Book 2 Post 2

While reading the book Feel Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You by Ali Abdaal, several elements resonated with me. Firstly, throughout the book there was a lot of emphasis placed on curiosity and how curiosity propels productivity in a positive direction. The implementation of curiosity in everyday tasks and jobs create this aspect of fun that turns any job into a game. This really spoke to me as a full-time college student with a part-time job because sometimes I would rather not get home from work at 11:30 PM and do reading for class. There was another interesting experiment that the author conducted and discussed in this section, which is how he wrote on a sticky note “ What would this look like if it were fun?” that he posted on his computer screen. This allowed him to continue doing what he is obligated to do, but implement new elements of fun into his mundane tasks like listening to music to elevate the task into something a little bit more enjoyable. An example that he used to stress this point of finding enjoyment in mundane activities was how professional speed climbers who race to climb the wall the fastest in the Olympics will take the time to share tips with each other before they start. By taking a collaborative approach and enjoying the process then they are able to fully enjoy and find fun in the task they are doing, which in this case is climbing rocks. Personally, this is why I started rock climbing more seriously since it takes a mundane task like a workout but adds an element of enjoying the process by doing climbs that others are doing too which allows you to share tips and techniques that may help the other person finish the climb too.  
 

This concluded the section of the book about “Play” and the next section that I read was about “Power” but not power in the traditional sense. When I hear the word power, I think of strength. However, the power that the author talks about is more about control rather than physical power. The lessons are about retaining control over situations and even if you cannot have power over the outcomes or results then it is important to keep control over the process. Having control over the process just means that you must take responsibility for how you do a task or the way you go about addressing a problem like if a boss tells you to sort data then you have the power in how you sort that data. My favorite quote from the book came from the section where the author posed the question “ So why not try flipping on the confidence switch and playing the role of someone who’s already filled with self-belief” which got my gears turning. I could apply this to jobs, sports, working out, and so many other activities that could produce some form of self-doubt in my mind.

The following section was about people which is arguably the most difficult to control out of the three realms of self-productivity. This was a difficult idea for me to comprehend because people can vary in personality, background, and lifestyle. Out of all the sections, I thought that this part of productivity was most relevant to college students. It makes me think about the euphoric feeling of finding a friend in a class or making an ally out of a fellow intern. That newfound sense of comradery helps uplift our energy and help us remain productive in whatever task we are working on. It’s the “I” versus the “We” mindset that helps us become team players and find enjoyment in the process. I found this really helpful to keep in mind that even if it seems like i am the only one in the trenches other people are going through the same thing and asking for help or doing random acts of kindness can go a long way.