Action Plans from 'Someday Is Today' by Matthew Dicks

This blog post delves into the step-by-step action plans outlined in the well-known productivity book by Matthew Dicks, titled 'Someday Is Today'.

Chapter 1: The One-Hundred-Year-Old Plan

Create a visual image of your 100-year-old self.

As of March 2024, I picture myself happily engaged in continual learning, with a collection of mastered skills to my name. In this visualization, I wake up each day with joy and comfort, even if I may be dealing with a few unavoidable health issues. However, if luck isn't on my side, and I'm facing severe and incurable long-term illnesses, the idea of living to 100 might not be my preferred choice.

Chapter 2: 86,400 Seconds

Step 1: Determine how many of your minutes are being used well.
Step 2: Evaluate the use of your time

I deviated from the provided template above and opted to track my activities every half hour from 8 am to 12 am, totaling 16 hours or 32 half-hour slots.

Assigning red to represent unproductive time and green for productive activities, I can now calculate a fraction against the total intervals of 32. By multiplying this fraction by 5.0, I can determine the day's productivity rating.

Chapter 3: Sleep Correctly

Checklist 1: Standard sleep practices

• Ensure that your sleep and wake times vary by no more than 30 minutes each day.
  Personally, I've set my bedtime for 12:30 am and my wake-up time for 7:45 am.
• Consistently maintain your body clock, even if you had a late night previously.
• Resist the temptation to hit the snooze button on your alarm.
• Establish a daily exercise routine.
• Install f.lux on all your phones and computers to reduce exposure to blue light near bedtime.
• Set an alarm to go off one hour before bedtime, signaling the time to cease phone and computer usage, as well as refraining from eating.
  While it can be challenging to resist looking at devices, I'll make an effort to leverage f.lux's yellow light to promote better sleep.

Checklist 2: The Level-Up Challenge

• Eliminate the TV from your bedroom.
• Start practicing meditation.
• Reserve the bed strictly for bedtime.

Chapter 4: The Eagle and the Mouse

Step 1: Take a good look at everything you do and honestly assess what doesn't really need to be done. These are the areas where you might discover unnecessary steps.

Step 2: Get input from those who know you well. Ask five close friends to list things they think you do that are unnecessary. Do the same with five colleagues. Finally, ask your partner, spouse, or roommates for their perspective.

Review the lists and start eliminating one thing at a time. The more you cut down, the more you'll benefit.

Chapter 5: Things that Don't Deserve Your Time

Take a moment to review the apps on your phone. Ask yourself:

• Is this app worth my time?
• Is it steering me towards positivity and helping me reach my goals?
• Has my life improved, worsened, or stayed the same since downloading this app?

If your answers to these questions are 'No', 'No', and 'Worse', respectively, it might be time to bid farewell to those apps.

For me personally, apps like YouTube, Chrome, and Genshin Impact often consume a chunk of my time. However, I can't deny that they add a splash of color to my life, even if they may have made it worse sometimes.

Chapter 6: Be a Criminal

Create a "Burglar Bag": A handy guide to beat time-wasting moments

My list:

1. Load up my phone with a new book or audiobook.
2. Keep 5 fresh Chinese poems handy on my device and practice memorizing them.
3. Maintain a list of Japanese vocabulary words to commit to memory.
4. Challenge myself with quick quizzes from the SMU Challenge developed by the School of Accountancy.
5. Look for new cardistry tricks to master.

Chapter 7: Don't Lose Days to Rotten People

Create a list of individuals in your life who drain your time and energy, and classify them into one of four categories: Forgiveness, Empathy, Elimination, or Enemies list.

To be honest, I don't currently have anyone in mind for such a list, as I have a tendency to let go of negative emotions rather quickly. However, I'll keep this strategy in mind for the future if I encounter such individuals.

Chapter 8: Say Yes

Whenever you're presented with a new creative opportunity, your initial response should be a resounding "Yes!" After all, every opportunity deserves consideration, and it's essential to give yourself at least three days before deciding to decline.

Chapter 9: Be a Chicken, Not a Pig

1. Create a comprehensive list of your personal and professional interests dating back to your childhood. If you're having trouble recalling, consult with your close friends and family for assistance.
2. Display this list prominently in a visible location where you can easily refer to it.
3. Select the first interest from the list and make a commitment to learn it.
4. Explore various avenues for learning and engagement related to your chosen interest, such as downloading podcasts, subscribing to YouTube channels, purchasing books, signing up for lessons, enrolling in classes, or joining relevant clubs or groups.
5. Consistently revisit this process, moving through your list of interests and exploring new ones as they arise.

For me, I believe I'm already embarking on this journey, and it's crucial to continually expand and update the list while monitoring my progress over time.

Chapter 10: You Choose the Finish Line

1. Choose one of your creative pursuits.
2. Spend five minutes describing what the ideal result of this endeavor would look like. Paint a vivid picture to give shape to your aspirations.
3. Now explore every conceivable variation of this endeavour.
4. Seek input from your brightest friends on potential permutations.
5. Keep expanding this list as you chase after your dreams.

Chapter 11: Make Terrible Things

1. Create a notes file on your phone named 'Terrible Progress toward Perfection.'
2. Whenever you experience failure, describe the failure and jot it down in that file.
3. Remind yourself that it's 'One fewer disaster away from success!' and continue your creative journey.

Chapter 12: How Did They Do It?

1. Engage individuals by asking them questions like "How did you find yourself in your current profession?" and "What was the toughest challenge you've faced recently in your professional life?"
2. Delve into more profound discussions with those who have achieved success in your desired field. Take detailed notes and revisit them for further analysis.

Chapter 13: Find Your People

Create a list of your friends, coworkers, and anyone dear to you. Alongside their names, jot down their talents. Keep this list fresh, adding and updating as folks come and go, and as they hone their own skill sets.

Chapter 14: Put Your Eyes on the Prize

Fill out the worksheet for each of your endeavors, using the following format. Feel free to expand this list as you brainstorm more reasons

Chapter 15: Party Often

Identify your first creative milestone.

• For a personal website and content creator, it might be the publishing of the first post.
• For a storyteller, it might be the first performance of a story onstage.

Before progressing further, take a moment to plan your celebration. Once you reach a significant milestone, how do you intend to celebrate? After determining your next meaningful step, prepare a celebration for when you accomplish the preceding milestone.

Repeat this process forever.

Chapter 16: Feed Yourself a Compliment Sandwich

Create a designated spot to collect all the wonderful compliments you receive. I've opted for Notion, but a Word or Google document will do just fine too. Once you've chosen your collection spot, start by adding your very first compliment:

"You're doing a fantastic job supporting yourself by creating a system for holding onto compliments long-term so that they can be a source of inspiration in times of need. Also, you deserve to hold onto these compliments. You deserve nothing but the best. Well done!" — Matthew Dicks

Now, recall any other previous compliments you've received and add them in. Keep adding more as you receive them in the future!

Chapter 17: Know Your Story. Tell Your Story. Listen to Your Story.

Read 'Storyworthy' by Matthew Dicks (which I haven't yet, but definitely will).

Chapter 18: Creativity Cannot Abide Preciousness

1. Make a list of all the things you think you need in order to work.
2. Cross off every item on the list that you don't actually need.
3. Make a new list of things you actually need in order to work.
4. Choose a place where you could never imagine working and work there for a period of time to prove to yourself that it's possible.

Chapter 19: Make Something into Something

Send this message to your friends:

"Hey there! Guess what? I've just wrapped up my latest project, and here's what I've accomplished: [List your achievements]. Now comes the fun part—what's next? That's where you come in, my team of brilliant minds! I'm turning to you for some creative brainstorming. How can I take what I've poured heaps of time, energy, and possibly money into and transform it into something even more amazing? Sometimes, this next step can be tricky for the creator to envision. It often involves a bit of luck and serendipity, which is great, but I'm also aiming to make it purposeful. That's why I'm tapping into your collective creativity and wealth of experiences. Let's make magic happen together!"

As someone who leans towards introversion in real life, I typically shy away from such direct approaches. However, I'm open to exploring new avenues and seeking inspiration from others' stories online to fuel my creativity and guide my next steps.

Chapter 20: Don't Be an Asshole

Reach out to at least five individuals in your life with whom you interact frequently. Request that they pay attention to your behavior and let you know if you're being unpleasant towards anyone. Encourage them to be honest with you about it.

Chapter 21: Eat a Lot

Once again, Matthew Dicks suggests asking those around you about their areas of interest and indulgence. This could include books, films, sports, YouTube channels, board games, people to meet, cuisines, and hobbies.

For me, at this moment, I'll let time and the vastness of the internet guide me toward new experiences and learning opportunities.

Chapter 22: Pessimists Die Knowing Only That They Were Correct. Optimists Thrive.

Select three significant points in your life and compile a list of everything that made those experiences particularly challenging. Consider:

1. Your toughest academic year
2. Your most difficult work experience
3. Your most heart-wrenching relationship

Now ask yourself: Do any of those things still exist today?

The purpose of this exercise is to reinforce the notion that despite the hardships you may currently endure, they are temporary. You possess the resilience to overcome them and progress forward.

Stay tuned for more productivity

Hope you find this action plan helpful and can put it into action!