work smart. Ask hard questions. Be disciplined. Sweat the small stuff. Fail. Pressure is a privilege. To master something - teach it.
February 13, 2025
i have concluded that i dont get along well with self-help books.
May 27, 2024
I don’t often describe a book that I have read as dangerous, but Steven Bartlett has written one of the most odious and manipulative books that I have ever read.
Bartlett is a snake oil salesman for the modern times. His advice is based on the individualisation and personal responsibility of issues that are more complex and social and societal. These issues are in part a consequence of the hyper late stage capitalistic world that he fetishises and encourages your active participation in throughout the book.
Bartlett divides his book into 33 laws. It would be remiss of me to say that there is no good advice in this book whatsoever. Bartlett has clearly researched and interviewed a plethora of sources and experts and gives molecules of advice that could be life changing. The biggest problem is that Bartlett warps and manipulates all of this advice to fit his exploitative and hierarchical world view. Law 26, for example, can be distilled to the concept of going into sectors that will pay you more for your skills. He illustrates this by saying that a friend went from working for smaller companies doing graphic design for flyers to working for a much more morally dubious company in the morally dubious Dubai but making more money. This is sold as success, and in a linear fashion that this is what YOU should be striving towards.
Bartlett is keen to remind us of his personal success whenever he can. There are constant referrals to companies that he has invested in that are nothing more than pseudo advertising for these brands, and more importantly to Bartlett, himself. The myths of his own success work as a backbone as to why he can package up and sell you this advice to embrace and strive towards the excesses of capitalism.
In one of the laws, Bartlett talks about how he does not like job titles and their limiting potential. From a man who has created an entire media presence and career from the concept of being this mythical ‘CEO’, Bartlett is more aware than most of his own story telling and mythological creation of this path to success. His hypocrisy is maddening, disliking job titles when it means that he can’t manipulate his workforce, but loving them when they elevate his position in the media landscape.
So why is this book so dangerous? It is all to do with the advice given. As stated, there is a lot of good advice within these 33 Laws. But this advice should be given holistically and under the guise of compassion rather than putting this pressure and weight on the individual. Of course Bartlett can’t critique the world that has bought him success. To do so would eat into his mythology and story. But in embracing it so much he is adding to the intense individualised pressure that corporate capitalism is intent on putting onto society to make up for their own ills and exploitation of the working class. It is dangerous because Bartlett is trying to make you take responsibility for a world that late stage capitalistic desire and intent has warped into a miserable and horrific place.
Bartlett is a snake oil salesman for the modern times. His advice is based on the individualisation and personal responsibility of issues that are more complex and social and societal. These issues are in part a consequence of the hyper late stage capitalistic world that he fetishises and encourages your active participation in throughout the book.
Bartlett divides his book into 33 laws. It would be remiss of me to say that there is no good advice in this book whatsoever. Bartlett has clearly researched and interviewed a plethora of sources and experts and gives molecules of advice that could be life changing. The biggest problem is that Bartlett warps and manipulates all of this advice to fit his exploitative and hierarchical world view. Law 26, for example, can be distilled to the concept of going into sectors that will pay you more for your skills. He illustrates this by saying that a friend went from working for smaller companies doing graphic design for flyers to working for a much more morally dubious company in the morally dubious Dubai but making more money. This is sold as success, and in a linear fashion that this is what YOU should be striving towards.
Bartlett is keen to remind us of his personal success whenever he can. There are constant referrals to companies that he has invested in that are nothing more than pseudo advertising for these brands, and more importantly to Bartlett, himself. The myths of his own success work as a backbone as to why he can package up and sell you this advice to embrace and strive towards the excesses of capitalism.
In one of the laws, Bartlett talks about how he does not like job titles and their limiting potential. From a man who has created an entire media presence and career from the concept of being this mythical ‘CEO’, Bartlett is more aware than most of his own story telling and mythological creation of this path to success. His hypocrisy is maddening, disliking job titles when it means that he can’t manipulate his workforce, but loving them when they elevate his position in the media landscape.
So why is this book so dangerous? It is all to do with the advice given. As stated, there is a lot of good advice within these 33 Laws. But this advice should be given holistically and under the guise of compassion rather than putting this pressure and weight on the individual. Of course Bartlett can’t critique the world that has bought him success. To do so would eat into his mythology and story. But in embracing it so much he is adding to the intense individualised pressure that corporate capitalism is intent on putting onto society to make up for their own ills and exploitation of the working class. It is dangerous because Bartlett is trying to make you take responsibility for a world that late stage capitalistic desire and intent has warped into a miserable and horrific place.
December 31, 2024
It's been done better by other authors. Bartlett is a lunatic masquerading as a normal person. Across a written text like this it becomes clear that he's full of hot air. That's not to say this is useless, it actually has a generous amount of insight, it's just that for every good idea (treat your staff as unique players and help them to help you - sensible) it has at least one bizarre anecdote or reveal (why are you telling me that you couldn't swim until your twenties as if it impacts business)
May 10, 2025
2⭐️ - This book felt like it was trying to say a lot without really saying anything.
It reads like a repackaging of generic self-help advice, offering little in the way of original thought or meaningful depth. It attempts to blend advice on personal growth, business, and relationships, but in doing so, it left me questioning who the intended audience actually is. By trying to appeal to everyone, it ends up offering very little to anyone.
The structure—based around 33 “laws”—feels more like a checklist of pop-psychology mantras than a cohesive or well-developed guide. Most chapters are rushed and surface-level, relying on aphorisms and anecdotes without exploring the complexity behind them.
The tone is often self-congratulatory, filled with references to Mr. Bartlett’s various successes (“I did this,” “I built that,” “I made millions from this”). At times, the book reads more like a personal branding exercise than a sincere attempt to offer something of value. It’s unclear whether the aim is to inspire readers or simply showcase Steven’s achievements.
It reads like a repackaging of generic self-help advice, offering little in the way of original thought or meaningful depth. It attempts to blend advice on personal growth, business, and relationships, but in doing so, it left me questioning who the intended audience actually is. By trying to appeal to everyone, it ends up offering very little to anyone.
The structure—based around 33 “laws”—feels more like a checklist of pop-psychology mantras than a cohesive or well-developed guide. Most chapters are rushed and surface-level, relying on aphorisms and anecdotes without exploring the complexity behind them.
The tone is often self-congratulatory, filled with references to Mr. Bartlett’s various successes (“I did this,” “I built that,” “I made millions from this”). At times, the book reads more like a personal branding exercise than a sincere attempt to offer something of value. It’s unclear whether the aim is to inspire readers or simply showcase Steven’s achievements.
March 3, 2024
This is the best business book I've read hands down!
February 4, 2025
An intriguing read, but let's be clear—if you're looking for a hardcore business manual, you might want to manage your expectations. This book leans more towards the self-help genre rather than being a strictly business-focused book.
The author offers a candid look into the life of a CEO, sharing personal anecdotes and lessons learned along the way. While these insights are valuable, they often delve into personal growth, mindset shifts, and overcoming adversity, rather than providing concrete business strategies or management techniques.
In essence, "Diary of a CEO" is more about navigating life's challenges with the mindset of a leader, rather than being a guide on how to run a company. For those who enjoy a blend of self-help and business with a personal touch, this book will likely resonate. However, if you're solely seeking business tactics and strategies, you might find it a bit lacking.
Overall, it's a decent read with some worthwhile takeaways, especially if you're interested in the personal development side of being a CEO.
The author offers a candid look into the life of a CEO, sharing personal anecdotes and lessons learned along the way. While these insights are valuable, they often delve into personal growth, mindset shifts, and overcoming adversity, rather than providing concrete business strategies or management techniques.
In essence, "Diary of a CEO" is more about navigating life's challenges with the mindset of a leader, rather than being a guide on how to run a company. For those who enjoy a blend of self-help and business with a personal touch, this book will likely resonate. However, if you're solely seeking business tactics and strategies, you might find it a bit lacking.
Overall, it's a decent read with some worthwhile takeaways, especially if you're interested in the personal development side of being a CEO.
November 7, 2023
A good entry level book to personal and professional success principals, probably best suited to someone in their 20s. However, anything beyond that this book lacked value and depth as it covers "33 rules". A jack of all trades, but master of none.
November 2, 2023
Private Eye described this book as ‘a grisly minestrone of all the management books ever written’ which just about sums it up.
July 14, 2024
We can find some random good business and leadership insights, scattered in the book. Nevertheless, the author uses a very odd structure and style of writing to constantly show off his ego..
September 9, 2024
If you like the author, you'll like this. Aside from a couple of good points to consider, it basically feels like a book of bragging.
November 4, 2024
2.5
Raczej do zapomnienia. Tematyczny misz-masz.
Raczej do zapomnienia. Tematyczny misz-masz.
April 30, 2024
Wspaniała książka dla tych, którzy będą potrafili ją docenić. Będzie leżeć na półce, żebym często mógł po nią sięgać.
September 3, 2024
You now want me to go to a website and sign up to get access to the last law? And no conclusion, star knocked off for the ending alone. Useful teachings in parts, some things I'll go back to. But in others, repetitive and basic. EDIT.
November 16, 2023
Great stuff. My review and summary here: https://patricksherriff.com/2023/11/1...
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