2026-03-06 08:00:00
At sive.rs/book I have a collection of my notes from the 420+ books I’ve read since 2007.
This page answers questions about it.
When I’m reading and come across a surprising or inspiring idea, I save it.
That’s all my notes are. I’m not summarizing the book. I’m just saving ideas for myself, for later reflection. It helps me remember what I learned from it.
If I’m reading a book about a subject I already know well, I’ll have very few notes, because not much surprised me.
I kept these notes private for years, but decided to share them on my site.
It’s sad when people say my notes saved them time from reading the book.
My notes are just some tiny tidbits with no context. It’s like reading a punchline without the joke. If you hear a joke, then the punchline is all you need to remember the full joke. But if you just hear the punchline, without the joke, it makes no sense. I just save the punchlines to remind myself what I’ve read.
Again: these notes are really just for me but I’m sharing them on my site.
If you look through a book’s notes and like the ideas, please go read the whole book. It gives so much more context and meaning.
Whichever one seems to apply to your current situation. Books are most useful when they solve a problem (or curiosity) you’re having now.
By default I have the list sorted with my top recommendations up top. But really the best one for you is the one that speaks to your current situation.
I give every book a 0-10 ranking on the website, for your sake, so the list is sorted with my top recommendations up top.
That 0-10 rating is how strongly I would recommend this book to anyone. (Out of any random 10 people, how many of them should read this book?) It’s not always how much I liked it, or a judgement of how good it is. For example, I would give a little lower rating to a book I liked about an obscure subject that most people aren’t as into.
Also, if the ideas in a book really linger, and I find myself thinking of it often years later, I’ll go back and raise its rating.
I go back to subjects that have a new need in my life. Like if I’m about to attend a conference or meet lots of people, I’ll re-read my book notes on people skills.
I search across books for certain ideas. For example, discipline: I’ll go search all notes for any mention of discipline, and re-read the thoughts on that subject. I like that it finds ideas about discipline as applied to investing, or fitness, or meditation, or whatever.
I only read books that apply to my life or current interests right now. I say no to all requests, and publishers asking me to do reviews.
I do read fiction, but I don’t take notes on it. For fiction, I prefer films or audiobook.
I also read hundreds of books before 2007, but didn’t start taking notes until I realized I was forgetting what I had read.
No, but this was my biggest surprise!
The main reason I didn’t post these for years is because I assumed it was against copyright law. But I quietly tried it, without announcing it.
Then as the site got more popular, I was scared I’d get in trouble, but instead I got emails of thanks from the authors of those books. Maybe especially since I really am trying to get people to go buy the books whose notes they like.
When reading a paper book, I just underline or circle the bits I find surprising or useful. Then when I’m done reading the book, I type those bits into a text file.
On an ebook, I just highlight the bits I find surprising or useful. Then when I’m done reading the book, I connect the ebook device by USB, copy the text file of notes, and edit from there.
Either way, I edit a lot, and re-shape the sentences into something that works for me.
No. I don’t want to read summaries of books. I like reading the whole book!
I aim to read even harder books, like “How to Read a Book” describes well.
It’s a good question, and it bothers me too.
I’m kind of a feminist. Most of my friends are women. Most of my favorite musicians are women. When hiring, I try to hire only women. But yet the authors of the books I read are mostly men. Why?
It seems the publishing industry is biased that way. A female author sent her manuscrupt to twenty publishers, and all twenty rejected it. She sent it again to all twenty publishers using a male pen name, and half of them accepted it. I suspect that many men will only read books by men, whereas women will read books by men and women. So publishers are just meeting the market, expecting male authors to sell better, which then feeds the problem.
When I seek a book to solve a current problem or curiosity, I look for a book that seems to be the most highly recommended by the most people, or people I already admire. So whether it’s their bias or the publishing industry, these books are too-often by men.
But please also read my short article, “The mirror: It’s about you, not them.”, because ultimately I don’t care who the author is. When I read a book, it’s about me.
2026-03-03 08:00:00
Last month, I moved into my new home in the woods. There’s no internet and no phone service here. It’s so productive.
At first I thought I couldn’t move in without internet. But now I prefer it this way.
Media silence creates a vacuum, which your own thoughts expand to fill.
I notice it most at the start of the day. No news. No texts. I have no idea what’s going on out there, so I develop what’s going on in here. My writing, coding, and learning fills the time and space.
My thoughts feel more independent. I explore my own ideas deeper before looking for other perspectives.
Problems I used to punt, I now solve on my own. It’s voluntary, like weightlifting. My brain feels stronger because I work through the problem instead of prompting it away.
Remember the movie “WALL·E”, where people depended on assistance so much that they couldn’t even walk on their own? I want to be able to solve problems without help, and lift heavy thoughts without needing others’ opinions.
When I’m yearning to search, I ask myself why.
This process feels more useful than a search result.
Every day or two, I bring my laptop into town to get online for an hour. The time limit keeps me super-focused. I know why I’m there. I know what I need. I download emails and upload code. I post my questions to a bunch of AIs, and save the answers to read later.
Limiting online time helps me ignore the hype. Media still screams about what I urgently need to see now, but I don’t. A minute later, I’m offline. I text and call friends, then go home to work.
Not so long ago, this was the norm. You’d go online to get what you need, then disconnect.
Some day soon they’ll connect the fast fiber here to my home in the woods. So I’m posting this for my future self, to remember how peaceful and productive it is to block the inputs, and make a vacuum to expand my output.
2026-02-10 08:00:00
2026-02-09 08:00:00
I have so much more to say on this subject, but this book is done now because I believe short books are useful. So the conversation continues on the website:
There you will find more thoughts and stories around “Useful Not True”. Please email me any questions or thoughts. I reply to every one. Go to:
To share my books with others, get them directly from me with quantity discounts, at:
I hope you found this book useful, not true.
—— Derek Sivers
New Zealand
June 2024 (Saturday, winter)
2026-02-08 08:00:00
For the last three years, my boy and I have had a pet mouse. We got her from a pet store, and he’s carried her in his hand through so many adventures in forests, beaches, and playgrounds. She sat on many little handmade boats down the creeks of New Zealand. Sand castles and Lego houses built just for her. Drawings and stories for and about her. You’ve never seen a mouse so loved.
The past six months, she’s been next to me on my desk, twelve hours a day, as I wrote this book. Moving slower and wobbling, looking like she’s in pain. This week, she kept falling over when trying to eat. Thirty minutes ago, she died. I’m surprised how much I’ve been crying.
As soon as she died, she looked at peace for the first time in months. It led to a thought that seems like a nice end to this book, and gives it extra meaning for me. Heaven is such a useful reframing. Maybe it’s the original reframing. Death can be terrifying or devastating, so no wonder every culture found a way to reframe it.
Some people avoid loving pets or even people, because they’re scared of the eventual heartbreak and loss. But avoiding sadness is like listening to music with only major chords. The minor chords are so beautiful. I’m crying, but isn’t that wonderful? It’s a part of a rich life.
And even that is reframing. It’s a useful belief that has helped me love people and pets, again and again.
2026-02-07 08:00:00
Your outside doesn’t need to match your inside.
You can feel terrified inside, but just pretend to be brave for one minute. By doing that, you were actually brave.
You might be a total introvert, but need to attend an event, so you act social for one hour. By pretending to be social, you were.
You can imitate your role model. Many top performers have an alter ego — a Jekyll to their Hyde or vice-versa — a side of themselves they personify and bring out when needed. It’s not Maria who negotiates. It’s El Tigre.
I wasn’t usually in the mood to be a good dad. But knowing how important it is, I’d collect my strength and do the right thing for a few minutes or hours — a short burst of being who my boy needed me to be. After years of that, we have an amazing relationship, and he tells everyone he has the best dad ever.
You are your actions. Your actions are you. Your self-image doesn’t matter as much.
When you realize what you need to do, it doesn’t mean that’s who you need to be. You can just pretend.
