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How to Trick Yourself Into Doing Things You Hate by Peter Hollins Review: Practical Psychology for Reluctant Doers
Peter Hollins's self-help guide targets the gap between knowing what needs to be done and actually doing it, drawing on psychology, self-discipline frameworks, and neuroscience to help readers push through aversion and build consistent action — a focused, topic-specific addition to his extensive Live a Disciplined Life series.
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Readers already engaged with productivity self-help who want a compact, psychology-backed playbook for tackling tasks they persistently avoid — particularly those drawn to structured frameworks over generic motivational encouragement.
Worth it if
You recognise the "motion versus action" trap in your own habits and want a concise, framework-driven guide that treats self-discipline as a set of learnable, differentiated skills rather than a fixed character trait.
Skip if
Skip it if you're seeking deep academic engagement with the underlying research, want a single comprehensive volume covering all dimensions of motivation and habit formation, or have already worked through much of Hollins's Live a Disciplined Life series and risk hitting familiar ground.
What readers & critics say
Barnes & Noble's product page positions the book as "the ultimate guide on how to play nicely with your brain," framing unavoidable discomfort as the structural route to achieving goals and emphasising the book's concrete, method-driven chapter topics — including action-oriented decision-making, three specific types of self-discipline, and the psychology of "motion" versus "action."
Sources: Barnes & Noble4.0from 83 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score
In This Review
- What Works & What Doesn't
- What the Book Is and What It Sets Out to Do
- Scope and Structure of the Content
- Hollins's Position in the Self-Help Genre
- Genuine Strengths
- Limitations and Who May Not Be the Audience
What Works & What Doesn't
What Works
- Covers a specific, concrete set of psychological and neuroscientific frameworks rather than generic motivational advice
- Distinguishes between three discrete types of self-discipline, adding structural nuance often absent in the genre
- Addresses the 'motion versus action' trap — a targeted, recognisable productivity problem with practical relevance
- Compact at approximately 190 pages, keeping the focus tight and the entry barrier low
- Stands as a self-contained volume within the Live a Disciplined Life series, accessible without prior entries
What Doesn't
- Brevity means individual frameworks receive focused rather than exhaustive treatment — not suited to readers seeking deep academic grounding
- Readers who have worked through earlier volumes in the series may find some conceptual overlap with prior entries
This is a review of content and published reception; it reflects what the record states the book contains and is designed to do, not hands-on application.
What the Book Is and What It Sets Out to Do
How to Trick Yourself Into Doing Things You Hate: Use Psychology, Self-Discipline, and Neuroscience to Suffer Less (Live a Disciplined Life Book 19) by Peter Hollins front cover
How to Trick Yourself Into Doing Things You Hate: Use Psychology, Self-Discipline, and Neuroscience to Suffer Less is a self-help guide published by PH Learning Co. In September 2024. It is the nineteenth entry in Hollins's ongoing Live a Disciplined Life series. The book's core premise, stated plainly in its promotional copy, is that "your rise in life is directly connected to doing things that you hate" — framing unavoidable, unwanted tasks not as optional discomforts but as a structural requirement for personal growth. From that starting point, Hollins organises the book around psychological and neuroscientific strategies designed to reduce the friction between intention and action, with the stated goal of helping readers suffer less in the process.
Scope and Structure of the Content
The book's table of contents, as reflected in its publisher synopsis, covers a notably specific range of topics. Hollins distinguishes between three discrete types of self-discipline, arguing that all three are necessary for sustained success rather than treating self-discipline as a single, uniform trait. Other sections address action-oriented decision-making, the psychological difference between "motion" and "action" — a distinction meant to expose the trap of preparation without follow-through — and the concept of "destroying the illusion of readiness." Additional chapters cover dark and bright spots in motivation, and a counter-intuitive framework of subtracting from one's day in order to add more productive capacity. The book is written in English and runs to approximately 190 pages in print length, making it a compact, targeted treatment rather than an exhaustive reference volume.
Hollins's Position in the Self-Help Genre
Peter Hollins describes himself as having studied psychology and peak human performance for over a dozen years, and his publisher identifies him as a bestselling author. The Live a Disciplined Life series, of which this is the nineteenth volume, represents a sustained, serialised approach to self-improvement — each book tackling a narrow sub-topic within the broader discipline and productivity space. This format reflects a consistent authorial strategy: rather than attempting a single comprehensive manual, Hollins returns repeatedly to adjacent problems, building an interconnected body of work for readers already engaged with the series. For new readers, the standalone framing of each volume means prior entries are not a prerequisite, though those already familiar with his approach will recognise his recurring emphasis on psychology-backed, action-first methods.
Genuine Strengths
The book's design intent is transparency of method — its chapter topics are stated in concrete, specific terms rather than abstract motivational language. The focus on the psychology of "motion" versus "action," for instance, targets a recognisable and well-documented productivity trap: the tendency to mistake planning, researching, and organising for actual forward progress. Similarly, the framing of self-discipline as three distinct types, rather than a binary you-have-it-or-you-don't trait, gives the material structural differentiation that purely inspirational titles in the genre tend to skip. The book also draws explicitly on neuroscience alongside psychology, which positions it as grounded in more than anecdote — though, as with all titles of this kind, readers will benefit from approaching the scientific framing with their own critical eye rather than as settled authority.
Limitations and Who May Not Be the Audience
Readers seeking deep academic engagement with the underlying research literature are not the intended audience here. The book is structured as a practical guide, not a scholarly survey, and its brevity — relative to the breadth of topics it covers — means individual frameworks receive focused rather than exhaustive treatment. The serialised nature of the Live a Disciplined Life series also means that readers who have worked through earlier volumes may encounter concepts that overlap with or build upon previous entries, which could feel redundant depending on how much of the series they have already absorbed. Those looking for a single comprehensive volume covering every dimension of motivation, habit formation, and discipline will find this a deliberately narrow slice of that larger subject.
Frequently Asked Questions
is How to Trick Yourself Into Doing Things You Hate: Use Psychology, Self-Discipline, by Peter Hollins worth reading
It depends on what you're looking for — if you want a short, focused guide (around 190 pages) that uses psychology and neuroscience to help you close the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it, it delivers on that promise. The reviewer flags it as a deliberately narrow treatment rather than a comprehensive self-help manual, so go in with calibrated expectations: it's a targeted tool, not a one-stop resource.
what is How to Trick Yourself Into Doing Things You Hate: Use Psychology, Self-Discipline, by Peter Hollins actually about
At its core, the book argues that "your rise in life is directly connected to doing things that you hate" and then gives you psychological and neuroscientific frameworks to make those unavoidable tasks feel less awful. Key concepts include the difference between "motion" and "action" (a trap where planning and organising masquerade as real progress), three distinct types of self-discipline, and a counter-intuitive strategy of subtracting from your day to add more productive capacity.
does How to Trick Yourself Into Doing Things You Hate: Use Psychology, Self-Discipline, by Peter Hollins actually work
The reviewer notes the book is grounded in psychology and neuroscience rather than pure anecdote, which gives its frameworks more structural backbone than purely inspirational titles in the genre. That said, the reviewer cautions readers to approach the scientific framing with their own critical eye "rather than as settled authority" — so it's a solid starting point, but not a substitute for deeper research if you want the evidence fully stress-tested.
do i need to read the other Live a Disciplined Life books before How to Trick Yourself Into Doing Things You Hate: Use Psychology, Self-Discipline, by Peter Hollins
No — each volume in the Live a Disciplined Life series is framed as standalone, so prior entries aren't a prerequisite. However, the reviewer points out that if you've already worked through a lot of the series (this is the nineteenth entry), you may hit some overlap with concepts from earlier volumes, which could feel redundant.
is How to Trick Yourself Into Doing Things You Hate: Use Psychology, Self-Discipline, by Peter Hollins good for people who already know a lot about productivity
It can still offer value, particularly through its structural distinctions — like breaking self-discipline into three separate types rather than treating it as a single binary trait — which goes beyond what purely motivational titles typically cover. The caveat is that experienced readers who have followed Hollins's Live a Disciplined Life series may find some frameworks familiar, since the book builds on recurring themes across his body of work.
is How to Trick Yourself Into Doing Things You Hate: Use Psychology, Self-Discipline, by Peter Hollins too short to be useful
At roughly 190 pages, it's compact by design — the reviewer describes it as "a focused, topic-specific addition" rather than an exhaustive reference volume, which means individual frameworks get targeted rather than exhaustive treatment. Whether that's a strength or a weakness depends on you: readers who want a quick, actionable read will appreciate the brevity, while those wanting deep academic engagement with the underlying research literature are, as the reviewer explicitly notes, not the intended audience.
what's the difference between motion and action in How to Trick Yourself Into Doing Things You Hate: Use Psychology, Self-Discipline, by Peter Hollins
Hollins uses the motion-versus-action distinction to expose a well-documented productivity trap: the tendency to mistake planning, researching, and organising for actual forward progress — being busy without moving the needle. The book dedicates a section to "destroying the illusion of readiness," which tackles the same problem from a slightly different angle, framing over-preparation as something that actively delays real action.
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
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