How I Manage My Time Without Burning Out

Hey friends welcome back to another episode of Book Club. This time I'm going through the best productivity book I've read in recent years, Slow Productivity, and sharing the 3 key principles that Cal Newport talks about. I hope you get some value from it. Enjoy! xx

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WHO AM I?
If we haven’t met before - Hey 👋 I’m Ali, a doctor-turned-entrepreneur and I’ve somehow become the world’s most followed productivity expert. Through my videos here on this channel, my podcast Deep Dive and writing, I share evidence-based strategies and tools to help you be more productive and build a life you love.

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⌚️Timestamps:
0:00 - Why do we need Slow Productivity?
1:10 - The Foundations of Slow Productivity
4:11 - Principle 1 (Do fewer things)
12:40 - Principle 2 (Work at a natural pace)
17:02 - Principle 3 (Obsess over quality)

[j.d.]

There is a quote from another book "Stillness" by Ryan Holiday that was from a Famous Archer. It goes "Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast" I teach private music lessons for a living and this is an idea that is 100% a big component of students improving. Most of them want to go really fast and as a result make a ton of mistakes which hinders their progress. So I have them slow way down when learning something new and 9/10 times they learn much quicker and master it faster. Which then eventually allows them to play quicker and smoother at the same time. It's now a mindset and quote I use for myself and my kids as I teach them life skills. It sounds counter intuitive but it's a powerful principle for all areas of life.

[Humour_as_Dead_as_Skin]

This actually makes me more compassionate to my menstrual cycle. As a woman, I have naturally more energy on some days and less energy on others. And for a long time, I used to beat myself up on the low energy days whereas in reality my body was just asking for a healthy break. Now I am learning to slow down.


Edit: ALI ABDAAL LUKED MY COMMENTTT 😭

[Lindsay]

I tried doing exactly what you’re suggesting at work several months ago. I asked about priorities when more and more was put on my plate, and was told that I was expected to have “better time management” if couldn’t figure it out on my own. I was a senior manager with outstanding outcomes working 10+ hours a day but I was let go because I “wasn’t keeping up” and asked inappropriate questions about priorities when more and more was demanded. It was up to me to balance it all, regardless of demands. The VP who fired me spoke of how he worked 12 hour days and most weekends. Unfortunately this kind of toxic corporate culture is far more common than the much saner culture you describe, especially now. How do we get corporations to understand the value of focused work instead of piling on more and more?

[sandrasshelf]

I read this book in April and although I found this book a bit underwhelming... after further reflection, I realized that I shifted the way I approach my productivity as a writer, YouTuber, and freelancer. I am now big on following the *seasons* to get good work done and limiting my goal list every quarter. I also realized that I love bouncing from working intensely to recharging for long periods WITHOUT burning myself out.

I loved the literary examples he gave (Jane Austen but also Jack Kerouack who didn't only write his book *in just 3 weeks* as he actually based it off his 2-year journal and it took him 6 years and 6 drafts to get "On the Road" published!)

So far, it's helped me tremendously and I feel less stressed. When I'm overly stressed and not sleeping properly (because I'm catching up on work that never ends), everything falls apart in my life, even the work I love the most (creating, writing, and reading.) Great video as always Ali! 😊

[cospittner]

There’s a saying in woodworking, “The slow way IS the fast way”. Meaning that planning, preparation, and problem solving are 90% significant and then actually building (execution)is the remaining 10%.

[EdgarDiazSpeaks]

Man… the idea of working at a natural pace is actually kind of genius. You often hear that grinding is bad and you should slow down but then it’s like, how slow? Not doing enough can be even MORE detrimental than doing too much. But the answer is simple - work at the pace that feels natural to YOU. Obviously there’s no all-encompassing answer because we’re all different, but by working at a natural pace we all do our best work in a manner that feels good to us.

[theelerdingteam]

Love this guy’s content. Meaningful and thoughtful. (As opposed to others where it feels like they’re just verbal vomiting for 20 min and then angling for clicks and views. This dude is genuinely committed to his craft. I’m impressed. m.e.

[salinamu]

Ali’s content is truly valuable. Too many YouTubers make videos that have a lot of fluff and repeat the same things. Not Ali 👍👍

[ReikiMasterCarlie]

This week I start initiating slow productivity.🌟 I am a believer in it. And I also see that other successful people are not struggling and working too hard. They allow themselves to do things slowly and allow some more time to chill. 🌟

[BlessedPetrel]

It's such a timely video. I'm a workaholic and a perfectionist. I unnecessarily stress myself with work I don't have to do now just because I want to always be on top of my game and complete my work before the deadlines. I'm told by my dearest and best to chill a bit, but I know I need to change my mindset first before my "bad" habits follow. Appreciate your content, Ali 😊

[JasonFisk]

10:00 been there. Bosses were never that reasonable, al lI ever got was, "Just get it done."

[BrainiousPodcast]

Dear Ali! We are a newlywed couple who has just started a Youtube channel too, and your advice has always been very useful for us and to improve our channel. Thank you for your work!

[piposimo]

00:01 Attempting to do too many things hinders productivity and leads to burnout.
01:40 Pseudo productivity leads to burnout and dissatisfaction.
04:57 Doing less can enable better results, defying our bias towards activity.
06:47 Commitment to Simplicity in modern knowledge work is beneficial and achievable
10:06 Prioritize fewer projects to achieve more with less stress.
11:38 Brilliant is an interactive platform focusing on learning by doing.
15:10 Embracing seasonality and working at a more natural pace for better productivity
16:45 Obsess over quality of what you produce
19:56 Balancing short-term opportunities with long-term focus
21:25 Join the productivity lab and book club for valuable insights
THANKS ABDAL

[Jazzatic]

19:07 I was not expecting that quote.
I legit said the same thing to my cousin years ago when he got very frustrated on how his sleep was all messed up and not working.
My response was good things take good time.
Still stand by it today

[lion]

9:20 meanwhile in real life…. Boss: “I don’t care, just get it done!”

[isalutfi]

Thank you Ali for talking about slow productivity. We need this so much.

[DEVDerr]

I just want to let you know that I'm extremely thankful for your advices - and especially for the fact that those advices are not encouraging to grind the hell out of your life but rather make productivity enjoyable
Just big big thank you <3

[SeanPM]

This book presents a lovely idea that not all of us will be able to commit to.

[coca_chau]

Alot of videos have lightly mentioned how to earn more but work less but this video is the best explaination for me

[solokingstudio]

I love this guy...such a .. charismatic person