Timothy Ferriss's Blog, page 129

Why Are You Single? Perhaps It's The Choice Effect

"It's impossible not to constantly wonder if there's something better, someone better."



My good female friend picked up her third glass of Syrah-Merlot and continued: "If I could only choose between three decent guys, it'd be a done deal. I'd be married already."

I nodded. Having options–perceived infinite choice–isn't all it's cracked up to be. How, then, do you tame indecision, particularly in relationships?

The following guest post, written by Claire Williams, explores some of the more...

Random Episode 11: The Future of Digg, New Favorites, and More

This is a truly random episode of Random. What has Kevin learned in his new role as CEO of Digg? Which new books, people, and websites are we finding interesting? From management lessons to language learning (and a critique of Rosetta Stone), this episode meanders all over the place.

This is also our first sponsored episode — Sonos! It's quite cool that we're now sponsored by a company whose products made a cameo as early as episode 2.

Elsewhere on the web:
5 Alternatives to Traditional...

Tim Ferriss Scam! Practical Tactics for Dealing with Haters

Brute force seldom works with haters. Redirection does. (Photo: Deadstar 2.0)

I recently spent a week in Amsterdam enjoying bicycles, canals, Queensday, and… ahem… coffee shops. For real. Honest. The best coffee I've had in Europe has to be De Koffie Salon.

I also gave a short keynote at The NextWeb about how to deal with haters, protect yourself from (some) media, respond to FlipCams, and other personal branding self-defense 101.

Think you have crazy people contacting you or commenting on ...

The Difference: Living Well vs. Doing Well

(Credit: h.koppdelaney)

"From all your herds, a cup or two of milk,

From all your granaries, a loaf of bread,

In all your palace, only half a bed:

Can man use more? And do you own the rest?"

– Ancient Sanskrit poem

Total post read time: 5 minutes.

Living well is quite different from "doing well."

In the quest to get ahead — destination often unknown — it's easy to have life pass you by while you're focused on other things. This post is intended as a reminder and a manifesto: keep it simple.

T...

How to Make Visa Obey Your Every Desire: The Credit Card Concierge Experiment

Photo: Andres Rueda

The following post is a guest post by John Hargrave, whom I met in 2007 at SXSW.

If you find large-scale pranks (Super Bowl, anyone?), impersonating celebrities, and other clever mischief amusing, he's the king of the domain. His book Prank the Monkey is a guide to unleashing your inner Loki.

Given my interest in outsourcing and pushing the envelope with concierge services, he suggested the following post, which looks at just how far VISA will go to keep you happy. I've r...

Public Speaking – How I Prepare Every Time

(Photo: Tim Wagner)

In the past several weeks, I've been asked quite a lot about public speaking.

While downing gin tonics over Brazilian BBQ at the SXSW Interactive tech conference, I was approached by the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) of a start-up I advise.

She pulled me aside to ask primarily two questions:

1. Where can I learn about the right social media tools to use?

2. What books should I read to learn how to get good at public speaking?

Here were my answers….

1. Where can I learn about...

Random Episode 10: Kevin Rose and Tim Ferriss on Food, Top Picks, and More

In this episode of Random — lucky #10 — Kevin and I hit the streets of San Francisco to discuss food, recent learnings, and a few feature: favorite books, people, and websites since the last episode.

Show notes and links are included below, but one new order of business: we are thinking of having sponsors for the Random show!

Here's the idea: we have room for just three (3) sponsors at $1,000 an episode each, and you get both screenshots during the episode with your website/logo, and we...

Why Grow? and Other Wisdom from 37Signals

The path to profitability doesn't need to be complicated. (Photo: El Photopakismo)

I've known the guys at 37Signals for a little while.

I first met Jason Fried at SXSW in 2008, and I then got to know David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH) over e-mail and in person last year. On a fundamental level, I think, our philosophies just mesh well.

Comfortably situated in Chicago outside of the "start-up" echo chamber, 37Signals is focused on getting sh*t done instead of chasing the Silicon Valley venture...

5 Travel Lessons You Can Use at Home

Rolf Potts is one of my favorite writers, and his book Vagabonding was one of only four books I recommended as "fundamental" in The 4-Hour Workweek. It was also one of two books, the other being , that I took with me during my 15+-month mini-retirement that began in 2004.

The following is a guest post...

Random Episode 8 – 2010 Resolutions with Kevin Rose and Tim Ferriss

This new, long overdue Random episode covers our personal resolutions–personal, business, physical, and otherwise–as well as favorite recent gifts (both given and received).

The video is recorded on two cameras, including Glenn's new experimental HD delight. Topics include:

- Chocolate

- Powerlifting

- Filtering false friends

- Funny hats

- The art of the decline

… and naked ladies.

Best to give the video 10-20 minutes to buffer before watching. It's a big 'un.

Please let us know in the...