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LifeNotes | Ali Abdaal

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They need different skills and mental toolboxes. Trying to plan and do at the same time leads to distraction and procrastination. For a few years now, my mental model for separating the two things has been The Pilot and the Plane. (Shoutout to my brother Taimur for coming up with the analogy lol – btw, check out our podcast Not Overthinking). First thing in the morning, I’m The Pilot. I grab my morning coffee, take a step back, and figure out what I want to get done that day. Then I take a break and switch into being The Plane. At this point, and for the rest of the day, my job is just to execute orders that The Pilot’s already given. Crucially, I don’t need to worry about planning, or think too hard about what I could be doing with my time. Today we’re taking a peek under the pilot’s cockpit, at my three-step system for planning the day. I’m such a fan of this system I’ve even built it into my essentiali stationery brand 🤩. (I usually do this in the morning, but you could also do it

In this article: Hey friends, I’ve read hundreds of productivity books, and almost all of them agree with this statement: We need to separate planning from doing. They need different skills and mental toolboxes. Trying to plan and do at the same time leads to distraction and procrastination. For a few years now, my mental model for separating the two things has been The Pilot and the Plane . (Shoutout to my brother Taimur for coming up with the analogy lol – btw, check out our podcast Not Overthinking ). First thing in the morning, I’m The Pilot . I grab my morning coffee, take a step ba

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