[shoo]

one thing people haven't mentioned is habits. if there's something you want to do, and it takes a lot of discipline to do, how can you adjust your life so that it takes less discipline to do it?

One way to reduce the amount of discipline you need to do a thing is to start doing it according to a rhythm that you do the thing daily/weekly/whatever, so that it becomes a habit. Initially it is hard and will require more discipline and effort but after a while it will just become the thing that you do by default, or (perhaps at times) a thing you even enjoy doing. Are there one-off changes to your environment or situation that you can make, that will make it easier for you to regularly practice the thing you want to practice?

you mentioned technical interviews. the software engineering technical interview game is a mix of skill + preparation + interview technique + sheer luck. don't neglect the latter "sheer luck" component --- a lot of the outcome will be based on which interviewer you get assigned on the day, how much sleep they got, if the role is being advertised as a formality but they've already decided to promote someone internally, etc. you overcome this luck component by applying for a large number of roles with different companies.

Maybe another thing is to lower your expectations. it isn't necessary to "work extremely hard sustained over a long period" to have a good career or good life.

Maybe yet another thing is starting to think about the longer term, and what your longer term goals mean you need to start doing in the short term. I didn't start to think about long term goals until my late 20s.

[165iq]

I have thought about it, but didn't pursue it in a deeper manner.

I will try to set aside some time every day- for learning/working on things that make me grow. I haven't been able to do this yet.

About lowering expectations, to do challenging, esoteric things for all my life (otherwise I will die of boredom), I need to upgrade myself (like getting a FAANG job, or getting a PhD, etc.)- to do that, I will need to learn discipline. Or I risk hitting a glass ceiling.

All of what you advise are well thought out and genuine. Thank you for your advice.