Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal

Chris Sparks is a retired professional poker player, recently ranked in the top 20 online cash game players in the world. He’s also the Founder of Forcing Function where he teaches elite poker frameworks to a select group of twelve investors and executives in meaningful companies, and the author of Experiment Without Limits, a comprehensive workbook for achieving peak performance and leads workshops on decision-making, systems thinking, and performance architecture to organisations and investment teams. In the conversation we talk about what we can learn from the world of poker around high performance and how systems thinking and decision making is crucial for success. Enjoy!

Show Notes

Chris Sparks is a retired professional poker player, recently ranked in the top 20 online cash game players in the world. He’s also the Founder of Forcing Function where he teaches elite poker frameworks to a select group of twelve investors and executives in meaningful companies, and the author of Experiment Without Limits, a comprehensive workbook for achieving peak performance and leads workshops on decision-making, systems thinking, and performance architecture to organisations and investment teams. In the conversation we talk about what we can learn from the world of poker around high performance and how systems thinking and decision making is crucial for success. Enjoy!

(00:00) Intro
(02:17) Being a professional poker player
(06:00) The 'Red Queen' Effect
(08:18) The psychological advantage and self-deception
(13:04) Online vs real life poker
(20:16) Relativistic skills
(25:24) Having a mindset of abundance
(32:27) Applying lessons from poker to your life
(50:15) Understanding other peoples' problems better than our own
(54:21) Experiment Without Limits
(01:02:14) The power of objectivity
(01:18:25) Perfectionistic tendencies
(01:25:00) Deciding your priorities
(01:28:22) Being a performance coach
(01:42:31) Realising everything is a choice
(01:47:40) The status quo bias and forcing functions
(01:58:27) Chris' Free Performance Assessment


🔗 CONNECT WITH CHRIS 

💻 Website
🎙Forcing Function Hour Podcast
🐦 Twitter
📸 Instagram

🔗 CONNECT WITH ALI

💌  Sign up to my weekly email newsletter
🎥 YouTube Channel
💻 Website
📸  Instagram
🐦  Twitter
👥 Linkedin

📚Check out my New York Times Bestselling book Feel-Good Productivity!
Amazon
Website

📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED

Forcing Function Performance Assessment - https://www.forcingfunction.com/assessment
Peak Performance Workbook (free download) - http://www.experimentwithoutlimits.com
Forcing Function Hour Podcast - http://www.forcingfunctionhour.com
Group Coaching Program (Cohort 4 launches Sept) - https://www.teamperformancetraining.com
Forcing Function Performance Library - https://www.forcingfunction.com/library
Deep Dive with Noah Kagan - https://youtu.be/B4rVZW1YJB0
Deep Dive with Grace Beverley - https://youtu.be/7_hNRR6K6z4

Find the show notes and the transcript on the website: https://aliabdaal.com/podcast/

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Creators & Guests

Host
Ali Abdaal
Producer
Amber Baxter-Clarke

What is Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal ?

Dr Ali Abdaal is the world’s most followed productivity expert and author of Feel-Good Productivity, the brand new book that reveals why the secret to productivity isn’t discipline, it’s joy. In his podcast, Deep Dive, Ali sits down with inspiring creators, thinkers, entrepreneurs and high performers to help listeners build lives that they love.

Ali’s cheerful style, positive approach, and well-researched content have made him a trusted voice when it comes to productivity. The internet means that we have access to more knowledge and information than ever before - but it can also be overwhelming. So, Ali and his expert guests focus on simple, scientifically proven, and actionable steps you can take to make real changes in your life.

Ali’s a firm believer that happiness isn’t the result of success - in fact, happiness is the key to success in the first place. Ali made this discovery while working as a doctor in a chaotic hospital ward. In the past, hard work had been the answer to every obstacle in his life. But no amount of hard work was going to combat panic and burnout.

So, Ali dedicated himself to figuring out a new approach to productivity - one that focuses on enjoying the journey and working towards truly meaningful goals. Deep Dive, with its authentic and engaging conversations, will give you all the insights you need to do just that.