Timothy Ferriss's Blog, page 89

Naval Ravikant on Happiness Hacks and the 5 Chimps Theory

Naval Ravikant By Kris Krüg | CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

“I actually think happiness is the absence of suffering. It comes from peace. That comes from being careful about desire, judgment, and reaction.” – Naval Ravikant

When a guest is nominated for “Podcast of the Year,” that’s usually a good sign to bring them to the show for more. That’s why Naval Ravikant (@naval) is back, and this time, he’s answering your questions. For those of you that missed round 1, Naval is the CEO and a co-founder of AngelList. He has invested in more than 100 companies, including more than a few “unicorn” mega-successes.

Maybe most importantly, he has developed a diverse set of skills and knowledge that are invaluable. Even if you have no interest in startups or investing, this will be well worth your time. In this episode, Naval answers your top 10 questions from Reddit, including topics such as:

Artificial intelligence
Most recommended books
Happiness hacks
Conflict resolution
Startup tips
And much, much more…

Enjoy these fascinating insights from Naval.

Listen to it on iTunes.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as”.

Want to hear another podcast from a world class philosopher-entrepreneur? — Listen to my conversation with Derek Sivers. In this episode, we discuss developing confidence, finding happiness, and saying “no” to multi-million dollar exits (stream below or right-click here to download):

This podcast is also brought to you by Wealthfront. Wealthfront is a massively disruptive (in a good way) set-it-and-forget-it investing service, led by technologists from places like Apple and world-famous investors. It has exploded in popularity in the last 2 years and now has more than $2.5B under management. In fact, some of my good investor friends in Silicon Valley have millions of their own money in Wealthfront. Why? Because you can get services previously limited to the ultra-wealthy and only pay pennies on the dollar for them, and it’s all through smarter software instead of retail locations and bloated sales teams.

Check out wealthfront.com/tim, take their risk assessment quiz, which only takes 2-5 minutes, and they’ll show you—for free–exactly the portfolio they’d put you in. If you want to just take their advice and do it yourself, you can. Or, as I would, you can set it and forget it.  Well worth a few minutes: wealthfront.com/tim.

This podcast is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “if you could only use one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is, inevitably, Athletic Greens. It is my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body and did not get paid to do so. Get 50% off your order at Athletic Greens.com/Tim.

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: In terms of making or saving money, what are your biggest frustrations or areas where you struggle most? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Enjoy!

Selected Links from the Episode

Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It and Live Your Truth by Kamal Ravikant
Distress by Greg Egan
 by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson
Genome, The Red Queen, The Rational Optimist, The Origins Of Virtue and The Evolution Of Everything by Matt Ridley
The Essential Writings by Mahatma Gandhi and Judith Brown
The Tao of Philosophy by Alan Watts
Illusions by Richard Bach
The Bed of Procrustes by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track by Richard Feynman
The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Falling into Grace by Adyashanti
God’s Debris and How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams
The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes
Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha by Daniel M. Ingram
Total Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
The Lessons of History by Will Durant and Ariel Durant
Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart by Gordon Livingston
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
Do you need help with your US visa? Check out Unshackled

Show Notes

Thoughts on the AI industry [6:41]
The future of work [9:26]
An overview of how Naval would change the education system [14:51]
How Naval Ravikant manages conflict and anger [22:05]
What insight about life seems obvious to you but not to others [23:47]
The books on Naval Ravikant’s Kindle [29:46]
What do you do on a regular basis to make your life more efficient? [38:43]
More book recommendations [40:55]
Money making questions and startup success [43:08]
Advice for ambitious 18-year-olds who want to be successful in startups and investing [46:34]
Advice for a talented software engineer [48:52]
Advice for engineers seeking US visas [51:02]
How do you protect your own time while not offending people or damaging relationships [51:45]
The best lesson learned from investing [57:25]

People Mentioned

Charlie Munger
T. Boone Pickens

Luis von Ahn on Learning Languages, Building Companies, and Changing the World

“The [common trait in] people that we have noticed are best at learning a language is that they have no trouble sounding stupid.” – Luis von Ahn

Luis von Ahn (@luisvonahn) is an entrepreneur and computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University. He is known for inventing CAPTCHAs, being a MacArthur Fellow (“genius grant” recipient), and selling two companies to Google in his 20’s. Luis has been named one of the 10 Most Brilliant Scientists by Popular Science Magazine, one of the 20 Best Brains Under 40 by Discover, one of the Top Young Innovators Under 35 by MIT Technology Review, and one of the 100 Most Innovative People in Business by FastCompany Magazine.

Luis is currently the co-founder and CEO of Duolingo, a language learning platform created to bring free language education to the world. With more than 100 million users, it is the most popular way to learn languages in the world, and it is the most downloaded app in the Education category on both iTunes (5-star average, 3,300+ reviews) and Google Play.

I first met Luis as an early investor in Duolingo, and every time I meet him, I learn something new.

In this conversation, we talk about:

What 2-3 books and resources he’d recommend to entrepreneurs
Language learning tips
The clever way he caught cheating students at Carnegie Mellon
Early mentors and key lessons learned
The story of building and selling reCAPTCHA
How to recruit and vet technical talent
Duolingo’s most surprising sources of users, and much more…

Enjoy!

Listen to it on iTunes.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

Want to hear a conversation with an entrepreneur who sold a company for $800 million? Bryan Johnson, the rags to riches philosopher, tells the story of founding Braintree and later selling the company to eBay (stream below or right-click here to download):

This podcast is brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. I have used them for years to create some amazing designs. When your business needs a logo, website design, business card, or anything you can imagine, check out 99Designs.

I used them to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body, and I’ve also had them help with display advertising and illustrations. If you want a more personalized approach, I recommend their 1-on-1 service. You get original designs from designers around the world. The best part? You provide your feedback, and then you end up with a product that you’re happy with or your money back. Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade. Give it a test run.

This episode is also brought to you by Headspace, the world’s most popular meditation app (more than 4,000,000 users).  It’s used in more than 150 countries, and many of my closest friends swear by it.  Try Headspace’s free Take10 program —  10 minutes of guided meditation a day for 10 days. It’s like a warm bath for your mind. Meditation doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive, and it’s had a huge impact on my life. Try Headspace for free for a few days and see what I mean.

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: In this episode, Luis laments that he didn’t get more formal business management training while at Carnegie Mellon. What resource has supported you most to make better management decisions? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

Sign up to learn a language for free with Duolingo
Mindset by Carol Dweck
Learn more about the Turing Award
The Joy of Finding Things Out, a documentary on Richard Feynman
Learn more about CAPTCHA & ReCAPTCHA
Zero to One by Peter Thiel (Explore Blake Masters’s notes for deeper understanding)
Startup, a podcast about building a business by Gimlet Media
Overcast, my preferred podcast player
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
Learn more about Union Square Ventures and Fred Wilson (AVC)
Learn more about UberENGLISH
Learn more about Gwoyeu Romatzyh, a system for learning Chinese via romanization
Flashcard applications: SuperMemo and Anki
News in Slow Spanish – A podcast for Spanish language learners
The Matrix – Luis von Ahn’s favorite movie
Jiro Dreams of Sushi – A favorite documentary
Learn more about Mixpanel, the analytics tool Duolingo uses to build their dashboard
Silverorange – Duolingo’s design company
Experiment with f.lux or glasses to reduce health issues related to blue light
The Making of a Blockbuster by Gail DeGeorge
Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon
Wrath of the Khans I – Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford
Follow @ShitDuoSays for laughs at Duolingo’s expense
Connect with Luis von Ahn:

Twitter | Quora | Facebook

Show Notes

How Luis von Ahn entrapped cheaters in his class at Carnegie Mellon [6:23]
Where Luis von Ahn grew up, his proclivity for computer science, and transitioning from Guatemala the USA [10:28]
Parenting lessons [14:28]
Strange and effective lessons from Manuel Blum [17:28]
The milestones for CAPTCHA and how the project evolved [21:13]
On technology transfer and intellectual property while attending a university [28:38]
How Luis von Ahn recruits and vets computer science engineers [31:03]
Resources for a bright young entrepreneur [37:48]
The pros and cons of running a tech company [41:48]
When the idea of Duolingo started to germinate [49:33]
Duolingo’s evolving business model [53:03]
The languages available on Duolingo, and why Asian languages aren’t available at the time of recording [1:04:03]
How Duolingo compares to college instruction [1:13:43]
Plans for empowering users to practice conversation skills in-app [1:15:03]
Why Luis von Ahn left Google before his vesting phase was complete [1:19:23]
Optimal usage patterns for those using Duolingo [1:23:38]
The common trait of the people that are best at learning languages [1:27:43]
When you hear the word successful, who is the first person who comes to mind and why? [1:32:03]
Most gifted books or other resources [1:33:18]
Luis von Ahn’s morning run [1:34:43]
Favorite movies or documentaries [1:36:03]
What purchase of $100 or less has most positively affected your life in recent history? [1:37:48]
Bedtime, waking time, and morning habits [1:39:03]
The most important metrics to Luis von Ahn and Duolingo [1:40:23]
Origins of Duolingo’s green owl mascot [1:41:43]
What have you changed your mind about in the last few years and why? [1:48:43]
What is something you believe to be true even though you can’t prove it? [1:53:58]
If you could put one billboard anywhere, with anything on it, where would it be and what would it say? [1:54:23]
Advice to your 20- and 30-year-old self [1:56:08]
An ask of the audience [2:14:53]

People Mentioned

Manuel Blum
Udi Manber
Bing Gordon
Severin Hacker
Larry Page
Mark Zuckerberg
Jorge Luis Borges
Shawn Mendes

The Tao of Seneca: Letters from a Stoic Master

“It is precisely in times of immunity from care that the soul should toughen itself beforehand for occasions of greater stress, and it is while fortune is kind that it should fortify itself against her violence.” – Seneca the Younger

After 10+ years of fantasizing about it, I have turned my favorite writing of all time (Seneca’s letters) into an audiobook series! The title of the series is The Tao of Seneca: Practical Letters from a Stoic Master.

This podcast episode gives you a sample, one of my favorites: On Groundless Fears (Letter 13). I listen to it at least once a quarter.

Here’s a description of the full monty:

The Tao of Seneca: Practical Letters from a Stoic Master is an introduction to Stoic philosophy through the words of Seneca.

Thought leaders in Silicon Valley tout the benefits of Stoicism, and NFL management, coaches, and players (Patriots, Seahawks, etc.) alike have embraced it because the principles make them better competitors. If you study Seneca, you’ll be in good company. He was popular with the educated elite of the Greco-Roman Empire, but Thomas Jefferson also had Seneca on his bedside table. This philosophy is a no-nonsense system designed to produce dramatic real-world effects. Think of it as an ideal operating system for thriving in high-stress environments.

The Tao of Seneca is your guide.

My suggestion: get Volume One, listen to my Preface (the origin story is fun), then skip to one of my favorite letters, several of which I list off in the first 10 minutes.

I love listening to one letter per day — they average 10-20 minutes in length — as I walk to get coffee or go to the subway. It’s the perfect way to prime yourself for better results with less stress each morning. Warning: the first “On the Shortness of Life” version is an essay and LONG (1-1.5 hours); I suggest skipping that and sampling the shorter letters to get hooked.

These letters have repeatedly changed my life, and I wish the same for you.

Enjoy!

Listen to it on iTunes.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

Want to hear another podcast related to Stoicism? — Listen to my conversation with Ryan Holiday. In this episode, we discuss the “big three” stoics, how Stoicism applies to the modern world, and how to improve your decision-making when stakes are high (stream below or right-click here to download):

This podcast is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “if you could only use one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is, inevitably, Athletic Greens. It is my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body and did not get paid to do so. Get 50% off your order at Athletic Greens.com/Tim.

This podcast is also brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. I have used them for years to create some amazing designs. When your business needs a logo, website design, business card, or anything you can imagine, check out 99Designs.

I used them to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body, and I’ve also had them help with display advertising and illustrations. If you want a more personalized approach, I recommend their 1-on-1 service. You get original designs from designers around the world. The best part? You provide your feedback, and then you end up with a product that you’re happy with or your money back. Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade. Give it a test run.

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What philosophy or philosopher has had the biggest impact on your life or business? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Enjoy!

Selected Links from the Episode

The Tim Ferriss Experiment (now available globally!)
The Tao of Seneca: Practical Letters from a Stoic Master
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
The Serenity Prayer
The Porch of Zeno (where the term “Stoicism” originated)

Show Notes

Why do some of us have negative associations with philosophy? [07:32]
What is Stoicism, and why are thought leaders in Silicon Valley and the world of sports suddenly interested in it? [08:27]
What is the benefit of rehearsing worst-case scenarios in times of “immunity from care?” [09:48]
With so many choices, why is Seneca Tim’s go-to philosopher? [11:36]
How can you make time to apply Seneca’s wisdom to your own life? [13:26]
How is Stoicism like cognitive behavioral therapy? [13:55]
What are Tim’s three favorite selections from Volume One? [14:40]
How did John A. Robinson become the voice of The Tao of Seneca? [15:32]
Letter 13: On Groundless Fears [16:32]

People Mentioned

Seneca the Younger
Lucilius Junior
John A. Robinson
Thomas Jefferson
Michel de Montaigne
Epictetus
Bill Clinton
Marcus Aurelius
John Stuart Mill
Tom Wolfe
Emperor Nero
Zeno of Citium
Socrates
Cato the Younger

Edward Norton on Mastery, Must-Read Books, and The Future of Crowdfunding

“Hey, you want to be taken seriously? Take things seriously. Do the work. Don’t coast.” – Edward Norton 

This episode, I sit down with Edward Norton (@EdwardNorton). Edward is an actor, filmmaker and activist. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards for his work in Primal Fear, American History X, and Birdman. He has starred in scores of other films, including Fight Club, The Illusionist, and Moonrise Kingdom.

Unbeknownst to most people, Edward is also a serial startup founder (e.g. CrowdRise; here’s my current campaign), a UN ambassador for biodiversity, a massively successful investor (e.g. early Uber), a pilot, and deeply involved with wilderness conservation.

In this conversation, we cover a lot of ground, including:

His beginnings in acting, and what early mentors taught him
What separates great actors from mediocre actors, as illustrated through an early Marlon Brando story 
Edward’s physical preparation for American History X (and camera trickery)
The importance of surfing
His favorite books, documentaries, underrated films and filmmakers, and essays (The Catastrophe of Success, etc.)
His advice to his 20- and 30-year old self
And much more…

And here’s a bonus, another favorite book he remembered after we stopped recording: Buddhism Without Beliefs.

Enjoy!

Listen to it on iTunes.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

Want to hear another podcast related to the importance of entheogen research? — Listen to my conversation with Martin Polanco, M.D. and Dan Engle M.D. In this episode, we discuss the possibility that psychedelic drugs are the next medical breakthrough (stream below or right-click here to download):

This podcast is brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. I have used them for years to create some amazing designs. When your business needs a logo, website design, business card, or anything you can imagine, check out 99Designs.

I used them to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body, and I’ve also had them help with display advertising and illustrations. If you want a more personalized approach, I recommend their 1-on-1 service. You get original designs from designers around the world. The best part? You provide your feedback, and then you end up with a product that you’re happy with or your money back. Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade. Give it a test run.

This podcast is also brought to you by Wealthfront. Wealthfront is a massively disruptive (in a good way) set-it-and-forget-it investing service, led by technologists from places like Apple and world-famous investors. It has exploded in popularity in the last 2 years and now has more than $2.5B under management. In fact, some of my good investor friends in Silicon Valley have millions of their own money in Wealthfront. Why? Because you can get services previously limited to the ultra-wealthy and only pay pennies on the dollar for them, and it’s all through smarter software instead of retail locations and bloated sales teams.

Check out wealthfront.com/tim, take their risk assessment quiz, which only takes 2-5 minutes, and they’ll show you—for free–exactly the portfolio they’d put you in. If you want to just take their advice and do it yourself, you can. Or, as I would, you can set it and forget it.  Well worth a few minutes: wealthfront.com/tim.

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What cause(s) do you care about that could benefit from the attention/resources of a platform like CrowdRise?  Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

Go to CrowdRise.com/timferriss to see what I’m doing to tackle treatment-resistant depression.


Films mentioned starring Edward Norton:

The Painted Veil | American History X | Birdman

Other films mentioned:

The French Lieutenant’s Woman | Shogun Mini-Series |

Some of Edward Norton’s favorite documentaries and recent films:

The Cruise | The Century of the Self | The Power of Nightmares

The Beat That My Heart Skipped | A Prophet | Rust and Bone

Biutiful | Birdman | The Revenant

Check out the documentary Choke about Rickson Gracie
Shogun by James Clavell
The Search for Modern China by Jonathan Spence
Check out Humans of New York
Learn more about CrowdRise
Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville (Free Audiobook Version)
Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The Catastrophe of Success by Tennessee Williams
Learn more about Friedrich Nietzsche and self-overcoming
Buddhism Without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor

Show Notes

The role of surfing in Edward Norton’s life: injury recovery, mindfulness, effectiveness [6:41]
Morning rituals [11:54]
Edward Norton’s eating habits and physical preparation for his role in American History X [13:19]
How Edward Norton was introduced to acting [18:49]
First acting mentors [20:37]
Advice for adults planning to study acting [25:49]
Thoughts on helping a novice actor to act more natural [36:44]
Impressions and/or recollections of Rickson Gracie [38:44]
Time spent in Osaka, his attraction to Asian culture, and deciding to major in history [42:19]
The story behind CrowdRise, Humans of New York, and Syrian refugees [45:34]
CrowdFunding entheogen research [54:14]
When you think of the word successful, who is the first person who comes to mind and why? [1:05:02]
Most gifted books [1:09:49]
Edward Norton’s favorite documentaries and movies [1:13:34]
If you could have a billboard anywhere saying anything, what would you put on it? [1:17:29]
Advice to Edward Norton’s younger self [1:18:49]
An ask or request of the audience [1:20:39]

People Mentioned

Toby Orenstein
Terry Schreiber
Marlon Brando
Jeremy Irons
Meryl Streep
Rickson Gracie
Royce Gracie
Studs Terkel
Brandon Stanton
Adam Curtis
Jacques Audiard

 

Chris Sacca on Shark Tank, Building Your Business, and Startup Mistakes

“Mullet wigs change everything.” – Chris Sacca

Sometimes one interview just isn’t enough. That was certainly the case with my good friend, Chris Sacca. Chris (who I interviewed before) was recently the cover story of the Midas Issue of Forbes magazine. He was on the cover because he’s a newly minted billionaire and the proprietor of what will likely be the most successful venture capital fund in history: LOWERCASE Capital.

He’s an early-stage investor in companies like Twitter, Uber, Instagram, Kickstarter, and many more.

Also, he wears cowboy shirts, has a great beard, and is hilarious, which is reason enough to bring him back for more. In this episode, he answers all of your most pressing questions based on your votes and feedback. You’ll find some fantastic responses, ranging from life advice to business recommendations and everything in between.

Listen to it on iTunes.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

Want to hear another episode with an entrepreneur on Shark Tank? — Listen to my conversation with Daymond John. In this special episode, Daymond asks me the questions that can help you turn any weakness into a strength (stream below or right-click here to download):

This episode is brought to you by Foodist Kitchen. Sometimes the most life-changing habits are the ones we put off, and learning to cook is at the top of that list. I only finally took the plunge when writing The 4-Hour Chef, and it turned my eating and my life into high definition. Foodist Kitchen is a 30-day program that teaches you how to cook without recipes, and I highly recommend it. Chopping and sautéing are just a small part of the whole deal — you also need to know what flavors taste good together and what it means to cook until done.

Foodist Kitchen brings all these skills together so you can walk into the kitchen, open the fridge, and have an intuitive sense of what to cook and how to do it. It was created by Darya Rose, who’s a friend of mine and one of my cooking mentors for The 4-Hour Chef. She has offered a $15 discount off your membership, so check out FoodistKitchen.com/Tim to learn more about the program.

This episode is also brought to you by Exo Protein. These guys are making protein bars using cricket protein powder. Before you look disgusted, I bet they taste better than any protein bar you’ve ever had before! With recipes that were developed by a three-Michelin-star chef, the bars are paleo-friendly, with no gluten, no grains, no soy, no dairy, and they won’t spike your glycemic response. In fact, they’re less processed than any other protein bars you’ll be able to find.

Exo Protein is offering a deep discount to Tim Ferriss Show listeners — if you go to ExoProtein.com/Tim today, you can try a sampler pack with all of the most popular flavors for less than $10. This is a startup with limited inventory that sells out all the time, so act fast!

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: If you could team up with any entrepreneur to help your business grow (like on Shark Tank), who would it be and why? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Enjoy!

Selected Links from the Episode

Chris Sacca on being different and making billions
Chris Sacca’s commencement address at the Carlson School of Management
Necker Island
Mullet wigs
Grateful Dead bootlegs
Baauer – The Harlem Shake
Jay-Z and Kanye West featuring Beyoncé – Lift Off
Truckee, California
CES
PlayStation Portable
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid
Not Fade Away: A Short Life Well Lived by Laurence Shames and Peter Barton
IRONMAN Triathlon
StyleSeat
Inventure
Vintage Western Wear
Shark Tank
Brickhouse Cafe in SoMa
Connect with Chris Sacca:

Periscope | Twitter | Instagram

Show Notes

Suggestions for Chris Sacca’s DJ handle? [04:20]
Finding and hiring a good technical co-founder vs. exporting to a mobile web development company to retain equity [05:19]
Chris’s commencement speech message [07:02]
What are the keys to success for an amazing disco night? [08:28]
What are situations where startups should not take investor money? [10:29]
Which person would Chris like Tim to interview? [12:09]
What’s Chris’s best advice for getting down to business when it’s getting tough? [14:07]
Are you on offense or defense? [17:23]
If Chris could move his family anywhere and start fresh, where would it be? [18:22]
How does Chris envision the impact of rapid technological advancement on the future of humanity? [22:01]
Is Walmart good or evil? [25:34]
Is society headed toward utopia or dystopia? [27:28]
Why does Chris think cultivating an empathetic perspective toward business is important? [30:31]
Is education the answer to the world’s problems? [32:50]
If Chris were to start his own school, what would be its focus? [34:30]
What real-world, transferable lessons has Chris learned from Ironman triathlons and other feats of strength? [35:28]
Is Chris more inclined to invest in a proven entrepreneur or a first-timer with experience relevant to their field? [36:54]
How can venture capitalists bring more diversity to their firms and portfolios? [38:27]
What’s the best way to learn and improve in a startup environment? [43:46]
Does Chris foresee a time when he’ll be bored with investing? [44:19]
How to schedule a vitally important meeting to interact with Chris during his Shark Tank appearance. [49:09]

People Mentioned

Richard Branson
God
Andreas Vollenweider
George Winston
Matt Mullenweg
Buckminster Fuller
Larry Page
Sergey Brin
Evan Williams
Melody McCloskey
Shivani Siroya
Matt Mazzeo

Eric Weinstein on Challenging “Reality,” Working with Peter Thiel, and Destroying Education to Save It

“We need to realize that we know how to impart expertise, but we don’t know how to impart creativity or genius.” – Eric Weinstein

My guest this episode is my friend, Eric Weinstein (@ericrweinstein), managing director of Thiel Capital, a Ph.D in mathematical physics from Harvard, and a research fellow at the Mathematical Institute of Oxford University. We recorded at my house after Eric emailed me this question: “Wanna try a podcast on… psychedelics, theories of everything, and the need to destroy education in order to save it?”

He’s brilliant and hilarious. If you enjoyed my podcasts with Derek Sivers or Sam Harris, you’ll love this one.

We cover a lot of ground, including:

Living from first principles rather than the “consensus reality”
The genius of Kung Fu Panda
What it’s like working with Peter Thiel and how Peter hired him
How to innovate when you risk being crucified by close-minded communities (and experts)
His favorite books
Why one of his favorite documentaries is about pornographers
And much more…

Also, be sure to check this out. Here is the Johns Hopkins psychedelic research I’m backing. Check out the supporters from tech and business.

Listen to it on iTunes.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as”.

Want to hear another podcast related to Peter Thiel? — Listen to the podcast where Peter discusses differentiation, value creation, competition and much more. It is a treasure trove (stream below or right-click here to download):

This podcast is brought to you by Wealthfront. Wealthfront is a massively disruptive (in a good way) set-it-and-forget-it investing service, led by technologists from places like Apple and world-famous investors. It has exploded in popularity in the last 2 years and now has more than $2.5B under management. In fact, some of my good investor friends in Silicon Valley have millions of their own money in Wealthfront. Why? Because you can get services previously limited to the ultra-wealthy and only pay pennies on the dollar for them, and it’s all through smarter software instead of retail locations and bloated sales teams.

Check out wealthfront.com/tim, take their risk assessment quiz, which only takes 2-5 minutes, and they’ll show you—for free–exactly the portfolio they’d put you in. If you want to just take their advice and do it yourself, you can. Or, as I would, you can set it and forget it.  Well worth a few minutes: wealthfront.com/tim.

This podcast is also brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. I have used them for years to create some amazing designs. When your business needs a logo, website design, business card, or anything you can imagine, check out 99Designs.

I used them to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body, and I’ve also had them help with display advertising and illustrations. If you want a more personalized approach, I recommend their 1-on-1 service, which is non-spec. You get original designs from designers around the world. The best part? You provide your feedback, and then you end up with a product that you’re happy with or your money back. Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade. Give it a test run.

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What is a philosophy or mindset that you find fascinating, but you struggle to apply to your life? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Enjoy!

Selected Links from the Episode

Drugs over Dinner
Learn more about Thiel Capital
Simonyi Lectures and Unification in Physics: Geometric Unity 
Migration for the Benefit of All by Eric Weinstein

Geometric Marginalism 

Learn more about equal temperament
Learn more about the Overton window
Read Eric Weinstein’s Quora post regarding Kung Fu Panda
The Emperor of Scent by Chandler Burr

Ringing the alarms in Mortgage Backed Securities in 2001-2005-2009: Perimeter Institute Keynote

Debunking the myth of Americans unable and unwilling to do science and engineering at the National Academy of Science
Heraclitean Fire by Erwin Chargaff
Kayfabe Essay
Learn more about T4 bacteriophage
Learn more about the Milgram experiment and the Asch conformity experiment
Rate it X, a documentary about pornographers
Winning a bet against a Nobel laureate
Connect with Eric Weinstein

Twitter | Edge.org

Show Notes

The unique career of Eric Weinstein and how he accidentally became an economist [5:23]
How a mathematician found a place at Thiel Capital [8:03]
Examples of first-principle thinking and facing criticism [13:28]
When Eric Weinstein started experimenting with different musical instruments [17:18]
On learning languages, even when they don’t seem useful [21:58]
Explaining the Overton Window [29:58]
Kung Fu Panda and the question of, “How does an innovator leave a successor when it’s his time to go?” [36:33]
How autodidacts can pave a path for successors [40:43]
How someone in a low-agency area can see the world like those in high-agency areas [44:28]
Most gifted books [47:18]
Advice for those contemplating a move to the Bay Area [49:58]
The key to understanding the philosophy behind Peter Thiel’s Zero to One [51:33]
Can people be taught to see things that other people don’t see? [54:23]
How Thiel Capital approaches problems to find creative solutions [59:18]
Canonical design and creating commonplace solutions [1:01:58]
If you were to design a class for a group of students between 9th grade and college, what would it look like? [1:06:38]
When you think of the word successful, who is the first person who comes to mind and why? [1:14:43]
What purchase of $100 or less has most positively affected your life in recent memory? [1:18:33]
Morning rituals and work cycles [1:20:33]
If you could have one billboard anywhere, with anything on it, what would it say? [1:25:18]
Advice to Eric Weinstein’s 30-year-old self and what his life was like at that time [1:26:43]
An ask or request for the audience [1:28:28]
Eric Weinstein’s first experience with psychedelic drugs [1:31:33]

People Mentioned

Peter Thiel
Charles Simonyi
Marcus du Sautoy
Richard Dawkins
Noam Chomsky
Paul Dirac
Mark O’Connor

Daymond John and How to Turn Weaknesses into Strengths

Even if you can afford more, whether it’s time or money, you don’t necessarily want that margin for error. You want to force the hard thinking.” – Tim Ferriss

Usually, it’s my job to deconstruct world-class performers. This time around, the tables are turned. Many of you have wanted to hear me interviewed, so this week Daymond John (@thesharkdaymond), star of ABC’s Shark Tank and CEO and founder of FUBU, is in charge and asking the questions. Daymond has a new book called The Power of Broke, and he is an expert interviewer and interrogator.

In this episode, you’ll learn untold stories about my beginnings and the advantages that exist when you think you’re at a disadvantage. If you’ve ever felt like a beginner in business or find your back against a wall, you will learn how to take your situation or a lack of resources and turn it into a strength.

Listen to it on iTunes.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”

Want to hear another story involving an entrepreneur who built himself into an astonishing success? — Listen to my conversations with Arnold Schwarzenegger. In this episode, we discuss psychological warfare and much more (stream below or right-click here to download):

This podcast is brought to you by Audible. I have used Audible for years and I love audio books. I have 2 to recommend:

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

All you need to do to get your free audiobook and a free 30-day trial is go to Audible.com/tim. Choose one of the above books, or choose between more than 180,000 audio programs. That could be a book, a newspaper, a magazine or even a class. It’s that easy. Go to Audible.com/Tim and get started today. Enjoy!

This podcast is brought to you by TrunkClub. I hate shopping with a passion. And honestly I’m not good at it, which means I end up looking like I’m colorblind or homeless. Enter TrunkClub, which provides you with your own personal stylist and makes it easier than ever to shop for clothes that look great on your body. Just go to trunkclub.com/tim and answer a few questions, and then you’ll be sent a trunk full of awesome clothes. They base this on your sizes, preferences, etc. The trunk is then delivered free of charge both ways, so you only pay for clothes that you keep. If you keep none, it costs you nothing. To get started, check it out at trunkclub.com/tim.

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: If you were able to interview me, what questions would you want to ask? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Enjoy!

Selected Links from the Episode

Learn more about The Power of Broke and pre-order your copy
Learn more about Hugh Forrest and SXSW

Show Notes

On landing a book deal: motivation, mentors, and how to know when your product is an “A” or an “F” [6:37]
The last thing I said to the publisher of The 4-Hour Workweek that secured the deal [12:17]
How the constraints became the path to success while marketing The 4-Hour Workweek [16:47]
Presentation skills learned under the critical eye of chihuahuas [22:07]

“CHIHUAHUAS” by Toronja Azul – originally posted to Flickr as CHIHUAHUAS. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons

On the success of The 4-Hour Workweek [26:22]
On choosing Amazon Publishing for The 4-Hour Chef [29:32]
Daymond John sums it all up [36:22]

People Mentioned

Jack Canfield
Robert Scoble

Recommendations and Resolutions for 2016

(Image from Fanpop)

This episode is ~99% serious recommendations and resolutions for 2016.  But I am joined by tech entrepreneur and investor, Kevin Rose, so it’s at least 1% shenanigans.

[Here is the Stakes resource/PDF I mention in this episode]

The conversation is also a new experiment for The Random Show. O-tanoshimi dane! Stream below, or you can listen in iTunes or right-click (“save as”) here for MP3.  Enjoy…

For all previous episodes of The Random Show, including the infamous China Scam episode, click here.

###

If anyone would like to add show notes with links in the comments, I’ll choose the best 1-2 early submissions and thank you with a link back to your site.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:  What would you like to hear in future episodes of The Random Show? Please let us know in the comments!

This episode is brought to you by Headspace, the world’s most popular meditation app (More than 4,000,000 users).  It’s used in more than 150 countries, and many of my closest friends swear by it.  Try Headspace’s free Take10 program —  10 minutes of guided meditation a day for 10 days. It’s like a warm bath for your mind. Meditation doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive, and it’s had a huge impact on my life. Try Headspace for free for a few days and see what I mean.

This podcast is also brought to you by Wealthfront. Wealthfront is a massively disruptive (in a good way) set-it-and-forget-it investing service, led by technologists from places like Apple and world-famous investors. It has exploded in popularity in the last 2 years and now has more than $2.5B under management. In fact, some of my good investor friends in Silicon Valley have millions of their own money in Wealthfront. Why? Because you can get services previously limited to the ultra-wealthy and only pay pennies on the dollar for them, and it’s all through smarter software instead of retail locations and bloated sales teams.

Check out wealthfront.com/tim, take their risk assessment quiz, which only takes 2-5 minutes, and they’ll show you—for free–exactly the portfolio they’d put you in. If you want to just take their advice and do it yourself, you can. Or, as I would, you can set it and forget it.  Well worth a few minutes: wealthfront.com/tim.

Derek Sivers Reloaded – On Success Habits and Billionaires with Perfect Abs

By popular demand, this is a follow-up with the amazing Derek Sivers (@sivers)!

This episode can be listened to independently of our first popular conversation, and he answers some of my (and your) favorite questions.

Originally a professional musician and circus clown, Derek created CD Baby in 1998. It became the largest seller of independent music online, with $100 million in sales for 150,000 musicians.

If you only listen to one answer from this episode, don’t miss his response to “What do you believe that other people think is insane?” It get progressively weirder and weirder and starts around 34:09 (stream below or save MP3 by right-clicking here):

Where are the links and show notes for this episode?  Alas, I’m overseas with family and don’t have time to compile them!

Offer: To the first person to put good links and resources from this episode in the comments (no time stamps needed), I will gladly put your notes in this blog post, thank you, and link to your website/social handle, assuming not excessively scandalous. Deadline: Dec. 29, 5pm ET.

###

This podcast is brought to you by Mizzen + Main. These are the only “dress” shirts I now travel with — fancy enough for important dinners but made from athletic, sweat-wicking material. They are a personal favorite of NFL phenom J.J. Watt, alongside many professional athletes. Mizzen now also make chinos, which stretch in four directions, and are perfect for all climates. For all of their clothing: no more ironing, no more steaming, no more hassle. Click here for the exact shirts I wear most often. Just go to fourhourworkweek.com/shirts and find what you like.

How to Decrease E-mail Overwhelm in 2016–The First Step

“A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.”

– Henry David Thoreau

I’m often asked how to handle e-mail overwhelm.

While I do use some great apps to help stem the flood, the most important shield is still low-tech: a rock-solid e-mail autoresponder.

This unsexy tool allows you to ignore some or all correspondence.

Answering every inbound e-mail faster might seem like the cure-all, but it’s a Phyrric victory. Robert Scoble observed long ago what is now standard: for each e-mail he responds to, he gets ~1.75 in response!  It’s an unwinnable game of whack-a-mole.

The only sustainable solutions involve selective ignorance.  Step 1: Answer fewer e-mail (or “Ignore more e-mail”). Step 2: Give your e-mail address to fewer people (or “Use a decoy email that goes to your assistant”).

Below is my current autoresponse, which you might be able to adapt or borrow from. More examples follow. These things are highly personalized, of course:

Subject line: Tim is off of email — please read this

Hi All,

Thank you for reaching out.  I’m currently on deadline.

We often receive 1,000+ e-mails per day, and it’s sadly impossible for us to respond to every message.

Please don’t take offense if you don’t hear back.  This is true even for family and close friends.

PLEASE NOTE:

– I’m no longer doing startup investing or advising, so I will not be responding to anything startup-related (excluding current portfolio companies).  AngelList is a great resource for finding the right investors, but I’m out of the game.  Here’s the full(er) story.

– I never respond to cold e-mail intros.  I am touchy about having my private email addresses shared.  I much prefer people to ask before making intros.  My inbox is otherwise unmanageable.

– I’m no longer doing book blurbs.  I get sent 20+ books per week and have to turn away friends, so I’m saying no to everyone.  It sucks. (But good news: Blurbs don’t do much for book sales anyway. These things have far greater impact.)

– Book marketing advice?  All the advice I might give, and certainly enough to hit the NYT lists with a good book, can be found at this link.

– I’m taking a break from most unpaid speaking engagements. (Looking for speakers? Search “TEDx [insert nearby cities]” on YouTube to find good speakers.)

Thank you for your understanding!

If you genuinely need to reach me for an emergency (and emergencies only) — [Insert emergency email for yourself or assistant] with “Emergency” somewhere in the headline.

All the best to you and yours. May you live well outside of the inbox.

Tim

Before setting up such an autoresponse, I will separately email (BCC) my lawyers, accountants, team members, etc. to ask them to text/SMS or use Slack if they need my attention. I indicate that my inbox should be treated like a black hole, unless they SMS/Slack to ask me to see a specific email (e.g. “If it’s not in SMS or Slack with @Tim, it will not get read”). I reiterate this before vacations or extended travel.

My approach has evolved over time, and one my past templates may work better for you.  Past examples:

Reader example from SXSW (2007)

Two real autoresponders that work (2014)

Good luck!  Please share your own autoresponse or email strategies and tools in the comments.  I’d love to see them.

May you live well outside of the inbox :)

Tim

P.S. If you want more inspiration for the new year, here is my favorite commencement speech (20 minutes) by the amazing Neil Gaiman.