Don't tell people your goals. It's widely accepted that telling others about your goals motivates you to achieve them. But in neurochemical terms, dopamine is released when we tell people our goals and make them a "social reality".

Pick high, hard goals you believe you can reach. These focus your attention and require you to be persistent in pursuing them. But you need to be committed, and the first step in commitment is believing you can do it.

Flow is for everyone. "The flow state is universal, showing up in anyone, anywhere, provided certain initial conditions are met." Now that's an exciting thought!

Lack of momentum is the largest drain on motivation. It's not how hard the task is. It's not how impossible the goal seems. You kill your motivation by stalling and spinning in the mud.

There is a formula for achieving the impossible. "Motivation is what gets you into this game; learning is what helps you continue to play; creativity is how you steer; flow is how you turbo-boost the results beyond all rational standards and reasonable expectations." So flow isn't the only "skill" to build. You need everything else that's in italics.

Depression is caused by disconnection from meaningful work and values. If you feel forced to do boring or overwhelming work that isn't advancing mastery of a core skill you care about, you're more likely to suffer with psychological problems.

But it won't be comfortable. "More meaningful does not typically mean more pleasant."