Hey,

Yesterday I was reading Chris Williamson's Monday newsletter.

By the way, I highly recommend subscribing.

His blog and podcast Modern Wisdom are worth your time.

He wrote about discipline, motivation, and obsession. I loved everything he said. But one part hooked me and would not let go:

"Obsession is not a personality trait. It is a state. Which means it cannot be summoned on command. You cannot decide to be obsessed. It appears when curiosity, identity, reward and meaning accidentally align. And when it appears, it does not last forever. That is the tragedy. Obsession is a non-renewable fuel source. When it leaves, you do not get it back on demand."

He is right about most of this.

Obsession does not burn fuel like discipline. You do not need motivation to keep it alive. It pulls you toward the work instead of you pushing yourself.

But there is one part I disagree with.

You Can Decide to Be Obsessed

Chris says obsession appears by accident. That you cannot summon it.

I am not so sure.

How many stories have you heard of people bored with what they were doing, study, work, business, who suddenly became obsessed? They could not stop. Not a single day.

Was that an accident? Or did something create it?

I think I have the answer.

Discipline Creates Obsession

When I started calisthenics in my early years, I was just chasing muscle and cool moves. Nothing deep.

Then I moved to the gym. And I hated it. I was never excited to go. Never motivated.

But I went anyway. Every day. Discipline.

Now? I am obsessed. I cannot skip the gym. It has nothing to do with motivation. Even when I feel nothing, I still cannot not go.

The same thing happened with Notion.

I am obsessed with it now. More and more every day. It has nothing to do with money or fame. I just want to be the best Notion creator alive.

But that obsession did not appear by accident.

It was built.

The Key Chris Missed

The key to obsession is the same thing Chris talked about first: discipline.

Without doing the thing you hate every single day, you cannot love it later.

Of course, if you despise your job and cannot deal with it anymore, discipline will not create obsession. It will create burnout.

But if you are pushing for a reason, because you want to be the best, because you want to build something, because you see a future in it, then discipline plants the seed.

Getting better at it. Wanting more. Showing up when it hurts.

That is what creates obsession.

And once obsession arrives, discipline becomes part of you. You do not have to manufacture it anymore. It no longer burns fuel. It just is.

What Obsession Looks Like

I have been sick for two weeks.

I cannot describe the kind of pain I am feeling. But it has not stopped me from creating, writing, and building.

Last night, I was working on Game Mode v3. In pain. Could not sleep. And at the same time, my mind was solving a feature I had been stuck on.

That is obsession.

I just cannot stop.

Sometimes with results. Sometimes without. It does not matter. Obsession pushes you forward regardless.

You do not need motivation to reach this state. But you need discipline to get there. After that, discipline becomes part of who you are.

It no longer asks for fuel.

Life Hack

I am building Game Mode v3 inside Second Brain 7.0 (coming soon) to make you obsessed with productivity.

Beta testers are amazed.

If you want to join, it is currently 28% off.

You get the current v2 and the v3 update free. After launch, the price goes up.

-> Get Second Brain + Game Mode

For groups: Save more with the Ultimate Bundle

Thanks for reading.

Osama (OLS)

P.S. — Discipline is not the opposite of obsession. Discipline is the door to it. Walk through enough times, and one day you will realise you cannot stop walking.