I Helped My Subscribers Fix Their Productivity

Hey friends, in this video I’m running a fun experiment and talking to you guys directly abour your goals and productivity. If you want to ask your own video question check out the link below. Enjoy!

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By the way, you can watch this video in a few other languages by changing the audio settings xx

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WHO AM I?
If we haven’t yet 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.

PS: Some of the links in this description are affiliate links that I get a kickback from 😜

⌚️Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
51:04 - Morgan's Question
7:00 - Free Alignment Workshop with Ali
15:23 - Patrick's Question
23:53 - Alex's Question

[nihadmahouni]

Whoever in the team came up with the idea of Ali doing this should get a raise! Thank you! This was awesome and can’t wait for the next ones!

[morganeua]

It is literally CRAZY to see myself on your channel! Really useful advice, Ali! I do try to work on my PhD first thing in the morning, and when I actually achieve that, it definitely helps. I love the idea of starting small and planning the night before. It's helpful to hear how this could be applied specifically to the PhD. I'm not totally sure the intensive approach would work for me because I worry that the pressure to perform in those 5 days would crush my motivation. And I'm so grateful to hear you say that "no one can focus for four hours" straight! I love the idea of a reflection on my focus after a work session. You're an absolute productivity legend! So helpful! You rock!

[OtakuOG]

The pomodoro technique has done wonders for me!
For me, I do a 'reverse pomo' where I do longer "focused" sessions and then sessions get shorter throughout the day.
Therefore, morning at 9am, I do 75min with 20min break or 75/20
then I do:
60/20
50/15
45/15
35/10
as the day progresses. And it works!

[SarahCrowder]

WOW, the first example is so relatable to a teacher who has a YouTube channel and is working on a PhD. Thanks, Morgan, for asking a great question!!

[tocraveandtocook]

I seldom leave comments, but there is something about Ali's videos that I watch straight till the end, not even speeding the playback. You provide so much, it's a no brainer why youre successful at this :) thank you so much Ali and team.

[BrandonOConnell-tedx]

Man I love how ali really looks into helping people to their goals with not desimating that person

Ali you are amazing Thank You for making the 1 dollar course it opened my mind to the possibility's for youtube

[Jeff-mukw]

By a wild synchronicity, I have a PhD in Theater Studies! YOU CAN DO IT 100% agree about lowering the stakes to overcome friction. What helped me was writing 1 page/day = 1st draft in 8ish months, or whatever numbers work for you - the idea that small gains over time operate like walking up a less steep ramp. You still "get there" but without tired legs :). I never wrote for four hours in any one day. Also, in addition to his incredible advice, Ali's videos turned me on to London Writers Salon - they're a beautiful online writing community with multiple Zoom writing hours each day to accommodate different time zones. Highly recommend, especially if you feel like you're at sea without a structure post comps/prospectus.

[peterboateng]

Rule of doing a particular goal in a scheduled time. Separate yourself from all distractions and doing a desperate goal(can do a for a week or day or hours). Focused hours and seeing how you can improve. Start is the hardest part but once you start you can go through. Try to pick something and be good at it then you can have passionate. The trick is experiment it.

[angie]

To Morgan: I feel for you. I was in your position: trying to complete a doctorate with a full-time job and other commitments long after everyone in my original cohort had finished. Take heart; you will be successful. One of the things to help lower the "hump of procrastination" (Ali alludes to it when he talks about plan and prepare) is to harness the power of classical conditioning (I was a "rat runner" as an undergraduate psych major). That's the thing Pavlov discovered with the dog salivating at the sound of a bell. We react, physiologically and emotionally, to an "irrelevant" stimulus when it's paired often enough with something that can be expected to elicit a response. Pavlov paired a bell with food so often that the dog's natural response to food—salivation—became a response to a bell ringing, which is otherwise irrelevant to digestion.

So start pairing stuff with the start of your dissertation time. Establish a ritual. Get your special mug and your special tea that you only use/drink when you're "dissertating" (that's what my kids called it). Light your special candle. Say your magic words three times. Invoke the Goddess. Set your intention. Whatever. (As a theatre major, you know the power of ritual in performance.) You're trying to make the presence of the ritual objects/actions elicit and sustain a mental state (calm, focused mind).Then, using the other tools Ali suggested, start your doctoral work. Setting the ritual shouldn't take more than 3 or 4 minutes. You don't want to spend your valuable work time running around finding ritual objects. But a few minutes engaged in ritual can pay off in increased productivity.

Do this enough and eventually your ritual will help ground and focus you, and lower the hump of procrastination. Like most people here I suspect, I use a timed work/break system (I use a modified pomodoro). So do your ritual not only at the start of a block of work time, but at the beginning of every work period after your short breaks. Eventually your fidgety mind will recognize and respond to, "Here's the special mug. And the candle. And the magic words. It's time to calm down and focus."

[qjigqzy]

i think it is quite hard to start with almost all, but the easier way is yo start bit by bit, enjoy, it will get the passion automatically, then when it's coming dont stop ..

[mannya_realtor]

I left my job to try an entrepreneurial endeavor and when times got tough I used the third door to find my way back. After getting myself back on my feet I’m working on my next entrepreneurial endeavor 🙏🏾

[ulufmqv]

I went through the same challenge as Morgen and I know how heavy it is. I wish you success. There is nothing left and you have finished a great job that adds to your previous achievements. I advise you to pray that God will grant you success before studying, and to thank Him after you finish studying, and one last thing: set the priorities for the period you are going through.
Good luck to you

[Simplexis]

Thank you for answering my question, I appreciate it very much. I always find your insights very helpful, and this year I've made a lot of great progress getting my life together through some of your ideas and tools. I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a little emotional watching my question back, because as you said it is hard, but I'm still chugging along. I'll definitely read The Third Door and look for a few third doors of my own, or rather make a few. Thank you again!

[ShrutiMangawa]

I am enjoying the new videos a lot. The music, the calm while you explain everything is sooo stress relieving. This new series is amazing as well!! Do continue this!

[LoveRosey]

The absolute shock i got when realising that I had the same issue as Patrick! Once i get home from work i will be doing the idea, experiment iterate work and then the THIRD DOOR?! my mind is blown and Ali explaining this also had me in tears. I relate so much eith Alex also about the rejection amd also personally, feeling like im making no progress in life. What a great and insightful video

[CheteKalaba]

Thanks for another great video Ali! The value you’ve been giving this year has been a breath of fresh air

[joycechan]

I was very upset with myself, my job performance and the environment around me today. I felt overwhelmed with the enormous backlog I had in my workplace, was burnt out, no emotional support and not motivated. When I searched for productivity, this video came out in the first row. I was actually surprised that you were still in Youtube and the title of this video was just what I needed right at that moment. It was grateful to watch you sincerely sharing your own experience, and the others sharing their struggles, and the inspirational advices that you gave to try to help people who were also struggling. This video gives me the emotional support that I needed to rebuild my confidence and motivation. Thank you very much❤

[Janaekat]

This was the BEST video I've watched from yours. I absolutely LOVED how in-depth you went with each person. Def keep doing these videos!!

[deborahmonde]

I had never realized before but there is something very meta about you trying to be productive in order to write a book/make videos on productivity

[mtahausman]

Thank you ali for continuing to add value to our lives ❤