πŸ“– Feel-Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal

Topic: Productivity | Medium: Audible | Rating: 4/5

Notes

1. Energise - Play, Power, People

  • Play a personality e.g., creator, storyteller, director, kinesthetic.
  • Create side quests. e.g. - review your calendar and see how it could change - work in a new spot or use new software.
  • For a boring task ask yourself - β€œwhat would it look like to be fun?” E.g. music
  • How can I approach this work with a little seriousness and more sincerity?
  • Focus on the process not the outcome.
  • Reframe failure as successes in new data points.
  • Create a sense of adventure.
  • Lower the stakes (we tend to catastrophize).
  • Comrade mindset.

2. Unblock - Seek Clarity, Find Courage, Get Started

  • Ask yourself why 5 times when stuck on a task to determine whether you should do a task. Then ask what?
  • Inertia - easier to keep going than start.
  • 5-minute rule - just work on it for a bit to trick your brain.
  • Advice from a billion-dollar mentor - what are the next 1-3 actions?
  • Need to be clear and actionable.
  • Bias towards action.
  • What’s the next action step?
  • Track progress - shows you are going in the right direction.

Accountability partner - increased sense of duty.

  1. Find a buddy with the same ambition.
  2. Accountablity relationship - disciplined, challenging, patient, supportive, constructive.
  3. Accountability process - regular meeting/check-in.
  • Forgive yourself when not productive.

3. Sustain - Conserve, Recharge, Align

  • Active investments list - time and energy.
  • Hope, dreams, and aspirations list.
  • Schedule breaks when you know you will get tired.
  • Most productive workers - 52 mins work to 17 min break.
  • Long-term future outlook - death-bed. Euology exercise.
  • Medium-term future - what do you want to celebrate in 1 year? What do I need today to do this week?
  • Short-term future - what 3 actions can do today to bring me in little step closer to how I want my life to look like in a year.

Adopt the mindset of a scientist! Hypothesise, test, and find out what works for you.