Book SummaryFeel-Good Productivity, by Ali Abdaal

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Feel-Good Productivity

We’re all familiar with the daily grind, but what if it doesn’t have to be a grind? In Feel-Good Productivity, Ali Abdaal says that most people have the wrong ideas about how to be productive: He argues that getting things done should feel natural, easy, and—most importantly—enjoyable. He provides a comprehensive system for rejecting the “grind” mindset, boosting your emotional well-being, and learning how to work in ways that energize you instead of drain you.

Abdaal is an entrepreneur, YouTuber, and podcaster, as well as a popular productivity expert. Abdaal studied medicine at the University of Cambridge and worked as a doctor in the...

Feel-Good Productivity Summary Introduction: What Is Feel-Good Productivity?

Abdaal’s model of productivity is based on the idea that work not only can be enjoyable but should be enjoyable. When work feels good, it energizes you instead of drains you, meaning you can get a lot more done. Therefore, feel-good productivity not only boosts your emotional well-being, it also benefits the people who rely on you. (Shortform note: Interviewing Abdaal, Cal Newport (Deep Work) describes feel-good productivity as “philosophically aligned” with his idea of slow productivity—going after purposeful accomplishments without burning out. Both authors present an alternative form of productivity that pushes back against hustle culture.)

Abdaal bases his model of feel-good productivity on the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. The broaden-and-build theory states that feeling good isn’t just a brief reward for accomplishing something; those positive emotions directly lead to even greater accomplishments.

When you feel good, you’re more receptive to new information and more likely to think of...

Feel-Good Productivity Summary Tap the Three Sources of Good Feelings

Abdaal begins by explaining the three sources of positive emotions, which he calls energizers. While there are any number of things that can help you feel good—and therefore make you more productive—they all tie back to one or more of these fundamental sources.

In this section, we’ll discuss each of Abdaal’s three sources of well-being: having fun, empowering yourself, and connecting with other people.

Source #1: Fun

Abdaal says people are hardwired to have fun, and fun is a key part of emotional well-being. You most likely know this from experience: As a child you probably spent countless hours running around, making up games, and playing with whatever had your attention at the moment. There wasn’t a career goal or life plan behind any of this; you were simply having fun because that’s what came naturally to you.

Unfortunately, Abdaal adds, many people lose that sense of fun as they grow up. This happens because our culture teaches that adults are supposed to stop playing games and take life seriously. However, you can recapture that youthful feeling of joy and excitement by finding the little games in everything you do. Abdaal provides three game-based...

Feel-Good Productivity Summary Overcome the Three Sources of Procrastination

Along with the three sources of emotional well-being, Abdaal discusses three things that harm your emotional well-being and your productivity. He calls them blockers and says that they’re the cause of all procrastination. Therefore, you can stop procrastinating simply by figuring out which of the three is getting in your way and removing it.

In this section, we’ll discuss Abdaal’s three causes of procrastination: confusion, habit, and anxiety.

Procrastination Cause #1: Confusion

Abdaal’s first cause of procrastination, confusion, is the most straightforward. This simply means that you procrastinate when you aren’t sure what to do—or, more often, you aren’t sure how to do it. Thankfully, the solution is equally straightforward: Usually a few simple questions will clear up any confusion so that you can proceed confidently.

First of all, if necessary, ask some clarifying questions about what you’re supposed to do. What exactly is this task? What, specifically, are you trying to accomplish?

With that said, the more common cause of confusion is how to approach that task. Abdaal’s solution is not to simply ask how a task should be done, but rather to ask _why...

Feel-Good Productivity Summary Avoid the Three Kinds of Burnout

Now you’ve read about harnessing your emotional well-being, as well as overcoming the obstacles that cause you to procrastinate. This final section will teach you how to make your productivity sustainable. In simpler terms, this section discusses how to avoid burnout.

Abdaal begins by saying that burnout sets in when work stops feeling good and starts to feel tedious, meaningless, or overwhelming instead. This means that your work is harming your emotional well-being instead of boosting it. Many people misunderstand this fundamental concept; they assume that burnout is just another word for exhaustion, and they can fix it by simply resting for a day or two.

(Shortform note: As Abdaal notes, burnout is more than simple fatigue. In reality, it’s a serious condition with symptoms including anxiety, insomnia, heart palpitations, and mental fog that leaves you unable to make even simple decisions. Furthermore, recovering from burnout often takes much longer than people expect: Severe cases can require up to a year of rest, and [forcing yourself to...

Shortform Exercise: Design Your Productivity Experiment

Now that you’re familiar with Abdaal’s model of feel-good productivity, think about which of his ideas resonated with you the most and how you might start integrating them into your life. Remember that Abdaal wants you to take a scientific approach: Experiment with different ideas and see what works for you.

What’s one specific thing you could do, starting today or tomorrow, to make your work support your emotional well-being? Remember that the three fundamental sources of well-being are fun, self-empowerment, and connection with others. So, for example, perhaps you could empower yourself by looking for ways to be more autonomous at work.