Career
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
Tell yourself to do a task for just 5 minutes; the resulting momentum often leads you to continue.
It acts as a trick on the brain that creates a desire to keep going after the initial period.
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Ditch your phone completely.
It is a distraction, not a comfort.
one person who lived it
One approach that helped someone advance their career was studying programming while working a boring job like at a call center.
The work was boring them.
one person who lived it
Stop thinking about how hard a task is and just do it.
Thinking about the difficulty hinders progress; action helps.
one person who lived it
Take a shower first thing in the morning.
Feeling fresh can help boost motivation.
one person who lived it
Speak about who you want to become rather than who you are currently.
Words are powerful and this approach causes thoughts of consistency to arise.
one person who lived it
Use video games as a reward for completing tasks.
Your brain recognizes the pattern and feels motivated to work to earn the reward.
one person who lived it
Get a job you hate, like waiting tables, to motivate yourself to do something you actually enjoy.
That will motivate you to do something you actually enjoy.
one person who lived it
Delete all social media apps from your phone and go cold turkey if you cannot trust yourself to use them moderately.
One person reported missing nothing after quitting and realizing the real world is more interesting than the 'boring' scroll.
one person who lived it
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Forgive yourself for mistakes to free up energy to move forward.
4 people, independently
Define the specific identity you want to embody, then take one single action toward that goal every day.
one person who lived it
Read self-improvement books and watch motivational video essays to analyze parts of your life you didn't know could be problematic.
They helped one person identify problems they were previously unaware of.
one person who lived it
Tell yourself to become 1% better every day.
one person who lived it
Maintain discipline by remembering what you want to get.
one person who lived it
Repeat the phrase 'Fortune favors the bold' when anxious to encourage taking action.
One person realized worrying robbed them of opportunities compared to those already taking steps, so they started doing things more.
one person who lived it
Slowly decrease your morning dopamine time and dissect why you need it, such as fear of responsibilities.
One person realized that procrastination was driven by fear of facing responsibilities and resulted in frustration and lack of motivation.
one person who lived it
If you are struggling to fix your life and routine, try exploring Stoicism as a practical philosophy to adjust your perspective.
one person who lived it