# David Kadavy

> David Kadavy is a bestselling author, designer, and creative productivity expert who reverse-engineered design principles for developers, advised a startup that Google acquired, and built a location-independent career from a Nebraska cubicle. His books - including Design for Hackers, Mind Management Not Time Management, and Digital Zettelkasten - have sold 100,000+ copies in 13 languages. He lives in a cabin outside Medellín, Colombia, publishes his income reports publicly, and argues that creativity is about managing your mind, not your calendar.

- **Role:** Independent Author and Creator at Kadavy, Inc.
- **Organizations:** Kadavy, Inc., 500 Startups (mentor), Timeful (advisor)
- **From:** Omaha, Nebraska, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BFA in Graphic Design, Iowa State University, Study of ancient typography (as part of ISU program), Rome, Italy
- **Known for:** 100,000+ books sold in 13 languages, Design for Hackers debuted at #18 on Amazon bestseller list, Advised Timeful, acquired by Google in 2015 - Timeful Goals feature now used by hundreds of millions in Google Calendar

## Career timeline

- **2004** — Started blogging at kadavy.net; first post marked his 'cubicle escape' from a Nebraska job
- **2005-2008** — Director of Graphic Design at RDG Planning; later Manager of Creative Services at Sustainlane and WorkMetro in Silicon Valley
- **2009** — Adjunct Professor teaching Introduction to Typography at Metropolitan Community College
- **2010-2012** — President of Kadavy, Inc. UI/UX design consultancy; clients included oDesk, PBworks, UserVoice; mentor at 500 Startups
- **2011** — Published Design for Hackers (Wiley); debuted #18 on Amazon; sold 100,000+ copies in 13 languages
- **2012** — Spoke at SXSW 'White Space: Shaping Nothing for Clean Design' to a room of 800
- **2013-2014** — Advisor to Timeful, an AI-powered calendar app co-founded by behavioral scientist Dan Ariely
- **2015** — Google acquired Timeful; Kadavy's advisory shares gained value; Timeful's Goals feature integrated into Google Calendar
- **2015** — Relocated to Colombia; began full-time author and independent creator career
- **2016** — Launched Love Your Work podcast
- **2017** — Published The Heart to Start
- **2018** — Began publishing monthly income reports publicly
- **2020** — Published Mind Management, Not Time Management; $178,000+ revenue lifetime
- **2021** — Published Digital Zettelkasten
- **2022** — Peak year: $116,023 gross revenue / $69,256 net profit
- **2023** — Ended Love Your Work podcast after 308 episodes and ~8 years
- **2024-2025** — Working on Finish What Matters; active on YouTube, Substack, newsletter with 11,000+ subscribers

## Achievements

- 100,000+ books sold in 13 languages
- Design for Hackers debuted at #18 on Amazon bestseller list
- Advised Timeful, acquired by Google in 2015 - Timeful Goals feature now used by hundreds of millions in Google Calendar
- 308 episodes of Love Your Work podcast over ~8 years
- Spoken in 8 countries including TEDx talk 'The New Literacy of Design'
- Spoke at SXSW 2012 to 800 attendees
- 11,000+ newsletter subscribers (Love Mondays)
- Published 12+ books as an independent author
- Design work featured in Communication Arts magazine
- Spoke at New York Public Library, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, University of Chicago
- Streamed to 50,000 people online from Mexico City

## Latest updates

- **2025-12** — Published December 2025 income report: $51,769 gross / $25,773 net for 2025, down 37% from 2024 due to writing new book instead of publishing
- **2025-11** — Launched Preview Edition of upcoming book Finish What Matters
- **2024-12** — Newsletter Love Mondays reached 11,369 subscribers, grew 30.5% in 2024
- **2023-08** — Ended Love Your Work podcast after 308 episodes with episode 'Why I Quit Podcasting'
- **2024-01** — Active on Substack as 'Thinking is a Thing' (kadavy.substack.com)

## Links

- Website: https://kadavy.net
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kadavy/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/kadavy
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kadavy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kadavyauthor/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@davidkadavy

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/david-kadavy
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-26