How To Quit Your Job (And Do What You Love): The 8-Step Blueprint to Freedom

Have you ever felt stuck in a job you don’t enjoy or trapped by the traditional path that doesn’t seem to lead anywhere fulfilling? I’ve been there, and so has Ali Abdaal. In this article, I’ll walk you through the exact eight-step blueprint Ali followed to escape the 9-to-5 grind and build a thriving business that now earns him thousands of pounds a month. Whether you’re dreaming of financial independence, time freedom, or simply doing work that lights you up, this guide will give you the tools and mindset to start your journey today.

Step 1: Set the Goal — Define Your Freedom Number

The very first step Ali emphasizes is setting a clear and compelling goal. For him, it was about earning £3,000 a month in passive income. This wasn’t just about the money — it was about the freedom that money would buy: the ability to work part-time as a doctor and spend more time doing what he loved.

Here’s what you need to know about goal setting:

Focus on freedom, not just money. Money is just a tool to unlock time, location, and lifestyle freedom.
Keep your goal realistic and specific. Ali’s £3,000/month target was achievable and meaningful for his circumstances.
Lower your living costs. The less you need, the easier it is to reach your freedom number.
Know your “why.” Ask yourself what you want your life to look like, not just how much money you want to make.

Ali also points out that freedom and money alone aren’t the end goal — they only matter when they lead to fun and fulfillment. In today’s world, people want work that offers a balance of financial security, enjoyment, growth, and contribution. So, when setting your goal, think beyond the numbers.

Step 2: Choose Your Adventure — Career, Side Hustle, or Entrepreneurship

Once you know your goal, it’s time to choose your path. Ali breaks down the options into three streams:

The Career Stream: The traditional route of getting a job and climbing the ladder. This is stable but slow for financial freedom.
The Side Hustle Stream: Building a business or income stream alongside your day job to accelerate your journey.
The Entrepreneur Stream: Going full-time with your own business, which is riskier but offers faster freedom and higher rewards.

Ali stresses that no path is inherently better — it’s about freedom of choice. If you love your job and it gives you what you want, that’s perfect. But if you’re stuck and want more, side hustles or entrepreneurship might be the way forward.

Here are some insights to consider:

Financial independence through a career is possible but often takes decades unless you earn a very high salary and keep expenses low.
Side hustles let you test the waters and build income without quitting your job immediately.
Entrepreneurship comes with risks and challenges but can lead to faster growth and personal fulfillment.
Entrepreneurship is not just Elon Musk-level craziness. Most entrepreneurs run lifestyle businesses, earning enough to live well and do what they love.
Owning equity matters. Whether in your own business or as part of a team, having ownership gives you control and security.

Step 3: Just Get Started — Overcome the Paralysis of Perfection

One of the biggest hurdles is simply starting. Ali reminds us that you will never have all the information or feel 100% ready. The school system conditions us to crave certainty, but entrepreneurship thrives on uncertainty.

To break through:

Commit to small, manageable steps. Ali recommends the “rule of seven” — just do seven pieces of content, seven sales calls, or seven actions related to your goal.
Don’t wait for the perfect idea. Ali had zero certainty with his early businesses but started anyway out of necessity and curiosity.
Focus on progress, not perfection. Some of Ali’s early content was “crappy,” but consistency mattered more.
Recognize emotional buying. People often buy courses or tools hoping for motivation but don’t take action. The real work starts after you get started.

Step 4: Master Your Time — Create Space for Your Side Hustle

Time is the currency of freedom, and managing it well is a skill that can be learned. Ali points out that “I don’t have time” is often a disguised way of saying, “I’m choosing not to make time.”

Tips for mastering your time:

Block out dedicated time in your calendar. Treat your side hustle like your job; schedule it and protect that time.
Be intentional. Set clear intentions for what you want to achieve during each time block.
Use accountability. Tell someone your schedule or hire a PA to help manage your commitments.
Reframe your mindset. Recognize that everyone has the same 168 hours a week — it’s about prioritizing.
Enjoy the process. Ali highlights that when you enjoy what you’re doing, time flies and consistency becomes easier.

Step 5: Take Consistent Action — Build Momentum and Habits

Consistency is the secret sauce. Ali defines consistency in content creation as one video a week — a manageable but effective cadence.

To stay consistent:

Lower the bar. Even a small action counts — like filming a quick video or doing one outreach call.
Don’t break the streak. Keep your habit alive even on tough days.
Use accountability mechanisms. Ali’s friend posted daily on LinkedIn with a financial penalty for missing a day.
Build community. Surround yourself with others who are also taking action.
Leverage online content. Podcasts, videos, and courses from people on the same journey can motivate and guide you.

Step 6: Get Clarity on Who You Serve — Find and Understand Your Audience

Knowing exactly who you’re creating for is crucial. Ali’s early YouTube channel focused tightly on aspiring med students, which helped him target his content and grow an engaged audience.

Key points:

Identify your niche. Focus on a specific group with a clear need.
Use search intent. For example, people searching for “how to get into med school” are ideal targets for relevant content.
Test your audience. See who engages with your content or product and refine your focus accordingly.

Step 7: Monetise — Validate Before You Build

Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of building a product first and then trying to sell it. Ali advises reversing this process:

Create a waitlist. Launch a simple page explaining your idea and collect emails from interested people.
Run a pre-sale. Offer early access at a discount to validate demand and get real money upfront.
Use feedback. Use early customers’ feedback to refine your product.
Save time and money. Validating before building prevents wasted effort on products nobody wants.

Ali shares the example of his wife Izzy, who built a waitlist of 5,000 people for a Mandarin course, then pre-sold $10,000 worth of spots before creating the course. This approach gave her confidence and funding to build a product people truly wanted.

Step 8: Scale Your Business — Grow with Purpose and Balance

Scaling is often seen as scary, but Ali’s experience shows that a bigger business can sometimes be easier to manage than a tiny one. Here’s why:

With 15-20 people, management becomes challenging. You might need middle management and more structured systems.
Bigger teams enable delegation. Hiring the right people lets you step back and focus on what matters.
Scaling isn’t just about money. It’s about creating freedom for yourself and others.
Be intentional about your scale. Lifestyle businesses prioritize freedom and balance over maximum growth.
Leaving money on the table is okay. Sometimes, choosing less profit means more freedom and happiness.

Ali also shares a powerful mindset shift: true freedom sometimes means leaving money on the table to preserve your time and well-being. For him, building a profitable business with a team of 18 owners feels less painful and more fulfilling than running everything solo.

Final Thoughts: Freedom is a Journey, Not Just a Destination

Ali’s blueprint is more than just a business plan — it’s a philosophy for creating a life you love. The journey to quitting your job and doing what you love requires:

A clear goal that motivates you through ups and downs.
Choosing a path that fits your personality and life stage.
Starting now, even imperfectly.
Mastering your time and building habits.
Knowing who you serve and validating your offers.
Scaling in a way that supports your freedom, not steals it.

Remember, the most important thing is freedom — but freedom used for fun, fulfillment, and growth. Money and time are just the tools to get there.

If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure where to start, take heart: Ali’s blueprint is designed for real people with real lives. Start small, commit, and keep moving forward. Your dream life isn’t just possible — it’s waiting for you.

Digital Boss Ladypreneur