January 7, 2026
Bog vs Blog: choose your fighter
So you wanna de-bog yourself (2024)
Self-help genius or bog-speak banter? Internet can’t decide
TLDR: A blogger’s guide to escaping life’s “bog” sparked a split verdict: some love the catchy metaphors, others dismiss them as self-help fluff. The hottest thread pivoted to ADHD, with readers saying the “activation energy” struggle can be medical—and meds, not metaphors, made the difference.
Blogger Adam Mastroianni drops a New Year’s survival guide to escape life’s swamp, coining playful labels like “gutterballing” and “insufficient activation energy” in So you wanna de-bog yourself. The crowd went full comment-section gladiator. One camp cheers the relatable, funny voice; another rolls eyes at the self-help sparkle. A mod even resurfaced a prior debate with an HN thread, which only fueled the fire. The sharpest jab? That these colorful names are just fancy renames for ordinary struggles. The warmest hug? Readers saying the framework helped them spot how they get stuck. Then came the twist: an ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) angle. One reader said the “activation energy” problem wasn’t motivational—it was neurological—and meds felt like a rebirth. Cue a mini culture clash: metaphors vs diagnoses, pep talk vs prescription. Commenters joked about “bog vs blog,” posted bowling memes for “gutterballing,” and teased the author’s airplane gag with “Captain Blogger, please don’t.” The vibe? Spirited, funny, and very split: Is this smart, sticky language that gets you moving—or just catchy bog-speak that sinks you deeper?
Key Points
- •The essay uses a bog metaphor to describe the experience of being psychologically stuck.
- •The author asserts there are three forces that keep people stuck and aims to catalog them for self-diagnosis.
- •The first force introduced is “Insufficient Activation Energy,” leading to perceived inaction despite effort.
- •“Gutterballing” describes working hard in a slightly misaligned direction that attracts approval but hinders progress.
- •“Waiting for jackpot” critiques rejecting reasonable options due to their downsides, stalling movement.