Ali Abdaal

material, the people who had to teach others about a subject would learn the material better themselves. The researchers named this phenomenon the ‘protégé effect’

You don’t need to be a guru. You can just be a guide.

couldn’t choose whether or not to put in the IV drip, I realised. But I could change my mindset.

Every day as I sit down to work, I look at my calendar and to-do list, and I ask myself: ‘What’s today’s side quest going to be?’

Imagine what your life would look like if you received five proverbial points for failing, rather than losing five like in the experiment. Imagine what would happen if people cheered you on for a little stumble rather than humiliated you. Imagine how you’d approach things if you treated them as experiments, where failure would be just as valuable as success.

Don’t be serious. Be sincere.’

Power is our second energiser; a crucial ingredient in feeling good and being productive.

Believing you can is the first step to making sure you actually can.

becoming your own
hype team

My favourite method involves what I call ‘flipping the confidence switch’; in other words, challenging yourself to behave as if you’re confident in your task, even if you’re not.