I especially like the Moving Towards the Goal trick, since doubting between possible "life projects" and related fields of study is my number one nemesis in getting things done.

For the level hopping, I tend to do a little more hardcore version : setting a quite impossible goal (like learning quantum computation in a month). I keep doing it mostly because of the thrill of the impossible challenge (use of my ego) and the fact that failure isn't quite stressing anymore. My goal is by definition impossible, so the point is to complete it as much as possible, not to perfectly finish it.