@zachpogrob

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

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.

3-6 months for significant shift, ongoing maintenance

What Success Looks Like

Energy returns, ideas flow, you are creating output rather than consuming inputs, you wake up with purpose rather than dread, the mental loop of rumination is broken.

Steps to Execute

Start 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.

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

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

Follow the sequence: Artist then Athlete then Entrepreneur. Do not skip steps or rush the progression.

Accept the timeline: things change slowly, then all at once. Months can be dark before the shift happens.

Checklist

Have you written stream of consciousness for 7 consecutive days?

Have you moved your body (walked or ran) for 30+ minutes for 7 consecutive days?

Have you created one tangible thing this week (post, design, code, art)?

Have you cut processed food for 3+ consecutive days?

Have you avoided numbing behaviors like excessive TV, alcohol, or social media for 3+ days?

Inputs Needed

A journal or digital writing tool
Running shoes or walking shoes
A creative project or idea to build toward
Basic discipline for the initial 2-3 weeks before momentum builds

Outputs

Daily writing habit that rebuilds self-trust
Physical activity that generates energy rather than depleting it
Creative output that compounds into something meaningful
Broken rumination cycle replaced with action cycle

Example

“A person spends August through December watching TV, ordering delivery, hating their existence. In January they start forced journaling, writing 'I hate everything' for a week straight. They add daily walks, then running. By March they are posting online. By summer they are building a product and feel genuinely alive for the first time in years.”