How To Do Things You Hate: Self-Discipline to Suffer Less, Embrace the Suck, and Achieve Anything
50 actionable insights from the book by Peter Holins
Get the book here on Amazon India:
A very good book I recently read on procrastination and productivity. It is just 152 pages long and costs 235 INR (4$) so that’s a flying start alredy!
Here is the TLDR/ summary of this book, meant only to inspire the reader to get the book and read!
50 actionable insights from Peter Hollins’ book “How To Do Things You Hate: Self-Discipline to Suffer Less, Embrace the Suck, and Achieve Anything”, organized into practical themes:
Understanding Self-Discipline
Self-discipline is a skill—not a trait you're born with.
Doing hard things builds mental strength.
Discomfort is a growth signal—lean into it.
Willpower is finite—use it wisely.
Habits reduce reliance on willpower.
Discipline is the foundation for all other success habits.
You don’t need motivation to act—you need structure.
Start before you feel ready—action breeds motivation.
Discipline is about consistency, not intensity.
Small wins compound over time.
Tools to Build Discipline
Use the 90-second rule—pause before reacting emotionally.
Create activation rituals to start tasks automatically.
Design friction into bad habits—make them harder to do.
Use frictionless systems for good habits—make them easy to start.
Track your progress visually—momentum matters.
Use time-blocking to protect focus.
Set clear boundaries for distractions.
Use “if-then” planning to anticipate obstacles.
Apply the 5-minute rule—just start for five minutes.
Use accountability partners or public commitments.
Mindset Shifts
Discipline is self-respect in action.
You don’t have to like it—you just have to do it.
“Embrace the suck”—accept discomfort as part of the process.
Reframe pain as progress.
Stop negotiating with yourself—commit and follow through.
Don’t chase motivation—build systems.
View discipline as freedom, not restriction.
Detach from outcomes—focus on effort.
Use identity-based habits—act like the person you want to become.
Celebrate effort, not just results.
Breaking Procrastination & Laziness
Diagnose your laziness type—emotional, physical, or cognitive.
Interrupt the doom loop of procrastination.
Use micro-goals to reduce overwhelm.
Break tasks into atomic steps.
Use “temptation bundling”—pair unpleasant tasks with enjoyable ones.
Recognize avoidance patterns—then disrupt them.
Don’t wait for the perfect time—it doesn’t exist.
Use deadlines—even artificial ones.
Visualize the cost of inaction.
Reward yourself for follow-through.
Emotional Mastery
Emotions are data—not directives.
Practice emotional detachment from tasks.
Use mindfulness to observe resistance.
Label your emotions to reduce their power.
Don’t suppress discomfort—channel it.
Build tolerance for boredom and repetition.
Use journaling to track emotional triggers.
Practice self-compassion during setbacks.
Reframe failure as feedback.
Stay committed even when it sucks—that’s where growth lives.
I found this book to be godsend for the chronic procrastinators.
It’s a quick- read and easy to implement in our daily professional/ even personal lives!
Please let me know if you would like to add anything more :)
