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My INSANELY PRODUCTIVE Valentine's Day

2021-02-18 (said on 2021-02-14 — implied: date said in the video; uploaded 4 days later) · Vlog or day in the life · Ali, Sheen · recording, 8:08 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Relationships and personal life (also: YouTube, writing online and creators, Money and investing) · mode: Playful and ironic · tags: His own products discussed, Family, Sponsor segment present

In a self-mocking "insanely productive" Valentine's Day vlog, Ali records Not Overthinking with his brother about troubles with his book and mean comments about him on Tattle Life, prepares the second Part-Time YouTuber Academy cohort, joins the Not Overthinkers community call and works on a guide to Bitcoin.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Valentine's Day morning: a lie-in with YouTube, skincare, a balloon from his mother and blueberry pancakes

  • ★ On Valentine's Day morning Ali gets back into bed and watches Graham Stephan reacting to David Dobrik's new home. — 00:00:00
  • ★ Ali makes American-style blueberry pancakes, joking that it is preparation for his move to the US at some point in life. (playful) — 00:00:58 · United States

00:01:27 — Recording Not Overthinking: the book, his brother's startup and mean comments; a card from Sheen

  • ★★ Around 11 a.m. on 14 February 2021 Ali and his brother Taimur record that week's episode of their podcast, Not Overthinking, online. — 00:01:27 · Taimur Abdaal, Not Overthinking
  • ★★★ On the podcast Ali talks about the emotional rollercoaster of his week, with lots of issues with the book he is writing. — 00:01:27 · Taimur Abdaal
  • ★★ On the podcast Ali and his brother Taimur talk about Taimur's startup and its struggles. — 00:01:27 · Taimur Abdaal
  • ★★ The podcast episode ends with Ali reading out mean comments about himself from the Tattle Life website and analysing how they make him feel. — 00:01:27 · Not Overthinking
  • ★★ One mean comment Ali reads out says his life seems exhausting and a bit sad, a constant quest to be productive because he has nothing else going on; he finds it brutal. — 00:01:56

00:02:36 — Sheen's pep talk, a Zoom call with medical school friends, prep for Part-Time YouTuber Academy cohort two, reading The Artist's Journey

  • ★★ His housemate Sheen gives Ali a pep talk about the mean comments: it is okay to admit they make him feel bad, and admitting it does not infringe on his masculinity. — 00:02:36 · Sheen
  • ★★ Asked on a Zoom call by friends from medical school how his quest to find a wife is going, Ali says his chances of marrying in 2021 are like the Pope converting to Islam. (playful) — 00:03:06 · Zoom
  • ★★★ The second cohort of Ali's Part-Time YouTuber Academy starts the next day, 15 February 2021, and Ali does last-minute preparation so it runs smoothly. — 00:03:06 · Part-Time YouTuber Academy
  • ★★ Ali is reading Steven Pressfield's The Artist's Journey in the Kindle app on his iPad. — 00:03:35 · Kindle, iPad

00:03:59 — The Not Overthinkers community call on meaning and purpose

  • ★★ Ali joins a Zoom call of the Not Overthinkers, the private community he and his brother started around their podcast; about 15 people talk about meaning, purpose and what to do with your life. — 00:03:59 · Not Overthinking, Taimur Abdaal, Zoom
  • ★★ On the Not Overthinkers call Ali shares his struggles with his book and how bad the mean internet comments have made him feel; the community is very supportive. — 00:03:59 · Not Overthinking

00:04:28 — Takeaway, recorder practice, face masks and Bridget Jones's Diary

  • ★ Ali practises the recorder, which he bought the day before, joking that it is to drive out the neighbours. (playful) — 00:04:28
  • ★★ Both single on Valentine's Day, Ali and his housemate Sheen put on face masks and watch Bridget Jones's Diary. — 00:06:18 · Sheen

00:06:47 — Working on a video guide to Bitcoin and crypto investing

  • ★★★ Ali is writing a video that is a guide to Bitcoin and how to get started investing in crypto. — 00:06:47
  • ★★ Ali says he has been investing in crypto since 2017 and always gets comments asking his thoughts on crypto. — 00:06:47

00:07:00 — Brilliant sponsor read

00:07:58 — Sign-off

In the description and comments

  • ★★ Ali Abdaal (channel): Asked what Ali uses to record the voice-over of his vlogs, the channel answers: a Shure SM7B microphone, a Cloudlifter, a Focusrite 2i4 and Logic. — creator comment

Humor (significant)

  • Ali checks his skin in a mirror — 00:00:29

    “I'm using my million subscribers plaque as a mirror because I need the reminder that I've got friends.”

  • His first Valentine's Day gift is a balloon — 00:00:58

    “turns out was sent to me by mother because she feels sorry for me.”

  • The pancake recipe calls for a knob of melted butter — 00:00:58

    “first I google to find out what the hell a knob is”

  • Ali reads Sheen's sweet Valentine's card aloud — 00:02:36

    “This card is recyclable, right? Straight in the bin.”

  • Friends ask about his quest to find a wife — 00:03:06

    “my chances of getting married this year are similar to the chances that the Pope converts to Islam.”

  • Feeling lethargic, Ali thinks about going for a run — 00:03:35

    “but then I decide against it because I'm not a complete weirdo.”

  • Ali practises his new recorder — 00:04:28

    “which I bought yesterday to help drive out the neighbours.”

  • Ali struggles to put on a sheet face mask — 00:05:51

    “I feel like maybe your nose is too big. That's the problem.”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

People: Ali Abdaal's mother · David Dobrik · Graham Stephan · Sheen · Steven Pressfield · Taimur Abdaal

Projects: Not Overthinking · Part-Time YouTuber Academy

Works: Bridget Jones's Diary · The Artist's Journey

Organizations: Tattle Life

Places: United States

Products: Bitcoin · iPad · Kindle · Zoom

Only in the description or credits: Cloudlifter · Focusrite 2i4 · Logic Pro · Shure SM7B

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