Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You

by Ali Abdaal

You no longer need to think about when you’ll do it. You just do it.

To gain clarity about what you’re actually doing. That involves asking ‘why?’ and then using this to figure out your ‘

‘what?’. That means an alternative approach to goal-setting. Forget SMART goals. What you need are goals that feel NICE (near-term,

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:

once I started to understand the role that fear was playing in my life, I was able to identify it as the primary obstacle standing between me and my ambitions.

‘affective labelling’. Put simply, it’s the act of putting your feelings into words, which forces you to identify and get to know the sensations you’re experiencing.

A lifelong learner is constantly looking for new ways to improve themself. A lifelong learner would never get stuck in a procrastination rut for long.

Labels are not just inert tags other people place on us. They’re tools that help us make sense of who we are. If we can change our labels, we can often change our behaviour.

‘How confident do I actually need to feel to just get started with this? Could I just get started even though I’m feeling unconfident?’ In most cases, the answer is invariably ‘yes’.

The solution? Just do it, even if you feel like you’re doing it badly. Make a start. You won’t need to get perfect for a long time yet.

Adele’s alter ego hints at the final way we can move through the paralysing effects of fear. One of the most common forces that drives our procrastination is the fear of being seen.

The idea behind this rule is that taking the first step is often the most challenging part of any task. During those five minutes, you focus solely on the thing you’re avoiding, giving it your full attention. Once the five minutes are up, you can decide whether to continue working or to take a break.

We’re not going to leave a conversation without you having at least one, two or three actions to take.’

Mochary calls his principle the ‘bias to action’. He recognises that the time spent together with clients is precious (for both him and them), and merely contemplating deep thoughts without turning them into actionable steps would be a waste.

This bias to action is the second way to overcome inertia. We’ve talked about reducing the energy it takes to get started, but now you need to take an actual first step.

‘What’s the next action step?’ For instance, when he knows he’s procrastinating from doing yoga, his next action step is to roll out his yoga mat and stand on it. That’s

They found that tracking progress, whether through writing down progress goals (like whether you completed the training sessions you aimed to do) or writing down output goals (like your 5km time), dramatically increases your chances of actually attaining that goal. Why?

But accountability partners have a second, even more powerful effect. They weaponise our sense of duty. Humans are social creatures, and we’re desperate not to let one another down. If you might skip a gym session when you’re the only person involved, it’s much harder to skip when your friend is outside your apartment early in the morning looking irately at their watch.

students who said they were able to forgive themselves for not studying were much more productive. Self-forgiveness allowed students to let go of post-procrastination guilt and shame. They could ‘move past their maladaptive behaviour and focus on the upcoming examination without the burden of past acts’

Procrastination isn’t something we can always control. Forgiving ourselves is something we can. You can focus on the small losses. Or you can celebrate the small wins.

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.

I’d known about the feel-good effects of the three Ps: play, power and people.

‘People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on,’ he said. ‘But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are … Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.’

This difference between what we do automatically when we’re feeling drained and what would actually rejuvenate us shows that the ways we rest are rarely restful.

The science is clear: connecting to nature takes less time – and less effort – than you think.

When I feel worn down, tired and struggle to find the energy to keep going, I tell myself that it’s ok to give up on the day so that I can do other things guilt-free, like playing video games and ordering takeaway. I tell myself that this short-term ‘unproductiveness’ gives me time to reset and recharge.

By doing less today, you can do more of what matters tomorrow.

Intrinsic motivation is where you’re doing something because it feels inherently enjoyable. Extrinsic motivation is where you’re doing something because of an external reward – like making money, or winning a prize.

even when we start off enjoying something, if we do it for long enough, there are always going to be periods of hardship. In these moments, it’s rarely helpful to be told that if only we were enjoying ourselves more we’d be able to persevere.

Introjected Motivation. ‘I’m doing this because I’ll feel guilty or bad about myself if I don’t.’ People who highly rated this statement have high introjected motivation.

Identified Motivation. ‘I’m doing this because I truly value the goal it’s helping me work towards.’ People who highly rated this statement have high identified motivation.

Intrinsic Motivation. ‘I’m doing this because I love the process as an end in itself.’ People who highly rated this statem...

was the hikers who motivated themselves by aligning their actions with what they truly valued who not only completed the trail – but also felt happiest at the end of it.

Misalignment burnout arises from the negative feelings that arise when our goals don’t match up to our sense of self. We feel worse – and so achieve less – because we’re not acting authentically.

The solution? To work out what really matters to you – and align your behaviour with it.

The professor, Rod Kramer, routinely assigns his students to write their own obituaries as though they have lived an ideal life – the best they can imagine – to its end. ‘The goal of this course is to change the way you think about your life and its possible impact on the world,’

At the heart of the exercise was a simple question: what do you want your life to look like in five years’ time?

He invites you to reflect on: Your Current Path: Write out, in detail, what your life would look like five years from now if you continued down your current path. Your Alternative Path: Write out, in detail, what your life would look like five years from now if you took a completely different path. Your Radical Path: Write out, in detail, what your life would look like five years from now if you took a completely different path, where money, social obligations and what people would think, were irrelevant.

We’ve got three for Health (Body, Mind and Soul); three for Work (Mission, Money, Growth) and three for Relationships (Family, Romance, Friends). Next, you rate how aligned you feel in each area of your life. Ask yourself: ‘To what extent do I feel like my current actions are aligned with my personal values?’ And colour in the segment accordingly – if you feel fulfilled, fill it in entirely; if you feel completely unfulfilled, leave it blank.

Look back over the values that you identified in the wheel of life. Now, write down what you’d want to tell your best friend about your progress in each of them.

now realise that my mistake wasn’t in what I thought about productivity. It was in how I thought about it.

I know that productivity isn’t about discipline; it’s about doing more of what makes you feel happier, less stressed, more energised. And I know that the only way to escape procrastination and burnout is to find the joy in your situation

So enjoy the process. And as you go, remember that this process isn’t about striving for perfection. It’s about strategically stumbling your way to what works.