Productividad Feel Good: Si la meta es el éxito, la felicidad es el camino

by Ali Abdaal, Gema Moraleda (translator)

劍橋學霸，首次公開人生管理術
克服拖延，突破倦怠，一年後贏回理想的生活！

★Google X前商務長、《僧人心態》《深度工作力》作者一致推薦
★亞馬遜書店編輯選評最佳圖書
★蟬聯紐約時報暢銷榜，版權售出２９國
★英、美亞馬遜累積近３０００則高分好評
★Goodreads上累積５０００則高分好評
★蟬聯誠品外文館「商業趨勢類」前３名
★博客來外文館編輯推薦選書



自律+吃苦沒有用，努力不等於效率！
開啟成功的自動導航模式！

想要高效能，想要成功，就非得苦苦逼迫自己不可嗎？錯！
心理學、腦神經科學等科學數據實證，
高效能的關鍵，其實在於「愉悅心態」。

身為劍橋醫學院學霸，阿里．阿布達爾（Dr Ali Abdaal）曾以為「吃苦就是吃補」。
然而，他剛當上住院新手醫師時，卻發現「吃苦」策略嚴重失靈，讓他效率不彰，一度崩潰。
他埋首腦科學、心理學研究後，
發現「愉悅心態」能帶動「創造樂趣→激發動力→提高生產力→創造樂趣…」的正向循環，
而這才是高效率的真正關鍵。
他將所學運用在生活和工作中，
也成功讓自己跨界創業。

從Netflix網飛、歌手愛黛兒、諾貝爾獎得主到奧運選手，
本書結合豐富的企業名人故事案例和完整的架構，
帶領你巧妙運用&#

Genres: Nonfiction, Productivity, Self Help, Audiobook, Psychology, Personal Development, Business

288 pages, Paperback

First published December 26, 2023

About the author

Ali Abdaal is a doctor, entrepreneur, amateur magician, and the world's most-followed productivity expert.

Ali became intrigued by the science of productivity while juggling the demands of medical training at Cambridge University and building his business on the side. While working as a doctor in the UK's National Health Service, Ali started to document his journey towards living a healthier, happier, more productive life on his YouTube channel and other social media platforms. To date, Ali’s evidence-based videos, podcasts and articles sharing insights into the human mind, have reached hundreds of millions of people all around the world.

In 2021, Ali took a break from his medical practice to focus full-time on his work popularising the science of human flourishing and high performance. In this book, he reveals everything he has learnt from a decade studying the secrets of feeling better and achieving more.

Reviews

[James Scholz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm probably not in the target audience for this book since I've already read most of the works the author cites, but the last 60 pages are filler (notes, references, about the author, etc), leaving 240 pages. I'd say half of that is borrowed content from other books. $20 for 120 pages of content that's already available on his youtube channel seems a bit unreasonable to me.

the writing was easily digestible and the concepts are well explained, I just wish this book had more oomph to it

2.5

[Liong · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree that feeling good is vital for us to move on.

The book shows how to energise, unblock and sustain.

We can build and maintain our energy levels through activities like sleep, exercise, and play.

We can identify and overcome obstacles that prevent you from being productive, such as
distractions and procrastination.

We can also develop sustainable habits and routines that help you stay on track and motivated over the long term.

'I hated every minute of training, but I said, "Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion."' quoted by Muhammad Ali.

[Susie (DFWSusie) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Feel Good Productivity means well, both literally and figuratively.

Written by a popular YouTube productivity blogger, the book is touted as an antidote to the popular hustle-culture and life hack proponents. To that end, the book delivers: Ali Abdaal’s bright, cheerful encouragement to find the pockets of life which interest people works well.

However, the issue which plagues many a *book that should have stayed a few blog posts* is very evident here. Abdaal’s case is made on mostly anecdotal stories, which makes sense given the topic isn’t easily quantifiable. The sheer volume of padding makes for an exhausting read and rapidly becomes little more than skimming until the next point is made.

Like most people living in late-stage capitalism, I’m interested in productivity and the way to balance inner satisfaction and outer results. For readers who have not already tackled the big bestsellers in the career self-help space, then Feel Good Productivity may contain new and useful information. If you are like me, it reads like a repackaging of other often superior books with little to recommend that is new or novel.
____________
Thank you to NetGalley and Celedon Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication date Dec 26th, 2023.

[Paola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointed to hear within the beginning of the book that they misattributed the discovery of DNA helix structure to Watson and Crick. It was Rosalind Franklin who discovered the helical structure, they obtained her lab reports without her knowledge and got all the credit. This book was marketed as having 3 other editors to double check the science, and this going unnoticed is disappointing. I really enjoy the content of the book and giving suggestions beyond relying on discipline but I do hope at some point they acknowledge it. Too much women's work and contributions are erased in history, we don't need more of it.

[PJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 - closer to 2 than 3

Wanted to love it because I do enjoy Ali’s online presence but just couldn’t get there. I had already found the topic to be a bit nebulous and bland, but wanted to give it a shot. It seems rather obvious that yes, do stuff you enjoy doing and skirt the rest. Do we really need a book on this?

For the book itself, it borrows a lot from the current meta of self-help giants; Atomic Habits, Psychology of Money, etc. Things like: actionable tips, summarization at the end of chapter, ~10 pages chapters, lots of anecdotal stories and studies to fit the narrative. Not a lot of new ideas though. This is what happens when imitation and inspiration don’t lead to innovation.

I think there is too much juxtaposition from this book to what Ali has preached in the past; which is productivity and optimization. Ironically, this book touts how to enjoy the productivity and do things that make you happy (personal rant: can we please stop calling it “play” as adults; there’s got to be a better word that evokes less off-putting feeling), while his channel is primarily built off of the notion of making every hour more effective and efficient for output. Perhaps I just haven’t shifted with him as he’s grown, but it seems as if things have become contradictory now that hustle culture fell out of favour but there is still a void to fill for content.

I also think that there is an innate privilege in Ali’s life that seems to be glossed over for the masses - as sometimes people HAVE to do things they don’t want to do and must find ways to enjoy. Ali has some good reframing and coping mechanisms there to help, but ultimately, I don’t believe he practices what is preached as he’d just rather abandon anything remotely difficult for the alternative option. This of course is fine…if you’re not trying to tell the general public how to cope. Absolutely, I would love to just do things that I enjoy. Sadly, the reality is that I can’t just hire that personal chef or weekly cleaner.

I’m sure this will be the first book of many and it is a valiant first attempt. Just didn’t resonate compared to the other stalwarts in the genre. Ali borrows a lot from other books or authors before him, which begs the question as to why we need more of the same rehashed ideas in the first place.

There are some actionable things to use but not much different than what you can find online already.

TL;DR: if you are someone new to the self-help/productivity space (or even Ali’s content) this will be a breath of fresh air with a lot of actionable tips. For anyone else, you may just be productively procrastinating by reading this. If it wasn’t for Ali’s name attached - I wouldn’t have bought and would have been unlikely to read.

[Morgann Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book. I have never been so fascinated by psychology before. The writing was so brilliant and brought a collection of psychology facts and cases without making me feel like I was in psych class.

There were references to things we all know and love - such as The Office and Pirates of the Caribbean - while making you think beyond the scene or phrase.

I don't usually write in my books, but I was highlighting things left and right because I was so fascinated and wanted to come back and re-read things. Tiny little moments that I've felt in my life (and though no one else did either) were unpacked in this book and created such a deeper level of understanding.

The book has an overarching theme of productivity but covers everything from mindset changes to setting goals and so much more. I genuinely will be recommending this book to everyone I talk to now.

[Elizabeth Huber · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Note: I was able to read an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. I have an interest in self-help, productivity, mindset, and psychology so this book was recommended to me and offered in an advance eBook edition in exchange for my honest review. **

As a subscriber of Ali Abdaal’s “Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal” Youtube channel I knew his book was launching soon and had it on my list to purchase. I love Abdaal’s videos and have been watching his content for some time. I find him intelligent, affable, gentle, and disciplined. He’s a great voice in the crowded Youtube self-help space because he appears comfortable on camera showing up as his full self, with a beginner’s mind and a sense of earnestness that you don’t always see in other male self-help YouTubers. (PS: If you want to check his videos out some of my favorites are these two: (1. How to Not Die Alone: A Dating Expert’s Guide and 2. Change Your Brain: The Power of Neuroplasticity and Braincare with Dr. Tara Swart)

“Feel-Good Productivity” was a breezy and quick read full of actionable ideas and tactics for improving your output while also feeling and being fully human.

If you read psychology, self-help, and motivational books frequently the studies and phenomena Abdaal references won’t be brand new, but that’s the point. This book gives you the best of the best in productivity, mindset, and feeling-good positive psychology hacks so you don’t have to wade through a morass of podcasts, books, articles, and research studies. Abdaal did the hard work of gathering that info for you through his years of independent study and distilled them into memorable, actionable tips.

What sets Abdaal’s book apart is his philosophy. When you make it a focus to feel good, you become more effective. Our culture is so output-obsessed and Abdaal’s counter-culture advice to “do less in order to be more” feels refreshing. We all know from experience that when we feel good life has a productive flow to it that’s hard to describe, but when it comes to living out our daily lives we forget this state of ease we can tap into and start thinking we need to push and grind in order to succeed. Abdaal’s book is an argument against this type-a attitude that’s so celebrated in our culture and instead encourages us to have a more gentle, inquisitive, and exploratory relationship towards goal-setting and work that will hopefully have us moving closer towards our ideal life whilst experiencing a lot more ease.

My favorite chapters by far were the chapters on how to avoid and recover from burn-out. Abdaal posits that appropriate conservation of our energy while working towards our goals is one of the top productivity-zapping phenomena. The last third of his book focuses on how to conserve your mental and physical energy by preventing and/or treating burn-out. I found these tips alone worth the purchase.

My favorite takeaway from the chapters on preventing burnout was Abdaal’s theory that burnout isn’t always caused by how many hours you’re putting in, but more so how you feel when you’re putting in those hours. Mainly, that most of the time you have to feel good while working to avoid burnout. He further broke burnout down into three main types: over-exertion burnout (doing too much), depletion burnout (not enough physical or emotional recovery time), and misalignment burnout (doing too much of the wrong things).

I’m a huge believer in the importance of making time for rest, play, and finding meaning in our days, so Abdaal’s chapters on preventing burnout through incorporating more rest, breaks, energizing distractions and values-based decision-making resonated with me. I especially loved the idea of “doing less to unlock more.”

If you’re looking for an approachable, positive, and uplifting book on personal productivity and self-improvement, this is a great one to pick up in advance of the new year. Heading into 2024 with a healthy balance of goal-based striving and whole-person health is a great way to start off a new chapter in your life.

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a lightly written book in a conversational style but still managed to be incredibly tedious and made me impatient with the author.

Fortunately I picked it up as a library loan because I’m really glad I didn’t pay for it although if it pops up as a 99p offer on Kindle, it may be worth it for some but wouldn’t recommend paying any more than that.

I’ve watched some of the author’s YouTube videos and expected some tips about working better or more effectively, not some cod pop psychology gleaned from many, much better, sources.

Calling random psychology experiments ‘the science’ was a bit irritating and felt really condescending to readers and one really got a sense that the author is a man who has never needed to struggle or work through difficulties - from being (in his words) a ‘nerdy’ kid to medical school and successful content creation, there’s no challenge there. Yes, he was a doctor but that’s already enormously privileged and it felt that he didn’t at any point, recognise this or parse it for readers that can’t just walk away from work.

It made me realise though, how much of this ‘productivity’ space is scam merchants picking on gullible people like me looking for easy solutions. Your time is much better spent on a book with quality and new insights like 7 habits of highly effective people which I read before it and the quality and knowledge gaps made me irritated with the shallowness of this book.

[Crystal King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ali Abdaal's 'Feel-Good Productivity' is a wonderful revelation in the world of productivity books. It's not just a guide; it's a journey into redefining success and happiness in our work and personal lives. Abdaal's fresh perspective on harnessing positivity to fuel productivity is refreshing. The idea that feeling good leads to success, rather than vice versa, resonates deeply. Each chapter blends insightful research and practical tips, making it an engaging and transformative read. This book is a must-have for anyone seeking to infuse joy into their productivity journey. I wasn't familiar with him as a YouTube creator before, but definitely will be checking out his channel now!

[Wiebke (1book1review) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook and that is a rather quick listen.
If you are familiar with his Youtube content you will have heard most of the ideas before, but it was really nice to have them combined in one place.
What stood out ot me was the burnout content as that was so much more helpful to me than other stuff I read.
Overall it was also a nice reminder to myself to prioritize doing the things that make me feel better.

[Juan]

when can you make a spanish version of this book? :D
I'm interested in a review of this book i didn't read it yet🧐

[Acordul Fin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Play is our first energiser. Life is stressful. Play makes it fun. If we can integrate the spirit of play into our lives, we’ll feel better – and do more too.

This book could have been a blog post or video. It essentially summarizes the most popular productivity books such as Atomic Habits, Deep Work, The Power of Habit, The One Thing, Getting Things Done and others while sprinkling in personal anecdotes and pop-culture tidbits. While this approach is fine, it doesn't provide much value for those seeking an in-depth exploration.

I was previously a subscriber to his channel but lost interest when it devolved into a content farm. Reading this book only served to reinforce my decision to disengage from any more of his content. The book follows the same pattern as his channel, and it's clear that its main purpose is to generate passive income.

[Hestia Istiviani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing new in this book if you have read bunch of self-help and/or productivity books. The author just summed it up and rewrite the “feel-good” part from those references.

[Shuang · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can we *please* normalize writing a blog post instead when you don’t have enough materials to fluff a book? This is the most committed crime when it comes to self development/tool books. Just… Please.

[Hamad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss!
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

I've been following Ali Abdaal’s journal for a few years now, and I was thrilled when he started publishing his own books. He’s renowned for his productivity skills and is clearly a very insightful individual.

As the title suggests, this book explores Feel-Good Productivity, which aligns with Abdaal's philosophy of enjoying the process while being productive. Having watched numerous videos by Abdaal and read many of the non-fiction books he’s recommended, I didn’t find a lot of new material in this book. Nevertheless, it was an engaging read, featuring anecdotes and the author's trademark organization and clarity, as seen on his channel.

To keep it brief: if you’re new to productivity and psychology, this book is a solid introduction. However, if you’re already a fan of Ali Abdaal and familiar with his content, you might find the book doesn't offer much new insight.

[Sila Rani Mir]

Ali I'm so thrilled to hear about your upcoming book! I can't wait to dive into it and learn more from you. Your content has been such a source of inspiration for me, and I know your book will be no different. Thank you for all the amazing work you do! May Allah subhan watalah make it the best-selling book ever!

[Britni · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Ali’s YouTube videos well enough (specifically his videos about Notion) which is how I found this book. But it seems terribly pretentious for a 29 year old to distill the other productivity books that have come out in the last 10 or so years (or cite the exact same studies in other productivity books) and package it as his own. This is a lit review with a loosely tied narrative of a very young guy who quit medicine to be a YouTuber. Good for him. But there is nothing new here. There’s nothing really creative in its presentation. Instead of having this guy distill Radical Candor or Design Your Life into a few paragraphs, go read the actual books.

TLDR; skip it.

[Madi · Rating 3 out of 5]

not exactly ground breaking but definitely helpful

[Yasna · Rating 1 out of 5]

[ستاره رو در نظر نگیرید]
۱۷٪ از این کتاب رو خوندم. فعلاً گذاشتمش کنار چون به کارم نمیومد و محتواش چیزی که دنبالش بودم نبود. نمی‌دونم چرا هنوزم عبرت نگرفتم و در مواجهه با کتاب‌های خودیاریِ زرد کمرنگ حس می‌کنم زرد نیستن و می‌تونن مفید باشن :)))
کامل نخوندمش و نمی‌تونم نظری بدم ولی حس کردم برای موقعیتی که الان توش هستم موضوعیت نداره.
اینم از اون مدل کتاب‌هاست که حرف‌هاش لزوماً بد و اشتباه نیست منتها زیاده‌گویی داره و لپ کلامش در چند جمله یا پاراگراف قابل‌توضیحه.
نمی‌دونم. همین دیگه.

[Wissal H · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Feel-Good Productivity : Comment faire plus de ce qui vous tient à cœur" est un livre écrit par Ali Abdaal, un médecin devenu entrepreneur, YouTubeur et auteur à succès.

Le livre se concentre sur l'aide aux lecteurs pour prioriser ce qui est vraiment important pour eux et atteindre un meilleur équilibre entre vie professionnelle et personnelle.

L'approche de la productivité d'Ali Abdaal met l'accent sur l'importance de créer un système qui fonctionne pour vous, plutôt que contre vous. Il croit que, en construisant un système de production de contenu, vous pouvez augmenter votre production tout en économisant du temps.

Voici quelques points clés de la philosophie de productivité d'Ali Abdaal :

- Concentrez-vous sur les activités à haut rendement_ : identifiez les tâches qui auront le plus d'impact sur vos objectifs et donnez-leur la priorité.
- Créez un système de génération d'idées_ : développez un processus pour générer régulièrement de nouvelles idées et inspirations.
- Externalisez et automatisez_ : apprenez à déléguer des tâches et à automatiser les processus répétitifs pour libérer plus de temps pour les activités à haut rendement.
- Donnez la priorité aux soins personnels_ : prenez le temps pour les activités qui nourrissent votre esprit, votre corps et votre âme, comme l'exercice, la méditation et le temps passé avec les proches.

En mettant en œuvre ces stratégies, vous pouvez atteindre une vie plus équilibrée et plus satisfaisante, où vous faites plus de ce qui est vraiment important pour vous.

[Yelda Basar Moers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!!! It was excellent on all levels and a well written book. It’s a fun romp into the world of productivity. I enjoyed every page and each moment. The last time I read such a wonderful self help book was Atomic Habits, one of the best written self help books I’ve ever read. Kudos to this author. You can tell he put his blood, sweat and tears into this.

One of the ground breaking ideas I took away from this book is that productivity and dreaded tasks can be fun. That instead of associating stress or anguish with certain tasks, we should instead associate them with fun and rewarding feelings. For instance, think how happy you will be once you’ve completed the bills or filing and it’s not sitting in your head anymore.

Personally, even though I love to write and my writing work, I used to associate it with stress or hardship, because it took so much focus and energy from me, and I felt the pressure of accomplishment and perfection. Now I associate it instead with love and joy and fun. I don’t want to associate it with negative things and instead associate it with positive things. This insight was so groundbreaking for me that it took a huge burden off of my shoulders.

I highly recommend this one to anyone!

[Sarah (Libros para Cambiar de Vida) · Rating 3 out of 5]

En realidad le quiero dar 3,5/3,75 estrellas, pero no se puede 😅
Es un libro que empieza flojo y que de inicio no me convenció, porque me esperaba otra cosa.
Aún así, al avanzar en la lectura fui apreciando más lo que se explica y la información me pareció más interesante y relevante, por eso le he terminado poniendo esa nota.
Es un libro con una premisa que no está mal y con un objetivo que es admirable, pero cuya ejecución se queda por el camino, llena de palabras mucho más enrevesadas de lo necesario y con mucha información que no aporta especialmente.
Esperaba mucho del primer libro de Ali Abdaal y pese a que lo releeré para poder hacerme un buen resumen y aplicar los experimentos, mis expectativas no se han cumplido.

[Ajit Mathew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book is essentially a summarization of all the productivity/behavioral psychology etc research of the past few decades. Book is useful or useless depending on where you are on your productivity journey.

[Janssen]

This was a fun quick read

[Deni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Единственото, което ще постигне тази книга е да ти спести известна доза google search. Цялото нещо се четеше като блог пост с цел SEO трафик. Лъхаше на недостатъчно проучване, доволно количество логически грешки, генерализация и апроприация на идеи, преименувайки ги със сладки instagrammable нови псевдонимчета. Личи си, че е писана от някой, който се занимава с това да генерира съдъжание за средностатистическият ползувател на социални мрежи. Ползвани са апели за щастие, удовлетворение и успех, които са също толкова ефективни както тези за секса. Като към това прибавим и спокойния и приповдигнат chill cool guy тон и ето ни една мнима авторитетност. При все, да предположим, че е добър старт за някой, който никога в живота си не се е интересувал от психология, от човешки ресурси, от управление на екипи и проекти, от социология или невробиология. За мен лично единствената полезна глава беше последната, Align. Всичко останало е общи приказки.

✍️Финална оценка: 2,5⭐

[Gohnar23 · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the book being split into nine chapters and having three parts in total I love the fact that this book has many insights from various researchers and psychological experiments then they actual scientists and professionals on the subject and their respective field. This book packs many interesting as advice on everyday living and more specifically productivity it will replace and in your personal goals and even contributing to your social life. It states many tools basis to making everyday decisions, decision making in very important aspects of your life, and in achieving extrinsic and intrinsic goals. However, this book highly values intrinsic goals more than extrinsic goals more or less which is also the same case when it comes to your motivations.

[Sylvia]

Update:

Apologies for any confusion earlier. I initially thought I could only write a book review after marking it as READ, but it seems I was a bit too eager and didn't give it enough thought. I've now changed the status to TO READ. As for the rating, I altered it too.

***
In order to give a five-star review, I have to mark it as READ, which shows how much I love Ali's content. (And I know he will read every review here. From the experience of reading Yellowface, every writer knows it's best not to read reviews, but they just can't help it.)

Ali is a self-improvement junkie, so I'm looking forward to seeing what's new in his very first book!

[Joana Alves | Juca Mindscape · Rating 2 out of 5]

Estava com grandes expectativas para este livro, mas sinto que para quem já está habituado a ler sobre estas temáticas não conhece muita coisa inovadora neste livro.
Gostei das experiências relatadas e alguns métodos porque me fizerem relembrar algumas técnicas mas sinto que as minhas expectativas não foram atingidas.

[Saida Inoa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Step one is feeling better. Step two is doing more of what matters to us.

I’ve been following Ali for a while now, and I truly enjoy his videos and Podcast, as well as his cheerful personality. This made picking up his first book a no brainer. He has a refreshing way of bringing complex concepts down to earth with day-to-day examples and funny references.

In this book, he explains that being productive doesn’t have to be a chore or wear us down just for the sake of it. We can feel good while doing the things that actually matter.

He also explains all the way in which we can feel burned out and what to do about it. Some tips we already knew about them, but Ali gave easy ways to include them in our busy lives with relatable stories.

This book is a reminder that we can be productive while taking care of our mental health. That being productive isn’t a synonym to a stressful life. And, that sometimes protecting our energy and headspace is the best way to achieve our goals.

[Keelia]

Not really groundbreaking in any way, but informative and useful with actionable tips from a wide range of methods and studies in one place. I haven’t really read any productivity books but have spent a lot of time on study and productivity YouTube over the years so it was nice to get a succinct and exhaustive system that focuses on emotional and mental health over discipline. I also appreciated how the methods and examples presented were accessible and offered pathways for people with different jobs like students, entrepreneurs, full time parents, and people with a rigid work schedule (me), because Ali’s method is really about a mindset shift and goal setting. Anyway, really liked it! Now I actually have to put some of those methods into action