I think I arrived at the same conclusion as you did... it's very difficult, and I'm not sure I have the one-size-fits-all answer. Would certainly be nice if I did =)
And having 168 karma (the number of total hours available in a week) is no coincidence. I of course plan these things out well ahead of time. That's very observant that you noticed though.
I really like reading blogs of hn members. I usually click on their name to learn more about them and see how long they've been here (and to see if they became a member just to promote their blog).
"168" jumped off the page. The universe must think you're on to something.
I clicked on this when I read "How to..."
Nice stream of consciousness essay, but I'm still waiting for the "how to".
http://www.stevepavlina.com/ has lots of good answers to OP's original "how to" question.
I also love this quote:
“Sincerity begins at a little over 100 hours a week. You can probably get to 110 on a sustained basis, but it’s hard – you have to get down to eating once a day, showering every other day, and things of that sort to really get your life organized to work 110 hours a week.” - Len Bosack, Cisco co-founder