Feel Good Productivity - Ali Abdaal

16 Apr, 2025

Note: These are my own notes and observations upon reading the book. They serve as a reminder, when I need to rehash some content. I own none of the content.

Introduction

How it works:

• "Feeling good boosts our productivity."
• "Feeling good reduces our stress."

"Success doesn't lead to feeling good. Feeling good leads to success."

Part 1 - Energize

Play

Quotes:

• "Life is stressful. Play makes it fun."
• "Curiosity doesn't simply make our lives more enjoyable. It allows us to focus longer."
• "No failure is ever just a failure. It's an invitation to try something new."

Prompts:

• Create an adventure
• Find the fun
• Lower the stakes

Experiments:

• Choose your character (8 play personalities)
  • collector
  • competitor
  • explorer
  • creator
  • storyteller
  • joker
  • director
  • kinesthete
• Embrace your curiosity
• The magic post-it - "What would this look like if it were fun?"
• Enjoy the process, not the outcome
• Reframe your failure
• Don't be serious. Be sincere.

Summary:

• "Seriousness is overrated. If you want to achieve more without ruining your life, the first step is to approach your work with a sense of play."
• "There are three ways you can incorporate the spirit of play into your life. First, approach things with a sense of adventure. When you step into the right 'play personality', every day abounds with opportunities to see life as a game, filled with surprises and side quests."
• "Second, find the fun. Remember Mary Poppins: there's an element of fun in every task, even if it isn't always obvious. Try asking yourself what this would look like if it were fun, and then build your project around the answer."
• "Third, lower the stakes. Failures are only failures when you think they are -- and not every problem need be approached with such a straight face. So what would it mean to approach your work with less seriousness and more sincerity?"

Power

Quotes:

• "Believing you can is the first step to making sure you actually can."
• "If they can, you can too."
• "You don't need to be a guru. You can just be a guide."
• "When we can't take ownership of the situation, we can still take ownership of the process.

Prompts:

• Boost your confidence
• Level up your skills
• Take ownership of your work

Experiments:

• The confidence switch -- self-prompting
• The social model method -- observe others doing it
• The Shosin approach -- beginner's mindset
• The protege effect -- learn by teaching others
• Own the process
• Own your mindset -- you can change how you perceive actions

Summary:

• "'Power' is a scary word, but it doesn't have to be. When we say the second energiser is power, we don't mean exerting control over others. Here, we simply mean feeling empowered to take your job, life and future into your own hands."
• "There are three ways you can increase your sense of power, starting now. Begin with confidence. We think our confidence is fixed, but actually it's extremely malleable. So why not try 'flipping the confidence switch' - and playing the role of someone who's already filled with self-belief?"
• "Next, level up your skills. Ask yourself: if I were completely new to this task, what would this look like? And how can I start teaching others even though I'm not an expert yet?"
• "Finally, see what you can do to take ownership, even in moments when you don't have as much control as you'd like. Remember, if you can't choose what you work on, you can still choose how you work on it. The outcome isn't always in your hands. But the process, and certainly your mindset, often is."

People

Quotes:

• "Teamwork is as much a psychological state as a way of dividing up tasks."
• "Synchronicity makes us want to help others. And it makes us want to help ourselves."
• "When you think you've communicated plenty, you almost certainly haven't."
• "Overcommunication won't just inspire them. It will inspire you too."

Prompts:

• Find your scene - group interested in the same endeavours
• Feel the helper's high
• Overcommunicate

Experiments:

• The comrade mindset
• Find synchronicity
• Random acts of kindness
• Ask for help from others
• Overcommunicate the good
• Overcommunicate the not-so-good

Summary:

• "Life is more fun with friends around. That's why our third energiser is people. There are some people who naturally uplift our energy - the trick is finding them."
• "That starts with becoming a team player. Try treating the people you're working with as comrades rather than competitors."
• "Building connections with people is also about lending them a hand. This cuts both ways; not only do we too rarely help others, we also too rarely ask for help. So try asking: what can I do to brighten someone else's day?"
• "Finally, remember the most oft-forgotten truth about human interaction: when you think you've communicated too much, you probably haven't communicated enough. Is there a piece of information you're hoarding that might just make someone else's week?"

Part 2 - Unblock

Seek Clarity

Quotes:

• "The unblock method encourages us to understand why we're feeling bad about work in the first place."
• "If you don't know when you're doing something, chances are you won't do it."
• "You no longer need to think about when you'll do it. You just do it."

Prompts:

• The fog of uncertainty
• Ask 'why?'
• Ask 'what?'
• Ask 'when?'

Experiments:

• Using commander's intent
• The five whys
• NICE goals
  • near-term
  • input-based
  • controllable
  • energising
• The crystal ball method (pre-mortem)
• Implementation intentions
• Time blocking

Summary:

• "We get procrastination wrong. All too often, we approach procrastination by treating the symptoms rather than the underlying causes. And all too often, those causes relate to our mood: when we feel bad, we achieve less. So the unblock method is about establishing what's really blocking your good mood - and finding a way to eliminate it."
• "The first emotional barrier is the simplest: uncertainty. The solution? To gain clarity about what you're actually doing. That involves asking 'why?' and then using this to figure out your how."
• "Next, ask 'what?'. That means an alternative approach to goal-setting. Forget SMART goals. What you need are goals that feel NICE (near-term, input-based, controllable and energising)."
• "Last, ask 'when?' If you don't know when you're going to do something, chances are you won't do it. One solution is to use implementation intentions - where your common daily habits become triggers for the things you intend to work on: for example, if I brush my teeth, then I'll stretch my hamstring"

Find Courage

Quotes:

• "It isn't lack of talent or inspiration that's holding you back. It's fear."
• "Getting to know our fears is the first step towards overcoming them."
• "Make a start. You won't need to get perfect for a long time yet."

Prompts:

• Know your fear
• Reduce your fear
• Overcome your fear

Experiments:

• The emotion label
• The identity label
• The 10/10/10 rule (will it matter in 10 days/weeks/years?)
• The confidence equation -- self-confidence = perception of ability - perception of standards
• Stop spotlighting
• The Batman effect

Summary:

• "Our second emotional blocker is even thornier: fear. If you've ever put off applying for a daunting job or asking someone you like on a date, you've encountered this particular monster. The solution isn't to get rid of fear, though - instead, it's to develop the courage to face up to it."
• "That courage comes from three sources. The first is to understand your fear. Ask yourself: why have I not started on that task or project yet? What am I afraid of? Where does this fear come from?"
• "The second is to reduce your fear. Our fears are often blown out of proportion. Ask yourself these questions to prevent yourself from catastrophising: will this matter in 10 minutes? Will this matter in 10 weeks? Will this matter in 10 years?"
• "The third is to overcome your fear. If you're scared of what other people think, remind yourself that most people are not, in fact, thinking about you. We're a self-conscious species, but we're not usually a judgemental one."

Get Started

Quotes:

• Tracking your progress provides you with tangible evidence that you're moving towards your goals.
• You can focus on the small loses. Or you can celebrate the small wins.

Prompts:

• Reduce friction
• Take action
• Support yourself

Experiments:

• Reduce environmental friction
• Reduce emotional friction
• Define the next action step
• Track your progress
• Find an accountability buddy
• Forgive yourself

Summary:

• "Our third emotional blocker is the commonest of all: inertia. When you're doing nothing, it's easy to carry on doing nothing. And when you're working, it's much easier to carry on working."
• "But there are some simple ways to battle through. Look for the frictions in your life: what obstacles are preventing you making a start? And how can you get rid of them?"
• "The best antidote to doing nothing is simply to do something. You can take action by first defining your next step and then tracking your progress, so you're surrounded by tangible evidence that you're moving towards your goals."
• "The final step is the kindest: creating systems that can help you support yourself long-term. Above all, cut yourself some slack and celebrate the small wins."

Part 3 - Sustain

Conserve

Quotes:

• "Do less, so that you can unlock more."
• "If it isn't a 'hell yeah', it's not worth doing."
• "Give yourself permission to be distracted."
• "Breaks aren't a special treat. They're an absolute necessity."

Prompts:

• Overexertion burnouts and how to avoid them
• Do less
• Resist distraction
• Break more

Experiments:

• The energy investment portfolio
• The power of no
• Add friction
• Correct course
• Schedule your breaks
• Embrace energising distractions

Summary:

• "The greatest cause of burnout isn't exhaustion. It's low mood. If you can make yourself feel better, you won't just achieve more -- you'll last longer, too."
• "Our first kind of burnout arises from overexertion. The solution: do less."
• "There are three ways to do less in practice. The first is to stop yourself from overcommitting. Limit the list of projects you're working on and get comfortable with saying 'no'. Ask yourself: if I had to pick only one project to put all my energy into, what would that be?"
• "The second way is to resist distraction. Ask yourself: can I uninstall social media apps on my phone so that I can access them only through my web browser? How can I correct course and restart if (or, more realistically, when) I get distracted?"
• "The third way is to find moments in your working day to do nothing. Ask yourself: am I treating breaks as a special event rather than a necessity? And what could I do to take more of them?

Recharge

Quotes:

• "Nature replenishes our cognitive abilities and boosts our energy."
• "By doing less today, you can do more of what matters to you tomorrow."

Prompts:

• Recharge creatively
• Recharge naturally
• Recharge mindlessly

Experiments:

• Calm hobbies
• Calm projects
• Bring in nature
• Take a walk
• Let your mind wander
• The Reitoff principle

Summary:

• "Our second kind of burnout relates to rest time. Depletion burnouts result from not giving yourself enough time or space to truly recharge. The solution: understand how to rest in a way that energises you."
• "The best way to rest is all about feeling calm. Or rather, CALM. Find an activity or project that makes you feel Competent, Autonomous, Liberated and Mellow."
• "A second solution is to spend time in and with nature. Even a tiny amount of greenery can have a transformative impact. So take a walk, even if it's a short one. And try bringing nature indoors - whether that's a new house plant or just the soundtrack of some birds chirping."
• "Not all rest needs to be so strategic, however. Sometimes, the most energising thing you can do is to do nothing at all. By doing less today, you'll feel better tomorrow."

Align

Quotes:

• "Not all extrinsic motivation is inherently 'bad'."

• "When we think about death, we get a clearer view of life."

• "Values affirmations make our most abstract ideals real. And they boost our confidence along the way."

• "With the right tools, we can subtly shift ourselves back towards the things that matter the most."

Prompts:

• The long-term horizon
• The medium-term horizon
• The short-term horizon

Experiments:

• The eulogy method
• The odyssey plan
  • Current path
  • Alternative path
  • Radical path (if external influence wouldn't matter I.E. money, what others think, etc.)
• The wheel of life
  • Health
    • Body
    • Mind
    • Soul
  • Work
    • Mission
    • Money
    • Growth
  • Relationships
    • Family
    • Romance
    • Friends
• The 12 months celebration
• The three alignment quests
• Alignment experiments

Types of motivation, first less powerful, last most powerful:

• External motivation - I do this so others will like and respect me
• Introjected motivation - I do this because I'll feel guilty/bad about myself if I don't
• Identified motivation - I do this because I value the goal it's helping me work towards
• Intrinsic motivation - I do this because I love the process

Summary:

• "Misalignment burnouts arise when we spend time on goals that don't match up with our sense of self. Overcoming misalignment is a lifelong task; one that requires us to continually work out what really matter to us, and change our behavior accordingly."
• "There are some surprisingly simple ways you can work out what matters to you today. First of all, look to your long-term future. Try envisioning yourself on your deathbed. Morbid as it sounds, this is the best way to give you a clearer view of what you want from your life right now."
• "Next, think about your medium-term future. Reflect on what accomplishments you'd want to be celebrating in a year's time. Then ask yourself: what does that 12-month celebration mean for my actions this week?"
• "Last, you should be ready to think about your short-term future. Because the good news is, you can take a step to alignment right now. What are three actions today that might take you a little step closer to the life you want in a year?"

Think like a productivity scientist

"Don't rote-learn your way to feel-good productivity. Experiment your way."