Author’s Note: I have set ambitious learning goals for myself in 2025. Firstly I want to complete Adrian Cantrill’s SAA-C03 course and get myself certified. Secondly I want to write more consistently as it is something I enjoy doing. Thirdly and most importantly I want to build a strong foundation for myself in Generative AI, LLMs, and Machine Learning. Doing all of this necessitates that I beat the procrastination habit that has plagued me for much of my life. To that effect, I picked up Do It Today off the shelves recently, and I am happy to report that it resonated quite strongly with me. What follows is my personal take on the book.

There are many factors that make a book appealing to someone; they may be well-written, aesthetically pleasing, or about a topic that is deeply resonant. I have enjoyed many books that fall into these buckets. Then there are books that feel like staring at yourself in the mirror. They may lack those attributes. Yet they gnaw at your inner psyche by reflecting your deepest, darkest thoughts. They “feel” like they were written with you as the lone audience in mind – Do It Today is one such book.

Do It Today is a carefully curated collection of author Darius Foroux’s blog posts. It is hard to classify this as a traditional “book,” given that all the writings are available on the author’s website. Foroux himself acknowledges this at the start of the book. While there is repetition since these are blog posts from various disconnected points in time, structuring the writings in a specific order does maximize their impact on the reader.

I have read numerous productivity books over the past year, including Atomic Habits, Building a Second Brain, and The PARA Method. While they are best-sellers and have countless valuable advice, none of them have had an immediate and transformative impact on me like Do It Today. The reason is simple: the author starts the first chapter by setting the foundation that we are serial procrastinators, here’s why. He then goes on to suggest practical and immediately implementable actions that will help us change for the better.

Let us illuminate this with an example. Nearly every productivity book suggests incorporating an end-of-day review into your schedule to focus us for the following day. So does Do It Today. The difference I found is that Foroux gave a precise 30-minute end-of-day review schedule that I started implementing from Day 1. How did that happen? Foroux’s key advice is “to visualize the day ahead in detail”. This single suggestion proved to be the catalyst for a remarkable mindset shift. I started spotting tasks I had missed; I was better prepared for a day full of critical client meetings; and importantly, I went to bed as a calmer person knowing I was well-prepared for the next day.

It should be noted that not all Foroux’s ideas are the most original. He actively cites the classics: Peter Drucker on personal effectiveness, the Pomodoro Technique for focus, Cal Newport’s Deep Work for time management, Steven Pressfield’s The War for Art for mental toughness, and every Stoic philosopher from history. Is this bad? Depends on your perspective. While I had read both Drucker and Newport, having the core ideas played back proved to be a moment of serendipitous rediscovery. It not only served as a refresher but also showcased their timelessness.

That is not to say Do It Today is merely a rehash of old ideas. There are plenty of new insights I picked up: read 100 books a year, avoid “checking” something constantly, “believe it” to “make it happen,” and keep “thinking” to a minimum. But the one key insight that resonated deeply was: “True productivity requires exercising control over both the body and the mind.” Working out daily unlocks the former. Stoicism and Mindfulness are the gateway to the latter. As a serial over-thinker, my hope is that this spark of inspiration results in a lasting personal transformation.

Do It Today worked because Darius Foroux wrote about everything he has learned in an affable manner, applying his unique, individual lens on top of it. This proved effective in helping me relate to him by seeing myself in him. That is why it felt like staring at myself in the mirror. And if Darius Foroux could master procrastination, then so can I. I must simply, “Do it Today.”