Feel Good Productivity - Part 1
In my previous post, I wrote about the book Feel good Productivity. It still has a buzz inside me, even when I read the book a while back. I am going to write some notes about the book starting this part. Here it goes:
Ali's philosophy rests on three foundational tenets. Each tenet is developed through related themes, and rather than presenting abstract theory, Ali offers practical "experiments" that allow you to test these concepts in your own life. The three tenets are:
- Energize - Build energy in everyday situations by incorporating play into your work, maintaining control over your decisions, and leveraging the power of relationships and community in your life.
- Unblock - Remove everything that prevents you from living your best life by seeking clarity about what matters, finding the courage to act, and consistently choosing action over inaction.
- Sustain - Maintain long-term productivity by conserving your energy wisely, recharging when needed, and aligning your actions with your core values and deeper purpose.
1. Energy
The first main principle is all about energizing yourself. Energy is one of those concepts that shows up everywhereâin yoga, spirituality, you name it. The book starts with this fundamental question: how do you actually energize yourself to go after what you want? There are several ways to do this, and the first one really caught my attention. It's about treating everything playfully.
1.1: Play
The first way to energize yourself is to be playful with everything you want to do. Here are the 6 experiments that Ali talks about. The key word is Experiments â Things that you can try, measure and adopt if it works for you. You dont have to adopt everything in this book but rather experiment with it.
đ§ Even spiritual traditions recognize life as a form of play. In this cosmic game, you are both player and rule-makerâyou have the freedom to define how you engage with life's challenges and opportunities. The only non-negotiable principle when approaching life as play is complete involvement. You must participate wholeheartedly, with the intention of winning. Consider a football match: while humans have created specific rules to make the game meaningful and engaging, the players don't hold back. They throw themselves completely into the experience, driven by the desire to succeed. The rules provide structure, but it's the players' total commitment that brings the game to life. Similarly, in the game of life, you can set your own parameters while maintaining that same level of passionate engagement.
| Experiment | Description |
|---|---|
| Chose a Character | You can assume a character as in a game that has a special power. For example, a competitor who is really competitive and wants to win at a game; a director who loves to plan and organise things; an explorer who wants to find things |
| Embrace your Curiosity | Chose a side quest and be curious. May be you are coding something really important and you find something interesting on the side. Take time to explore the side quest. It might not lead you to the goal that you are aiming for. But you will find something new that you have never seen before. If you have played GTA, all the interesting things that you could find when you veered your bike into the water, or went to a club to dance. Those became memorable. Did not it? |
| Make it fun | Everyone might have done this unconsciously. If you find a task challenging, add a little bit of fun. You can pay music while you are writing an article, have a study buddy on your iPad while you work. Make it a bit more fun. |
| Make the process itself fun | It might not always be obvious. But you can make the process a bit more fun. If you are in day long meetings, you can make some of the meetings fun, by doing something that is unique to you. Play some music if you are early to a meeting and give a good time to your team-mates. Add icons and emojis in documentation you have to write. |
| Reframe your failure | Your mind makes everything big. Reframe your failures. Lower the stakes. Treat everything as experiments. Even failure is just as valuable as success. |
| Dont be too serious. You can be sincere | You dont have to approach everything with a straight face. Only people in the hospitals are serious đ Approach everything with sincerity. Try your best. |
Try using these experiments in your every day life. I personally like âDont be too seriousâ. You are expected in certain situations in life where you have to be serious. Be serious in meetings, donât smile â people wonât take you seriously, they said. You do not have to be serious. Just sincere in whatever you do. Leave the rest to whatever you believe or not believe in. I will write about the other energizers in the upcoming posts