Discoveries #24 | How Fear Became My Best Productivity Hack
Welcome to Edition 24 of Discoveries where I share inspiration on design, product building, and what's next.
How Fear Became My Best Productivity Hack
I’ve always loved setting goals at the start of a new year.
January-me is unstoppable and deeply convinced this is the year I do absolutely everything.
Until recently, the problem was not ambition. The problem was follow-through. Or, more accurately, the complete disappearance of follow-through once the initial motivation buzz wore off.
Like most people, my “system” for goal-setting was mostly vibes. I wrote down big, aspirational things I wanted to someday accomplish. No timelines. No metrics. No consequences. Just a hopeful list quietly judging me from a notebook drawer.
A few years ago that changed. I realized something uncomfortable but important. Motivation is overrated. Accountability is everything.
Most people already know what they want to do. What they’re missing is a reason they cannot quietly quit when things get difficult.
That’s when my longtime friend of mine and I stumbled onto what I still believe is one of the most effective (and slightly unhinged) accountability hacks of all time.
One day, out of the blue, I texted my buddy and asked him what one thing he desperately wanted to do but could not seem to start. He told me he wanted to learn the drums and play live with a band at his wedding.
I told him to Venmo me a thousand dollars.
Then I laid out the rules. Every Sunday for six months, he had to send me proof that he practiced the drums. If he made it through all six months, he got every dollar back.
If he missed even one week, I got to donate his thousand bucks to a political campaign he would be deeply unhappy to support.
Magically, mysteriously, he practiced the drums.
Religiously.
He played at his wedding.
The system worked beautifully.
I’ve run variations of this challenge multiple times since, and it has helped me finally tackle goals that had been stuck in the “someday” category for years.
(This newsletter is a byproduct of one of my recent challenges)
So if you have a goal you keep circling but never starting, stop trying to find more motivation. Text a friend. Create stakes. Make quitting expensive.
Product Inspiration
Government websites have historically been… not great. Since launching last year, National Design Studio has been systematically fixing that. Their latest work reimagines the food pyramid, and it genuinely rules.
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🔗 Shopify Editions — Winter '26
Shopify’s seasonal Editions microsites make most product launches look asleep at the wheel. Winter ’26 is another reminder that launches can actually be fun and worth paying attention to. (S/O Nabhya P. for sharing this one)
What I'm Reading
I set a goal to read more fiction in 2026. This was supposed to be my fall-asleep book. Instead, it is fully sabotaging my sleep in the best possible way.
Other Finds
🔗 Lucid teams up with Timothée Chalamet
Clever ad campaign by Lucid Motors. Watch the "Director's Cut" short film. It's a fun one.
Have a great week,
Blake
P.S. Have any big goals you're excited to tackle in 2026? Hit reply and tell me about them!
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