The Motivation Hacker
by Nick Winter · first published 2014
89% recommend11% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Practical, action-oriented guide to beating procrastination with commitment devices and pre-commitment tactics; a short, quick read that works as a summary for anyone wanting to build habits and reach goals.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2013–2025Remote: Office Not Required
Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, María Isabel Merino Sánchez
Recommended by 7 · mentioned by 177 recommend · 17 mention7 recommend · 177 recommend
2013–2022Choose Yourself
James Altucher
Recommended by 11 · mentioned by 2011 recommend · 20 mention11 recommend · 2011 recommend
2013–2025The world until yesterday
Jared Diamond, Efrén del Valle Peñamil
Recommended by 11 · mentioned by 2311 recommend · 23 mention11 recommend · 2311 recommend
2013–2026How to fail at almost everything and still win big
Scott Adams
Recommended by 39 · mentioned by 4739 recommend · 47 mention39 recommend · 4739 recommend
2010–2026The 4-Hour Body
Timothy Ferriss
Recommended by 32 · mentioned by 6232 recommend · 62 mention32 recommend · 6232 recommend
2010–2026The Box
Marc Levinson
Recommended by 53 · mentioned by 6353 recommend · 63 mention53 recommend · 6353 recommend
2012–2026The Power of Habit
Charles Duhigg
Recommended by 127 · mentioned by 191127 recommend · 191 mention127 recommend · 191127 recommend
2014–2025A Mind for Numbers
Barbara Oakley
Recommended by 57 · mentioned by 7157 recommend · 71 mention57 recommend · 7157 recommend
Yes, most people aren't Nick Winter, and shouldn't be doing 60 hours a week. He is a self-improvement machine. His ebook "The Motivation Hacker", which I highly recommend, explains how he does it. http://www.nickwinter.net/the-motivation-hacker
on “The 120-Hour Workweek - Epic Coding Time-Lapse” ↗2 Books come to mind that have inspired me to be better. 1. 4 Hour Body -by Tim Ferris. This is a popular book and it got me addicted to my health. 2. The Motivation Hacker by Nick Winter. This is less popular than 4 Hour Body, but it's awesome and teaches you how to muster up unconscionable amounts of motivation.
on “Ask HN: Most inspiring books?” ↗Read The Motivation Hacker by Nick Winter. $2.99. I will personally guarantee you'll get a ton of value out of it. If you don't, I'll paypal you the cost of the book, just email me. http://www.amazon.com/The-Motivation-Hacker-ebook/dp/B00C8N4...
on “Ask HN: I can't seem to finish anything. Can I get some advice?” ↗…time on Saturday instead. It's simply not possible to do this with the Seinfeld method. One thing I forgot to mention in my earlier post is that I heard about Beeminder through Nick Winter's book 'The Motivation Hacker'. http://www.amazon.com/The-Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter-eboo... It's cheap, it's a quick read, and it's got some great information inside. I made some notes while I was reading the book - I've uploaded…
on “How Seinfeld's Productivity Secret Fixed My Procrastination Problem” ↗…read a comment here about the 4 Hour Body and how it changed someones life. I downloaded it and read it that night. Lost 50lbs. Never looked back. This year the book that shaped my year has to be The Motivation Hacker by Nick Winter. Great read, teaches you how to motivate yourself to get shit done. Has worked really well for me. http://www.amazon.com/The-Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter-eboo...
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?” ↗1. Think and Grow Rich - by Napolean Hill 2. Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story - by Arnold Schwarzenegger 3. The Motivation Hacker - by Nick Winter.
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?” ↗…of former staff members got out of this rut by using commitment techniques. https://80000hours.org/2013/04/increase-your-productivity-to... (And click through to the next post) You might also find The Motivation Hacker by Nick Winter a good, quick summary.
on “Evidence-based advice we've found on how to be successful in a job” ↗Also check out The Motivation Hacker by Nick Winter. That book is awesome and Nick talks about going from being too nervous to order at Taco Bell to being asked to speak at various tech and hacker conventions.
on “Hack your motivation” ↗Nick Winter describes an interesting approach to building habits and reaching goals in his ebook, "The Motivation Hacker" (http://www.amazon.com/The-Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter-eboo...). He talks about using overwhelming pre-commitment as a way to force yourself to adopt a habit or reach a goal. Try to set up an environment…
on “Ask HN: How habits work? hacking habits advice” ↗Check out "The Motivation Hacker" by Nick Winter (http://www.amazon.com/The-Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter-eboo... - $3 ebook) for some reasons why commitment contracts might help - not everyone is that strongly self-motivated, and even…
on “Show HN: Dependapal – Use Implicit Peer Pressure to Make Progress on Your Goals” ↗…motivation. This slow cognitive process thing just sounds like an excuse, do the best you can in that moment and forget this story about slow cognitive processes. Check out: http://www.amazon.com/The-Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter-eboo...
…http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trung... * Tomas Malik. Patience with God: The Story of Zacchaeus Continuing In Us http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuin... * Nick Winter. The Motivation Hacker http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/09892... * Chas Emerick, Brian Carper, Christophe Grad. Clojure Programming http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/14... Fiction:…
on “Ask HN: Book Recommendations?” ↗For people interested in this, I recommend Nick Winters book "The Motivation Hacker" which gives a practical strategy to 'hack' the procrastination equation. It works, however I feel there are often deep psychological problems and/or health issues causing low 'expectancy' for many people...…
on “Theories of Procrastination” ↗I actually went ahead and bought the Motivation Hacker before seeing your reply here from the link in the article as it sounded interesting. Motivation is a complex beast though, the evidence seems to be mixed on the degree to which it is a limited resource…
on “Evidence-based advice we've found on how to be successful in a job” ↗