A Productive Conversation Endless Curiosity with Derek Sivers
Sep 3, 2020
Derek Sivers, a multifaceted writer, musician, and founder of CD Baby, explores the essence of living a good life based on years of curiosity and his nomadic experiences. He discusses the inspiration behind his upcoming book, 'How To Live,' emphasizing that there's no singular way to be happy. Sivers believes that creativity thrives under constraints and highlights how our perception of time is deeply personal. He also shares thought-provoking insights on life phases, joy in productivity, and his relationship with email—peppered with humorous Star Wars references.
53:55
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Intro
00:00 • 2min
The Interplay of Identity and Freedom
01:45 • 18min
Redefining Personal New Beginnings
19:17 • 3min
Maximizing Efficiency: The Power of Shopify and Meal Planning
22:19 • 4min
Diversifying Investments and Enhancing Productivity
26:46 • 5min
Evolving Passions and New Identities
31:45 • 24min
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This book details the significant impact of salt on world history, from its use in food preservation and cooking to its influence on politics, economies, and social structures.
Kurlansky discusses how salt was a highly sought-after commodity, influencing empires, financing wars, and shaping various customs and traditions.
The book covers the production, control, and use of salt across different eras and regions, including its role in slavery, taxation, and industrialization.
It also touches on the scientific and technological aspects of salt production and its health effects.
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Kurlansky discusses the commercialization of cod by the Basques in medieval times, the cod wars, and the significant role cod played in world history, including its impact on European food supplies, the settlement of North America, and its current status facing extinction.
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You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn To See
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Cain draws on research from biology, psychology, neuroscience, and evolution to demonstrate that introversion is common, normal, and valuable.
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How to Live
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Derek Sivers
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These chapters often contradict each other, arguing for various approaches such as being completely independent, committing to one career or person, being fully present, or delaying gratification.
The book is designed for reflection as much as instruction, providing actionable directives without quoting philosophers or naming specific ideologies.
It invites readers to consider multiple perspectives and find their own way, emphasizing that there is no one right way to live life.
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Stephen R Covey
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The habits are grouped into three categories: Private Victory (habits 1-3), Public Victory (habits 4-6), and Renewal (habit 7).
The habits include being proactive, beginning with the end in mind, putting first things first, thinking win-win, seeking first to understand and then to be understood, synergizing, and sharpening the saw.
Covey emphasizes the importance of personal integrity, effective time management, empathetic communication, and continuous self-improvement.
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Getting Things Done (GTD) is a personal productivity system developed by David Allen.
The book provides a detailed methodology for managing tasks, projects, and information, emphasizing the importance of capturing all tasks and ideas, clarifying their meaning, organizing them into actionable lists, reviewing the system regularly, and engaging in the tasks.
The GTD method is designed to reduce stress and increase productivity by externalizing tasks and using a trusted system to manage them.
The book is divided into three parts, covering the overview of the system, its implementation, and the deeper benefits of integrating GTD into one's work and life.
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Show Your Work!
Austin Kleon
In 'Show Your Work!
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It offers ten transformative rules for being open, generous, brave, and productive, including chapters on sharing something small every day, engaging with your audience, and the etiquette of sharing online.
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Cal Newport
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These rules include 'Work Deeply', 'Embrace Boredom', 'Quit Social Media', and 'Drain the Shallows'.
Newport provides actionable advice and examples from various successful individuals to help readers master the skill of deep work and achieve groundbreaking results.
#37
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He proposes a philosophy of digital minimalism, where individuals focus their online time on activities that strongly support their values and ignore the rest.
The book highlights the negative effects of behavioral addictions created by technology, such as solitude deprivation and the fleeting nature of social media satisfaction.
Newport suggests a 30-day 'digital declutter' process and other practices to help readers integrate digital minimalism into their lives, emphasizing the importance of optimizing technology use to support personal goals and values.
This episode is sponsored by Bento Focus — the ADHD-friendly focus timer that helps you do less, better. Limit your day to three meaningful tasks, build calm routines, and stay focused with beautiful Japanese-inspired themes. Try it today at dub.sh/mike-bento-podcast.
After decades of following his own interests, today’s guest Derek Sivers has gone down many interesting rabbit holes. With an ambitious title for his new book, ‘How To Live’, we explore what makes a good life. Derek Sivers is best known as a writer, musician, programmer and the founder of CD Baby, an online CD store for independent musicians. For the past 12 years, he’s been living a nomadic lifestyle and pondered a lot about what makes a good life. In this episode, we explore his new book he’s currently writing ‘How To Live’ – and how there is no one ‘right’ way to live. Derek’s life philosophy of being curious is infectious, and I enjoy going down a few rabbit holes with him in this interview. Join us as we explore how time is personal, setting creative constraints, and the surprising conclusion from his book. Get ready for a few Star Wars references too. Talking Points The reason why he wrote his new book ‘How To Live’ The role curiosity plays in his life How setting constraints gives your freedom Thinking beyond New Year’s Eve: how time is personal The big phases throughout Derek’s life Is Derek always having fun? His relationship with email Quote “Constraints free you from the daunting prospect of infinite possibility” Helpful Links How To Live American History X The Listening Book | Amazon Quiet | Amazon The 4-Hour Workweek | Amazon Akimbo podcast by Seth Godin Conversations with Tyler John McWhorter The Art of Noticing | Amazon The Good Place Comedian Hugo Jacomet’s YouTube channel Salt | Amazon Cod | Amazon Curious with Josh Peck Monthly Self-Expansion Project Chris Guillebeau Sivers.org Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a rating and/or review wherever you listened to the episode. Also don't forget to check out all of our podcast sponsors found on our podcast sponsors page. And if you want to have easy access to the archives of the show and ensure you don't miss the new episodes to come then subscribe to the podcast in the app you're using.
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