Feel-Good Productivity - Ali Abdaal

This book is a practical guide on increasing productivity and focus and offers a perspective that productivity should be a product of positive emotions as opposed to sheer discipline and grind. Each chapter revolves around different aspects of finding natural sources of motivation, overcoming procrastination and avoiding burnout. Although, I don’t completely agree with Abdaal’s overall message in this book, it still provides valuable insights into possible reasons and action points, in a catchy format, if you are feeling stuck or plateaued in your endeavours.

My main takeaways from the book are:

• There is a limit to willpower, discipline and working harder - It may be tolerable in the short term, but in the long term this never-ending uphill battle will take a toll. By making the process fun and enjoyable, you are making productivity a natural by-product.
• Use “Energisers” to boost motivation and enjoyment
  • Play – Add fun tasks to make productivity more enjoyable such as treating it like a video game and experimenting with different things, or adopting a persona and role playing while you work.
  • Power – Feeling competent and in control gives boosts our confidence and motivation so start with the tasks that you know you can do easily to build up momentum.
  • People – Positive social interactions can keep you accountable.
• Use “Unblockers” to overcome obstacles and procrastination
  • Clarity – Break large tasks into smaller, more manageable ones to reduce uncertainty and always having a clear next step to walk on.
  • Courage – Overcome fear by identifying the source and putting it into perspective. Most of the time, the stakes are not nearly as high as we think they are.
  • Get started – Getting started usually takes much more energy than to keep going due to inertia. Just get started on any little task and the motivation will build itself up.
• Use “Sustainers” to prevent burnout and maintain long-term productivity
  • Conserving – Don’t overcommit yourself. Having too much work on your plate at once can lead to overexertion burnout.
  • Recharging – Remember to take breaks not only throughout the day, but also take some time off occasionally to avoid depletion burnout.
  • Aligning – Reflect on what matters most to you and remind yourself why you are doing this in the first place. Misalignment burnout wears us down slowly when the goals and actions we spend our energy on don’t match up with our values.