Is it possible to achieve more without pushing harder or burning out? In Feel Good Productivity, Ali Abdaal introduces a revolutionary approach to getting things done—not by grinding harder but by feeling better. He flips the script on the traditional hustle mindset, showing how positive emotions can be the key to boosting your energy, finding fulfillment, and achieving more of what matters in a sustainable way.
In this free Feel Good Productivity summary, you’ll learn more about this new philosophy and how to apply it to your personal life to boost positive emotions and mental energy and achieve more of what truly matters. 🚀
What is Feel-Good Productivity About?
Ali Abdaal initially relied on hard work and discipline to complete medical school. But as a doctor, he found traditional productivity methods to be unsustainable. He then started to question everything he knew about it. He dove into research, explored alternative approaches, and ultimately developed Feel-Good Productivity.
Feel-Good Productivity is an approach that focuses on feeling good to achieve more, rather than relying on constant discipline and hustle. This shift helped Abdaal to feel more positive and productive at work, and refocus on what truly mattered. Eventually, he left medicine and became an author and YouTuber.
Feel-Good Productivity is structured into three actionable parts:
- Energize: Build and maintain your energy levels to stay motivated.
- Unblock: Address the root causes of procrastination so you can take action.
- Sustain: Create a system that keeps you productive for the long haul.
Why Feel Good Productivity Works 🎯
The Broaden-and-Build Theory by psychologist Barbara Fredrickson explains why feeling good can help us become more productive, resilient, and effective at problem-solving:
- Broaden: Positive emotions expand your awareness, helping you see more possibilities and solutions.
- Build: Over time, they strengthen your mental and emotional resources, making you more resilient and better equipped to handle challenges.
Postive emotions are also proven to boost energy and motivation by releasing feel-good hormones, reduce stress by calming the body’s stress response, and enhance resilience and well-being. Research also shows that happiness leads to success, as individuals who nurture positive emotions demonstrate greater creativity, productivity, and fulfillment.
The Three Pillars of Feel Good Productivity
The book is organized into 3 main sections. Each section includes 9 sub-strategies with 2 research-backed tactics or experiments each. Ali Abdaal encourages you to try out the practices or tactics to see which ones work for you. In other words, there are 18 x 3 = 54 tactics for the 3 main components of Feel Good Productivity. Here’s a quick overview of each part. In our full summary, we elaborate on all 54 tactics and experiments too!
ENERGIZE
Boosting your energy through positive emotions starts with incorporating three “energizers” into your daily life:
• Play: Play is a powerful tool for adults to recharge and gain new ideas. A playful mindset relieves stress, provides fresh perspectives, and reconnects us with our curiosity. One way to incorporate play into your life is to adopt a playful alter ego in real life, similar to playing a character in video games. For example, you may decide to play the role of a kinesthete, who delights in physical activities, such as sports and dance. You can also make routine tasks more fun and enjoyable, e.g. working at a new coffee shop nearby.
• Power: This means personal empowerment—it’s about taking control of your decisions, actions, and habits to shape your future. You can empower yourself by building confidence, improving your skills, and taking ownership of your life. One simple way to take ownership is by choosing a positive mindset. Instead of thinking, “I have to…” which only adds to negative feelings, try saying, “I choose to…” or “I get to…” This shift turns tasks from obligations into conscious choices, giving you a greater sense of control over your mindset and actions.
• People: Our interactions generate relational energy that affects our motivation and performance. People who emit positive energy uplift us, while “energy vampires” drain us. There are many ways to harness positive relational energy. One of these is to surround yourself with people who inspire you and align with your goals and interests. A like-minded community boosts motivation, creativity, and a sense of belonging.
Here’s a quick visual summary of the 9 strategies for Play, Power and People. Do check out our full 18-page book summary for all 18 exercises or experiments you can use to boost your physical and mental energy, and tackle tasks more effectively!
UNBLOCK
Procrastination stems not from a lack of motivation or discipline, but from three major blockers: Uncertainty, Fear, and Inertia. These negative emotions trap us in a cycle of delaying decisions and actions, making us feel worse and procrastinate even more. To break free, it’s important to tackle these emotional blockers:
• Seek clarity to overcome uncertainty: We often avoid taking action because we’re unsure of what to do or afraid of making the wrong decision. This uncertainty keeps us stuck (“uncertainty paralysis”). One way to overcome this is to set NICE goals (near-term, input-based, controllable, and energizing). Unlike SMART goals, which focus on outcomes (e.g., “Write a novel in 12 months”), NICE goals focus on the journey (e.g., “Write for 20 minutes daily”).
• Build courage to overcome fear: Fear kicks in when the brain’s amygdala perceives a threat, like fear of rejection or failure. While these threats are rarely dangerous, they can paralyze us with anxiety, making it hard to think clearly or act productively.
• Get started to overcome inertia: Inertia is one of the biggest hurdles in procrastination. Starting a task can feel like pedaling a bike uphill—it’s tough at first, but once you get moving, momentum carries you forward effortlessly. Strategies like partnering with an accountability buddy or using the 5-minute rule can make it easier to get started.
In our full summary bundle, we reveal the specific action steps to overcome these major blockers, so you can finally beat procrastination.
SUSTAIN
Even if we energize ourselves and overcome procrastination, burnout can still set in when we take on too much, fail to rest/recover, or invest in goals that are misaligned with our true selves. To sustain productivity, we need to address different kinds of burnout:
• Address over-exertion burnout by conserving energy.
• Avoid depletion burnout by recharging the mind (e.g., through engaging in calm activities).
• Tackle misalignment burnout by aligning our time and efforts in pursuits that match our sense of self. To overcome this, start aligning your goals and actions with your core values and long-term purpose. Motivation plays a big role here. It exists on a spectrum—from external motivation (doing things due to external pressures) to intrinsic motivation (doing things that align with your interests and values). The more intrinsic motivation you have, the more fulfilling and sustainable your efforts will feel.
Check out our complete Feel-Good Productivity summary for tips on conquering these types of burnout.
Getting the Most from Feel-Good Productivity
Ali Abdaal’s Feel-Good Productivity is not about doing more; it’s about doing what matters in a way that’s fulfilling and energizing. If you’re ready to start applying the Feel-Good Productivity principles into your life, check out our full book summary bundle that includes an infographic, 18-page text summary, and a 33-minute audio summary.
The book is filled with strategies and many other personal anecdotes and empirical research references to help you live a more productive and fulfilling life. You can purchase the book here or visit feelgoodproductivity.com for more details.
Interested in learning more about productivity? Check out our other blog posts (free book summaries) for:
• The Happiness Advantage : to explore how cultivating positivity can boost productivity, resilience, and success;
• Make Time: to discover simple, actionable strategies to prioritize what truly matters each day); and
• Slow Productivity: to embrace a more mindful approach to work by focusing on quality over quantity and finding balance.
About the Author of Feel-Good Productivity
Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You was written by Ali Abdaal. He is a former junior doctor turned YouTuber, entrepreneur, podcaster, and author. He is the author of “Feel Good Productivity” and has been creating YouTube videos for over 7 years, focusing on topics like productivity, personal growth, and lifestyle optimization.
Feel-Good Productivity Quotes
“Success doesn’t lead to feeling good. Feeling good leads to success.”
“Positive emotions are the fuel that drives the engine of human flourishing.”
“Believing you can is the first step to making sure you actually can.”
“No failure is ever just a failure. It’s an invitation to try something new.”
“Forget SMART goals. What you need are goals that feel NICE (near-term, input-based, controllable and energising).”
“If you don’t know when you’re doing something, chances are you won’t do it.”
“The best antidote to doing nothing is simply to do something.”
“We need clear, concrete steps to take, rather than distant, abstract goals. Otherwise we might do nothing at all.”
“Burnout isn’t just a thing that happens to overworked people in stressful jobs. It can happen to anyone when work stops feeling meaningful, enjoyable or manageable.”
“When we think about death, we get a clearer view of life.”
Click here to download the Feel Good Productivity infographic & summary
