Hey, y'all!
This week from Austin Scholar...
Austin’s Anecdote: Meeting my YouTube hero Ali Abdaal
The biggest problems your teen is facing (& the Ali Abdaal videos to help tackle them)
Scholar’s Sources: A few of my favorite YouTubers
Austin’s Anecdote: Meeting my YouTube hero Ali Abdaal
Ali Abdaal is one of the most fascinating, successful, and fulfilled people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.
He’s a doctor-turned-creator who followed his passion for making videos and built a life he didn’t even know he wanted.
I’ve watched literally every single Ali Abdaal video–and so has pretty much every other high school student who wants to get good grades. He has some incredible content on how to take notes, be more organized, study efficiently, and manage your time. (He’s one of the TikTok-ers I follow, too.)
This last week, I had the opportunity to hear Ali speak at my high school, Alpha High, and again when David Perell invited me to listen to his podcast recording session with Ali.
I go to a school with no teachers, so Ali Abdaal is honestly the closest thing I’ve had to a teacher in over seven years. The Alpha guides are emotional support for the students and are primarily focused on “guiding” us to the right path. But with Ali, I treat his videos like class lectures–I take notes the entire time and implement his tips as if they’re homework.
I don’t want to ruin the podcast, so I’m going to talk instead about a few of the lessons I’ve learned from his YouTube channel.
The biggest problems your teen is facing (& the Ali Abdaal videos to help tackle them)
Over the course of their teenage years, your kids are going to face all kinds of challenges. And, let’s be real: you probably have no clue how to help them.
Teens’ attention spans are ruined because of TikTok and other short-form content, so it can seem impossible for them to study effectively. We struggle with our sleep schedules, with time management and managing stress, and sometimes we have no clue what we even want out of life.
Well, I’ve got some good news for you: whatever your teen is struggling with, Ali Abdaal has a video to help.
I’ve compiled a list of the most common struggles your kid might have–and prescribed an Ali Abdaal video for them to watch to fix it. All you have to do is identify their struggle and send them the attached video.
Let’s get into it.
#1 Your teen doesn’t have the motivation to do well in school
Ali has some fantastic videos on motivation–and for most kids, just watching Ali’s videos and seeing his success can be incredibly motivating.
But, more specifically, he has a video called “Why you struggle to stay motivated” which dives into reasons behind a lack of motivation and explains how to connect with your own goals and values in order to regain energy and momentum.
Also, he has a video on “How to stay focused while studying” that can help kids avoid distractions and get into the flow during long study periods–so they don’t lose their motivation once they have it.
#2 Your teen feels like everything is out of their control
So many students feel like they can’t control what’s happening to them–especially in today’s turbulent world, and with the uncertainties of teenage life, like college admissions and getting a job.
I’ll be honest: this has been a challenge for me, too. But, Ali has a great video that covers the mental models and mindsets–skills that school doesn’t teach–that we can use to take control over our lives and continue on the path to success.
#3 Your teen is struggling with sleeping
More than 70% of teenagers aren’t getting a healthy amount of sleep. This lack of sleep causes teens to have a much harder time remembering things, to have an increased risk of depression, and to have so many other dramatic side effects that hurt their potential.
Ali has two great videos on sleep, both of which helped me build a new sleep schedule and feel more energized and awake (making me much more productive).
#4 Your teen doesn’t know how to be successful
Through all of the uncertainties and changes in the world, teens are left completely clueless as to how to be successful and achieve their goals.
7 Habits to Be a Millionaire by 30 is a fantastic video that explains the seven very simple, actionable skills anyone can learn to increase their potential for success. This is a great one because the skills don’t seem crazy or super hard to achieve, but it’s clear how they each have an impact on your life.
#5 Your teen is struggling with time management
Time management is probably one of the hardest skills for a teenager to learn. With AP classes, extracurriculars, friends, family, college admissions, and so much more filling their schedules, it seems like there is never enough time to do everything they need to.
Ali has a great video on how he manages his time that any teenager can learn from. His system is simple, but effective–and can be run all on Google Calendar :)
#6 Your teen is a procrastinator
Do any of these sound familiar?
“I’m going to create a time-management schedule… after Christmas break.”
“I’m going to start this… tomorrow.”
So many teens have fallen into the habit of procrastinating–a lot of times because we’re scared to start something new. How to overcome the fear of getting started is a phenomenal video that is both motivational and actionable, which is definitely the best kind of video :)
#7 Your teen doesn’t know where to start with productivity
Trust me: I get it. There are so many productivity hacks out there that it can be overwhelming to start.
Don’t let that stop your teen from transforming their life.
Ali posted a great video on how to be a happy and productive student. In it, he dives into the few, simple principles that he would live by in order to both get great grades and have a great social life. These principles are super simple and can motivate any teen to kickstart their transformation and begin living the life they want.
#8 Your teen wants to learn more effectively
I’m willing to bet that your teen is not learning in the most effective way. They’re probably wasting countless hours studying that they could instead be spending with family or working on their passion.
To fix this, have them watch “How to learn anything faster”, which will teach them the learning science behind productive studying. They’ll learn how to get better grades, while spending less time working.
Also, your kid’s brain health is a critical part of them maximizing their study time, so make sure to learn how to optimize brain health.
#9 Your teen wants to do their own thing
If you (and your kid) have had a dream of your child becoming a doctor or lawyer, but you’re noticing that they are showing incredible success and potential in another field, show them this video on why Ali left medicine to become a YouTuber.
It’s a super powerful example of fulfillment and how much better life is when you actually want to go to work on Monday.
#10 Your teen feels like nothing is going their way
A part of being a teenager is feeling like the world sucks and nothing is going their way.
Whenever your teen feels like that, just send them this video on How to Become Luckier. They’ll learn how to stop blaming everything around them for their problems, and how to take steps themselves to get the opportunities to change their life.
#11 Your teen doesn’t know what they want out of life
No teenager really knows what they want out of life.
So, there are two incredible videos that I can’t recommend enough:
Ali Abdaal has mastered living his best life–one where he is achieving his goals, but also feels fulfilled and energized each day. Every single kid should learn from him so they can do the same.
Scholar’s Sources: A few of my favorite YouTubers
If you find yourself loving Ali Abdaal (like so many of us do), here are three other YouTubers that you might want to check out:
UnJaded Jade does some super cool, learning-science-backed study videos and focuses on overall productivity and self-care. She’s definitely another one of my favorites.
Elizabeth Filips is a medical student (just like Ali was when he started YouTubing!) and creates awesome “Habitless Productivity” videos that make being productive super manageable.
studyquill makes great videos on time management, studying, and student life. Her videos are super cute and she also gives some tips on applying to college, which is really relevant to me :)
Thanks for reading. Go crush the week! See y'all on Sunday.
I think I will check out those videos! Great article Austin❤️