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!

This was a great book, I looked forward to coming back to read it every time I took a break. I would even buy it for friends if they need some recommendations for helping with productivity! I loved the author's personal anecdotes, and how he organized everything into "digestible" bites of info that you can incorporate into your life. I think we are all somewhat overwhelmed with tasks nowadays, and this book changed the paradigm on how you can look at tasks and make them not as draining (most of the time!)

In the beginning of this book we meet Ali Abdaal. Abi is a doctor in training and his days are long and unpleasant. The only way he could keep up with this schedule was to sleep less or not at all and work harder, harder and harder.

Abi becomes interested in productivity and that led him down a different path. He was still working at National Health Service in the UK. His research and experimentation was to help you and I lead a less stressful and happier life.

My favorite lesson from this book is to make something dreary and boring more fun. I constantly put off work that puts me to sleep but thanks to this book I know to turn on music, get out a cookie to eat when I'm done or treat myself to a Starbucks run when it's over.

One of the downsides to this book is that it is research heavy. While I appreciated learning new things it seemed to be a bit too much when it focuses on research. I would have liked to have more input from the author. He is very engaging and I love that he does magic at events in addition to his other work.

I'm planning on going to my industry group in Facebook to encourage them to read this book and discuss it in the group to share what we learned.

I've been following Ali Abdaal on Youtube for several years now. I was interested in what he had to say about productivity and his philosophy behind it. This book did a great job in giving thorough tips on being the most productive. Although this book doesn't break any new ground in the realm of productivity, it's a welcomed addition to the subject.

This is a great book if you are looking to change up your routine, get rid of the negative talk and set yourself up to be productive without causing overwhelm or burnout. So many great tips and I enjoyed how at the end of each chapter we are given a summary in bullet points.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I've been following Ali Abdaal since 2018. I am a massive fan and I was so excited to get an ARC of his first book!

As is traditional with other self-improvement books, this book's organization makes it a very easy read. The book is broken down into 3 main parts with sub chapters and each chapter has its own summary. So if you want the gist of the book, read the summary portions and move on. However, I think readers will get a ton of value from the real-life examples and, more importantly, practical applications of each topic. That being said, I am knocking off a star because - as with most self-improvement books, I think some chapters could have been condensed further.

Thoughts: This book is by a doctor who has a YouTube site that also promotes the information found here. The author has a light, easy style that keeps you engaged and entertained while providing good information. Is it all something new? No. But… he shows it with anecdotes that help put the point across without being lecturing or dry. I especially liked the one comment “Life is stressful. Play makes it fun.” Yes, a lot of us get stuck in ruts with our daily lives, but he gives us ways to maybe make the rut a little less muddy.

Recommendation: Recommended.

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Excellence resource for productivity. Lots of research based tips and tricks easy for anyone to try. I have already tried a few things and they've really been helpful. Highly recommended!

I sometimes watch Ali's videos on YouTube, and I really enjoy them. Very informative for the most part. My favorites are when he does book reviews. Have not watched lately so not sure what is going on on his channel but overall I think his content is good.

That being said, I have come to dislike a little all these YouTubers talking about productivity, how to be productive, how to better manage your time, find a life-work balance, etc. Granted Ali seems to be better formed professionally and academically to talk about the subject than other content creators but for me has been a subject overtalked, almost becoming very repetitive.

Not different from this book. I have read other books stating similar concepts, and similar advice. A good attempt. Well-written and structured for unfortunately for me it was not a game changer. I enjoyed reading it and can appreciate the time and work the author put into this book.

Thank you Celadon Books and Netgalley for the Advanced Free Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book most certainly means well, and there are some great tidbits of advice here, but it just doesn't delve as deeply or cover as much new ground as I was hoping for.

I think you may get more from subscribing to the author's Youtube channel, which is actually quite good and helpful!

This is a useful and motivational overview of a variety of different productivity techniques. The focus is on the author's central theme that we're most productive when we're feeling happy about the things we're working on. The writing style and structure has similarities to Atomic Habits by James Clear. Feel-Good Productivity would be particularly recommended for existing fan's of the author Ali Abdaal's popular YouTube channel.

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.

Book Review: Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You by Ali Abdaal
Publication Date: December 26 2023 by Celadon Books

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.

As a working mom, productivity is a topic very close to my heart. Unlike most other books, this one teaches you to be efficient. It will help you reclaim the joy of doing things you love rather than speeding through weeks of "mindless busyness". Shoshin, implementation intentions, broaden and build are just some of the powerful strategies within the book that readers can use to skyrocket their productivity and feel joyous while doing so!
Must read for all working professionals, busy executives and overworked parents.

Ali talks through the challenges of productivity (procrastination, burn out, lack of motivation, etc) and offer useful tools to get you on track toward achieving those things you truly want to do.

I appreciated the practical applications and real-life examples. I feel confident that I can tackle any challenge that arises in my quest to reach my goals.

This is the productivity vibe we all need. As a productivity writer, coach, and speaker I love seeing a kinder, gentler message than RISE AND GRIND AND GET IN YOUR ICE BATH!!

This book is laid out with clear, research based examples you would expect to hear from a physician. The bonus is that Dr Abdaal is able to translate research with humor and compassion.

This book is for everyone who needs a mind shift in approaching productivity, which I would say is most of us!

This would make a great holiday gift for friend, family or coworkers. It also lends itself well for book club discussions.

I really loved this book. It’s very well-researched with a very appropriate tone for the subject matter. Abdaal backs his claims with proven research and life experiences rather than just throwing out methods of productivity that have worked for him specifically. He takes a realistic approach to increasing your productivity by meeting yourself where you are. A lot of “self-help” type books are watered down with ableism that assumes everyone can always just go take a walk to clear their head or commune with nature or start an expensive hobby. He does make some of these suggestions, but also leaves room for alternatives rather than being presumptive that everyone has the same access/abilities.

The only reason this is not a 5 star is that it gets to be a bit little too research heavy towards the last third of the book. I felt like some of the points really didn’t need to be expanded upon to the extent they were or as many research pieces included. Some points can stand on their own without needing to be proven.

All in all, great book, great YouTuber, and now great author. I read a lot of self-help/motivational/productivity based books and I still learned a few new tricks with some interesting fact nuggets on how the brain works to be productive.

"Feel Good Productivity" by Dr. Ali Abdaal is a refreshing take on productivity that emphasizes the importance of joy in our work. Abdaal's insights draw from solid psychological research and provide practical, actionable steps to improve productivity and overall happiness. What I appreciated most about the book is its focus on sustainable success and the personal anecdotes shared by accomplished individuals. However, one downside was the repetitive nature of some concepts, which could have been condensed for a more concise read. Overall, it's a valuable guide for those seeking a more enjoyable and fulfilling path to productivity.

I started following Ali on YouTube prior to this book. I love that the advice is science-based and positive. His approach is very practical and knowledges the limitations that some people have with their time. I'm glad that this book mirrors his videos and I would recommend this book to people who want advice on this topic.

A very interesting read full of ideas to help you with your productivity in a more relaxed positive way.The author has a lot of followers and he has written a very interesting guide.#netgalley #celadonbooks

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book early in exchange for a honest review.
This is an interesting read on the art of productivity. But if you’re a person who has read other self-help books or listened to self-help podcasts (or been in therapy), then a lot of this information won’t be new to you. Maybe the way it’s presented will be appealing to readers who are new to this type of book and content though.