Ali Abdaal: A Case Study
Where I currently think Ali is working remotely from…
Another Case Study Review of another productivity ‘influencer”.
This time, it’ll be Ali Abdaal.
We’ll look at what it means to be a productivity guru, what makes Ali Abdaal a unique case, and how you can implement what he talks about into your life. Ultimately, what are the takeaways worth spending time to implement or learn….in my humble opinion.
The man is a YouTuber, Podcaster, ex-Doctor, and soon-to-be Author. He has also created multiple businesses, teaching people how to be YouTubers, and a Med School prep program, while also dabbling in productivity and tech review.
He somehow worked in the medical field as a doctor while simultaneously building his YouTube presence. That alone felt like enough productive prowess to convince me to watch him because, with an understanding of the medical stress and burnout, it was impressive to witness the level of production he was able to muster on top of the medical profession.
Add in the global pandemic and from afar at least, it was quite the feat.
First, optimizing for studying and med school prep.
Then, optimizing for video production for his YouTube business.
Applying that further towards more general life skills like personal finance, productive iOS tips, tech reviews, and and optimizing well-being, the theme of productive and thoughtful consideration across the board becomes apparent.
Notion
Ali creates Notion templates to automate and organize his life. There’s several templates online to duplicate and Ali has several videos as well on using Notion. He has some free resources floating around the internet for a Resonance Calendar, a Book Review template, an Annual Review and a Productivity planner.
He likewise has videos on YouTube explaining how to create a Notion template and design for offloading repetitive tasks to be more efficient.
YouTube
His YouTube channel was the interesting hook point to me because he valued my time.
He doesn’t do it as much in more recent posts but he used to provide the outline and final take-aways of his videos first. He still consistently puts timestamps in his video descriptions for you to quickly and easily navigate to specific sections of the video if you are approaching his videos with knife-sharp extraction of information.
The way he presents information is very clear-cut, logical, and easy to follow despite it being at times heady, or dealing with significant amounts of information. As such, despite it being complex material, he tackles complex ideas with simple language, a necessary skill for doctors discussing with the general public about medical issues. He also does so applying his understanding of the human body and mind into his logical arguments or discussions.
Even now, he produces several videos a month, which remains impressive considering the depth and breadth of his videos, but he’s even branched off into teaching others how to create video content as well.
Part-Time YouTuber Academy
He’s even carved a niche in teaching others YouTube content generation, speaking on camera, and proposes the value proposition that given his credentials of generating content while being a MD, others can likewise do YouTube as a part-time gig.
All of which, because he walked the walk, garner him talking the talk. He has since taken a break from acting as a MD currently but it doesn’t take away that he did do it for a while and retains the qualifications to pick it right back up if he desires.
Medical School
Now, Ali Abdaal is a MD youtuber. So he scratches a different niche in that regard given he has a medical lens. Instead of content like Doctor Mike, a lot of Ali Abdaal’s medical content relates more to the studying for med school, applying to med school, exceling in med school testing and so forth.
He also has a medical school prep program 6Med where he mentors others applying for med school.
Now, because I am not a doctor nor went down the medical school prep route, this material is irrelevant to me but certainly I can understand the appeal and the attention of a niche group of study preppers.
Skillshare
Some of Ali’s productivity content is available on Skillshare. It’s generally similar content to his YouTube material, focused on productivity or Notion use. Whereas YouTube is a little more wide-ranging and includes tech review, monologues and so forth, the Skillshare material is a bit more specifically to enhance or augment a skill.
Podcast - Deep Dive With Ali Abdaal
I haven’t listened to it but re-starting listening to podcasts is something I want to get back into. Anyways, Ali Abdaal has two ongoing podcasts - Deep Dive With Ali Abdaal - where he interviews others typically to uncover or discuss interesting philosophies, strategies, tools, and perspectives. He also has another podcast with his brother called Not Overthinking where they talk about a likewise mish-mash off ideas. I find that it’s a little more casual conversation, a little more social discussion, current events, and even more personal story.
Again, podcasts aren’t currently in my regular day-to-day so I can’t do much justice talking about it cause I haven’t listened much, but I’ll try to update this later when I do get a chance.
So What Are The Take-Aways
Ali seems more like a contemporary to me than Thomas Frank. He is a little more human and personal in that he shares anecdotes and struggles and is more open on other aspects of his life. His skincare, his dating, his appearance, etc.
He doesn’t flex the technicality as much as Thomas Frank on the Notion niche but Ali has carved a spot in the universally-appealing profession of medical doctor, so his studying/learning commentary is more rooted in scientific recall and learning.
So Here’s The General Blueprint.
1. Be Helpful. Again, providing information to people in a way and manner that is helpful. People are going to gravitate towards what brings them benefit. I think productivity information in general follows pretty universal principles and the communication style is the way that individuals differentiate themselves.
Ali does so with clear communication, a usually open and transparent outline to his communication and clear segues.
2. Be Productive Ali walks the walk so he can talk the talk. I think his profession and his success so far has carried his name forward in the productivity space. There’s the hook point of ‘well, he’s gotta know something cause he made it into med school and is a doctor’ which first captures his audience so he can discuss more. I think in name, that is part of the productivity persona.
And then the Notion interest, the productivity discussions, they all flush out the rest of the productivity foundation.
3. Build a niche. Broaden afterwards. It started off as productivity for med school students. It grew his 6Med prep business. His personality and communication style translates this niche topic towards a larger YouTube audience. Then it grew into productivity for his YouTube business, teaching others to apply a similar communication style for their own YouTube channels.
Again, his voice grew as he grew. He no longer was a med student in college and so his subject matter shifted. He’s got a podcast talking to interesting guests around mindset, happiness, productivity and explores those broader topics and wide-ranging topics with a bit more success.
4. Professional Reputation Precedes You. There is definitely an enticing draw to hear a doctor’s perspective. Similar to a lawyer, a senior software engineer, a CEO, etc, a doctor is one of those staple reputable careers with a cut-throat success rate. So the rarity of perspective on a platform like YouTube is enticing.
Whereas Thomas Frank, I would argue, studied Management Information Systems in school, he carved out his niche based on his accolades and achievements within the productivity space because he was proficient - not because people actually knew that management information systems was a relevant degree.
Ali Abdaal however, as a doctor brought along a professional reputation for productivity simply because he was a doctor and the general public’s view on doctors needing to be productive, efficient, and highly skilled.
5. Implement Niche Skills
I feel like I hear the medical training and perspective in the way Ali discusses topics. Whether it’s the types of analogies, metaphors, equations and communication style, there are certainly medical lens influences in his style of communication which resonate with me (as someone who works in the medical field.)
Take-Aways
Talk Your Niche.
Apply your unique perspective on productivity. There are specific metaphors, perceptions, ways of communicating that are unique to your experience that can resonate with people differently.
Build Good Habits.
Habits make the world go round. Habits make shape us and set us along on our paths. And regardless of the life experience, the good habits are universally appropriate and set us up to be productive on a foundational level.
If we design those habits to be fruitful, productive, and intentionally targeting our specific interests, then they are beneficial.
Find Solutions.
Aspire to seek out or derive answers independently. It’s a theme amongst productive people to explore, try, taste for themselves. Regardless of whether they come to the same conclusion or not, there is a certain exploration and testing that each individual seeks out. By retaining that level of curiosity in all things, it pushes you to be comfortable with the uncomfortable, to test the untested, and ultimately have a more productive life worth emulating or worth listening to - and that is the take-away that resonates with an audience.
Be As Personal or Unpersonal As You Desire.
Ali is much more personal, sharing more emotional, human, all-around aspects of life than Thomas Frank. Neither is more correct but rather a commentary of what each individual is comfortable sharing. My point being, that I’m taking away that you can share as much or as little as you desire in those circumstances.
It can be refreshing and more personable to hear that a doctor has struggles with dating, social anxiety, cares about his skincare and such. It gives a separate spin or perspective that makes him more relateable but then veers away from the productivity themes and more to holistic well-being, and mental health.