Wow, are you me?<p>I suspect that if I were even a little dumber (and mind you: I&#x27;m bright, but not <i>that</i> bright, ya know?) I&#x27;d probably be homeless instead of doing pretty damn well as a developer. Then again, maybe I&#x27;d be better motivated if couldn&#x27;t achieve 7-8&#x2F;10 results on a 5&#x2F;10 level of effort. Only trouble is when I need to hit 9 or 10 on a deadline...<p>Weird thing is, I have a <i>phenomenal</i> work ethic on projects that involve physical labor, and not just the purely mindless kind, <i>provided</i> I&#x27;m not the only one working on the project—if it&#x27;s solely up to me to start it and follow through on my own, it won&#x27;t happen until I have one of my &quot;I feel like I can conquer the world!&quot; days when I inexplicably feel full of energy and confidence and motivation, and I only get those a handful of times a year. Anyway, point is, that tells me it&#x27;s not some pervasive defect in my very being. I <i>can</i> have a <i>great</i> work ethic, without even trying, really, under the right circumstances, and I feel <i>good</i> when I do—I don&#x27;t work grudgingly in those cases.<p>Curious if you&#x27;ve observed similar things in yourself.<p>As for modifying my behavior and fighting laziness: I&#x27;ve found I&#x27;ve gotten a bit better at this naturally as I&#x27;ve grown older (now early 30s) and <i>sometimes</i> actually win the battle of wills with myself, but my main insight has been that if I&#x27;m serious about something I <i>must</i> engineer my environment for success. Sorry to say it, but if other things are taking up time you want to spend on something else, your best solution may be to <i>mercilessly</i> eliminate distractions as you find them while also making it easier to choose to do the things you <i>wish</i> you would do by putting the tools and materials you need (if any) somewhere convenient. Like, sell-your-gaming-computer&#x2F;consoles—pretty extreme. Or at least put them somewhere really out of the way. Maybe find some way to unplug it all and stick it in a closet, and <i>always</i> put it back when you&#x27;re done.<p>It&#x27;s tough, but it works.<p>Given this discovery, I dream of a world where I can live in one house engineered for learning and productivity most of the time and another with all the distractions I enjoy the rest of the time. If only houses weren&#x27;t so expensive, heh.<p>Short of that, you can commit to only engaging in your distractions in the best possible way. &quot;I can watch movies or TV or play video games, but only ones of high artistic merit or great significance&quot;. &quot;If I want to switch windows away from work and read crap on my laptop, that &#x27;crap&#x27; <i>must</i> be a classic from Project Gutenberg.&quot; &quot;If I pull out my phone for no immediate purpose, the only thing I can do is run through flash cards, or Duolingo&quot;. That kind of thing. It&#x27;s usually harder (though far from impossible) to <i>over</i> indulge with restrictions like that in place, provided you can stick to it—such media is <i>chewier</i>, less addictive. Doesn&#x27;t make you feel as bad afterward. Steak and asparagus versus cotton candy.<p>For my part, HN will probably have to go soon, and I may start unplugging my Internet a few days a week. I&#x27;ll have to experiment with the latter, we&#x27;ll see how it goes.