Hacker News with Generative AI: Motivation

Ask HN: Wantrepreneur who's run out of energy/ideas. What now? (ycombinator.com)
I’ve been trying to launch startups on the side for the past 3 years, indie hacker style. Many evenings and weekends were burnt. Yet I gained very little traction, and made a big fat 0 dollars.

Entrepreneurship, Side Projects, Burnout, Motivation, Indie Hacking

14 points by mmarian 10 days ago | 41 comments

The Selfish Contributor Revisited (lwn.net)
Open source is often described as a "gift economy"—an ecosystem where contributors are motivated by a desire to make the world a better place. That is, sometimes, true. However, James Bottomley used his main track slot at FOSDEM 2025, on February 1, to make the case that it is better to bank on the selfish motivations of individuals to drive community success than to rely on their altruism.

Open Source, Community, Motivation, Software Development

13 points by pabs3 14 days ago | 0 comments

I conditioned myself to fail (brainbun.com)
Over the years I’ve literally built hundreds of projects. Some with a lof of potential. Others just batshit crazy ideas.

Personal Development, Motivation, Productivity

162 points by brainbun 17 days ago | 78 comments

Show HN: Hold yourself accountable for gym visits with a $10 stake (gymbully.fit)
Hit your target or donate to charity. Ready to challenge yourself?

Fitness, Motivation, Charity, Accountability

10 points by paul_brook 30 days ago | 18 comments

Work Is Just Work (robinrendle.com)
I love work. It drives me. It’s exciting. Everything about building things with folks is a pure thrill.

Work, Motivation, Building, Collaboration

6 points by tobr 35 days ago | 0 comments

Nobody cares (grantslatton.com)
Why does nobody care about anything? The world is full of stuff that could be excellent with just 1% more effort. But people don't care.

Motivation, Society, Technology, Effort

1071 points by fzliu 37 days ago | 976 comments

Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things (ycombinator.com)
Seeking recommendations for books about how hard things got done.

Self-Improvement, Biographies, Success Stories, Motivation

495 points by zachlatta 45 days ago | 437 comments

Ask HN: What Motivates you to keep going? (ycombinator.com)

Motivation, Productivity, Ask HN

23 points by Jaedon_Proctor 58 days ago | 37 comments

Pay, Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation, Performance, and Creativity in Work (2014) (researchgate.net)

Work, Motivation, Performance, Creativity, Research

20 points by JustinSkycak 67 days ago | 2 comments

Haunted by my own projects (cassidoo.co)
I feel like my own side projects haunt me sometimes. I want to build new and shiny things, I buy domain names, I get 90% of the way there… and then eh. Time for something new and shiny again.

Side Projects, Personal Development, Motivation, Software Development

129 points by mooreds 85 days ago | 51 comments

Ask HN: What projects are you going to work on if no need to work? (ycombinator.com)
Ask HN: What projects are you going to work on if no need to work?

Personal Projects, Motivation, Work-Life Balance, Lifestyle

15 points by hnthrowaway0328 94 days ago | 26 comments

Hate the Process (ninjasandrobots.com)
The journey is the reward.

Motivation, Philosophy, Self-Improvement

14 points by nate 126 days ago | 5 comments

We avoid effort even though it can improve our well-being (newscientist.com)
Understanding the “effort paradox” can help you reshape your relationship to exertion so that you commit to those hard but truly meaningful activities

Psychology, Well-being, Motivation, Decision Making, Behavioral Economics

52 points by XzetaU8 140 days ago | 48 comments

Clever, Brave, Persistent (camhashemi.com)
I wonder: is there anything more predictive of success than being clever, brave, and persistent?

Success, Personal Development, Motivation

32 points by 1penny42cents 144 days ago | 18 comments

Ask HN: Anyone else get depressed when you're not actively digging into a topic? (ycombinator.com)
Sometimes I'll be "done" exploring a topic/project, but haven't yet found another one to dig into (or just run into some sort of a break/gap in mental activity), and I'll basically get depressed (not technically, just temporary low mood) without having something keeping my brain engaged.

Productivity, Mental Health, Motivation, Learning, Technology

4 points by samh748 153 days ago | 9 comments

How to Become So Good They Can't Ignore You (2014) (businessinsider.com)
When asked for advice, comedian Steve Martin likes to say, "Be so good they can't ignore you."

Self-Improvement, Career Advice, Success, Motivation

4 points by squircle 161 days ago | 0 comments

Ask HN: What to build (to get excited again)? (ycombinator.com)

Software Development, Career Advice, Motivation

10 points by purple-leafy 169 days ago | 9 comments

Ask HN: What motivates you, what are you working towards? (ycombinator.com)

Motivation, Career, Personal Development

9 points by icdtea 173 days ago | 14 comments

Ask HN: How to finish last 30% of a side project? (ycombinator.com)

Side Projects, Productivity, Motivation

68 points by HowToFinishP 216 days ago | 56 comments

The Right Kind of Stubborn (paulgraham.com)