Productivity Expert: How To Finally Stay Productive: Ali Abdaal | E93

Steve mate, this conversation was an absolute joy and you and the team were wonderful to hang out with ❤️❤️ thanks for having me on :)

I want to thank Ali's mum for bringing him to the world

It’s like two superstars collided into a supernova and created this masterpiece. I love how it is more of a conversation where both are genuinely interested and activated by being in each other’s presence. Such an inspiring pleasure to experience.

Steven, your interviewing skills, ability to articulate thoughts and bring the best out of your guests is absolutely phenomenal. I stumbled upon your content when you spoke with one of my personal heroes ‘The True Geordie’ & now I pay close attention to every conversation you have. I loved your perspective on overcoming adversity during covid (separate vid) & I think you have an innate gift for sharing wisdom in such an easy to understand way. Keep up the great work!

Your content is disgustingly underrated. You’re the goat 🔥.I don't know who, but someone actually needs to hear this, you've got to stop saving all your money. Venture into investing some, if you really want financial stability

Ali’s insights and honesty blew me away, thank you Ali 🙏🏽

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I’ve noticed that there’s a balance with staying productive. You have to be motivated to stay working. But you also have to set time to take a break. Breaks keep you from burning out which also makes you more productive.

"Two minutes is all you need to change your life" - Ali Abdaal

An absolute treat of a podcast, exactly what I needed. Thanks to both of you.

Ali is a master of interpersonal psychology look at how he mirrors Steven’s body language.

Im 54 and I came across Alis channel when he had less than 5000 subscribers. The guy is so humble and relatable to everyday life, hes funny and honest, his struggles are very real to ones own. Love this guy love that vlog he made about putting money into shares and how to type fast, hes ace. Someone worth following forever

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:

00:00 🤖 Productivity expert Ali Abdaal discusses optimizing time and working on meaningful tasks to achieve happiness.
00:29 🛡️ Overcoming procrastination involves starting with a small nudge and using the "two-minute rule" to initiate tasks.
00:42 💼 Prioritizing the journey over the destination; focusing on day-to-day enjoyment rather than solely the end goal.
01:14 🛠️ Ali Abdaal's journey from medical school to YouTube, where he found his passion for teaching and entrepreneurship.
16:12 📹 Consistency in creating content on YouTube over time is key for growth and change, with focus on enjoying the process and intrinsic motivation.
19:28 🚀 External accountability, like having an accountability buddy or coach, can reduce the need for discipline and motivation, making tasks more achievable.
20:10 ⏰ Overcoming procrastination involves getting started with just a small effort, such as working on a task for two minutes, which often leads to sustained progress.
24:21 🏔️ Breaking tasks into smaller, specific steps helps combat the overwhelming feeling of tackling a large challenge, making it easier to start and complete.
32:57 🙏 Shifting from "have to" to "get to" mindset cultivates gratitude and helps find joy in daily activities, emphasizing the journey over the end goal.
36:14 🌄 Embrace the journey of the process, prioritizing the day-to-day experience and enjoyment rather than solely focusing on the end destination.
37:50 🧠 Our values are often indicated by how something makes us feel, as our emotions guide us towards what matters most.
39:28 🌱 Personal values can be shaped by early experiences and feelings, indicating what's true and important to us.
42:26 🏫 Engaging in experiments and quitting what doesn't align with our values can lead to a fulfilling life.
46:08 🎯 Prioritize testing yourself and using spaced repetition to optimize learning and memory retention.
54:10 ⚖️ Balancing productivity with health, relationships, and meaning is crucial, and it's okay to intentionally take breaks or do nothing.
56:31 🛩️ Having money can help buy back time and convenience, reducing time wasted on tasks you don't enjoy.
59:45 🕰️ Prioritize being your authentic self in relationships, avoiding changing who you are to attract partners.
01:01:21 🎭 Embrace the things that bring you joy and make you feel good; don't suppress your true interests or values.
01:03:29 💰 Use money to buy back your time for meaningful experiences and memories with loved ones.
01:09:05 💡 Recognize that money can provide convenience and experiences, but beyond a certain point, it might not significantly increase overall happiness or fulfillment.
01:16:10 🛍️ Spending money on things based on utility and personal value, rather than flashy or status-driven purchases.
01:17:07 🧠 Mental model: If you were the only person in the world, would you still buy the thing? Utility vs. signaling.
01:17:51 📚 Key mental model: Beyond a certain income, money doesn't buy more happiness; five regrets of the dying; live life true to oneself.
01:20:56 ⏳ Balancing the idea of living each day as if it were the last with responsible decision-making for long-term well-being.
01:21:23 💼 Encouraging young people to realize that work doesn't have to be suffering and that aligning economic engine with personal interests matters for a fulfilled life.

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There was something really special about this episode. With most guests, Steve is holding space for them, but this was an authentic connection where the guest valued the host in the same respect.

Took me 3 days to watch this in between running around my toddler and absolutely loved it. You are both incredibly engaging, honest and so refreshing. Thank you !😊

"I get to do this rather than I have to do this," great advice Ali, changing our mindsets actually works!
"We are so quickly to fall out of gratitude when we get used to the priviledges in our lives," that's really deep...food for thought! I really enjoyed this relatable conversation.

Crazy to me how Ali worries about his masculinity. Intelligent, Self driven, Career focused, a sarcastic witty sense of humour with an openness about his vulnerabilities. Ali you are a certified hottie!

I can't believe you got Ali Abdaal on the podcast!! Jaw literally dropped! Can't wait to watch 🤩

Top Moments

1. SB: Why medicine rather than coding at university? 08:30
AA: When I was 16, I asked: Do I want to do computer science or medicine?
It would be more interesting for my life to be a doctor who knows how to code,
rather than a coder who knows how to code [ Fascinating viewpoint]
It was this decision that made me realise let me do medicine and keep coding on the side, so that I can do a tech start-up later related to medicine.
After year 1 of medicine, I knew I would not be a doctor full time, I would do it for fun.

2. AA: When the YouTube channel took off 10:08 I realised I want to do teaching, not coding.
I always had intrinsic motivation for teaching because I tutored from the age of 13 up until now.
I felt most alive when I was teaching. A great thing about YouTube is it is teaching at scale [ Wow: top perspective]
Hence I found this activity which drives me intrinsically. Now I see my tech start-up as a backup option.

3. 13:13 big video = how to study exams Ali Abdaal. I wanted to make this as my 100th video. It was my 80th.
I needed to learn how to get good at editing. 4000 subs. Then I went to 25,000 next week. This started my exponential growth trajectory.

4. SB: What have you learnt about 15:20 consistency and outcome?
AA: If you make 1 video a week for 2 years, it will change your life. I cannot put any numbers on it.
You will learn new skills, make new contacts.
SB: What is it that will make someone do this?
AA: Enjoy the process. It is hard to show up each week and not see results.

5. AA: How to overcome procrastination 25:30 is to un-ickify it. Example: learn a skill is too vague a task.

6. AA: I don’t have to help this patient, I get to.
31:20 SB: This is a gratitude shift.
32:48 Stoics did hedonistic adaptation exercise to take the things out of your life that you really value,
to remind themselves of what they had. [Hence u see how valuable it is!]
[ sounds antifragile- make yourself miss it, hence you become stronger, more grateful when that activity re-enters your life]

7. 47:30 Daily Highlight; what is the one top thing u want to do today?

8. SB: Extrinsic approval is different from internal fulfilment 1:02:10 [well said]

9. SB: One intrinsic goal 1:03:10 is after we are done with this conversation, my personal trainer is waiting. I am not doing it for anyone else, that is why it sticks.

10. AA: Content Title psychology: title for a video was ‘How writing online changed my life’.
It was not great. I changed the title to ‘How writing online made me a millionaire.’
This video did very well. 1:04:50 Videos that do great are videos that deliver a
promise at the start, then throughout my video, deliver nuance and depth on this promise. People want depth and nuance.

11. SB: It never fucking stops 1:08:30

12. AA to SB How do you think about money?
1:09:50 Time is all we have in chapter 19 of happy sexy millionaire.
All we have are 500,000 chips. Money solves the problem of using time in better ways to use time with my niece, dog and partner.

13. SB: I am at a point where I don’t think I can be happier
1:13:50 Not queuing for 3 hours at an airport, getting a private jet will remove this inconvenience.
But it does not move the needle on my overall fulfilment.

14. AA: When buying things ask: if u were the only person in the world, would you still buy it? 1:17:00

15. AA: Work does not have to be suffering.
Tim Ferriss asks when faced with a tough task: ‘What would this look like if it were easy?’
I don’t want to be in a position where I work a 9 to 5 so then I can enjoy the 5 to 9 [ 8 hours: 4 hours = 2:1 If true, work = twice as long as fun] 1:23:30

16. SB: Me being selfish has allowed me to help more people
1:29:19 Doing this podcast is selfish for me
1:31:30 I do it because it makes me feel great and the comments on these videos are amazing.

17. AA: Elephant in the brain 1:31:45 and service/servant hedonism idea 1:33:45
when you do something, yes, you want to help others, but partly you want to feel good too. [There is a percentage in both]
By serving others, by optimising for serving others, you make yourself happier,
which is a reasonable thing to do. Admit this to yourself. This is a reasonable way to live life.

He is an amazing inspiration. He is highly sharp when it comes to critical thinking, deep analytical thinking, deep consideration and team leadership.

Once you said Brandon Sanderson I knew 'Journey before destination' was coming. So powerful