How to live by Derek Sivers
I like Derek Sivers. He’s an interesting guy, with some unconventional viewpoints. He gives great interviews on podcasts. He tells an anecdote that has stuck with me about when he was a circus warm-up entertainer and was feeling self-conscious. He was given some good advice; people were there to be entertained, they didn’t know who he was and didn’t care, so he should just focus on being entertaining and not worry what people think of him. It’s advice that applies to many situations and I’ve passed it on various times. So I was looking forward to this book, which Sivers says is his best book yet.
I guess I shouldn’t have taken the title so literally. How to Live sounds like it is going to have some profound insights into the nature and meaning of life. But it doesn’t have that. This is a shallow book. In fact it isn’t really a book, it’s more of a list. A list of little deepities1. The kind of statements you’ll find on an instagram feed, or you used to see on motivation posters in dull offices. If you like pictures of sunsets with cheesy quotes on them, this book is for you. In fact, let’s try that with one of the statements from this book. First I need a peaceful image of a still lake at sunset with an attribution license. Here you go. Now let’s add some text from Siver’s book. Tada:
1 The philosopher Dan Dennett used “deepity” to mean a seemingly profound statement, but that is actually trivial on one level and meaningless on another.
The book is full of this kind of thing, enough to make hundreds of these images. Instagram would love this crap. I could be an Instagram millionaire! 2
2 
There is no introspection here, no pain, no personal growth. Siver’s doesn’t seem to do introspection. And so I don’t think he’s a very good person to be writing a book called How to Live. If you really want to know how to live, I recommend these books:
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Frankl was a prisoner in a concentration camp. In this book he recounts his study of fellow inmates, and tells of the approach to life of those who survived the ordeal.
The Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton
Alain de Botton explores the works of some of the greatest philosophers and their approach to some of the great problems of life. It draws parallels between the advice of the philosophers and modern life. I particularly liked the chapter on Epicurus.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Written in 1936 but as relevant as ever. This book isn’t as mercenary as the title suggests.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Another classic, this one from 1989. All productivity books are but footnotes to Covey.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
An important part of making the most of life is to get good habits and eliminate bad ones. This is the best book on the topic.