How I built my /now page and joined Derek Sivers' global movement

For years, I have felt that traditional social media lost the authentic charm of the early web. Static LinkedIn profiles only capture rigid titles or the distant past, while algorithmic feeds constantly push endless noise. I wanted a public space on my own website that honestly answered a simple question: what am I actively doing and thinking about right now?

That is why I decided to create my own /now page (/now.html), directly inspired by the global movement started by Derek Sivers, founder of CD Baby and author of books I deeply appreciate, like Anything You Want and Hell Yeah or No.

In this article, I document how I designed the page, the brief email I sent him notifying the launch, the warm personal reply I received in my inbox, and the backstage process of joining the worldwide nownownow.com directory.

What the /now movement is and why I joined#

In 2015, Derek Sivers proposed that every personal website should have a /now page. While an "About" page summarizes who you were over a whole decade, a /now page is a living snapshot of your current priorities:

• Which projects are receiving your daily energy.
• What you are studying or experimenting with in your spare time.
• Which commitments you chose to embrace (and, more importantly, which ones you chose to say no to).

Unlike social media posts that vanish within hours down someone else's feed, a /now page lives on my own domain, under my complete autonomy, serving as a public declaration of focus.

How I engineered the page in my lab#

When building my page at /now.html and its English counterpart at /en/now.html, I deliberately avoided heavy templates or external dependencies. I split the experience into three clean layers:

1. Current Status and Location: a clear badge stating where I operate from (Manaus, Brazil) and my present dedication to Linux infrastructure, incident response, and Cyber Defense studies.
2. Core Pillars: three focused editorial cards covering university studies, server engineering, and technical consulting.
3. Chronological Activity Feed: a lightweight timeline where I publish short lab logs, server benchmarks, and project milestones without artificial engagement algorithms.

I also integrated a secure administrative backend protected by Cloudflare Turnstile and a local database, allowing me to publish short updates in seconds right from my workstation.

The email I sent to Derek Sivers#

Once the page was published and tested, I followed the official instructions on nownownow.com/about: sending a friendly note to Derek to request inclusion in the international directory.

I avoided corporate jargon, excessive self-promotion, or long introductions. I wrote a short, honest email:

From: Percio Castelo To: Derek Sivers <d@sive.rs> Subject: My /now page from Manaus, Brazil Hi Derek, I built my /now page for my personal website: https://perciocastelo.com.br/now.html (English version: https://perciocastelo.com.br/en/now.html) Focused on Linux servers, DevSecOps, and studies from Manaus, Brazil. Would love to join nownownow.com. Thanks for the inspiration, Percio Castelo

Derek's personal reply and worldwide directory listing#

Shortly after, I received a personal reply directly from Derek in my inbox. No auto-responders or bots:

"Cool! Love it. Thanks for telling me. Look for my next email with the nownownow.com editing link. I included both your Portuguese and English /now page URLs. :)"

He not only approved the submission but specifically made sure to list both my Portuguese and English pages side by side in the global directory.

A few minutes later, the official editing link arrived, presenting five concise questions that shape the public profile.

The 5 questions on nownownow.com I answered#

Derek's submission form demands radical brevity: answers must fit in one to three sentences, completely free of fluff. It was a refreshing exercise in clarity about my work:

• Professional title?

Linux Systems Administrator & DevSecOps Engineer

• What do you actually do? (in one sentence)

I stabilize mission-critical Linux servers, automate security pipelines, and rescue web infrastructure from disaster.

• Why do you do it? (just 1-3 sentences)

I love the quiet satisfaction of solving tough problems under the hood and bringing order to chaotic environments.

• Recent thought, epiphany, or interesting idea:

Focus is not just about what you choose to build; it is mostly about having the discipline to ruthlessly say no to everything else.

• Recommended book or article?

A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen — an authentic choice directly connected to my bond with animals and the rescued rescue cats living in my home lab.

The lasting value of an independent personal web#

Joining the /now movement reminded me why I began building websites more than a decade ago. The web does not have to be a handful of walled gardens deciding what you see based on algorithms and clickbait.

Owning your domain, publishing articles without middlemen, and maintaining a page that openly declares where your time is going brings immense clarity to visitors and, above all, to yourself.

If you maintain a personal blog or website, I strongly encourage you to build your own /now page. It is a liberating exercise in transparency, focus, and genuine human connection.

See also

Career & Business Where does 'customer friendship' end? The executive bypass trap and the breakdown of support operations

Artificial Intelligence Running local LLMs in the terminal: finding the ideal model with Ollama and Tabby

Development The mystery of missing chats in antigravity IDE: from UI glitch to filesystem recovery

This post is licensed under CC BY-NC.