Timothy Ferriss's Blog, page 98

Optimizing Investing, Blood, Hormones, and Life (Podcast Double-Header: #63 and #65)

Discussing life and investing with Mark Hart and Raoul Pal.

[DISCLAIMER: I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on the Internet. Speak with a medical professional before doing anything medical-related, m’kay?]

There is something here for everyone.

This post details two jam-packed discussions  — one with world-renowned macro investors and investment strategists (Mark Hart and Raoul Pal), and another with a top performance doc you’ve referenced hundreds of times (Peter Attia, MD).

In both, we address dozens of topics, including:

- How do you choose an optimal investment style?

- What’s the most useful definition of “ROI” for lifestyle purposes?

- What are the 5 lesser-known physical tests you should consider?

- How does hormone therapy fit into the bigger performance and longevity picture (or not)?

- Productivity and exercise/diet tips from all participants.

Below, you’ll also find the most comprehensive show notes and links I’ve done to date. They’re DEEP.  If you like them, please let me know in the comments, as these take a TON of time to transcribe and summarize.

EPISODE 63 — I am interviewed by Mark Hart and Raoul Pal for Real Vision Television, which was created to combat the dumbed-down approach to finance in traditional media. Mark predicted and bet on the subprime mortgage crisis, the European sovereign default crisis, and more. As Forbes put it, related to Mark, “Sometimes, combing through a mountain of manager letters felt like reading the newspaper years in advance.” We talk about nearly everything in this roundtable.

EPISODE 65 — Peter Attia, MD, answers your most popular 10-15 questions (e.g. top blood tests, hormone therapy, increasing VO2 max, long-term ketosis, etc.), as voted on by thousands of you. Peter is President of NuSI and a tremendous endurance athlete in his own right.

Listen to these episodes on iTunes.
Stream by clicking here for investing or here for health/longevity.
Download both as MP3 by right-clicking here (investing) or here (health) and choosing “save as”.

This podcast is brought to you by Mizzen + Main. Mizzen + Main makes the only “dress” shirts I now travel with — fancy enough for important dinners but made from athletic, sweat-wicking material. No more ironing, no more steaming, no more hassle. Click here for the exact shirts I wear most often. Order one of their dress shirts this week and get a Henley shirt (around $60 retail) for free.  Just add the two you like here to the cart, then use code “TIM” at checkout.

This episode is also brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. Did you know I used 99Designs to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body? Here are some of the impressive results.

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What is the best investment advice you’ve ever read or heard? Please share and explore answers in the comments here.

Do you enjoy this podcast? If so, could you please leave a short review here? I read them, and they keep me going. Thanks!

And here are the copious show notes and links for both episodes…

Part 1 – Investing and Life Optimization – Episode #63 (Links and Time Stamps)

Listen to this episode on iTunes
Stream by clicking here

People Mentioned

Josh Waitzkin
David Allen
Ben Franklin
Marcus Aurelius
Peter Drucker
Michel Thomas
John Smith (Oklahoma State Olympic wrestler)
Paul Tudor Jones
Mark Twain
Socrates
Ray Cronise (NASA researcher)

Companies Mentioned

23andMe 
Navigenics
Headspace (meditation app)
Calm (meditation app)

Books Mentioned

Outliers by Malcom Gladwell
Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming by Stephen LaBerge
Mastery by Robert Greene
What I Learned Losing $1 Million by Jim Paul
The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin

Selected Links from the Episode

Uric Acid
Glycemic Index
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Adiponectin Hormone
Transcendental Meditation
Vipassana Meditation

Time Stamps

Raoul sets the stage for the conversation [3:33]
Tim discusses his background [4:13]
Mark discusses his background [5:30]
How Tim approaches productivity improvements [8:15]
How Mark implemented Tim’s advice [11:15]
Establishing a baseline for self-tracking [13:20]
Hacking 10,000 hours to mastery [17:05]
How to hack breakfast [21:25]
How to hack insomnia [22:35]
Hacking cheat meals [23:25]
Genetics testing [25:10]
Thoughts on time management [26:10]
Cold (ice bath) and heat (sauna) therapy [31:03]
Lucid dreaming [34:35]
How to find out what you are good at [39:30]
On Journaling [41:55]
Feeding your subconscious mind [45:10]
Tim’s calling [47:50]
[On constantly improving [52:23]
On enjoying the journey [56:00]
Psychological dynamics of making or losing money [57:34]

Key Takeaway Show Notes

How to Approach Productivity Improvements

There are a number of ways to try and improve the performance of a company, group of people, or single person.

If you look at it like rally car racing, you have a racetrack that is designed to kill you.

It is not designed to be as safe as possible. The path is somewhat known, but the terrain is unknown (it could be raining, sleeting, etc.)

People tend to have this separation of mind and body, but at the end of the day you have certain levels of neurotransmitters that are produced and depleted at a certain rate, and that is the rate-limiting step in your mental performance.

If you want to have better levels of working memory and sustained attention, etc – you can optimize those by optimizing the car (i.e. the body in this case).

There are also process things like what are the daily habits and ways you approach turning your effort on or off for productivity and recovery throughout the day that you can tweak.

This would be the example of driving the car.

On Self-Tracking

You want to establish a self-tracking baseline.

You don’t want to make health decisions on once-annual blood tests because if you took that test the very next day the values would be different.

What you are interested in (in terms of blood values) is not just a snapshot in time, but rather you want to understand the trends.

Journaling is also a good way to establish a baseline in terms of a daily and weekly routine to identify what led you to states of flow or what 20% of activities / people are producing 80% of your negative emotions / bad decision-making.

On Hacking

There are many ways to circumvent the 10,000-hour rule for almost any skill.

Study the anomalies rather than discarding them as outliers.

One easy hack is to have 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking up (lentils, spinach, and two whole eggs for example).

By doing this, it is not uncommon to lose 20 pounds in the first month if you have 20% body fat (if you are a male).

If you have trouble sleeping, it is often due to low blood sugar.

You could have a tablespoon of unsweetened almond butter before you go to sleep, and you will see a lot of people who are chronically fatigued fixed immediately.

If you have to have a cheat meal you could have a tablespoon of vinegar before the meal, which will help lower the glycemic index (your glucose response to that meal).

On Time Management

Time is one of several currencies.

A currency is something you trade for something else.

Time is non-renewable, whereas capital is renewable.

In the hierarchy of prioritization (past a certain point of Maslow’s needs), time should take priority.

If you don’t have time it is an indication of not having sufficiently clear priorities.

On Cold (Ice Baths)

Cold exposure can improve immune function, serve as anti-depressant therapy, and effects hormones like adiponectin (which leads to increased rate of fat loss in many cases).

On Lucid Dreaming

You can further reinforce or develop your skills while you’re sleeping during lucid dreaming.

Lucid dreaming not only improves performance, but also helps you develop present state awareness.

On Journaling

Journaling has tremendous value, especially if you don’t view yourself as a writer.

Writing allows you to freeze your thoughts in a form that you can analyze.

You should write down your fears and worries, and explore them. This will clarify what they are.

Sometimes they will end up unfounded, and you can remove them as an influence.
Other times it will clarify how those risks can be mitigated.

Part of the value is taking these muddy distractive thoughts and imprisoning them on paper so you can get on with your day.

On Constantly Improving

Seeking constant improvement and dissatisfaction do not have to go hand-in-hand.

If you aren’t getting stronger, you are getting weaker.

The way you reach equilibrium, or the sensation of balance, is by having appreciation and a set of activities and practices for that.

On Enjoying the Journey

At the end of the day you have to focus on the process because, due to good or bad luck, you can get a bad result after a very good process or a great result after a very bad process.

You can also help avoid depression that can come from bad outcomes by enjoying the process.

 

 

Part 2 with Dr. Peter Attia – Episode #65 (Links and Time Stamps)

Listen to this episode on iTunes
Stream by clicking here

Medical Terminology –

APOE Genotype
LDL Particle Number
LP(a)
OGTT (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test)
IGF-1 (Insulin Growth Factor 1 Level)
Desmosterol
Hyperinsulinemia
Metformin
AMP Kinase
PCSK9
Homocysteine
C-reactive protein
Uric Acid
Cirrhosis
Metabolic syndrome
Ketogenic diet
VO2 Max

People Mentioned

Elizabeth Holmes
Gerald Reaven

Companies Mentioned

Theranos
Health Diagnostics Laboratory
Nutrition Science Initiative (NuSI)

Books Mentioned

Getting Things Done by David Allen

Time Stamps

What are the top 5 biological tests everyone should get? [4:53]
Should you eat carbs following weight training to promote anabolism within the muscle? [12:00]
What are the top 10 supplement recommendations? [15:11]
Should the ketogenic diet be a short-term intervention or a long-term lifestyle? [20:48]
Blood testing at home [28:45]
Should you not drink alcohol? [32:40]
The results of Peter’s insulin suppression test [38:45]
How do you figure out if a ketogenic diet works for you? [47:30]
What type of cardio is best for you? [50:54]
When can we expect results from the energy balance consortium? [58:05]
Testosterone replacement for men [1:00:00]
How Peter maintains his productivity [1:06:22]

Key Takeaway Show Notes

What Are the Top Five Biological Tests?

This answer depends on an individual-by-individual basis and the risks each person faces (cardiovascular disease, cancer, etc.)

Through the lens of preventing death these five tests are the most important:

APOE Genotype – helps us understand what diseases you may be more (or less) at risk for.
LDL Particle Number via NMR (technology that can count the number of lipoproteins in the blood) – counts all of the LDL particles, which are the dominant particles that traffic cholesterol in the body both to and from the heart and to and from the liver. We know the higher the number of these particles the greater at risk you are for cardiovascular disease.
LP(a) via NMR – This is the most atherogenic particle in the body. If this is elevated (independent of the LDL particle number) it is an enormous predictor of risk and something to act on indirectly (diet and drugs don’t seem to work as effectively in mitigating this).
OGTT (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test) – This is a time 0-hour, time 1-hour, and time 2-hour test that looks at insulin and glucose. The 1-hour mark is where you may see the early warning signs with elevated glucose levels (anything over 40-50 on insulin), which can represent hyperinsulinemia (a harbinger for metabolic problems).
IGF-1 (Insulin Growth Factor 1 Level) – This is a pretty strong driver of cancer. Diet can help keep IGF-1 levels low.

Should You Eat Carbs Following Weight Training to Promote Anabolism Within the Muscle?

It depends what you are optimizing for.

If your primary objective is to increase you muscle size, then yes there is a benefit to consuming carbohydrates and / or whey protein.

However, if you are someone like Peter who could care less about the size of your muscles then the answer is no you should not do that.

Peter doesn’t even consume whey protein post workouts anymore because he is optimizing for longevity and using caloric restriction as one method for that.

What Are the Top Supplement Recommendations?

There are few things everyone should take across the board unanimously.

It is highly individualized based on your needs and goals.

Peter takes:

Vitamin D
Baby Aspirin
Methylfolate
B12
B6
EPA
DHA
Berberine
Probiotic (which he cycles on and off of)

He takes all of these because he is managing to certain targeted levels for all of these markers that he can’t get to without supplementing.

Peter does not take:

Multivitamin
Vitamin A
Vitamin K
Vitamin C
Vitamin E

Should the Ketogenic Diet be a Short-term Intervention or a Long-term Lifestyle?

Peter is not sure, but questions the evidence of any society (for example, the Inuit culture) that has been claimed to have lived entirely on a ketogenic diet in perpetuity.

However, this doesn’t mean that ketogenic diets cannot or should not be sustain long-term.

Nobody has done a long-term study of people on ketogenic diets.

The data we do have is generally conflicting.

There is a lot of documentation on ketogenic diets being safe and effective, at least over the short-term (less than 1-year) for type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Peter spent 2.5 years in ketosis, but hasn’t been for a little over 1 year consistently.

He does still get in ketosis once per week as a result of fasting, and he feels he is at his best on a ketogenic diet.
The main reason to move away from it today for Peter was a craving he has had for more fruits and vegetables, which makes it hard to stay in a ketogenic diet.

Going forward he would use a diet that cycles in and out of ketosis, but it is less about him believing there is long-term harm in ketosis and more about him scratching other itches in experiencing a broader array of foods.

It is pretty clear when a ketogenic doesn’t work.

When C-reactive protein, Uric Acid, homocysteine, and LDL Particle numbers go up it is clear that diet is not working for that person.

On Blood Testing at Home

What is interesting is what a company like Theranos is doing, which is creating a black box that allows you to use less than a thimble of blood and use that for a very broad away of testing.

The goal may be to have these in places like a CVS where you can go in and put a finger prick of blood on a strip and get a wide array of testing.
Legal hurdles could be a challenge here.

Should You Not Drink Alcohol

Peter has never seen convincing evidence that the addition of alcohol creates a health benefit.

For some people, ethanol alcohol, up to reasonable doses, has no harm.

Other people are prone to having an inflammatory response from drinking even a small amount of wine or beer.

Peter recommends doing an elimination-reintroduction test.

Knock alcohol out of your system for 1-month while making no other change, and then slowly reintroduce it.

What Type of Cardio is Best For You?

The type of cardio activity that puts an undo stress on the heart, in terms of cardiac output, is not ideal.

The heart has to expand (open much wider) to accompany the extra blood volume.

If that expansion sustains for a long period of time it can result in deformation of the electrical system of the heart (particularly the right side of the heart as it is less muscular than the left).
This can result in electrical system failures of the heart.

At very low levels of physical activity the outcomes are not good (people don’t live that long).

At medium levels of physical activity (30-45 minutes a session / 4 sessions a week / modest output) had the best outcomes where people lived the longest.

Really high levels of physical activity (greater duration / greater intensity) resulted in the curve falling down again.

Testosterone Replacement for Men

This is a complicated topic because we live in a society where somehow we have let morality get in the way of science.

Testosterone replacement is a viable option in men with whom levels are deficient and symptoms justify the use.

The problem is we have this belief, which is not substantiated by rigorous science, that overstates the detriment of its use.

The data is not clear that hormone replacement in men results in an increased risk of heart disease.

People are more willing to accept that testosterone replacement in men actually reduces the risk of prostate cancer.

The problem with all hormone replacement is that the numbers alone aren’t significant, which means you have to treat patients based on symptoms.

How Peter Maintains His Productivity

Peter is a big fan of creating to-do lists, and he carries physical cards with him for daily, weekly, and long-term professional tasks. He also carries a personal monthly to-do list.

Writing these things down takes the stress out of it.


Most of the anxiety is worrying you will *forget* something, not feeling overwhelmed about *doing* things.

 

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of CrossFit

This post delves into the good, the bad, and the ugly of all things CrossFit.  It answers many important questions, including:

- What are the 3 most dangerous exercises in CrossFit gyms?

– What are the most common nutritional mistakes of CrossFit athletes?

– What do elite CrossFit athletes do differently than the rest? Example: How do Rich Froning and Jason Khalipa warm up?

– Is the CrossFit Games really CrossFit?

– Is CrossFit a fad?

– What is the future of CrossFit?

The man to answer all this (and much more) is Kelly Starrett.  He’s trained CrossFit athletes for more than 130,000 hours (!) and 10 years at San Francisco CrossFit, which opened in 2005 as one of the first 50 CrossFit Affiliates in the world. There are now more than 10,000 Affiliates worldwide.

Kelly’s clients include Olympic gold medalists, Tour de France cyclists, world record holders in Olympic lifting and powerlifting, Crossfit Games medalists, professional ballet dancers, and elite military personnel.

Even if you have zero interest in CrossFit, this conversation invites you inside the mind of one of the world’s top coaches.  Kelly discusses habits, strategies, and thinking that can be applied to nearly everything.

As a bonus, I’ve also included our first conversation below, which includes disgusting amounts of alcohol, my personal doctor, and our tactics for becoming the guy from Limitless.

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

Plus, the booze-enhanced episode on all things performance enhancement (stream below or right-click here to download):

This podcast is brought to you by Mizzen + Main. Mizzen + Main makes the only “dress” shirts I now travel with — fancy enough for important dinners but made from athletic, sweat-wicking material. No more ironing, no more steaming, no more hassle. Click here for the exact shirts I wear most often. Order one of their dress shirts this week and get a Henley shirt (around $60 retail) for free.  Just add the two you like here to the cart, then use code “TIM” at checkout.

This episode is also brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. Did you know I used 99Designs to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body? Here are some of the impressive results.

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: If you had to pick one sport or weightlifting movement for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? Please share and explore answers in the comments here.

Do you enjoy this podcast? If so, could you please leave a short review here? I read them, and they keep me going. Thanks!

Productivity Secrets of a Master DJ (Meditation, Morning Routines, and More)

(Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

Justin Boreta is a founding member of The Glitch Mob. Their music has been featured in movies like Sin City II, Edge of Tomorrow, Captain America, and Spiderman.

In this post, we discuss The Glitch Mob’s path from unknown band to playing sold-out 90,000-person (!) arenas.  We delve into war stories, and go deep into creative process, including never-before-heard “drafts” of blockbuster tracks!  Even if you have zero interest in music, Justin discusses habits and strategies that can be applied to nearly anything.  Meditation?  Morning routines?  We cover it all.

The Glitch Mob’s last album, Love Death Immortality, debuted on the Billboard charts at #1 Electronic Album, #1 Indie Label, and #4 Overall Digital Album. This is particularly impressive because The Glitch Mob is an artist-owned group.  It’s a true self-made start-up.

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

This podcast is brought to you by Mizzen + Main. Mizzen + Main makes the only “dress” shirts I now travel with — fancy enough for important dinners but made from athletic, sweat-wicking material. No more ironing, no more steaming, no more hassle. Click here for the exact shirts I wear most often. Order one of their dress shirts this week and get a Henley shirt (around $60 retail) for free.  Just add the two you like here to the cart, then use code “TIM” at checkout.

This episode is also brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. Did you know I used 99Designs to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body? Here are some of the impressive results.

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What music do you listen to when you work? When you really need to get in the zone? Please share in the comments.

Do you enjoy this podcast? If so, could you please leave a short review here? I read them, and they keep me going.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

Learn more about the Grant Korgan story
This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitin
Learn more about Ableton music production software
The Glitch Mob uses DropBox to sync up multiple machines
Get Universal Audio Plug-ins to emulate outboard gear
Check out the trailer for Sin City II featuring The Glitch Mob
ZYNCMusic helps artists get paid for their music
Check out this post about Kyle Maynard
Listen to In the Dust of This Planet by Radiolab
Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks
Learn more about the UC Santa Cruz Electronic Music Program
Selected Ambient Works by Aphex Twin
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Chemex & Aeropress coffee makers
Follow the The Glitch Mob and Justin Boreta:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Learn More about The Glitch Mob

Live

Pick up your own Glitch Baby
Playing to 90k people in Quebec with deadmau5
Playing on the streets of SF
On Attack of the Show
On Carson Daly
At Red Rocks produced by GoPro

Official

Can’t Kill Us
Becoming Harmonious (Description via Vice)

Movies

Sin City II
Edge of Tomorrow
Captain America
Spiderman

Commercial Work

Victoria’s Secret
GoPro
Gi Joe 2
Fiat
Audi 1 & Audi 2
Lamborghini
SOMA

Show Notes (Time Stamps Approximate)

World-class attributes of Justin Boreta
The Grant Korgan story
Unique attributes of The Glitch Mob and the feeling of being on stage in front of 90,000+ people
Defining “indie” and “artist owned”
The makeup and evolution of The Glitch Mob team
Tools and software of The Glitch Mob
What exactly is “mastering”?
Deconstructing audio engineering software and Ableton
How to have your music featured in massive motion pictures
The story of the Sin City II trailer
Justin plays Animus Vox [approx 36:30]
The fourth member, Kevin, and his role in the success of the business
Developing the creative process as success comes into play
Soliciting feedback, Justin Boreta-style
Describing a day in the studio for The Glitch Mob
Commonalities of the most successful songs
The importance of traditional instrument skills when performing/producing music
Justin plays the never before heard 6th version of Our Demons, followed by the finished product [57:30]
A rapid learning program for music production
The draft version of Fortune Days, followed by the finished product [1:03:15]
How many separate tracks are running in a Glitch Mob song?
What percentage of samples are custom vs. off-the-shelf?
Current revenue streams for The Glitch Mob
Favorite pastry, pre-show meditation, defining success, and advice for his 20-year old self
What EDM show should the uninitiated go to first, morning rituals, meditation and morning workouts
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? [1:40:20]
Justin plays us out with Can’t Kill Us [1:48:45]

People Mentioned

Boards of Canada
Kyle Maynard
Rick Ruben
Amon Tobin and Foley Room
Peter Diamandis
Daft Punk

The EDM Cinderella Story — How The Glitch Mob Exploded

(Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

Justin Boreta is a founding member of The Glitch Mob. Their music has been featured in movies like Sin City II, Edge of Tomorrow, Captain America, and Spiderman.

In this post, we discuss The Glitch Mob’s path from unknown band to playing sold-out 90,000-person (!) arenas.  We delve into war stories, and go deep into creative process, including never-before-heard “drafts” of blockbuster tracks!  Even if you have zero interest in music, Justin discusses habits and strategies that can be applied to nearly anything.  Meditation?  Morning routines?  We cover it all.

The Glitch Mob’s last album, Love Death Immortality, debuted on the Billboard charts at #1 Electronic Album, #1 Indie Label, and #4 Overall Digital Album. This is particularly impressive because The Glitch Mob is an artist-owned group.  It’s a true self-made start-up.

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

This podcast is brought to you by Mizzen + Main. Mizzen + Main makes the only “dress” shirts I now travel with — fancy enough for important dinners but made from athletic, sweat-wicking material. No more ironing, no more steaming, no more hassle. Click here for the exact shirts I wear most often. Order one of their dress shirts this week and get a Henley shirt (around $60 retail) for free.  Just add the two you like here to the cart, then use code “TIM” at checkout.

This episode is also brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. Did you know I used 99Designs to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body? Here are some of the impressive results.

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What music do you listen to when you work? When you really need to get in the zone? Please share in the comments.

Do you enjoy this podcast? If so, could you please leave a short review here? I read them, and they keep me going.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Selected Links from the Episode

Learn more about the Grant Korgan story
This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitin
Learn more about Ableton music production software
The Glitch Mob uses DropBox to sync up multiple machines
Get Universal Audio Plug-ins to emulate outboard gear
Check out the trailer for Sin City II featuring The Glitch Mob
Zincbeats | ZYNCMusic helps artists get paid for their music
Check out this post about Kyle Maynard
Listen to In the Dust of This Planet by Radiolab
Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks
Learn more about the UC Santa Cruz Electronic Music Program
Selected Ambient Works by Aphex Twin
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Chemex & Aeropress coffee makers
Follow the The Glitch Mob and Justin Boreta:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Learn More about The Glitch Mob

Live

Pick up your own Glitch Baby
Playing to 90k people in Quebec with deadmau5
Playing on the streets of SF
On Attack of the Show
On Carson Daly
At Red Rocks produced by GoPro

Official

Can’t Kill Us
Becoming Harmonious (Description via Vice)

Movies

Sin City II
Edge of Tomorrow
Captain America
Spiderman

Commercial Work

Victoria’s Secret
GoPro
Gi Joe 2
Fiat
Audi 1 & Audi 2
Lamborghini
SOMA

Show Notes (Time Stamps Approximate)

World-class attributes of Justin Boreta
The Grant Korgan story
Unique attributes of The Glitch Mob and the feeling of being on stage in front of 90,000+ people
Defining “indie” and “artist owned”
The makeup and evolution of The Glitch Mob team
Tools and software of The Glitch Mob
What exactly is “mastering”?
Deconstructing audio engineering software and Ableton
How to have your music featured in massive motion pictures
The story of the Sin City II trailer
Justin plays Animus Vox [approx 36:30]
The fourth member, Kevin, and his role in the success of the business
Developing the creative process as success comes into play
Soliciting feedback, Justin Boreta-style
Describing a day in the studio for The Glitch Mob
Commonalities of the most successful songs
The importance of traditional instrument skills when performing/producing music
Justin plays the never before heard 6th version of Our Demons, followed by the finished product [57:30]
A rapid learning program for music production
The draft version of Fortune Days, followed by the finished product [1:03:15]
How many separate tracks are running in a Glitch Mob song?
What percentage of samples are custom vs. off-the-shelf?
Current revenue streams for The Glitch Mob
Favorite pastry, pre-show meditation, defining success, and advice for his 20-year old self
What EDM show should the uninitiated go to first, morning rituals, meditation and morning workouts
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? [1:40:20]
Justin plays us out with Can’t Kill Us [1:48:45]

People Mentioned

Boards of Canada
Kyle Maynard
Rick Ruben
Amon Tobin and Foley Room
Peter Diamandis
Daft Punk

Matt Mullenweg on Polyphasic Sleep, Tequila, and Building Billion-Dollar Companies

Matt Mullenweg has been named one of PC World’s Top 50 People on the Web, Inc.com’s 30 under 30, and Business Week’s 25 Most Influential People on the Web.

In this episode, I attempt to get him drunk on tequila and make him curse.

Matt is most associated with a tool that powers more than 22% of the entire web: WordPress. Even if you aren’t into tech, there are many pages of “holy shit!” tips and resources in this episode.

Matt is a phenom of hyper-productivity and does A LOT with very little. But how? This conversation shares his best tools and tricks. From polyphasic sleep to Dvorak and looping music for flow, there’s something for everyone.

Last but not least, Matt is also the CEO of Automattic, which is valued at $1-billion+ and has a fully distributed team of 300+ employees around the world. I’m honored to be an advisor, and I’ve seen how they use incredibly unorthodox methods for jaw-dropping results.

But… he started off as a BBQ-chomping Texas boy with no aspirations of empire building. How on earth did get here? Just listen and find out. It’s one hell of a story.

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

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This episode is sponsored by Onnit. I have used Onnit products for years. If you look in my kitchen or in my garage you will find Alpha BRAIN, chewable melatonin (for resetting my clock while traveling), kettlebells, maces, battle ropes, and steel clubs. It sounds like a torture chamber, and it basically is. A torture chamber for self-improvement! Ah, the lovely pain. To see a list of my favorite pills, potions, and heavy tools, click here.

This podcast is also brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. Did you know I used 99Designs to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body? Here are some of the impressive results.  Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade.  Give it a test run..

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What’s the best productivity tip or tool you’ve implemented in the last year? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Enjoy!

Selected Links from the Episode

Follow Matt on Spotify, where he shares music
Learn more about GLP
History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides
Learn about Mullenweg’s investors Tiger Global | Insights | True Ventures
Learn more about Automattic.com
Fall in love with Dvorak – DVzine
Learn about an even more efficient keyboard: Colemak
Learn about Automattic’s P2Theme.com, used to replace email
Learn more about Slack for replacing Skype
Casa Dragones – Our favorite sipping tequila
Momentum – A Chrome extension to enhance focus
WunderList – Useful to-do listing
Telegram.org – A fast, free, encrypted messaging app
The 7-Minute Workout – Simplifying exercise goals
Calm – Meditation App
Bikeshed.org – An essay


Stolen Dance by Milky Chance
Check out Matt’s blog and his post on Sam Smith
Who Says by John Mayer
Gorgeous and Power by Kanye West
Rigamortis by Kendrick Lamar
Matt’s EDM working music suggestions, Jane Doze
Though applications have ended, see my post seeking a managing editor for hiring ideas
Hire by Audition | The CEO of Automattic on Holding “Auditions” to Build a Strong Team by Matt Mullenweg on Harvard Business Review
The Year Without Pants by Scott Berkun
How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain De Botton
The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker
Words That Work by Frank Luntz
Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things by George Lakoff
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
The Magus by John Fowles
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
Learn more about Pose Running and Dr. Romanov
Connect with Matt on Twitter
Matt recommends Tom Ford suits
Learn more about GigaOM.com
Read about what is in the carry-on bag of Matt Mullenweg
The Halo Effect by Phil Rosenzweig
The Everything Store by Brad Stone
Learn more about Wealthfront
The Black Swan, Fooled By Randomness, Book of Aphorisms and Anti-Fragile by Nassim Taleb
Read Warren Buffett’s Annual Letters
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
Ernest Hemingway on Writing by Larry Phillips
Learn more about TechMeme.com – “The Best Tech Newspaper in the World”
Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter Drucker
The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
Zero to One by Peter Thiel (Also read Original Class Notes by Blake Masters)
The Starfish and the Spider by Ori Brafman
OK Computer by Radiohead
Nostalgia Ultra by Frank Ocean
Saxophone Colossus by Sonny Rollins

Show Notes

How WordPress started | The origin story
Defining “open source”
How WordPress beat their competition and how to beat the complicate-to-profit business model
The long term outlook and core product characteristics that has empowered the growth of WordPress
Describing Automattic, and how it was founded with a purpose to kill spam
Experiments in polyphasic sleep, girlfriend complexities, and Dvorak typing
How is Automattic differs from the average tech startup, and challenges of a distributed workforce
Thoughts on where to draw the transparency line when running an open-source company
Delving into the secret benefits of tequila
Matt Mullenweg’s useful laptop and smartphone apps
Turning it around on Tim: Intermittent fasting and distilled water fasting?
Overworking vices, creating “de-loading” phases and saying “no” to meetings
Why we don’t care about the color of the bike shed
Musical skills that support coding and other leadership skills
Why Matt listens to familiar songs on loop when working
Hiring tips: Auditions at Automattic, why use them, and how they work
Matt’s view on top-grading
Most gifted books
Learning to love running
Answering Twitter questions: Bootstrapping vs. seed money if starting in 2015, picking a badass suit and last great purchase for less than $100
Packing tips
The story of losing an investor’s check (nearly a $400,000 mistake)
The story behind eating 104 Chicken McNuggets
First person to come to mind when you think “successful”?
Suggested investing books
The role WordPress will play in online content outside the browser (mobile apps, API, etc.) in the near future
Books and resources for the 20-year old entrepreneur looking to start a company
Stranded on a desert island? Albums and what else?
Advice for your 20-year old self?

People Mentioned

Thucydides
Dvorak
Sam Smith
Milky Chants
Dr. Nicholas Romanov
Chris Sacca
Om Malik
Warren Buffett

Tim Ferriss Interviews Arnold Schwarzenegger on Psychological Warfare (And Much More)

In this episode, I interview the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger… at his kitchen table.

We dig into lessons learned, routines, favorite books, and much more, including many stories I’ve never heard anywhere else.

As a starting point, we cover:

The Art of Psychological Warfare, and How Arnold Uses It to Win
How Twins Became His Most Lucrative Movie (?!?)
Mailing Cow Balls to Politicians
How Arnold Made Millions — Fresh Off The Boat — BEFORE His Acting Career Took Off
How Arnold Used Meditation For One Year To Reset His Brain
And Much More…

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

This episode is sponsored by Onnit. I have used Onnit products for years. If you look in my kitchen or in my garage you will find Alpha BRAIN, chewable melatonin (for resetting my clock while traveling), kettlebells, maces, battle ropes, and steel clubs. It sounds like a torture chamber, and it basically is. A torture chamber for self-improvement! Ah, the lovely pain. To see a list of my favorite pills, potions, and heavy tools, click here.

This podcast is also brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. Did you know I used 99Designs to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body? Here are some of the impressive results.  Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade.  Give it a test run..

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Enjoy!

Selected Links from the Episode

Pumping Iron
Stay Hungry
See Franco Columbu dislocate his leg in the World’s Strongest Man competition
See the trailer for Twins with Arnold and Danny DeVito
Learn more about the documentary Brooklyn Castle
The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History by Boris Johnson
Free to Choose by Milton Friedman
California by Kevin Starr
Learn more about the USC Schwarzenegger Institute
Follow Arnold on Twitter
Learn more about climate action at Regions 20

Sample People Mentioned

Reg Park
Steve Reeves
Franco Columbu
Warren Buffett
Bill Gates
Larry Ellison
Elon Musk
Nelson Mandela
Mikhail Gorbachov
Muhammad Ali
Cincinnatus

 

How to Create a Blockbuster Podcast

“What makes ‘good tape’? That is the question that has consumed my life for the past 20 years, and I have an answer for you…”

– Alex Blumberg

How do you create a blockbuster podcast? This episode explores the tips, tricks, and best practices of a master.

My guest is Alex Blumberg, who cut his teeth on the king of all radio shows (This American Life) and recently co-founded Gimlet Media. Gimlet swiftly conquered the iTunes rankings with two blockbuster podcasts: Reply All and StartUp.

Podcasters everywhere asked: how the hell does he do it?  

This episode provides some answers. Part 2 also includes a sample of my upcoming episode with Arnold Schwarzenegger (!!!).

This discussion is split into two parts, and we cover a ton. Please listen to both parts, as they work together. We discuss what Alex learned from Ira Glass, his field recording gear, the nuts and bolts of producing world-class audio narrative, and much more.

Part 1 is my interview and conversation with Alex.

Part 2 is ~40 minutes of an amazing masterclass Alex taught on creativeLIVE, including the art of the interview, the power of the right question, and more (Get all 21 videos here).

Listen to them on iTunes.
Stream by clicking here: Part 1 and Part 2.
Download both as MP3s by right-clicking here (Part 1, Part 2) and choosing “save as”.

This episode is sponsored by Onnit. I have used Onnit products for years. If you look in my kitchen or in my garage you will find Alpha BRAIN, chewable melatonin (for resetting my clock while traveling), kettlebells, maces, battle ropes, and steel clubs. It sounds like a torture chamber, and it basically is. A torture chamber for self-improvement! Ah, the lovely pain. To see a list of my favorite pills, potions, and heavy tools, click here.

This podcast is also brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. Did you know I used 99Designs to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body? Here are some of the impressive results.  Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade.  Give it a test run.

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY:  What are your 2-3 favorite podcasts and why? What makes them unique? Please let me know in the comments!

If you like this episode, you’ll also love my episode with Neil Strauss, 7x New York Times bestselling author. He’s cray-cray like me.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Enjoy!

Selected Links from the Episode

Learn more and listen to Gimlet Media

StartUp | Reply All

Learn more about Pro Tools
Pick up Alex’s recommended equipment for field recording:

AT8035 Microphone | Tascam DR-100KII Recorder

Sony MDR 7506 HeadPhones | XLR Cable

Learn more about Chart Beat analytics software
Hiroshima by John Hersey
The Fog of War directed by Errol Morris (Watch it)
Man on Wire, the story of Philippe Petit
On the Run by Alice Gotham
Want to master the art of storytelling? Check out Alex’s full creativeLIVE course, which is absolute gold.

Show Notes

On the 4-5-month startup burnout phase [3:24]
Defining tracking and work flow. What makes something worthy of being included in the show? [4:14]
What makes good tape? [6:14]
What makes a world-class editor? Acknowledging Ira Glass and his time at This American Life [12:15]
Defining the role of a “producer” [22:17]
The nitty gritty of producing high-level narrative podcasts. Includes: editing software, planning timelines, and much more [25:00]
Tools for capturing tape in the field [30:00]
The nuts and bolts of recording in the field, as well as tips for capturing the ‘vivid moments’ [31:14]
Microphone tips: directional vs. omnidirectional? [34:20]
Metrics used to define progress at Gimlet Media [36:00]
The story of acquiring a position as a top radio producer [37:29]
Transitioning from This American Life to Planet Money [49:12]
Why good radio doesn’t apply to television shows [51:00]
On the value of perfectionism [55:45]
Good and bad habits picked up from This American Life and Ira Glass [58:20]
Turning a bad situation into a good one – Deconstructing We Made a Mistake [1:12:20]
Rapid fire questions: most gifted books, favorite documentary films, and more [1:21:10]

People Mentioned

Ira Glass
Errol Morris
John McPhee
Chris Sacca
Mike Maples, Jr.
Naval Ravikant
Morgan Spurlock

How to Be In My Next Big Book

Photo Credit: Sarah Dippity

The 4-Hour Workweek is coming up on its 10th anniversary in a few years (insane), and the time is ripe for a killer companion.  Therefore…

My next book will be a monstrous encyclopedia of success stories from readers of The 4-Hour Workweek.  There are innumerable stories I couldn’t have predicted. Taking multiple companies to IPO? Getting to the Super Bowl? Building a seven-figure muse and traveling the world with a family of 3-7…as a single parent?!

That’s just the beginning.  Now, I want to hear your story.  And I want to put you in my next book.

If you don’t yet have a success story, keep reading and I’ll show you how to create one.  I’ll also give you a benevolent kick in the ass (i.e. amazing bribe).

Please read this entire post.  To start off, there are three ways to share your story with me:

1) If you already have a success story to tell, please fill out the form at fourhourworkweek.com/success.  Easy peasy.

2) If you joined the latest Shopify Build-A-Business Competition that started last year, you can select the “Muse Category” and compete. Read below.

3) If you haven’t yet created a “muse” (automated cash-flow business), keep reading.  Things are about to get very interesting for you.

The prizes for sharing are simple: potentially be in my next book, and (if in categories 2 or 3 above) get flown to Richard Branson’s private island for billionaire coaching.

And here’s how it all works…

If you have not joined the latest Shopify Build-A-Business Competition, do this:

Read The 4-Hour Workweek if you haven’t.  
Still not sure what business to start, or which product to choose? Read this guide from Shopify and then come back to this post.
Create a new business: Launch an online store with Shopify by using this link. You *must* use this link or I can’t track you properly.
Start selling, change your life, and keep records: After the eight-month competition, Shopify will calculate your best two months of sales. From there, based on a $5K-per-month minimum, Shopify will compile a list of 20 finalists. Tim Ferriss and his magic elves will judge each of the 20 finalists using the following criteria: gross sales during the top two months (60% weight), Lifestyle Design (25% weight – i.e. how much your improve your life), and recording (15% weight – This could include YouTube clips, blog posts, Instagram pics, Twitter, Facebook, Vine, or whatever, but it should track your experiences and lessons learned. Use #4hourlaunch and link back to this blog post.)
Get support: Use all of the Shopify support resources, how-to guides, and community forums to learn how to grow, grow, grow.

If you’ve already entered the Shopify Build-A-Business Competition, and you want to join the Muse Category:

Just click this link. Enter your Shopify URL there, and you’ll be added into the Muse Competition.
Read The 4-Hour Workweek if you haven’t.
Follow the above steps from “Start selling…”  Same rules and criteria apply.

The Prizes (For Those Building Businesses and Competing):

For all competitors who sign up:

Private Facebook group. On February 15, 2015 at 5pm ET, Shopify will send me a list of all the email addresses of people who’ve signed up. Each person will then be invited to an exclusive and private “Muse” Facebook group, where I’ll also make occasional appearances.  It’s free, but you must sign up by Feb 15 at 5pm ET to be invited.

For the ultimate winners:

5 days of mentorship on Necker Island, Richard Branson’s private island in the British Virgin Islands
A private jet from New York to Necker Island. Shopify will also cover the cost of getting you to NYC.
You can invite a guest (!), and their costs are similarly covered.
You’ll be joined by 5 other winners, and you’ll be mentored by Tim Ferriss, Sir Richard Branson, Daymond John (founder of FUBU), and Marie Forleo. You will get plenty of one-on-one time with every mentor.
Complimentary nearly-everything: meals and drinks, as well as all the island has to offer, including water sports, tennis, pools, and jacuzzi.
Seth Godin will hold an private group workshop on the island.
And many other surprises!

Timeline:

You must enter your Shopify store into the competition no later than March 31, 2015.  Obviously, good to get started ASAP.  Just click the damn link and get started. If not now, then when?
Last day to generate sales for the competition: May 31, 2015

Restrictions:

Entrants must have opened a Shopify store after June 1, 2014 in order to be eligible
The competition is open to legal residents in any one of the United States, excluding Arizona, Maryland, Vermont, Delaware, Louisiana and Montana (sorry!). The competition is also open to legal residents of the District of Columbia, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Spain and Canada.

Videos, Just for Fun:

5th Annual BAB Launch Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh4iZJwfdA4
Last year’s winners (4th Annual BAB): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X3t4K_-jbA
3rd Annual BAB: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJkTs470ILY
2nd Annual BAB: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMfOcxa7vF0
1st Annual BAB: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEtWqw4ZtVc

Ready for the adventure of a lifetime?  Sign up here and get started!

Look forward to raising a drink with you on Necker :)

How to Think Like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos

Dr. Peter Diamandis (center) floating with Elon Musk (r), James Cameron (l), and others.

Dr. Peter Diamandis has been named one of “The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” by Fortune Magazine.

You asked for an entire episode with him, so here it is!  The subject is simple: How to think big, and how to use the key strategies of Peter’s friends and investors, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, and Larry Page. How do they create maximum leverage? How do they think differently? We explore all of this.

In the field of innovation, Diamandis is Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation. Among many other things, Diamandis is also the Co-Founder (along with Craig Venter and Bob Hariri) of Human Longevity Inc. (HLI); and Co-Founder of Planetary Resources, a company designing spacecraft to mine asteroids for precious materials (seriously).

If I could ask one person to write one book, it would Peter and his new tome, Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth, and Impact the World.  In fact, I have been asking him for years, and now it has arrived.  The back cover alone gives me serious envy. Check out these testimonials from Bill Clinton, Eric Schmidt, and Ray Kurzweil. Ray says simply: “If you read one business book in the twenty-first century, this should be the one.”

There are a few ways to listen to this episode, and I highly suggest a notepad:

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

This podcast is brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. Did you know I used 99Designs to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body? Here are some of the impressive results.

Also, how would you like an all-expenses-paid trip to Richard Branson’s private island for a week of mentoring with Sir Richard, yours truly, and other teachers? It’s coming up soon, and it’s going to be amazing. Click here for all the details.

Enjoy!  I didn’t have time for show notes on this one, but — as usual — I’m happy to include the first comprehensive show notes (with links) that any reader leaves in the comments. I will gladly link to your website in appreciation.

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QUESTION OF THE DAY:  What books or resources have most inspired you to think BIGGER, to 10x your results or impact?  Please share in the comments by clicking here.

Subscribe to The Tim Ferriss Show on iTunes.

Non-iTunes RSS feed

Pavel Tsatsouline on the Science of Strength and the Art of Physical Performance

This episode was a real treat. It was one of the most enlightening and lucid conversations about physical training I’ve ever had.  If you want strength, power, endurance, and flexibility, it’s all covered in this one interview.

Pavel Tsatsouline is Chairman of StrongFirst, Inc. and was born in Minsk, USSR, which is now part of Belarus.

In the 1980s, he was a physical-training instructor for Spetnaz, the elite Soviet special-forces units. Pavel is now a subject matter expert to the US Marine Corps, the US Secret Service, and the US Navy SEALs. He is widely credited with introducing the now ubiquitous kettlebell to the United States.

Over the last several years, Pavel has become a friend, and his input was critical to the success (and experiments) of The 4-Hour Body.  His massively popular post on 80/20 Powerlifting and How to Add 110+ Pounds to Your Lifts appears on this blog.

Whether you’ve heard of him or not, prepare to have your mind blown, and I don’t say that lightly :)  Enjoy!

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

This podcast is brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. Did you know I used 99Designs to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body? Here are some of the impressive results.

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What’s the most valuable exercise tip you’ve ever received or learned? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Enjoy!

Do you enjoy listening to this podcast? If so, please leave a short review here. It’s important for keeping the show going.

Subscribe to The Tim Ferriss Show on iTunes.

Non-iTunes RSS feed

Selected Links from the Episode

Learn more about StrongFirst
Kettlebell: Simple and Sinister by Pavel Tsatsouline
Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Deadlift Dynamite by Pavel Tsatsouline and Andy Bolton
Easy Strength by Dan John and Pavel Tsatsouline
Learn more about The Four Quadrants by Dan John
Pick up some Captains of Crush grippers from Iron Mind
Hard Style Abs by Pavel Tsatsouline
The Naked Warrior by Pavel Tsatsouline
Learn more about Tim’s suggested writing software – Scrivener
Learn more about Dr. Mark Cheng and the Turkish getup
The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz
The trailer for Pavel’s favorite movie – The Magnificent Seven
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson

Show Notes

How Pavel and Tim first came in contact [1:00]
How others define Pavel as “world-class” [2:00]
Considerations for designing training for top performers [5:00]
The biggest misconceptions about Pavel Tsatsouline [11:25]
When in doubt, what’s the minimum you should train? [18:00]
How to train “grease to groove” [21:15]
Approaching training as a practice [35:45]
Prioritizing skills that lead to strength [39:20]
The most counter-productive myths about strength training [42:20]
Pavel’s hypothesis for the science behind hypertrophy [48:30]
What is preventing new powerlifting records? [1:02:00]
Deadlifts, kettlebells, and the most common mistakes with both [1:10:00]
Morning rituals [1:13:50]
Most frequently played music [1:16:50]
Pavel’s writing mechanics [1:18:05]
Current professional improvement endeavors [1:21:30]
Mobility, flexibility, and the goal of full side splits [1:22:45]
On the malfunction of over-sharing [1:39:00]
What Americans can learn from former Soviet culture [1:40:20]
Mitigating distractions [1:48:40]

People Mentioned

Andy Bolton
Dan John
Ed Coan
Konstantin Konstantinovs
Dmitry Klokov