Feel-Good Productivity

How to Achieve More of What Matters to You

1847943748

Ali Abdaal

Framework

  1. Energise
    1. Play
      1. Choose your Character
      2. Embrace your curiosity
      3. The Magic Post-It Note – What if this were fun?
      4. Enjoy the process, not the outcome.
      5. Reframe your failure.
      6. Don’t be serious, be sincere. 
    2. Power
      1. The confidence switch
      2. The social model method
      3. The Shoshin Approach
      4. The Protege Effect
      5. Own the process
      6. Own your mindset
    3. People
      1. The comrade mindset
      2. Find synchronicity
      3. Random acts of kindness
      4. Ask for help from others
      5. Over-communicate the good
      6. Over-communicate the not-so-good
  2. Unblock
    1. Seek Clarity
      1. Using commander’s intent
      2. The five why’s
      3. NICE ( Near-term, Input-based, Controllable, Energizing) goals
      4. The Crystal Ball Method
      5. Implementation intentions
      6. Time-Blocking
    2. Find Courage
      1. The emotion label
      2. The identity label
      3. The 10/10/10 Rule
      4. The confidence equation
      5. Stop spotlighting
      6. The Batman Effect
    3. Get Started
      1. Reduce environmental friction
      2. Reduce emotional friction
      3. Define the next action step
      4. Track your progress
      5. Find an accountability buddy
      6. Forgive yourself
  3. Sustain
    1. Conserve
      1. The energy investment portfolio
      2. The power of “no”
      3. Add friction
      4. Correct course
      5. Schedule your breaks
      6. Embrace energizing distractions
    2. Recharge
      1. CALM hobbies
      2. CALM projects
      3. Bring in nature
      4. Take a walk
      5. Let your mind wander
      6. The Reitoff principle
    3. Align
      1. The Eulogy Method
      2. The Wheel of Life
      3. The Odyssey Plan
      4. The 12-month Celebration
      5. The 3 alignment quests
      6. Alignment experiments

Notes

Feeling good boosts our creativity – and our productivity.

Life is stressful. Play makes it fun. 

“Being curious about everything not only makes you more creative; it enriches your life.”

Walter Isaacson

According to self-determination theory, intrinsic motivation is substantially more powerful than extrinsic motivation. Lasting motivation comes from within.

In a 2017 study, Bohns found that ‘help-seekers assumed making a request via email would be equally as effective as making a request in person; in actuality, asking for help in-person was approximately thirty-four times more effective.’ 

But if I were to write a fictional story about someone like me, in my position, who was procrastinating on this task because they feared something, what they might be scared of? What fear might be holding this fictional character back from starting their task?

I find that the best accountability buddies meet five criteria:

  1. being disciplined (they must stick to what you’ve agree to)
  2. challenging (they know what it means to help you move on to the next level)
  3. patient (they don’t jump to conclusions or rush into making decisions)
  4. supportive (they’re there with words of encouragement)
  5. constructive (they must know how to give you honest feedback constructive criticism).

Hobbies are the first way we can integrate CALM activities into our lives. The defining characteristic of a hobby is that it’s low stakes; there’s simply no way to win or lose a hobby, nor to turn it into a business. 

Each morning, simply choose three actions for the day ahead that will move you a tiny step closer to where you want to be in a year’s time.