@zachpogrob

Obsession beats discipline - go all-in on your craft until you either die or get reborn.

Playbooks

10 step-by-step guides to execute proven strategies.

Escape Depression Through Action

People stuck in depression who have tried thinking or therapy-based solutions without breakthrough results. Those who tend toward rumination and paralysis.

1Start with stream of consciousness writing: no editing, no judgment, force yourself to write even when you do not want to. Write even if it is just 'I hate everything' for pages.

2Add physical movement: start with walking, progress to running. Begin with any distance, build to daily. Running solves what thinking cannot.

3Progress to building: once energy returns through writing and movement, channel it into creating something tangible like a product, content, or art.

+2 more steps

3-6 months for significant shift, ongoing maintenance

Launch Product Without Traditional Marketing

Founders with design sense and existing audience or distribution. Builders who want product quality to drive growth. People who hate traditional marketing tactics.

1Set marketing constraints: no money on marketing, no fancy launch videos, no influencer partnerships, no TikTok schemes

2Focus on two things only: product obsession and distribution obsession. Make the product undeniably great and share the building journey relentlessly.

3Build waitlist through pure interest. If people do not join without incentives, the product is not compelling enough yet.

+2 more steps

6-12 months from idea to launch

Build Unshakeable Mental Resilience Through Ultra-Running

Ambitious people who want to permanently expand their capacity for discomfort. Those facing major challenges who need perspective. People whose mental challenges exceed their physical ones.

1Build base: run consistently 3-5 times per week for several months

2Complete a marathon: few hours of sustained effort teaches basic long-distance suffering

3Progress to 50 miles: 9-12 hours in genuinely uncomfortable territory, likely with walking sections

+2 more steps

12-24 months to complete progression

Convert Heartbreak Into Unlimited Creative Energy

People who just experienced significant romantic loss. Ambitious individuals who want to use pain productively rather than destructively. Those who feel devastated but recognize the potential energy in the devastation.

1Accept the devastation fully: do not numb it or deny it. Cry. Sit sadly. Feel the full weight of the loss without trying to escape it.

2Set a transition point: decide you will feel this fully for a defined period (2-4 weeks), then consciously redirect the energy

3Recognize heartbreak as a natural performance-enhancer: the intense energy is real and can be channeled

+2 more steps

1-3 months of feeling, then 6-18 months of building

Learn Design Skills Rapidly Using AI

Non-technical founders who need design skills. Anyone who learns better by example than by curriculum. People who have strong taste but lack technical ability to execute.

1Collect examples: screenshot 20-50 designs you genuinely admire. These become your curriculum.

2Analyze with AI: paste screenshots into Claude or ChatGPT and ask specific technical questions like 'What Figma settings create this shadow effect?'

3Implement immediately: after each AI explanation, open Figma and recreate what you learned

+2 more steps

2-3 months to functional proficiency

Execute a Burn It Down Life Reset

People who feel stuck and have tried incremental changes without breakthrough. Those whose current life feels like slow death. Anyone living someone else's script who needs radical change.

1Identify the anchors: what specifically is keeping you stuck? Usually it is apartment, relationship, job, or location.

2Make the decision to end it completely: not pause, not reduce, but fully end. Half-measures create lingering obligations.

3Execute quickly: before rationalization and fear kick in, make the changes irreversible. End the lease, book the flight, have the conversation.

+2 more steps

1-4 weeks for destruction, 6-12 months for rebuilding

Build Daily Writing Habit That Compounds

Anyone who wants to develop ideas through writing. People who want to build audience through consistent output. Those who struggle with consistency and need a sustainable system.

1Start with stream of consciousness: no editing, no judgment, just write. The goal is to establish the habit before worrying about quality.

2Write daily without exception: the consistency matters more than the length. Even 100 words counts.

3Post publicly: writing online creates accountability and forces you to clarify thoughts for an audience

+2 more steps

30 days to habit, 1 year to meaningful compound effect

Find Your Core Obsession

People searching for what to focus on long-term. Those who have tried many things without finding the one that sticks. Anyone who envies people with clear callings.

1Look backward first: what did your 10-year-old self love? What do you return to between projects? The obsession is usually already present, just obscured.

2Notice what you cannot stop: track what you do with completely free time. What do you have to make yourself stop doing to sleep and eat?

3Try things seriously: dabbling does not reveal obsession. Commit to each exploration for months, not days.

+2 more steps

Ongoing exploration, typically 1-5 years to find and confirm

Running as City Exploration and Idea Generation

Busy professionals traveling who have no time for traditional tourism. Founders and creatives who need both exercise and idea generation. Anyone in a new city who wants to see it efficiently.

1Identify that you will be too busy working to sightsee normally

2Map out running routes through notable areas of the city using a map app

3Run 6-12 miles covering different neighborhoods each day

+2 more steps

Single session (1-2 hours) or ongoing practice

Build Audience for Future Product Launch

Future founders who know they will eventually build something. Creators who want distribution before they have something to distribute. Anyone willing to invest years for eventual leverage.

1Choose a platform and commit to consistent daily or near-daily posting for years

2Build audience around your perspective and obsession, not around generic content

3Document your journey authentically including struggles and learning

+2 more steps

3-7 years of audience building before product launch