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
Salt
A World History
Mark Kurlansky
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[1][3][4].
Cod
A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World
Mark Kurlansky
This book chronicles the history of the Atlantic cod, spanning a thousand years and four continents. It introduces readers to explorers, merchants, writers, chefs, and fishermen whose lives have been intertwined with this fish. 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. The book is enriched with gastronomic details, recipes, and lore from the Middle Ages to the present.
The Listening Book
None
Walter Matthau
Nine Nasty Words
None
John McWhorter
Stubborn Attachments
Tyler Cowen
The 4 Hour Workweek
Timothy Ferriss
In 'The 4-Hour Workweek', Timothy Ferriss presents a step-by-step guide to 'lifestyle design', encouraging readers to question the traditional notion of retirement and instead create a lifestyle that prioritizes freedom, adventure, and personal growth. The book teaches how to outsource life tasks, automate income, and eliminate unnecessary work using principles like the 80/20 rule and Parkinson’s Law. Ferriss shares his personal journey from a corporate workaholic to a location-independent entrepreneur and provides practical tips and case studies to help readers achieve similar results. The book emphasizes the importance of focusing on high-value activities, taking 'mini-retirements', and living life to the fullest in the present rather than deferring enjoyment until retirement.
This Is Marketing
You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn To See
Seth Godin
In 'This Is Marketing', Seth Godin presents a transformative view of marketing as a generous act of helping others solve problems. The book focuses on key principles such as targeting the smallest viable market, delivering anticipated, personal, and relevant messages, and building trust through permission marketing. Godin argues that effective marketing is about creating positive change and helping people become who they want to be. He provides actionable insights, case studies, and a strategic focus on storytelling, tension, and customer-centric approaches. The book is designed for entrepreneurs, small business owners, freelancers, and marketers looking to reframe their marketing strategies and connect meaningfully with their audiences.
Still
The Art of Noticing
Mary Jo Hoffman
Quiet
The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
Susan Cain
In 'Quiet', Susan Cain presents a comprehensive argument that modern Western culture misunderstands and undervalues the traits and capabilities of introverted people. She charts the rise of the 'Extrovert Ideal' and explores how it permeates various aspects of society, including workplaces, schools, and social interactions. Cain draws on research from biology, psychology, neuroscience, and evolution to demonstrate that introversion is common, normal, and valuable. The book offers advice for introverts on functioning in an extrovert-dominated culture and advocates for changes to support and recognize the contributions of introverts. It also distinguishes between introversion, shyness, and anti-social behavior, and highlights the unique strengths of introverts, such as deep thinking, persistence, and excellent negotiation skills.
How to Live
27 conflicting answers and one weird conclusion
Derek Sivers
In 'How to Live', Derek Sivers presents a collection of 27 independent chapters, each offering a different philosophy on how to live. 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.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Stephen R Covey
This book, first published in 1989, outlines seven habits that are designed to help individuals become more effective in their personal and professional lives. 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[2][5][4].
Getting Things Done
David Allen
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[2][3][5].
Show Your Work!
Austin Kleon
In 'Show Your Work!', Austin Kleon provides a manifesto for succeeding as any kind of artist or entrepreneur in the digital age. The book emphasizes the importance of generosity over genius, getting 'findable' by using the network, and self-discovery through sharing your creative process. 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. The book is filled with illustrations, quotes, stories, and examples to inspire and guide readers in their creative journeys[2][3][4].
Deep Work
Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Cal Newport
In 'Deep Work', Cal Newport argues that the ability to perform deep work—professional activities in a state of distraction-free concentration—is becoming increasingly valuable in our economy. The book is divided into two parts: the first part explains why deep work is valuable, rare, and meaningful, while the second part presents four rules to transform your mind and habits to support this skill. 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.
Digital Minimalism
Cal Newport
In 'Digital Minimalism', Cal Newport argues that we need to be more intentional about the technologies we allow into our lives. 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[2][3][5].
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.
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