Y'all should read 'The Jungle'. The main character tries to solve every problem this exact way, by doubling down and repeatedly telling himself, "I will work harder."
Mild spoilers, but it doesn't work out great for him until he finds socialism.
I think the opposite: I ought to be nicer to myself
Wtf did you pull this meme out of my own brain??
I have so many issues with this. I really do wish I could push myself harder. Everyone else is able to do stuff. I know I just need to work harder at things in life but I never seem to be able to.
The trick is to push in the places most worth pushing. For example journaling, for me, is one of the most productive ways to work. As long as I can face things in my writing, I easily save 10x as much energy and effort by figuring things out, where I’m going, etc.