i'm writing a post about this: https://x.com/thedankoe/status/2012956603297964167.
//idea
you haven't experienced anything near what you're capable of.
most people get success backward. they think it requires a 12-hour grind. but reality has constraints - jobs, family, responsibilities.
the realistic unit of change isn't "all day". it's one hour.
one hour a day is 365 hours a year. if aimed correctly, it's enough to drastically change your trajectory.
one meaningful project. one clear vision.
if you can spend eight hours building someone else's dream, you can spend one hour building your own.
//productivity
productivity is like fitness. training 8 hours a day without food or sleep doesn't create progress; it creates breakdown.
the mind is the same. think in three categories:
- building: intense bursts of deep work (product, service, brand).
- maintenance: consistent systems to keep it alive (marketing, support).
- recovery: the overlooked work (rest, leisure) where the subconscious connects ideas.
start by building for one hour a day until you can do it full time. only then transition to maintenance.
//why it's hard to focus
your mind is a computer, and attention is the ram. too many open tabs = performance drop.
distraction spends your finite life budget of attention. entropy is real: if you do nothing, disorder grows.
lack of focus isn't usually a willpower issue. it's a clarity issue.
//unlocking focus
three ingredients:
- clarity: a task concrete enough to understand.
- importance: knowing what happens if you don't change.
- urgency: the thing that makes you act now.
flow happens when challenge is just slightly above skill. too high = anxiety. too low = boredom.
//the routine
successful creatives often didn't grind all day. they had a rhythm:
- fill the brain: learning, reading, socializing.
- empty the brain: journaling, planning.
- use the brain: deep focus, creation.
modern culture overvalues pressure. history valued rest—not as escape, but as the time for insight.
//the protocol
if you want change, you might need to be extreme.
1. vision and anti-vision know what you don't want. write it down until it's uncomfortable. then write the vision. remove distractions (apps, games, environments).
2. hierarchy of goals 10-year direction -> 1-year goal -> 1-month clarity -> 1-week execution. these are guesses, not contracts. adapt as you move.
3. project-based learning don't watch endless tutorials. build a project. let the project expose the gaps in your knowledge. then learn exactly what you need to fix that gap.
4. lever-moving tasks every day: 1-3 tasks that actually move the project forward. if two weeks pass with no progress, you're pulling the wrong levers.
//uncertainty
uncertainty isn't noise. it's the signal that you're entering new territory.
feeling lost means you're changing. people fear mistakes so much they make the biggest mistake: avoiding mistakes.
progress requires a portfolio of failures.
you don't need more time. you need clarity, one project, and one hour a day.