Derek Sivers

Last month, I moved into my new home in the woods.

summary: Because I loved his book “How Buildings Learn”, I expected a more philosophical look at maintenance, but it’s mostly a deep dive into a few specific examples of boats, guns, and cars. recommend: 3/10 my notes: “Maintenance” means the whole grand…

summary: Being a great listener when people speak.

summary: Tiny blog posts about non-conformity.

I have so much more to say on this subject, but this book is done now because I believe short books are useful.

For the last three years, my boy and I have had a pet mouse.

Your outside doesn’t need to match your inside.

When I got my first guitar, the nice man at the shop put on new strings and tuned it.

I spent basically my whole life in America, and had no desire to travel or be anywhere else.

No matter what choice you make, someone will tell you it’s wrong.

After you privately internalize a belief, talk about it with friends.

Once you find a viewpoint you want to adopt, a great tool to internalize it is a private journal.

You load the program into the computer, and it begins its calculations.

Picture the stereotype of an explorer, hundreds of years ago, on an expedition to uncharted lands.

You can do anything.

This is where I would share powerful questions that you can answer for big insights and change.

On the Olympic podium stood the winners of the gold, silver, and bronze medal.

To list all the beliefs I’ve found useful would fill a whole book.

summary: Since I’m learning to read and write Chinese, I thought this was going to go more into the history of the characters themselves, but it was about the technological innovations that enabled their adoption and distribution. recommend: 2/10 my notes:

To change, reach past what comes naturally.

When things aren’t going well, you’re in a bad state of mind.

summary: More like a memoir of her re-discovery of existentialist writers.

summary: Light introduction to Existentialism.

summary: Famous analysis of India’s intellectual and political heritage, quite against Hindu nationalism.

summary: What a great man.

summary: Philosophical thoughts on what to do with your money, which then relates to happiness, independence, envy, scarcity, and more.

summary: Your body language, mannerisms, speaking habits, listening habits, all affect how you’re perceived.

summary: Asks the question I love: Why are different cultures that way?

summary: First part was great - so empathetic - about how and why to really get to know someone.

summary: Cultural optimism!

summary: Math is imagination, visualization, and intuition.

summary: I read it long after release, when its ideas are thoroughly ingested into my culture, so it had few surprises.

summary: Surprised me by being a book about autism.

summary: Super motivating book about effective learning and improvement.

Writers talking about writing.

Marie Kondo your goals, mistakes are the fountain of youth, Buridan's donkey, suspending judgement, concise writing, your first thought is an obstacle.

Social media, pleasing the algorithm is not worth the price, virtual progress, run the program, no need to struggle, entrepreneur is moot, expire your labels quickly, death as a tool for focus.

No speed limit, creating your own opportunities, adding value, First Follower, Useful Not True, Explorer vs Leader

Creative process, authenticity, vulnerability, feeling untethered from your country of origin, belief, spirituality, interpreting reality.

How to Live and its orchestra metaphor, Asian parent guilt, family dynamics, romantic relationships, loneliness, money and morality of business, shallow vs deep joy from money, everything is figureoutable.

Effectiveness of programming solo, my tech preferences, software philosophy, my people database and productivity tools, writing, social travel, dating, questioning beliefs.

Reframing, choosing new beliefs, balancing self-conviction with others' opinions, consistency vs change, expiring your self-definitions, manufacturing urgency, helping others change.

Minimalism, De-othering, I'm not from here, Heroes, Protecting your inputs, writing as self-exploration, balancing consumption and creation, my life story in four nutshells.

What we learn from travel, Useful Not True, empathy, embracing discomfort, modern China.

Definition of success, philosophy of growth and challenge, whatever scares you go do it, developing rare skills, input vs output, simplicity, journaling.

After 17 years of emailing, we talk about music, CD Baby, living an unusual life, useful not true, and more.

Polish publisher of Anything You Want, about success, opportunity, timing, journaling, neuroplasticity, minimalism, musicians and programmers, Poland.

Journaling, writing, personal agency, life experiments

Generous host on applied generosity as applied to different aspects of my career: business and writing.

Different than most!