How I made a website, a profit, and a healthy habit—in three weeks:

In late 2016, after my nth failed attempt at being an "entrepreneur." I fell into a deep slump.

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I thought I was so smart, the people around me liked my ideas, and if they didn't? Well, they just didn't get it.

I'd wriggle out of any critique and always have an excuse for why something hadn't worked—I'd tell myself I was learning as I went along—I wasn't.

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Eventually, thankfully, I was humbled and realized why I had been failing all this time: I had no fucking clue what I was talking about. (about anything)

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So I quit everything and bummed around for a year—I watched every episode of Frasier—it was a dark time.

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I had this pile of books I'd meant to read, a pile I hadn't touched in over a year. (It's late 2017 now) But something compelled me to pick one up—maybe my wifi stopped working—I can't remember.

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That book was Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. It's about traps in our thinking, biases, and how to be happy. It's excellent—every other page contains some revelation about our stupid brains—it exposed so many flaws in my thoughts.

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I read many more similar books and the number one lesson I learned was: to stop relying on willpower and to start tricking myself into getting things done:

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e.g.

• My apartment was a mess. So I'd invite friends round for dinner. That way I'd have to clean up or face the shame of them seeing how gross I am.

• I got a dog. I was now responsible for the life of an innocent—the ultimate commitment device (and alarm clock)

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Then three weeks ago I set myself a public challenge. Make a website in 21 days that makes enough money to feed my dog. A challenge I'd have to complete or else prove the nay-sayers right. (Just random people on Reddit, but still.)

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That gets us to today. The three weeks is up, and I've completed the challenge. Here's what I did:

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This whole thing started from reading—something I still don't do enough of—so I started a book club, forcing me to read more and helping others do the same.

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Every two weeks, starting in 2019, we'll read one of the books most recommended by tech entrepreneurs—and if someone chooses to buy a book through the website, I'll make a small profit.

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Pre-launch, it already has 21!!! signups and made $7!!! which is about one week of dog food.

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But today is launch day, and I'm hopeful a lot more people will join.

Here's the website: https://thestartupbook.club

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I'm still pretty clueless, but two years ago I would have ignored help; I wouldn't have accepted any critique, and it would have taken me months longer.

Now, if it fails, I'll be able to sit down and work out exactly why—and try again.

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