Timothy Ferriss's Blog, page 131
December 8, 2009
No More Excuses – How to Make an Extra $100,000 in the Next 6 Months
The Wilburns have created a multinational from their home.(Photo: Dana Smith)
"So, do you have any ideas?"
"Well, if we're going to do something, it should be big. It should make people sit up and say OMFG. Make people actually do something," I responded.
The conversation continued in front of the Thai restaurant, me pacing on my cell phone in San Francisco — foregoing food in excitement — and Tobi in his offices in Ottawa, Canada.
We decided in the subsequent 10 minutes to offer $100,000 c...
November 30, 2009
13 X-Mas Gifts That Can Change (or Save) Your Life
Playing Santa isn't easy. (Credit: GarlandCannon)
I dislike shopping, but I love finding the perfect gift.
Finding that gift, though, gets harder with time. Those damn adults seem to already have everything. That includes me.
More salt and pepper shakers? Nah. Alternate versions of the shirts I got last year? No, thank you. In the eternal quest to eliminate clutter, I now give Santa a not-to-buy list instead of a wish list.
If you're having trouble thinking up killer (in the good...
November 25, 2009
The Benefits of Pissing People Off
Keep calm and carry on. (source: zenonline)
Right alongside the cash and credit cards, I keep a number of strange things in my wallet.
The largest is a folded-up page from the July 6, 2009 issue of Fortune magazine. In a profile, Scott Boras, widely regarded as the most powerful agent in professional baseball, describes a dinner with one of his mentors after a record-breaking contract:
"He said that if you are really effective at what you do, 95% of the things said about you will be...
October 30, 2009
How to Hold Your Breath Like David Blaine, World Record Holder (and Now, Me)
Last night, world-famous magician and endurance artist David Blaine taught me — along with about 10 other TEDMED attendees — how to hold my breath.
David holds the Guinness world record for holding his breath: 17 minutes and 4.4 seconds. I was born premature and, unlike David, I couldn't remember the last time I held my breath for more than one minute. It is my physiological Achilles heel.
What were the results?
My first baseline test: 40 seconds.
15 minutes of training later: 3 minutes and...
October 25, 2009
How to Breakdance 101: Unleash Your Inner B-Boy
An impromptu b-boying lesson at home after some Bulleit bourbon. Don't drink and dance.
Breakin' 2 did it. It was 1984 and I was convinced I would be a professional breakdancer. Alas, I was seven years old, and I looked exactly like this reader who left a comment on my tango instructional post:
Tim,
I'm pretty impressed by your achievements in tango, but what about tips on your first love?
B-boying is a sport I've watched and attempted for years. Sadly, the minute I go from uprock to six-step...
How to Breakdance 101
An impromptu b-boying lesson at home after some Bulleit bourbon. Don't drink and dance.
Breakin' 2 did it. It was 1984 and I was convinced I would be a professional breakdancer. Alas, I was seven years old, and I looked exactly like this reader who left a comment on my tango instructional post:
Tim,
I'm pretty impressed by your achievements in tango, but what about tips on your first love?
B-boying is a sport I've watched and attempted for years. Sadly, the minute I go from uprock to six-step...
October 16, 2009
Sneak Peek: The New and Expanded 4-Hour Workweek is Here
The 4-Hour Workweek was first published April 27th, 2007.
I did my best to cover all of the bases when it debuted, but there were gaps. Though I included cases studies of families using lifestyle design, for example, it was hard to find more than a few the first time around.
Not anymore. Things have changed. There are more than 30,000 comments on this blog, hundreds of people have shared their successes and failures via detailed e-mail, and both case studies and experiments continue to flow ...
October 8, 2009
Random Episode 6: How Kevin Rose and Glenn McElhose Got Scammed in China – Ha!
Total length: 20 minutes.
This is a weekend edition of Random. It is a happy-hour special of Chinese scams.
How did Kevin and Glenn get totally screwed by Chinese "art students"? More important, how do you avoid getting scammed while traveling?
This episode lays out one of the most common scams and explains how to spot similar set-ups worldwide…
Show Notes from Glenn:
- Open intro with weird light: Kevin shooting a laser into a "7 Cups" vessel. Animation by Tynan.
- Yin Bar, Beijing – a
October 7, 2009
The Best Decline Letter of All-Time: Edmund Wilson
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(Source: Crooked Timber)
Edmund Wilson, recipient of both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal for Literature, was one of the most prominent social and literary critics of the 20th century.
He realized, like most uber-productive people, that, while there were many behaviors needed to guarantee high output, there was one single behavior guaranteed to prevent all output:
Trying to please everyone.
He had a low tolerance for distraction and shunned undue public acclaim. To...
October 5, 2009
Gout: The Missing Chapter from Good Calories, Bad Calories
Total read time (bolded sections): 2-3 minutes
Total read time (complete): 12 minutes
Last week, I had a wonderful conversation with Gary Taubes, my favorite science journalist and author of the incredible (and I consider definitive), Good Calories, Bad Calories. His ability to synthesize and recall research, both in writing and in speaking, is one of the most amazing feats I've ever witnessed.
It is with great pleasure, therefore, that I offer you the director's-cut chapter that didn't make i...
