Derek Sivers

Everything, newest first — across every channel. Their profile →

Building without predicting 18 Aug
Prepare your “no” and keep it handy 14 May
My life was changed by four sentences in four books 12 May
Geography is four-dimensional 5 May
Netizen 3 May
Publishing only on your own site, and making people come to it, is the considerate way to share your work. 12 Mar

On changing their mindI was acting like the record producer in New Jersey, making everyone come to my website. It was inconsiderate.
I was inconsiderate but now I’m everywhere 12 Mar
About my book notes 6 Mar
Long stretches of being disconnected -- no internet, no phone, no people -- are what make creative work possible. 3 Mar

WasAll the best, happiest, and most creatively productive times in my life have something in common: being disconnected.

NowMedia silence creates a vacuum, which your own thoughts expand to fill.
Offline 23 hours a day 3 Mar
What next? 9 Feb
Reframing death 8 Feb
You are what you pretend to be 7 Feb
Keep tuning and adjusting 6 Feb
Memories are not accurate — Useful Not True (13/60) 5 Feb
That was about you, not them — Useful Not True (19/60) 5 Feb
Your first thought is an obstacle — Useful Not True (27/60) 5 Feb
Five tiny tales of reframing — Useful Not True (48/60) 5 Feb
Beliefs → emotions → actions — Useful Not True (31/60) 5 Feb
Hanging inherited paintings — Useful Not True (23/60) 5 Feb
What time is it? — Useful Not True (2/60) 5 Feb
Why your choice is wrong — Useful Not True (55/60) 5 Feb
The more emotional the belief, the less likely it’s true — (26/60) 5 Feb
You are what you pretend to be — Useful Not True (58/60) 5 Feb
Religion is action, not belief — Useful Not True (33/60) 5 Feb
Which perspective empowers you? — Useful Not True (36/60) 5 Feb
People share perspectives, not facts — Useful Not True (5/60) 5 Feb
Take the first step immediately — Useful Not True (56/60) 5 Feb
A daily run and imagination — Useful Not True (30/60) 5 Feb
Take the first step immediately 5 Feb
Why your choice is wrong 4 Feb
Talk with friends to solidify it 3 Feb
Private journal to internalize it 2 Feb
No new instructions for the computer 1 Feb
From explorer to self-leader 31 Jan
How to decide and make the best choice 30 Jan
An awesome collection of great questions 29 Jan
Five tiny tales of reframing 28 Jan
Traits of useful perspectives 27 Jan
Expand your repertoire 26 Jan
Diamond in the trash 25 Jan
Answer great questions 24 Jan
Who chooses your (next) thoughts? 23 Jan
The most useful part of this book 22 Jan
Philosophies are instruments 21 Jan
Nobody actually decides on the facts -- emotion decides and facts rationalise, so you find whatever truth is useful to you. 20 Jan
No belief is true: the moment something is proven it stops being a belief and becomes a fact. 5 Jan
Writing your thinking down in public is a form of life after death -- for human readers and for the language models that will read it too. 6 Dec 2024
Wealth is what you have divided by what you want, so the reliable way to become wealthier is to want less. 27 Sept 2024
Burning your bridges to force yourself forward is worth what it costs. 20 Apr 2023

On changing their mindThere's always a chance I might never see my family again. Because of that, I often regret it. It's usually best to keep options open.
Writing one sentence per line, for your own eyes, improves prose more than any other habit. 20 Jun 2022
Storing your own writing in a company's proprietary format is a mistake, because you will outlive the company. 2 Mar 2022
Everything you write that matters belongs in plain text files, because they are the only format that stays portable, non-commercial and readable for a lifetime. 2 Mar 2022
Code and files generated by tools are pollution: hand-writing them is worth the effort because the bloat slows everything down for everyone. 15 Oct 2019
Say no to anything that is not an enthusiastic yes, because a life full of half-hearted commitments leaves no room for the things worth doing. 3 Jun 2018