Book 2 Post 1 - Feel-Good Productivity

Ali Abdaal, Feel-Good Productivity

I used to have an unhealthy obsession with being productive. Until two years ago, I went to sleep every night reflecting on and grading my productivity that day. I would nitpick this, criticize that, and stress that I needed to work more to get what I wanted. Fortunately, I broke away from this cycle last year by forcing myself to work less and spend more time on my hobbies. Since then, I’ve been feeling so much happier. And, despite studying significantly less, my grades have not dropped at all. This experience forced me to reconsider my perception of productivity and reassess how I approached studying and work.

I chose to read Ali Abdaal’s Feel-Good Productivity because I wanted to see if it could teach me more about this recent change I’ve undergone. Until now, I’ve been reluctant to read self-help books because they always seem to highlight grandiose themes that feel distant and unachievable. However, based on the synopsis, this book seemed interesting and different enough to justify giving it a chance.

Abdaal’s writing is a harmonious mix of advice, science, and humor. Every chapter follows a simple structure: introduces a productivity hack, presents scientific evidence for the hack, and then provides an example of how it is applied and successful. This simple yet effective format helps to convey the core message and establish its credibility while keeping the mood lighthearted and playful.

What I’ve liked the most about the book is Abdaal’s use of quirky and relatable examples to justify his productivity ‘hacks.’ My favorite is in chapter 1, where Abdaal opens by talking about World of Warcraft, a role-playing video game that he was addicted to as a kid. He talks about how the game allowed him to escape from reality, live a different life, fly dragons, and complete side quests. He then elaborates on how this concept of role-playing can be applied in real life to help people approach tasks confidently and with a different mindset. As a fellow addicted avid gamer, this really connected with my personal experiences and helped establish a link I had noticed before but not fully understood.