

Changing my operating system - MattBearman
http://sivers.org/os

======
jayfuerstenberg
Thinking the article was too long, I was searching for mentions of "OSX",
"Linux", "Windows" and not finding what I was looking for.

Then I noticed he wasn't talking about computer operating systems.

~~~
sivers
Sorry about that.

Next week I'll post a succinct article about switching to OpenBSD, and I'll
title it, "Long interview about life and travel."

:-)

~~~
jayfuerstenberg
Hahaha.

Well I mean too long for me at the moment. I'll certainly give it a good read
later when I have time.

------
jonathanwallace
'But that feeling kind of scares me, because it’s like that thing when people
get to a certain age and say “This is who I am. This is how I like my eggs.
This is where I live.”'

This how I've been trying to live my life for the past seven or eight years,
by tackling the fear head on.

Sometimes I've been successful and other times, not so much.

Never settle and never get comfortable. Thanks for the inspiring interview.

------
hbien
Slightly off topic, but one of my favorite episodes from that podcast actually
aired right after Derek Siver's interview:
[http://foolishadventure.com/audio/write-compelling-copy-
with...](http://foolishadventure.com/audio/write-compelling-copy-with-joanna-
weibe-of-copyhackers-fa133/)

It was definitely worth a listen and included a ton of practical tips on
copywriting. The one that stuck with me the most was to "steal copy from your
potential customers", for example, look up customers' Amazon reviews on your
competitors to see how they're describing products.

~~~
Ecio78
She was also interviewed in an episode of TechZing
[http://techzinglive.com/page/857/153-tz-interview-joanna-
wie...](http://techzinglive.com/page/857/153-tz-interview-joanna-wiebe-
copyhackers) a year and a half ago.

------
JacobAldridge
I like the analogy (and, of course, the content which has been read and
bookmarked!). I'm co-launching a business into this sphere next month, though
with a niche focus on young women - not sure how the OS analogy will work but
so many other tips are universally applicable.

~~~
jk4930
> focus on young women

So you're co-launching a sect and become a sex-guru? ;)

No srsly, I've found that many people (not only young women) could need some
help to get more self-esteem, curiosity (many are, but they think they're not
allowed to be), orientation, focus, can-do mentality, so your business could
be helpful.

Indirectly I do something similar. I give seminars (as a side business) on
business apparel and experienced that the technical stuff (e.g., colour choice
or sleeve length) is just a part, attitude is equally (or even more)
important. And people (both men and women) often need someone (me in this
case) who tells them that they're not that bad, that there are (mostly
unwritten or not commonly known) rules out there that can be understood. That
a lot of confusion can be reduced often with simple methods (i.e., complex
things made simple and applicable).

My background in social simulation certainly helps to understand social
dynamics and make those rules and how-to procedures minimal and explicit.
E.g., parts of my approach are directly transfered from the theory of situated
agents, where one is embedded within a (social) context, occupies a (social)
position, has goals, which lead to the required actions. Shorter:

f(context, position, goals) -> actions.

In the case of my seminars, the actions are mostly clothing-related (e.g.,
dress like co-workers or dress like seniors?). But it's easily extendable.

Sorry, you didn't ask for this, I wrote it anyway. :)

------
Nursie
I don't really get the whole self-help, personal-development thing, but maybe
that's because when life starts to bore me or get stale I change it.

The conversation in the article reads like this guy is somewhat manic though.

~~~
keithpeter
Transcripts of interviews do _tend_ to read a little over the top, however
this chap does seem to have plenty of drive.

" _If I say these two sentences. It would let them tell the relatives back in
India that their daughter had a proper Muslim wedding. Means nothing to me, it
means everything to them. So here we go._ "

Hope that one works out OK.

------
dualogy
WOW. I'm not usually the type for self-help-guru-personal-development stuff at
all -- _really_ \-- but THIS interview knocked me outa my flip-flops. Must-
read!

Great stuff @sivers, cheers from Phnom Penh :)

------
idle_processor
>"Reading lots of books. Lots of non-fiction books. Particularly a lot about
psychology, behavioural economics, studies of happiness"

Mind sharing your top picks from that crop, sivers?

~~~
autodafe
He goes into quite a bit of detail here: <http://sivers.org/book>

~~~
sivers
Yep ^ that's the link.

Those books are default sorted in order with my top recommendations at the
top. A little blurb on each, then detailed notes inside.

~~~
RyanMcGreal
If you haven't yet read Steven Pinker's book _The Better Angels of our Nature_
, I can't recommend it highly enough. It's a long read, but the writing is
crisp and often hilarious, and I challenge anyone to come away from it without
a sizable dent in their worldview.

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ValentineC
So, somewhere around 41:25:

(I know that this is Steven Pressfield's concept, but...) what's the
difference between 'resistance' and procrastination?

Edit: I searched around and, from Pressfield himself: "Procrastination is the
most common manifestation of resistance because it's the easiest to
rationalize..." Looks like I have three more books to add to my reading list.

------
Nightrider
A similar mindhack on how to revert back to your "Last Known Working
Configuration": [http://zerotosuperhero.com/mindhack/find-your-lifes-last-
kno...](http://zerotosuperhero.com/mindhack/find-your-lifes-last-known-
working-configuration/)

Its good for uncovering unnoticed strengths and keystone habits.

Note: I'm firing up Zero to Superhero again, but excuse the blog as its still
under construction.

~~~
graeme
Thanks! A good idea, simply expressed. I am way off from my last known working
configuration, time to switch back.

~~~
Nightrider
Thanks for the kind words Graeme. Much more on the way.

