+ 1, complete BS article, the author seems to have a very naive understanding of what self-improvement is and what it's benefits are. We can also use self improvement proven techniques to get at the next level that we aspire.

PS. I'm obsessed with Self Improvement and I've grown a lot using those techniques.

Agreed, the author attacks a strawman and then prescribes the most trite cliche in all of self-help: "do you what you love and the rest will take care of itself". Its anti-advice.

I've had essentially the same goals and dreams for over a decade, and still grow more deeply fascinated by the month. But I'm not getting any younger, old enough that I can no longer expect that things will naturally fall into place. That I too often find myself compulsively reading HN at 3pm and ahem navel-gazing at 3am, instead of "moving my feet" down the path of progress, is not due to a lack of love or inherent drive. Rather, its the steep learning curve against a background of distraction which disrupts "flow". Has for years.

I wish I hadn't thought so cynically of self-help when I was younger. But its only recently that I've found insightful any particular resources. "The Willpower Instinct" audiobook is readily available and highly recommended, and BJ Fogg's free program at tinyhabits.com complements it well. The lift.do app complements both (daily dont's can track your will-not-power). Also, the Pomodoro Technique is a good no-nonsense alternative to GTD and other complex productivity systems.

One last thing I read somewhere and keep in mind, was a study which showed that focusing on the positive outcomes of not doing [bad habit/thing] is more effective at changing behavior than fearing the anxiety and guilt felt after doing [bad habit/thing] (which was actually found to be counter-productive as a preventive technique).

Well the way I see it, self improvement is like playing guitar - initially it's bloody hard and doesn't make sense and when you do lock down a chord it takes ages to then play the next one and is a whole mess and is super awkward and annoying, however, once you get vaguely good at it then it becomes less about the gruelling learning and more about playing around and enjoying what you're good at - it's not just a learning exercise, it's something you understand and can develop in your own sweet way.

Self improvement, learning, guitar skill - nobody, unless you're innately talented, is something anyone just "slips into" naturally because it "feels right and is easy" as this article suggests - making the most out of this pointless spec of time takes hard work, paying attention, taking risks, learning the hard way, but it's like, deferred gratification...being bored easily helps (otherwise we'd just devote our lives to the mundane shit children enjoy), it's a fantastical journey of discovery, and it's not necessarily easy to reach things that can reward us the most.

I thought the point of the article was that hard work, paying attention, and taking risks can itself be fun. Perhaps I'm just projecting my own views onto the author.

The author actually agrees with you to a certain extent: "Well, it is a big deal. And in spite of how effortless these accomplishments may appear, people work harder than you likely realize to make these things happen." He or she isn't denying that there's an element of self-discipline and pain in achieving your goals, actually the opposite.

I think the author is asking us to take a step back and really consider why we have these aspirations. Is it only for status? If so, we're already at a disadvantage because there are people out there who enjoy the grind for that goal more than us.

For me, the trick is finding the goal that has the highest ROI and the least grind/friction. There is always going to be a certain amount of pain and discomfort in pursuing any goal, but it doesn't hurt to try to minimize it.

I think HN could do with a lot more Adventure Time references. +freaking1

You've misread the article - he's advocating doing things you feel driven to do by your own will, rather than doing things you think you should (based on external motivations). Of course those things will be difficult sometimes but you won't care.

It's 'programming' for me - I have spent countless hours doing it; sometimes it's frustrating and difficult, sometimes I suck at it - but the drive is always there so I keep doing it, and still enjoy it.

You hit the hail on the head. My argument is that curiosity is more powerful than notions of what one "should" do.

All things come with some level of challenge. Getting past such hurdles has a lot to do with how much you get out of the overall experience. Yes, hard work is required; and I'm no stranger to sticking with something. For more thoughts on this notion, read The Muck: http://www.deliberatism.com/editorial/the-muck/

I've done creative things for the better part of my life. This path has often been difficult. In spite of that, I find a strange pleasure in sitting down and putting pen to paper: be that in a drawing, something I'm writing, or in a new business idea.

I'm not doing these things to improve myself. I'm just interested in seeing what the next thing might lead to. As a result, even the toughest parts become more tolerable.