Uploaded October 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
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Derek Sivers is a musician, producer, circus performer, entrepreneur, TED speaker, and book publisher. He's written four books including How To Live, Hell Yeah Or No, Your Music And People, and Anything You Want.
He's also the founder of CD Baby – the largest seller of independent music online, with $100 million in sales for 150,000 musicians. In 2007, Derek sold that business for $22 million – almost all of which Derek donated to a charitable trust for music education.
In this episode, we talk about how Derek keeps himself focused on ONE project at a time, how to navigate conflicting philosophies, what we can learn from professional musicians, and how creators can pursue balance in our lives.
Episode webpage: https://creativeelements.fm/derek-sivers/
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Who is Derek Sivers?
00:27 - Derek is a Monomaniac
01:19 - Derek’s Inspiration for “How To Live”
01:58 - What We Learn Today
02:30 - INTRO
02:45 - Derek Has a Singular Focus
04:14 - Is Being a Monomaniac Innate or Learned?
04:57- Don’t Be a Donkey! (Buridan’s Donkey Paradox)
06:54 - Why It’s Important to Prioritize and Sequence in Your Life
07:46 - How to Use Journaling to Prioritize Your Life
09:19 - Life is NOT a Problem to be Solved
12:33 - How Do You Decide What Gets Priority?
16:22 - Sign up for Creator Science!
17:10 - How to Navigate Conflicting Philosophies
20:10 - Derek’s Process of writing “How To Live”
21:30 - Your Values Change Over Time
23:13 - Breaking Away From Tribalism
24:21 - How to find Balance in Your life
27:49 - STOP Relying on Your Job to Fulfill EVERY Need
30:23 - Derek’s Life as a Musician
31:34 - Momentum is SO Important
33:20 - Listen to the Audio Podcast!
34:39 - What Creators Can Learn From Musicians
35:57 - The History of Starbucks (And What You Can Learn From It)
38:22 - Intrinsic VS Extrinsic Motivation
43:10 - Even Rock Stars Have a Boss
44:54 - What Will Derek Do Next?
46:11 - OUTRO
***
CONNECT WITH GUEST
🌐 Website: https://sive.rs/
🐦 Twitter: twitter.com/sivers
📹 YouTube: youtube.com/c/dereksivers
***
CONNECT WITH JAY
🌐 Website: creatorscience.com
📬 Newsletter: creatorscience.com
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🐦 Twitter: twitter.com/jayclouse
📸 Instagram: instagram.com/jayclouse
🎵 TikTok: tiktok.com/@jayclouse
💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jayclouse
***
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TEAM
Host + Producer // Jay Clouse: jayclouse.com/links
Editor // Conor Conaboy: twitter.com/conorconaboy
Audio Engineer // Nathan Todhunter: nathantodhunter.com
Thumbnail Artist // Neaux: twitter.com/NeauxArt
👉 Join our community for creators: join.creatorscience.com
Derek Sivers is a musician, producer, circus performer, entrepreneur, TED speaker, and book publisher. He's written four books including How To Live, Hell Yeah Or No, Your Music And People, and Anything You Want.
He's also the founder of CD Baby – the largest seller of independent music online, with $100 million in sales for 150,000 musicians. In 2007, Derek sold that business for $22 million – almost all of which Derek donated to a charitable trust for music education.
In this episode, we talk about how Derek keeps himself focused on ONE project at a time, how to navigate conflicting philosophies, what we can learn from professional musicians, and how creators can pursue balance in our lives.
Episode webpage: https://creativeelements.fm/derek-sivers/
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Who is Derek Sivers?
00:27 - Derek is a Monomaniac
01:19 - Derek’s Inspiration for “How To Live”
01:58 - What We Learn Today
02:30 - INTRO
02:45 - Derek Has a Singular Focus
04:14 - Is Being a Monomaniac Innate or Learned?
04:57- Don’t Be a Donkey! (Buridan’s Donkey Paradox)
06:54 - Why It’s Important to Prioritize and Sequence in Your Life
07:46 - How to Use Journaling to Prioritize Your Life
09:19 - Life is NOT a Problem to be Solved
12:33 - How Do You Decide What Gets Priority?
16:22 - Sign up for Creator Science!
17:10 - How to Navigate Conflicting Philosophies
20:10 - Derek’s Process of writing “How To Live”
21:30 - Your Values Change Over Time
23:13 - Breaking Away From Tribalism
24:21 - How to find Balance in Your life
27:49 - STOP Relying on Your Job to Fulfill EVERY Need
30:23 - Derek’s Life as a Musician
31:34 - Momentum is SO Important
33:20 - Listen to the Audio Podcast!
34:39 - What Creators Can Learn From Musicians
35:57 - The History of Starbucks (And What You Can Learn From It)
38:22 - Intrinsic VS Extrinsic Motivation
43:10 - Even Rock Stars Have a Boss
44:54 - What Will Derek Do Next?
46:11 - OUTRO
***
CONNECT WITH GUEST
🌐 Website: https://sive.rs/
🐦 Twitter: twitter.com/sivers
📹 YouTube: youtube.com/c/dereksivers
***
CONNECT WITH JAY
🌐 Website: creatorscience.com
📬 Newsletter: creatorscience.com
🧰 Get our Toolbox: creatorscience.com/toolbox
🐦 Twitter: twitter.com/jayclouse
📸 Instagram: instagram.com/jayclouse
🎵 TikTok: tiktok.com/@jayclouse
💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jayclouse
***
🙏 GUEST REQUESTS & LISTENER QUESTIONS
https://creativeelements.fm/request
🏁 PAST EPISODES & STARTER PLAYLISTS
https://creativeelements.fm/episodes
https://creativeelements.fm/playlists
💼 SPONSORS
https://creativeelements.fm/sponsors/
💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts
apple.co/3c6oN4g
🟢 Leave a rating on Spotify
spoti.fi/3c6xpYH
☕️ Buy Me A Coffee
buymeacoffee.com/jayclouse
***
TEAM
Host + Producer // Jay Clouse: jayclouse.com/links
Editor // Conor Conaboy: twitter.com/conorconaboy
Audio Engineer // Nathan Todhunter: nathantodhunter.com
Thumbnail Artist // Neaux: twitter.com/NeauxArt
