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Do It!
James R. Sherman
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What is Do It! about?
James R. Sherman's "Do It" books offer practical and actionable insights aimed at helping individuals enhance their productivity and effectiveness in various aspects of life. With a focus on overcoming procrastination, improving time management, and fostering personal growth, these books serve as a guide for readers seeking to transform their habits and mindset. Sherman's straightforward writing style and relatable examples make the concepts accessible, encouraging readers to take immediate action toward achieving their goals. Whether you're looking to boost your career, streamline your daily routines, or cultivate a more fulfilling life, Sherman's "Do It" series provides the tools and motivation needed to make meaningful changes.
Key ideas of Do It!
Procrastination Is a Habit
Sherman argues procrastination is not a character flaw but a learned habit that can be replaced with deliberate, practical routines.
Start Small, Build Momentum
Breaking tasks into the smallest possible steps lowers the barrier to starting, and motion creates motivation rather than the other way around.
Systems Over Willpower
Clear goals, ABC prioritization, personal contracts, and accountability partners create structure that makes consistency more reliable than motivation alone.
Read an excerpt from the summary
Stop Procrastinating — Do It!
The man who put off writing the book about putting things off
James R. Sherman carried this book around inside him for years. He knew what he wanted to say. He knew who he was saying it to. And still the years went by, and the manuscript never appeared. When he finally sat down to write it, he admitted on the very first page that the thing he had been procrastinating on was the book about procrastination.
Something reassuring sits in that, and something frightening too. Reassuring, because if an expert falls into his own trap, then there is nothing wrong with you either. Frightening, because it means knowledge alone is not enough. You know perfectly well that the email has to go out by tomorrow. You know what happens if it doesn't. And you still don't send it.
Sherman is not writing about this from behind a desk. As a young man he took a run at college and failed. Years later he went back, this time with a wife and three sons behind him. In six consecutive academic quarters, barely a year and a half, he finished his bachelor's degree, his master's and his doctorate. He did all the coursework, the research, the dissertation, several internships and every exam. And he commuted more than forty thousand miles doing it. That is roughly one and a half trips around the planet.
Then came the harder part. Over five years, he and his wife each had three disabling back operations. He lived in constant pain and could barely get through ordinary days. Then he lost weight, started exercising, and got off every painkiller and muscle relaxant he was on. By the time he wrote this book, he was playing racquetball and golf without pain. Not long after that, he quit a well-paying consulting job advising colleges and universities, and started his own publishing company. This book was the second title he put out there.
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Continue in the appWho is it for?
- Anyone who repeatedly puts off important tasks and wants a concrete, step-by-step method to break the cycle.
- Anyone who feels productive all day yet never makes progress on the projects that matter most.
- Anyone who struggles to translate big ambitions into the small daily actions that actually move things forward.
- Anyone who wants a short, practical guide they can read in an hour and apply the same afternoon.
About the author: James R. Sherman
James R. Sherman is an author known for practical, action-oriented business and self-help books, including the Crisp Fifty-Minute series titles aimed at working adults. His writing style is direct and workbook-driven, prioritizing exercises and concrete takeaways over theory.
He focuses on productivity, habit change, and personal effectiveness, writing for readers who want straightforward guidance rather than lengthy psychological explanations.
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