[[Ali Abdaal]] [[lit/kindle/Feel-Good Productivity|Highlights]] >But my real error wasn’t with my productivity tactics. It was with my overall strategy. I believed that if I simply learned every productivity hack and read every internet blog, I would achieve what I yearned for. It was exactly the opposite of the approach that I needed: to learn to think like a productivity scientist. I read *Feel Good Productivity* near the end of a year that was dedicated in large part to establishing my own productivity systems. The year kicked off with a re-reading of David Allen's [[lit/books/Getting Things Done|Getting Things Done]] and culminated with this book. At the same time, I was exploring eastern wisdom traditions, switching between this book and Alan Watt's [[Become What You Are]] (coincidentally Abdaal quotes Watts in the book). If all the productivity books I read this year were written by the same author, *Feel Good Productivity* reads to me like the last book he would write before finally going to rehab. The book is full of tips and "experiments" to help productivity feel good, which seems like a book about how to keep drinking without those pesky hangovers. When do we just accept that we are workaholics and go to AA? I do appreciate Abdaal's lighthearted approach to productivity. He's always looking to integrate play into his work, for example adding a "side quest" to each day. >By adding a side quest to your day, you create space for curiosity, exploration and playfulness – and could discover something amazing and totally unexpected along the way. He understands that appeals to motivation are more hurtful than helpful. I also like the idea of taking a pseudo-scientific approach to productivity, trying out new tactics and testing how they work for me as an individual. All together, his ideas result in a much more realistic and sustainable approach to getting done the things that need getting done. The book is full of anecdotes from the productivity lore (e.g., Richard Feynman, Toyota), lots of cherry-picked research, plenty of psychological "effects" (e.g., Benjamin Franklin effect) and the other conventions of the productivity genre. Ultimately, it's not that unique or insightful and, in my opinion, doesn't do justice to Abdaal's unique approach. If you only read one book on productivity, read this one. If you've already read most of the books in the genre, watch his YouTube channel instead.