May 2, 2023 4 min read

Book Review: Someday is Today

On my journey of personal development, I try to listen to non-fiction audiobooks every morning. This helps me to start the day right, start reflecting on my progress toward my personal and financial goals, and keep me motivated. I recently read Mathew Dicks’ Someday is Today as part of this project.

Someday is Today is about making the absolute most of every moment in 22 easy steps. And when I say every moment, I mean every moment. The two minutes you’re waiting for coffee. The twenty minutes of the meeting that isn’t relevant to you. The three minutes it takes your partner to find their keys. Absolutely, every moment. For Makers-of-Things (so Dicks calls creative creators), each and every moment is vital. It's necessary to take action and not wait for the "perfect" someday-moment to pursue one's dreams, as "someday" may never come.

My Three Major Takeaways:

1. Remember your 100-year-old self

Your 100-year old self is the future version of you which knows the value of time because they don’t have too much time left. To the 100-year-old you, each moment is precious, and every goal is urgent because you don’t know if you’ll have a tomorrow to achieve it. Dicks references this version of you throughout your book, because they are the version of you who really understands the value of time. If you knew that you were going to die in a year, you wouldn’t wait for the “right time” to start writing that book, learning that instrument, or painting your masterpiece. At each moment, ask yourself if your 100-year-old self would use that time in the same way.

Dicks spends a couple chapters on discussing how to create an environment beneficial to creativity. First, don't lose days to “rotten” people (we all have a few of those) and surround yourself with supportive, positive people. He also recommends “eating” a lot of books, podcasts, videos… anything which is inspiring to you and helps you to learn. While Dicks is vehemently opposed to the idea of needing a “perfect place” to be creative (i.e. if you can only paint when you have an uninterrupted five-hours on sunny days with a big cup of boba, you’re never going to get anything done), he does see the value in creating a positive creative environment via the people and ideas you surround yourself with.

3. Get Started. Be Terrible. Keep Going.

You’re never going to get anything done if you don’t start. And when you start, the chances are that you’re going to make something terrible. And that’s okay-- perfectionism is the enemy of productivity. Creative people fail, and creative people make terrible things. That’s how you learn, and that’s how you eventually make something great. Perfectionism paralysis is real, give yourself a break and create something awful; as long as you’re creating you’re making progress.

BONUS: Floss in the Shower

This sounds silly but honestly is a life saver. I hate flossing, but I love long, hot showers. Give yourself an excuse to extend your shower by a few minutes and take care of your teeth.

Criticism:

Honestly, this book gave me a bit of anxiety. Every time I check social media or binge a TV show, I start feeling guilty on behalf of my 100-year-old self. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and is pretty much the point of the book, but I feel like Dicks takes it to the extreme. He criticizes things like spending time in the morning making a great cup of coffee. While I could spend the five minutes it takes me to make my morning coffee writing another two sentences for my book (and yes, two sentences x 7 days per week x 52 weeks per year = 728 sentences, so this method would give you a whole extra chapter at the end of the year), ultimately I’m going to choose my coffee.

Dicks also takes a critical eye to people he calls the “mice.” He fashions himself as an eagle: the eagles soar above and see the big picture, while the mice focus on the details and get caught up on minutia. Eagles get things done since they don’t get stuck on the small stuff, while mice waste time worrying about specifics. And of course, eagles eat mice. For example, Dicks criticizes a teacher in his school for spending time changing the elephant clip art on a worksheet. Will the type of elephant on the worksheet ultimately change the world? Probably not. But if it made the teacher happy and brought her and her students a smoother learning experience, then I believe it was time well spent.

Ending Notes

While I don’t think that the level of productivity Dicks recommends is impossible,I don’t think this is a level most people can attain. Like most things, there has to be a balance. I think Dicks is fortunate in that he’s managed to achieve that balance in his life, and he details the different rules he has in place to stay productive and creative while not sacrificing time with his friends or family. Having said that, he does have a tendency to dump on uses of time which don’t personally align with what he finds valuable (you can pry my coffee from my cold dead hands, Dicks).

Despite that, I really enjoyed this book. Dicks is a great storyteller, and you can feel the passion and love he has for his family and his work come through the page. His book made me really think about how I’m spending my time, especially those little few-minute blocks in between tasks which I usually fill with scrolling social media. You can’t buy more time, and the last thing you want is to be looking back from your deathbed and wondering where all the time went. There is time to be creative if you really look for it. All those little minutes you save add up, and by optimizing your time and mental energy (and flossing in the shower), you can achieve your goals sooner instead of continually putting them off until later.

You can pick up Someday is Today at your local library. Or, purchase a copy here (to support local bookstores), find a copy here (if you prefer thrifting), or purchase on Amazon. As we strive to cultivate our creativity, critical thinking, and intellectual curiosity, let's continue to push ourselves and others to be lifelong learners. If you enjoyed this post and want to stay up-to-date on future articles, please consider subscribing to our newsletter for regular updates and insights.