AI, blogging, and coding at night: Alisher Abdulin on his lifestyle

Alisher Abdulin, city — Astana, entrepreneur, developer, Instagram

About Me

I am a developer, entrepreneur, and a bit of a blogger. For the past five years, I have worked in various startups in Kazakhstan and abroad as a designer and developer. But six months ago, I decided to start working on my own projects. First, my partner and I began developing the CourseClick startup, an AI platform for creating courses.

Then, I started building small SaaS projects, using AI to speed up the work. At the same time, I wrote about all these projects in my blog, which helped me attract both subscribers and users to my products. AI tools allowed us to create projects in just a few days, and people from different countries began reaching out to us to develop MVPs for their startups because it is much cheaper and faster. Currently, we work with clients from Poland, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. However, some clients wanted to learn how to develop and improve their projects on their own, so we launched Align Code, a course that walks you through all the basics of programming and teaches you how to use AI tools for development. It is not designed for 6-12 months, but only for one month. And while it won't help you get into BigTech, the course teaches you how to create your own projects. The first graduates have already created their own products: platforms, bots, and websites. Their results amazed me, as they didn't know how to write code just a month ago, but now they are building full-fledged IT products. 

I work remotely. I usually wake up at 10:00 AM. First thing I do is check all my messengers—if there are new messages, I try to reply immediately. Then I spend about half an hour on email and social media, reviewing the latest updates in the field of AI and technology in general.

During breakfast, I share everything with my wife—she also works in IT, and this way, new information is remembered faster by both of us. After that, I sit down to work: usually, this is three to four hours of deep, focused work.

In the afternoon, I start having calls with clients and partners. By 7:00 PM, I switch to filming and editing videos for my blog. I try to publish videos every day, but it doesn't always work out.

In the evening, I might take a short walk or watch a TV series. After 10:00 PM, I return to work—this is when I feel a surge of productivity. I usually go to sleep between 2:00 and 3:00 AM.

I am gradually trying to normalize my schedule and dream of learning to wake up at 6:00 AM again, like I did in school.

Where and How I Learn 

I talk about AI news in my blog, so I learn every day. My morning starts not with coffee, but with a news feed and email newsletters. Every day, I learn about new AI tools and neural networks and immediately try them out, not only in development but also in video editing, photography, productivity, and other areas. 

I gain deeper practical knowledge and skills from YouTube and ChatGPT. On YouTube, I usually just type in a query and watch tutorials or summaries. But if I were to recommend something specific, I would suggest the Y Combinator channel; if you are building a startup or SaaS, this channel will teach you everything. And in ChatGPT, I recommend using the Deep Research mode: you launch it on any topic you want to study and get a ready-made large report with sources.

I rarely attend events and trainings: I have been to Kolesa Conf and completed the ABC Incubation program from NURIS. I learn many things about other fields from calls with clients. Usually, we have a two-way exchange of knowledge, which allows me to improve my business and marketing skills. I prefer trainings, tutorials, or podcasts on YouTube over in-person events. My favorite podcast is The Diary of A CEO; I recommend it.

My Circle 

My circle consists of people from various digital fields: IT specialists, marketers, PR professionals, videographers, entrepreneurs, and startup founders. My wife and I like to joke about how different our parents' connections are—whose acquaintances are lawyers, doctors, and police officers—from our connections, which mainly consist of the people listed above. If we talk about in-person communication, it is mostly guys from Nazarbayev University and Astana IT University, but since I started blogging, my circle of acquaintances has grown significantly, and currently, I am in touch with people from many CIS countries and beyond.

I am not a big fan of networking, especially networking events. Regarding networking, I believe in two things:

1. It doesn't matter how many people you know; it matters how many people know what you can do.

2. It is better to show once than to tell a hundred times. 

Therefore, my networking is mainly built around my blog, where I show my results, work process, and projects. Those who are interested write to me in direct messages, and that is how we meet and often start collaborating.

Finding like-minded people in IT most often starts at university. If you are a student, it is easy to find a partner, co-founder, or just people with similar interests. The second option is work. I met many of my cool partners at work. And, of course, blogging will help you find like-minded people all over the world. 

Where I Spend My Free Time

I spend my free time with my wife and friends. We usually get together to play board games, eat, and chat. This is valuable and necessary time for me. 

My blog is my hobby. I enjoy filming and editing videos, sharing knowledge and news. My second hobby is developing mini-projects for myself. When I have time, once every two weeks, I try to build something cool for myself, testing how AI can help me with various tasks. 

Where to Buy What

I don't have special preferences for gadgets. My old iPhone 11 and MacBook Air 2018 still serve me well. For my videos, I use a boya lavalier microphone. I usually order everything on Kaspi or Wildberries.