Episode

#202: Tools of Titans: Derek Sivers Distilled
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36:52
Published: Sun Nov 20 2016
Description

Derek Sivers(@sivers) is one of my favorite humans, and I call him often for advice. Think of him as a philosopher-king programmer, master teacher, and merry prankster. Originally a professional musician and circus clown (he did the latter to counterbalance being introverted), Derek created CD Baby in 1998. It became the largest seller of independent music online, with $100 million in sales for 150,000 musicians. In 2008, Derek sold CD Baby for $22 million, giving the proceeds to a charitable trust for music education. He is a frequent speaker at the TED Conference, with more than five million views of his talks. In addition to publishing 33 books via his company Wood Egg, he is the author of Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur, a collection of short life lessons that I've read at least a dozen times. I still have an early draft with highlights and notes. I posted the following on Facebook while writing this chapter: "I might need to do a second volume of [Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers], 100% dedicated to the knowledge bombs of Derek Sivers. So much good stuff. Hard to cut." Here's a bit of what made it into the first edition -- cherry-picked from the nuggets I've applied to my own life. Enjoy! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by Audible. I have used Audible for years, and I love audiobooks. I have two to recommend: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman Vagabonding by Rolf Potts All you need to do to get your free 30-day Audible trial is go to Audible.com/Tim. Choose one of the above books, or choose any of the endless options they offer. That could be a book, a newspaper, a magazine, or even a class. It's that easy. Go to Audible.com/Tim and get started today. Enjoy. This podcast is also brought to you by FreshBooks. FreshBooks is The #1 cloud bookkeeping software, which is used by a ton of the start-ups I advise and many of the contractors I work with. It is the easiest way to send invoices, get paid, track your time, and track your clients. FreshBooks tells you when your clients have viewed your invoices, helps you customize your invoices, track your hours, automatically organize your receipts, have late payment reminders sent automatically and much more. Right now you can get a free month of complete and unrestricted use. You do not need a credit card for the trial. To claim your free month and see how the brand new Freshbooks can change your business, go to FreshBooks.com/Tim and enter "Tim" in the "how did you hear about us section."***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Visit tim.blog/sponsor and fill out the form.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chapters
In this podcast episode, Tim shares his thoughts on minimalism and how doing the opposite of the norm can lead to better results.
00:00 - 01:07 (01:07)
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Minimalism
Summary

In this podcast episode, Tim shares his thoughts on minimalism and how doing the opposite of the norm can lead to better results. He also brings on guests Ferris and Joe to discuss different aspects of the topic.

Episode
#202: Tools of Titans: Derek Sivers Distilled
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss introduces another episode of his show where he deconstructs world-class performers, followed by an ad for Athletic Greens all-in-one formula, which includes a free vitamin D supplement and travel packs with a first subscription purchase.
01:07 - 04:56 (03:49)
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Tim Ferriss, Athletic Greens, Performance, Habits
Summary

Tim Ferriss introduces another episode of his show where he deconstructs world-class performers, followed by an ad for Athletic Greens all-in-one formula, which includes a free vitamin D supplement and travel packs with a first subscription purchase.

Episode
#202: Tools of Titans: Derek Sivers Distilled
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Derek Sivers talks about the importance of breaking automatic responses and thinking more deliberately in order to truly evaluate what success means to us as individuals.
04:56 - 11:20 (06:24)
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Slow thinking
Summary

Derek Sivers talks about the importance of breaking automatic responses and thinking more deliberately in order to truly evaluate what success means to us as individuals. Also, he shares his experience reviewing over 200 books at Sivers.org/books.

Episode
#202: Tools of Titans: Derek Sivers Distilled
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
A friend encourages someone to study with him for a bit before they head off to school and mentions that there may still be rules in place regarding required courses.
11:20 - 16:48 (05:28)
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Friend, Studying
Summary

A friend encourages someone to study with him for a bit before they head off to school and mentions that there may still be rules in place regarding required courses.

Episode
#202: Tools of Titans: Derek Sivers Distilled
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The donkey in Buridan's fable couldn't decide between hay and water and ended up dying of hunger and thirst.
16:48 - 23:57 (07:09)
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decision-making
Summary

The donkey in Buridan's fable couldn't decide between hay and water and ended up dying of hunger and thirst. Similarly, by being indecisive in our lives and not taking action, we can also cause ourselves unnecessary harm and stress.

Episode
#202: Tools of Titans: Derek Sivers Distilled
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker shares their experience of slowing down the pace during bike rides and how it helped them enjoy the experience more by taking in the scenery.
23:58 - 28:04 (04:06)
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Cycling
Summary

The speaker shares their experience of slowing down the pace during bike rides and how it helped them enjoy the experience more by taking in the scenery.

Episode
#202: Tools of Titans: Derek Sivers Distilled
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker suggests testing a new lifestyle with an exit plan in case it doesn't work out, and advises talking to people who are currently living that lifestyle to learn about the pros and cons.
28:04 - 35:42 (07:38)
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Lifestyle
Summary

The speaker suggests testing a new lifestyle with an exit plan in case it doesn't work out, and advises talking to people who are currently living that lifestyle to learn about the pros and cons. The speaker also shares their personal opinion on music being best appreciated alone without distractions.

Episode
#202: Tools of Titans: Derek Sivers Distilled
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss is offering a short weekly email called "Five Bullet Friday" where he shares the coolest things he has found or pondered over the past week, including new albums, gadgets, and interesting articles.
35:42 - 36:50 (01:08)
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Emails
Summary

Tim Ferriss is offering a short weekly email called "Five Bullet Friday" where he shares the coolest things he has found or pondered over the past week, including new albums, gadgets, and interesting articles.

Episode
#202: Tools of Titans: Derek Sivers Distilled
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show