People have problems doing those things for the same reason that people complain on Hacker News that they spend to much time procrastinating on the internet ins

People have problems doing those things for the same reason that people complain on Hacker News that they spend to much time procrastinating on the internet instead of working. And posting on HN when they should be studying etc. Willpower is a very hard thing to master. Procrastination is a part of everyones life. Distractions are everywhere. People get sucked into watching TV. Playing sports. Video games, gambling etc, etc. Also depression can be a big part of it. People get depressed and that can be very debilitating. Many people do not want to admit that they are depressed and would rather just shut themselves off from the world. Some very smart and wealthy people end up dropping out of university or loosing all of there money and sleeping in the streets. For some people that might end up in a work program simply having the responsibility of getting to work on time and having some obligations gives them a sense of order and purpose that can turn around there whole perspective and set them back onto a productive path.