You know, stuff like how to properly renovate your house. For example, I’ve used a drill many times to put together IKEA stuff.

And I’ve also drilled holes in the ceiling to hang a lamp. But I never took the time to properly learn everything about drilling.

What are all the different settings on a drill, and what are they exactly used for? What type of drill bit should you use for what job?

Before I bore you to death about my DIY journey (I’ve never been a fan), let me tell you why I’m sharing this story.

Because what I’m going through now reminds me of when I started to train in writing, a little over ten years ago.

The thing is that everyone knows how to write. We all write messages and emails. We went to school. We know how to write.

But most of us never trained ourselves to write properly.

Writing is not about talent

Many of us want to write well. Why is that?

Not for the outcomes. Especially now with AI. You don’t train to become a better writer to get better at answering emails:

No, you become a better writer because YOU want to be a good writer.

That’s all there is to it.

But you need to have a reason. When I started writing, my reason was this:

“I’m stuck. I don’t know what to do with my life. I always wanted to write a book. So let me take the time to learn how to write properly and do it well.”

That’s all.

Why am I now learning to do everything around the house? 

Well, my wife and I just bought a new house and we’re expecting a child. I don’t want to depend on contractors or handymen anymore.

If my son wants to change his bedroom design, I want to do that together with him. I want to learn handyman skills, use them to do something good, and pass them on..

That’s my why.

And it has little to do with talent. It’s the same for writing. Sure, talent plays a role. But you can get VERY far by just training deliberately. 

Writing as training

The more I write, the more I realize writing isn’t just a creative act; it’s a mental workout. It’s like lifting weights for your brain.

Every session teaches you something about yourself. Your focus. Your patience. Your resistance.

When you write, you see your mind in real time. You see how distracted you are. You see how often you stop to check your phone or re-read a sentence. You see how uncomfortable silence feels.

That’s the beauty of writing. It exposes your inner state.

• If your mind is scattered, your writing will be too.
• If your thoughts are clear, your words will follow.

That’s why I see writing as a meta skill. 

It’s not only about communication. Writing is a practice that gives you many benefits.

So how do you train like a writer?

Start small and do it daily. Make it part of your routine, not your mood.

Here’s what’s worked for me:

1. Write every day, even if it’s short.
   Don’t aim for word count, aim for consistency. Writing 15 minutes a day beats writing for 3 hours once a month.
   
2. Use a timer.
   Set 25–30 minutes. No distractions. No editing. Just write. When the timer ends, stop. That’s one rep.
   
3. Finish something.
   Half-written pieces are easy. Finished ones are what teach you. Publish, even if it’s not perfect.
   
4. Read good writing.
   Reading builds taste. Taste guides your edits. If you only read social media, you’ll write like social media.
   
5. Detach from results.
   Don’t chase likes, shares, or praise. You’re not training the algorithm. You’re training yourself.
   

These small rules compound. Over time, your writing sharpens, and so does your thinking.

Writing as reflection

People assume writing is about expression. But for me, it’s about understanding. I write to see what I think. To find out what’s real, and what’s just noise.

That’s why I write before I make decisions. Before I start projects. Before I invest. Writing clears the fog. It shows me the truth behind my thoughts.

Most people avoid writing because it forces honesty. When you put your thoughts on paper, you can’t lie to yourself. You can’t hide behind vague feelings. You see exactly how you think, which can be uncomfortable at times.

But that’s also where wisdom begins.

The pursuit of good writing isn’t glamorous. It’s boring and happens behind closed doors. 

It’s something you do for yourself at first.

And at some point, you feel ready to share it with others. If they like it, that’s great, if they don’t, that’s fine too.

What matters is that you keep training. 

The secret isn’t to write perfectly. It’s to write honestly. 

So stop waiting to feel ready. Stop over-editing before you’ve even finished a draft. Sit down. Write. Let it be bad. Then show up again tomorrow.

The pursuit never ends

After ten years of writing, I still don’t feel like I’ve “arrived.” 

I always challenge myself to get better. And I never forget my mindset when I started. I just wanted to learn. And I’m still like that.

Some days, you’ll write nonsense.

Some days, you’ll surprise yourself. You can’t have one without the other.

Because in the end, writing isn’t about chasing the perfect sentence. It’s about pursuing the person you want to become.

That pursuit never ends. 

The post The Pursuit of Good Writing appeared first on Darius Foroux.

Everyone I talk to seems to be fighting the same battle. Even when we’ve cut down on social media and turned off notifications, our minds wander.

That chat stuck with me. I wondered why focus remains elusive even when we avoid obvious distractions. 

I pulled out my journal and asked: “Why can’t we focus?”

At first I listed the standard culprits like phones, news feeds, and our endless to‑do lists. 

But I realized those aren’t really my issues. I like to think of myself as a fairly disciplined person. I don’t spend too much time on my phone and don’t use social media a lot.

And yet, over the past year I’ve had trouble getting into deep writing sessions. So I kept digging. What had changed?

After some reflection, I saw the root cause: I’d let go of a practice that had anchored my attention for a decade: Deep Thinking.

The lost habit of thinking time

My journaling reminded me of the book The Road Less Stupid by Keith Cunningham. So I pulled it up again on my Kindle.

Cunningham talks about the importance of “Thinking Time.” He argues that most of us are “too busy being busy to think” and that carving out time to think is the most valuable activity we can do.

Cunningham says:

“Thinking is the most valuable activity you can engage in. Most people are too busy being busy to think.”

Re-reading his book reminded me of a habit I’d built over the past ten years but had unconsciously let slip.

My version of thinking time is simple: I sit down with my journal, put on some background music or a YouTube video I don’t need to pay attention to, and start writing. 

I describe what’s going on in my life, then I ask myself a question and explore it on paper. 

For example…

• Practical questions: “How can I strengthen my back?”
• Creative questions: “What should I write about next?”
• Big-picture questions: “Where is the economy headed?”

Sometimes I just sit and let my mind wander.

Without fail, I come away with fresh insights and a clearer sense of direction.

When I skip this journaling ritual for too long, I always notice it in my work. My focus suffers and writing feels like pushing a boulder uphill. 

But when I return to it, my mind sharpens again. It’s like training a muscle.

Thinking is focus training

Focus isn’t just about eliminating distractions; it’s about training your mind to stay with a question long enough to discover something new.

 Deep thinking is like weightlifting for your brain. It’s uncomfortable at first; your thoughts jump around and you may feel restless. 

But if you stick with it, the scattered noise quiets down and ideas begin to connect. You start to see patterns and possibilities you’d miss in the rush of everyday tasks.

Most of us don’t have a focus problem; we have a thinking problem. Our days are packed with doing and reacting. We seldom pause to ask good questions and then sit with them. 

But the quality of our answers, as Cunningham writes, “will always be determined by the quality of your questions.” 

When we make time to think, we’re actively training our capacity to focus.

How to start your own Deep Thinking practice

You don’t need a fancy setup or hours of free time to build this habit. Here’s how I practice Deep Thinking:

• Schedule a block of 30 minutes where you won’t be interrupted. Turn off your phone and close your email.
• Open a notebook or journal. Start by jotting down what’s been happening in your life, work, or relationships. This warms up your mind.
• Pose a question. It can be about anything that’s on your mind. A decision you’re wrestling with, a project you’re planning, a skill you want to build.
• Write whatever comes up. Don’t censor yourself. Follow your thoughts wherever they go. If you get stuck, stare out the window for a minute and return to the page.
• Stop when you feel clear. You’re not trying to produce a polished piece of writing. You’re giving yourself space to think.

When I revived my thinking time practice again recently, my focus returned. I started working on new articles and even came up with ideas for new books. That energized me a lot.

The fog of the unfocused mind disappeared and I started seeing things clearly again.

If you’re struggling to focus, don’t just blame your phone or habits. 

Consider whether you’ve been thinking deeply enough.

The post Deep Thinking: The Most Important Thing to Boost Focus appeared first on Darius Foroux.

He said: 

“If thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.”

Orwell wasn’t just talking about politicians. He was talking about everyone who hides behind words. The kind of writing that sounds smart but says nothing. 

The kind that uses phrases like “leverage synergies” or “drive holistic alignment.” You read it, and it feels like English, but you have no clue what it means. During my time in the corporate world, I was constantly exposed to that writing, and it always annoyed me.

But here’s the problem: No matter how much you dislike vague writing, if you’re exposed to it, you risk becoming a vague writer!

Orwell admitted that as well. He gave an example of how he changed his own vague writing. One of his sentences looked like this:

“Objective considerations of contemporary phenomena compel the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity.”

Then he rewrote it as:

“I believe that the present political chaos is connected with the decay of language.”

Same idea. One hides behind words. The other tells the truth.

Vague writing comes from vague thinking

Orwell emphasized that vague writing is a direct cause of vague thinking. 

When you can’t express what you mean, it’s usually because you don’t know what you mean.

And that problem is getting worse today. When are people forced to do some thinking?

In between watching TikTok videos or sending back and forth memes to each other?

We hardly ever practice our thinking and writing skills. During the day, we do our work, and in our time off, we just consume content.

Now, if you have a dynamic job that forces you to think about new solutions every day, you don’t really need to make time to practice your thinking skills. 

For example, if you design and make custom furniture for a living, you’re constantly commissioned to make new pieces. And every customer requires something different.

But most of us don’t have careers like that. We generally do the same thing every day. 

But let’s say that your work does require complex problem-solving. 

The problem is that we as humans tend to become complacent. After a while, we all get used to our work and risk doing work on autopilot. I like to believe that my work is also dynamic, but the truth is that my job as an author is to turn complex ideas into simple ones.

The underlying principle is the same. And that’s why I’ve had many periods of complacency as well. That’s why I’m also always investing in stocks.

Being an active investor challenges me to think about my stock picks every day. What should I buy? What should I sell? Why? What’s happening in the economy?

Thinking and journaling about those questions really keeps me sharp. I’m constantly challenging my own thinking and making sure I can articulate my thoughts into coherent sentences.

6 practical rules for clear writing

Alright, writing clearly is important. And to write clearly, you must think clearly.

Because if you can do that, your life will be better on every level. A clear thinker will…

• write better AI prompts
• understand themselves better
• be able to set goals and knows how to achieve them.

That’s just a few of the benefits of becoming a clear thinker and writer. And this is now more relevant than ever.

Let’s go back to George Orwell for some advice.

He ended his essay with practical rules that feel more relevant than ever (and apply perfectly to AI prompts as well):

1. Never use a metaphor or other figure of speech you are used to seeing in print.
2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4. Use direct, active language that shows who is doing what, instead of hiding the action behind vague phrasing.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

That’s the “clear thought creates clear output” philosophy distilled.

Break the rules!

Orwell’s last point is my favorite one: Clarity and honesty matter more than blindly following rules.

So even though we’ve laid out a bunch of rules and we can create systems for thinking/writing better, the goal is NOT to always stick to them.

If following a writing rule makes your sentence stiff, unnatural, or false, just break the rule!

The goal isn’t to sound or look perfect in today’s world.

It’s to say something true and human.

The post How to Think Clearly in a World of Noise appeared first on Darius Foroux.

Death, loss, illness, criticism, failure, inner turmoil, insecurity, you name it.

Those things will come for all of us at some point in our lives. It’s not a matter of if but when you deal with hard things.

So instead of trying to avoid the hardships of life, train yourself to deal with them better.

And how can you do that best? By becoming more mentally tough.

If you make mental toughness one of your primary aims in life, like eating food so you don’t starve and earning a living so you can survive, you’ll put yourself in a good position to live well.

In this article, I’ll share some of the key lessons I’ve learned about becoming more mentally tough.

1. Believe in the aphorism “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is the famous aphorism from 19th-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who wrote it in his 1888 book Twilight of the Idols as “Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker.”

To be honest, I find this phrase corny and overused. I’ve tried to look at it in different ways.

For example, you can say, what doesn’t kill you simply doesn’t kill you. In fact, that’s what happens to most people. The hard things they go through don’t change them. They just happen to them.

Or you can say, what doesn’t kill you today might kill you tomorrow. If you take a lot of risks and put yourself in dangerous situations, it’s only a matter of time before something bad happens.

But I always remember that I’m into practical philosophy, not the academic type. We shouldn’t overanalyze philosophical concepts.

The truth is that you’re still here. You went through the challenges that life threw at you.

The problem is that most people assume life should be easy.

“Oh, if I only had more money, better looks, was a little taller, or lived in that place, I’d have a GREAT life!”

Yeah, right.

Just get over that type of thinking. Prepare yourself for a life of hardship. If you face challenges, say to yourself, “This is normal.” And if everything in your life goes smoothly, say thank you 500 times a day.

The truth is that every challenge you face has the potential to make you stronger. So if you look at it that way, what doesn’t kill you in life is actually a gift, a gift to get stronger.

2. Mindset is everything

To become physically stronger, you have to put stress on your body. If you repeat that process, your body adapts by getting stronger.

Your mind doesn’t quite work the same way. If it did, the people who had tough childhoods would be the most mentally tough people in the world.

Mental toughness is purely mindset.

Yes, I know David Goggins and the legions of his imitators who claim that running marathons and doing Ironmans make you mentally tougher. That’s just not true.

Look at the Stoics and all the other philosophers who talked about mental toughness. None of them made those types of claims.

The fact is that the body follows the mind. If you have mental toughness, you’re better equipped to do hard physical things. But ultimately, physical challenges are also a matter of genetics.

When it comes to mindset, though, it’s a more equal playing field. Sure, there are inherited mental conditions. But as long as you’re mentally sound, which is something you should be grateful for, you’re in a position to become more mentally tough.

You just have to realize that it’s all in your mind.

3. A few ways to keep your mind sharp

Now, all of this doesn’t mean you can tell yourself, “Hey mind, just be tougher.”

Improving your mental toughness takes work. The best way to do that is to keep your mind sharp.

I believe that the natural state of mind is one of complacency. Most of our days are a repetition of the prior day. That’s why so many of us get bored and lazy. We stop doing the things that keep our minds sharp.

And that’s the biggest mistake you can make. Because if your mind is sharp and aware, it reminds you to stay strong during hard times and not to complain or feel sorry for yourself.

Here’s how you keep your mind sharp:

1. Read non-fiction books about topics you want to learn. I’m personally always interested in ways to become a better writer, thinker, and investor. So I’m always reading a book that helps me with that. The deeper the book, the longer it takes to finish it, which is actually a good sign.
2. Journal daily. Writing clears your mind. It helps you turn emotional reactions into clear thoughts. When you write about what bothers you, it loses power over you.
3. Work out. Staying healthy and active gives you the energy to handle stress. Physical training doesn’t automatically make you mentally tough, but it builds discipline, and discipline strengthens the mind.
4. Limit distractions. A distracted mind is a weak mind. Every time you check your phone or scroll aimlessly, you lose focus and attention span. Practice single-tasking. Train your mind to do one thing deeply.
5. Spend time alone. Solitude resets your brain. When you’re always surrounded by noise, opinions, and stimulation, you stop hearing your own thoughts. Spend time walking, thinking, or just sitting without input.
6. Reflect before reacting. Sharp thinkers don’t react fast. They pause, think, and then respond. Whether it’s an email, argument, or setback, slow down your reaction time. That’s real strength.
7. Keep your emotions in check. Your mind gets dull when emotions take over. Learn to notice anger, fear, or envy the moment they show up. Don’t suppress them, but don’t feed them either. Observe, breathe, move on.
8. Simplify your life. Complexity drains mental energy. Cut unnecessary commitments, gossip, and clutter. A sharp mind thrives in a simple environment.
9. Expose yourself to different ideas. Read philosophy, science, history, art. Talk to people you disagree with. Challenge your assumptions. Mental sharpness dies when you live in an echo chamber.

When your mind is consistently exposed to challenge, reflection, and learning, it becomes sharper, and a sharp mind is a strong mind.

Mental toughness is for everyone

Not just Navy SEALs or people with hard jobs.

Mental toughness is for the parent who gets up every day to take care of their kids while trying to improve their life. It’s for the person working through anxiety or grief and still showing up. It’s for anyone who refuses to quit, no matter what life throws their way.

You don’t need to run an ultramarathon or climb Everest to prove your strength. You just need to keep going when you don’t feel like it.

That’s what mental toughness really is. It’s not about pretending you’re invincible. It’s about getting hit, getting up, and saying, “That’s all you’ve got?”

Because what doesn’t kill you, if you let it, really does make you stronger.

The post Mental Toughness Part II: What doesn’t kill you appeared first on Darius Foroux.

A guy at a car parts manufacturer says automation is moving in faster than management admits. A woman in government tells me her team is using AI, and now everyone fears getting replaced.

These aren’t the early adopters of AI. Not designers, not marketers. These are steady jobs that used to feel safe. That’s what changed. AI isn’t a niche topic anymore. It is quietly rewriting how work gets done across the board.

Waiting is a dangerous strategy.

If you use a computer for your job, you are already in danger. That’s also true for me.

I’m an AI doomsday thinker. I’m challenging you to take action and capitalize on the opportunities of the AI age. Too many smart people are waiting to see how things play out. By the time things are clear, it is often too late.

My challenge to you: Launch something of your own

The best thing you can do now is to build something of your own. Not a tiny hack. Not a single task that saves ten minutes.

I challenge you to launch a real project that puts your name on the map and forces you to learn. For example:

• Personal brand and website: Claim a domain, write a clear one-liner, set up email capture, and publish one offer.
• Simple app or micro-SaaS: Wrap an AI model or API around a narrow problem and ship a working demo.
• Service or agency: Use AI to deliver a clear result for a specific client type. Get three paying clients.
• Niche productized service: Fixed scope, fixed price, fast turnaround powered by AI tools.
• Physical product: Use AI for design, packaging, copy, instructions, and marketing. Start with a small batch or a pre-order.

The point isn’t to make a bunch of money or to replace your current income. The point is ownership. Launch something you can point to and say, “I built this.”

“First say to yourself what you would be; then do what you have to do.” — Epictetus

The skills you collect by building

When I moved toward self-employment in 2015, I tested a bunch of ideas. I looked at dropshipping and even a line of men’s care products like shampoos and beard oil. By a simple process of elimination, I ended up writing books, because I was journaling and writing a lot for myself.

That journey gave me the skill stack I still use today. I learned design well enough to make clean assets. I learned basic HTML so I could fix my own site. I learned writing by showing up daily. I learned accounting so I could run a real business.

None of that came from thinking. It came from reading relevant books about the stuff I was learning, and then, doing.

That is the hidden benefit of this challenge. Whatever you launch, you collect durable skills.

You learn to pick a buyer, frame a promise, scope a version one, ship publicly, talk to users, price with confidence, and improve without bloat. Those skills make you valuable in any market.

A simple 90-day launch plan

• Weeks 1–2: Choose a buyer and a painful use case. Write a one-line promise. Pick your AI stack and supporting tools.
• Weeks 3–4: Prototype the core. Build the smallest version that proves the promise. No extra features.
• Weeks 5–6: Get first users. Show it to five real people. Charge something. Watch them use it.
• Weeks 7–8: Tighten the loop. Fix the top two issues. Improve onboarding. Write the clearest “how it works” page you can.
• Weeks 9–10: Launch publicly. Publish a demo video, a landing page, and a way to pay or pre-order.
• Weeks 11–12: Iterate and document. Ship one upgrade, one testimonial, and one case study.

It really doesn’t have to be so hard. Break down your project into weekly goals and then get going.

How AI fits into this

AI is not the product. It is your leverage. Use ChatGPT or Claude to think, plan, and draft, then refine with your own judgment.

For market research, use Perplexity to map competitors and capture the exact words buyers use. Keep a short doc of phrases and problems, then write your promise in that language.

For design, generate logo directions, packaging ideas, and simple illustrations with your preferred tools, then tidy them up in Figma or Canva. Aim for clean and clear rather than clever.

If you are building software, pair your editor with an AI coding assistant to get unstuck faster. Host quick prototypes on Replit or Vercel and use a simple database like Supabase so you can ship without heavy setup.

For websites, set them up fast with Kit, Framer, or Webflow. Connect payments through Stripe or Lemon Squeezy so you can charge from day one and learn from real customers.

For operations, draft support replies, FAQs, and summaries of user feedback with AI so you spend more time improving the product. Review everything before it goes out. Let AI shorten the distance between idea and launch, not replace your decisions.

Guardrails for the challenge

• Ship something people can use. A site, an app, a service, or a product they can buy.
• Pick one buyer. Specific beats general.
• Price from day one. Money is feedback.
• Show your work. Publish updates and demos. Momentum attracts help.
• Cut scope weekly. If it is not essential to the promise, it waits.
• Keep receipts. Track what you learned. That becomes your advantage.

The invitation

This is not about chasing hype or pretending everyone should be a founder. It is about taking ownership of your future. In the past, security came from belonging to an institution.

Today, security comes from your ability to create value on your own, learn fast, and adapt.

Before this year ends, launch one thing with your name on it. Build a brand, ship an app, offer a service, set up a website, or even create a physical product. Use AI tools to make it happen. Along the way you will learn skills that keep paying you back.

The world is changing fast. You can sit on the sidelines and watch, or you can get in the game. You have three months. Build something real. Ship it. Learn. Then do it again.

What you build today might be what saves you tomorrow.

The post Challenge: Build something with AI before the year ends appeared first on Darius Foroux.