Sometimes, you want to do something hard, like working on a project, but you can't get yourself to do it in the moment. I think most advice one reads about this problem (at least outside of LW) is useless, hence the title. The aspiration of this post will be to say at least one thing you haven't thought of before.

[Epistemic status: self-experimentation & modelling; no empirical evidence.]

Here is our basic model:

There's [you], and there's [something you want to achieve], but the process of achieving it is unpleasant, so we've drawn a metaphorical "Unpleasantness Barrier".

This image immediately suggests a bunch of ways how to proceed. Let's start with one of the less obvious ones.

1. Avoid the Barrier

1.1. Just don't do it

I am continuously amazed at how often people tell me they will do something only to then not do it. If this is the option you will end up going with, it is almost strictly better to decide this early rather than resolving to do it and failing. Perhaps you couldn't have known how hard it would be at first, but in most cases, who are we kidding? As trivial as this sounds, I think it is one of the most underutilized strategies on this list. Quite often, you can, in fact, just not do the thing.

Related: Should considered harmful; Taboo Should

1.2. Get Around the Barrier

Don't like calling people? Text them instead. Don't like cleaning your house? Hire someone. Don't like your job? Look for another one.

This strategy is arguably even more underutilized, though probably less so among this audience. It's not always applicable, however, which is true for most items in this list. E.g., perhaps what you want to do is study something, in which case getting someone to do it for you won't help at all.

2. Overcome the barrier using BRUTE STRENGTH

You have some tools to do hard things. Let's look at them in turn.

2.1. Motivation

Sometimes you are motivated and can do things that would usually be hard.

This is what most advice focuses on. It's also probably the least useful item on this list. It's not that motivation isn't helpful when you have it, but it's infamously uncontrollable, and telling people a variant of "just be motivated" probably is unhelpful. I mean, just look at that gun; does this really look like something that's going to work when you stop believing in it?

Generally, no amount of intellectual understanding will get you motivated on demand...

David1.

David1.