Sometimes the biggest reset doesn’t come from doing more, but from zooming out far enough to see what really matters.
That’s exactly what productivity expert Ali Abdaal does every year, with a practice that at first sounds unusual, he writes his own obituary. Not to dwell on the end, but to remind himself how he wants to live.
Ali’s story is a powerful reminder that alignment beats hustle. A former doctor turned one of the world’s most-followed productivity voices, he’s learned that the real danger isn’t burnout from overwork, but “misalignment fatigue”, the exhaustion that comes when your daily actions don’t reflect the life you actually want.
In this episode, I share what I’ve taken from Ali’s approach and how you can use it as a compass too. We explore:
- Why writing your obituary is really about living, not dying
- How to spot “misalignment fatigue” before it derails you
- The science of mortality awareness and why it makes us kinder
- Small steps to bring your daily choices closer to your true story
If you’ve ever felt stuck, drifting, or unsure where your energy should go, this episode is a reminder that high performance isn’t about squeezing more into the day.
Here is more information on the studies referenced:
- The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life (Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, and Tom Pyszczynski, 2015)
- Evidence That Reminders of Mortality Increase Generosity ( Ilan Dar-Nimrod, Tom Pyszczynski, Jamie Arndt, et al. 2008)
- Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want, (Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy 2016)
Listen to the full episode with Ali Abdaal: https://pod.fo/e/213471
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