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Personal growth and motivation

Self-improvement, motivation, life direction, anxiety, productivity, and personal well-being.

13,084 stories · 108 in 30 days · Updated Sep 28, 2026

The pace of conversation

Posts per month

2020-01: 257 posts2020-02: 190 posts2020-03: 181 posts2020-04: 163 posts2020-05: 232 posts2020-06: 229 posts2020-07: 234 posts2020-08: 219 posts2020-09: 172 posts2020-10: 217 posts2020-11: 224 posts2020-12: 233 posts2021-01: 241 posts2021-02: 136 posts2021-03: 174 posts2021-04: 149 posts2021-05: 181 posts2021-06: 165 posts2021-07: 156 posts2021-08: 168 posts2021-09: 163 posts2021-10: 150 posts2021-11: 148 posts2021-12: 187 posts2022-01: 237 posts2022-02: 168 posts2022-03: 150 posts2022-04: 166 posts2022-05: 192 posts2022-06: 165 posts2022-07: 203 posts2022-08: 204 posts2022-09: 160 posts2022-10: 180 posts2022-11: 185 posts2022-12: 225 posts2023-01: 261 posts2023-02: 171 posts2023-03: 166 posts2023-04: 162 posts2023-05: 191 posts2023-06: 126 posts2023-07: 166 posts2023-08: 156 posts2023-09: 136 posts2023-10: 139 posts2023-11: 138 posts2023-12: 141 posts2024-01: 171 posts2024-02: 157 posts2024-03: 150 posts2024-04: 123 posts2024-05: 144 posts2024-06: 122 posts2024-07: 132 posts2024-08: 132 posts2024-09: 144 posts2024-10: 142 posts2024-11: 109 posts2024-12: 122 posts2025-01: 169 posts2025-02: 124 posts2025-03: 130 posts2025-04: 117 posts2025-05: 121 posts2025-06: 118 posts2025-07: 119 posts2025-08: 123 posts2025-09: 153 posts2025-10: 129 posts2025-11: 157 posts2025-12: 110 posts2026-01: 171 posts2026-02: 127 posts2026-03: 138 posts2026-04: 123 posts2026-05: 106 posts2026-06: 112 posts2026-07: 107 posts2026-08: 127 posts2026-09: 98 posts
2020-012026-09

Posts per month · first and latest months may be partial.

01 / EXPLORE THROUGH TIME

Timeline

Start with the latest. Scroll back through time, or zoom in for more.

Year by yearUp to 5 stories per year
20261,109 stories
Being ambitious and being a dad↗ nicholascharriere.com · HN · 768 comments · 959 points · Aug 16, 2026
Building from zero after addiction, prison, and a felony↗ gavinray97.github.io · HN · 415 comments · 912 points · Jun 07, 2026
Thoughts on slowing the fuck down↗ mariozechner.at · HN · 485 comments · 1130 points · Mar 25, 2026
First, make me care↗ gwern.net · HN · 249 comments · 813 points · Jan 25, 2026
The unbearable joy of sitting alone in a café↗ candost.blog · HN · 434 comments · 802 points · Jan 04, 2026
20251,570 stories
Thin desires are eating life↗ joanwestenberg.com · HN · 270 comments · 855 points · Dec 16, 2025
Steve Wozniak: Life to me was never about accomplishment, but about happiness↗ yro.slashdot.org · HN · 623 comments · 951 points · Aug 14, 2025
Things that helped me get out of the AI 10x engineer imposter syndrome↗ colton.dev · HN · 649 comments · 949 points · Aug 05, 2025
Careless People↗ pluralistic.net · HN · 537 comments · 1071 points · Apr 24, 2025
I am rich and have no idea what to do↗ vinay.sh · HN · 1628 comments · 967 points · Jan 02, 2025
20241,648 stories
Procrastination and the fear of not being good enough↗ swapnilchauhan.com · HN · 276 comments · 656 points · Nov 10, 2024
Tell HN: Burnout is bad to your brain, take care↗ news.ycombinator.com · HN · 327 comments · 742 points · Sep 05, 2024
Do quests, not goals↗ raptitude.com · HN · 174 comments · 649 points · Aug 08, 2024
Stop Acting Like You're Famous↗ ajkprojects.com · HN · 275 comments · 620 points · Apr 17, 2024
Procrastination is connected to perfectionism↗ solvingprocrastination.com · HN · 221 comments · 695 points · Jan 01, 2024
20231,953 stories
Ask HN: What are you grateful for?↗ news.ycombinator.com · HN · 52 comments · 71 points · Dec 24, 2023
Ask yourself dumb questions and answer them (2020)↗ terrytao.wordpress.com · HN · 119 comments · 228 points · Dec 23, 2023
What I wish someone had told me↗ blog.samaltman.com · HN · 64 comments · 135 points · Dec 21, 2023
Amateurs obsess over tools, pros over mastery↗ adamsinger.substack.com · HN · 69 comments · 73 points · Jul 09, 2023
Tell HN: Sometimes you don't realise how bad something is until you leave↗ news.ycombinator.com · HN · 11 comments · 77 points · Jan 20, 2023
20222,235 stories
How I regained concentration and focus↗ innoq.com · HN · 415 comments · 671 points · Aug 01, 2022
Bits of advice I wish I had known↗ kk.org · HN · 634 comments · 1109 points · Apr 28, 2022
Teaching is a slow process of becoming everything you hate↗ dynomight.net · HN · 489 comments · 801 points · Mar 12, 2022
Ask HN: How do you deal with getting old and feeling lost?↗ news.ycombinator.com · HN · 850 comments · 1094 points · Feb 06, 2022
Do things, tell people (2012)↗ carl.flax.ie · HN · 169 comments · 702 points · Feb 03, 2022
20212,018 stories
Underrated Reasons to Be Thankful↗ dynomight.net · HN · 336 comments · 971 points · Nov 25, 2021
The unreasonable effectiveness of just showing up everyday↗ typesense.org · HN · 577 comments · 2075 points · Jul 14, 2021
How to Work Hard↗ paulgraham.com · HN · 1124 comments · 1223 points · Jun 29, 2021
A teenager's guide to avoiding actual work↗ madned.substack.com · HN · 254 comments · 1464 points · May 19, 2021
Embrace the Grind↗ jacobian.org · HN · 310 comments · 1167 points · Apr 09, 2021
20202,551 stories
Tips for a Better Life↗ ideopunk.com · HN · 464 comments · 1271 points · Dec 23, 2020
On the Use of a Life↗ daemonology.net · HN · 265 comments · 1275 points · Sep 20, 2020
I thought I would have accomplished a lot more today and also before I was 35↗ newyorker.com · HN · 667 comments · 1383 points · Aug 29, 2020
Procrastination is about managing emotions, not time↗ bbc.com · HN · 361 comments · 1375 points · Jan 23, 2020
Tricks to start working despite not feeling like it↗ deprocrastination.co · HN · 368 comments · 1636 points · Jan 21, 2020
Scroll through time ↕

02 / CATCH UP

The conversation now

Popular stories, with attention fading over roughly two weeks.

One Month Without AI↗ blog.bustikiller.com · HN · 227 comments · 186 points · Sep 26, 2026
The Real Luxuries In Life↗ feld.com · HN · 246 comments · 532 points · Sep 05, 2026
13 Months Sober (2025)↗ bobbytables.io · HN · 59 comments · 69 points · Sep 28, 2026
Getting your hands dirty is good for you↗ bbc.com · HN · 214 comments · 257 points · Sep 08, 2026
Don't Be Nice↗ roe.dev · HN · 82 comments · 88 points · Sep 20, 2026

03 / GO DEEPER

Follow your curiosity

Find a particular story, revisit a year, or see what resonated.

Highest rated · the last 30 days

The Real Luxuries In Life↗ feld.com · HN · 246 comments · 532 points · Sep 05, 2026
What I learned from my mom (1941-2026)↗ experimentalliving.substack.com · HN · 11 comments · 282 points · Aug 29, 2026
Getting your hands dirty is good for you↗ bbc.com · HN · 214 comments · 257 points · Sep 08, 2026
One Month Without AI↗ blog.bustikiller.com · HN · 227 comments · 186 points · Sep 26, 2026
On Really Trying (2009)↗ gwern.net · HN · 69 comments · 111 points · Sep 09, 2026
Don't Be Nice↗ roe.dev · HN · 82 comments · 88 points · Sep 20, 2026
Who People Talk to When They're Struggling↗ graphsaboutreligion.com · HN · 78 comments · 70 points · Sep 10, 2026
13 Months Sober (2025)↗ bobbytables.io · HN · 59 comments · 69 points · Sep 28, 2026
Ask HN: How to break Claude Code addiction?↗ news.ycombinator.com · HN · 24 comments · 17 points · Aug 29, 2026
The Zig Journey↗ kristoff.it · HN · 7 comments · 10 points · Sep 24, 2026

10 stories shown.

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