23 May 2026 #books #selfgrowth
I’ve been stalking Derek Sivers.
OK, I’m not a psycho.
Stalking writers is part of my reading strategy.
I already read Anything You Want.
Binge-watching Derek’s interviews taught me about his succint writing style and his trick for better sentences.
This time, I finished Useful But Not True.
Here’s what I learned:
#1. Perspectives are like timezones.
They feel absolutely true, but that’s only for you.
#2. Rules are someone’s perspective.
Like kids, you can play with the rules.
The floor is lava…until red tiles save you.
#3. Someone’s “can’t” or “don’t” is their own perspective.
They’re projecting their own can’ts and don’ts onto you.
#4. Your brain loves to come up with stories and explanations—and believe them.
Your beliefs are like a picture hung upside down.
Only reframing shows it was hanging the wrong way.
#5. You can’t choose your first thought, but you can always choose the next one.
#6. There’s no best choice.
It’s the best one because that was the one you chose.
#7. You are your actions.
Pretending is still being and doing.
At a party, pretending to be social makes you social.
#8. Religion is about action.
Every religion claims to be the true one.
They’re useful, but not necessarily 100% true for everyone.
#9. Always test first.
This reminds me of Kevin Kelly’s idea of prototyping your life.
#10. Always take the first step.
That helps you change your perspective.
“Start momentum.”
22 May 2026 #misc
After a rabbit hole of Derek Sivers’s interviews and books
#1. How to choose which project to start next.
Consider me/others/time.
- Is it something that interests you?
- Something others will find helpful?
- Is there a deadline?
#2. For multipotentialites:
“You can do anything, but you can’t do everything. You have to decide. If you don’t decide, you get nothing.”
#3. Perspectives are like timezones.
They feel 100% true for you.
But most people have a different one.
#4. The more you consume, the less you create.
Chances are you don’t need more information.
For the rest of the year, stop consuming content and start creating.
From Gabriela Nguyen’s TED talk
#5. Don’t simply ban social media.
Create an environment so you don’t need them.
For my 7-day experiment, that was with leaving books around.
#6. Build social capital in the real world.
From somewhere else
#7. Have a place to write down your ideas without judgment.
Someone calls it, an Idearoum.
For me, it’s an idea pad for my 10-idea lists.
For others, it’s a Future file or folder.
22 May 2026 #mondaylinks
Hey there.
Here are 4 links I thought were worth sharing this week:
#1. Quick coding tip: Never push keys or passwords to public GitHub, especially if you’re a cybersecurity agency.
#2. If trying to keep up with AI news is daunting, here’s a 5-minute recap of the last 6 months of AI landscape (5min).
#3. Your network is your net worth, right? But networking doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s the best way to network (3min).
#4. Looking for a fun, quick weekend experiment? What about hand-drawing QR codes (3min)
And in case you missed it, I wrote on my blog about a weekly practice to reduce my screen time (4min) and I answered a “post interview” from a fellow coder (7min), if you want to know the man behind the keyboard.
(Bzzz…Radio voice) This email was brought to you by… Street-Smart Coding, 30 lessons to help you code like a pro. From Googling to clear communication, it shares the lessons to help you stand out in the age of AI.
Keep coding smartly,
Cesar
20 May 2026 #misc
“If this works, it’s going to be huge.”
I’ve heard at least a couple of versions of that line in the last two months.
A friend with an app idea in the EdTech space.
Another friend with an idea in healthcare insurance.
None of them had a single client or line of code written.
Sharing an idea before executing it releases the same chemical soup in your brain as accomplishing something.
It feels like you’ve already done it.
Except it’s all in your head.
The real danger isn’t getting your idea stolen.
Ideas without execution are cheap.
It’s sabotaging yourself by feeling rewarded without doing anything.
Do good work and only then tell people about it.
19 May 2026 #misc
Don’t let a dying battery kill your best ideas.
The other day, I caught up with an ex-coworker.
He shared a valuable story that deserved its own post.
I grabbed my phone to jot down some ideas, but its battery was dying.
I needed the phone to order a ride, so it wasn’t an option.
I didn’t want to forget the conversation’s nuggets.
Thank goodness I took a napkin from the cafe where we met.
That’s where I outlined the post.
Always have something to write: a notebook or even a napkin.
Often pen and paper is more reliable.
They don’t run out of battery.
Though you can run out of paper or ink.
And on Analog Sundays, you need to catch your ideas somewhere.