Cover

Date read: 14/04/2018

Summary
Tim Ferriss has collated the answers of more than 100 ‘mentors’ to several interesting questions. These questions include favourite books, purchases and failures, what would they have on a billboard (my favourite question), worthwhile investments, unusual habits, favourite habits, advice for college students, bad recommendations in their profession, saying no, and what they do when feeling overwhelmed or unfocused.

These answers give a quite succinct summary of who the person is and what motivates them.

Structure
The interviews are interspersed with “Quotes I’m Pondering” and couple of the rejections Tim received for the book. Other than that there isn’t really a traditional structure!

Quotes

“Buddhists observe that we’re all on fire. It’s so beautiful sometimes to tune in and see the flickering.” - p57 (Graham Duncan)

“What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” - p81 (Jesse Williams)

“Persistence matters more than talent.” - p146 (Andrew Ross Sorkin)

“It’s fatal to know too much from the outset. Boredom comes quickly to the traveler who knows his route as the novelist who is over certain of his plot.” (Paul Theroux) - p210

“Would I say yes if it were on Tuesday?” - p245 (Esther Dyson)

“You are 99 years old, you are on your deathbed, and you have the chance to come back to right now. What would you do? (Christopher Carmichael) - p259 (Jermone Jarre)

“Originality happens on the edges of reality” - p400 (Darren Aronofsky)

“Join a team not for what it is, but for what you think you can help it become.” - p460 (Scott Belsky)

“You can do so much in ten minutes’ time. Ten minutes, once gone, are gone for good. Divide your time into ten minute units and sacrifice a few of them as possible in meaningless activity.” (Ingvar Kamprad) - p463

“Do something you’re afraid of every day.” (Eleanor Roosevelt) - p510

Key Takeaways
General points are that most have some form of meditation practice, advocate for being kind and generous, put forward the importance of sleep and exercise, and aren’t afraid of stepping away from a task when they become overwhelmed or unfocused.

Not giving a 7/10 (Kyle Maynard)
Instead of giving some a 7/10, decide whether it should be a 6 or an 8 and act accordingly.

Busy is a decision (Debbie Millman)
This one is self explanatory!

Happiness is a choice (Naval Ravikant)
Happiness is a skill that can be developed by living in the present moment.

Are you a chef or a cook? (Tim Urban)
Do you follow someone elses recipe or do you come up with your own? Do you reason by analogy or from your first principles (what motivates you)? Elon Musk is an example of someone who is very much a chef.

River model (Graham Duncan)
Duncan uses Dan Siegel’s river model and applies it to careers. There’s a river running between two banks. On one side is ridigity and the other is choas. Most college students start off in rigidity and slowly move across the river during their careers. People in their 30’s and 40’s begin to swim in the middle lane, and a few go right over to other bank. Duncan recommends patience, don’t move too quickly or too slowly and you won’t be swept away.

Do what is easy for you (Lewis Cantley)
Do something that you enjoy and is easier for you than most, and also allows you to be creative. That way you have an advantage over others in that field and can easily put extra work in because you enjoy it.

Perspective (Vitalik Buterin)
Try not to see things from the perspective of the last person you talked to. Try to neutrally evaluate the situation by viewing it objectively or talking to someone outside the circle of influence.

Avoid media you agree with (Julia Galef)
This follows on from the last point. Try to minimise confirmation bias by avoiding media that you agree with, because it is addictive to be validated and you won’t learn anything new.

Viewing mistakes by policy (Julia Galef)
When something goes wrong, ask yourself if you expect the policy you followed to still give you good results overall. If so, then draw a line underneath it as bad luck, if not then adjust the policy for next time.

Disconnect failure from outcomes (Annie Duke)
Winning and losing aren’t necessarily linked to success and failure. You could win by making awful decisions and relying on luck. Seperate the two and focus on improving your decision making to benefit you in the long run.

Study humanities (Ann Miura-Ko)
All technical knowledge will eventually become outdated. However, humanities provide fundamental lessons on human nature that won’t share the same fate.

Protect your attention (Jason Fried)
Time and attention are different things. You always have less attention than time, try to preserve it.

Macro patience, micro speed (Gary Vaynerchuk)
Don’t care about the next 8 years, stress about the next 8 days. “I’m not worried about the years, because I’m squeezing the fuck out of my seconds.”

Problem identification (Dr. Brene Brown)
Identifying the problem is always a good use of resources. Einstein said, “If I have an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions. Don’t succumb to action bias (I must be doing something!)

Thankful for food (Jerome Jarre)
Be grateful for the food on your plate, the process it’s been through just to provide you with nourishment. It may not always be possible to avoid eating animal products so it’s good to be mindful of the life (and suffering) of that animal when you do.

Childlike mind (Steve Jurvetson)
The best scientists and engineers have a childlike mind. They are playful, open-minded, and unrestrained by the inner voice of reason and collective cynicism.

Ignore what others are doing (Mike Bell)
It can be distracting and throw you off your path. Think of the blinders a racehorse wears.

There is no universal path to success (John Arnold)
Advice is almost always driven by anecdotal evidence, thus has limited value and relevance. Ignore advice, particularly early in your career. Find your own path.

Listening (Jon Call)
Ask questions about someone’s story instead of coming in with a ‘bigger’ story. This will give you both more pleasure.

Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation (Terry Laughlin)
Pursue intrinsic goals (learning, personal development, etc.) instead of extrinsic goals (money, promotions, etc.) You will be more likely to achieve satisfaction and end up where you want to be.

Be flexible (Scott Belsky)
Life’s greatest opportunities run on their own schedule, not yours!

Don’t network, just work (Whitney Cummings)
Don’t waste your time socialising with people who you think may be able to help you. Spend time getting better at your craft and the opportunities will come.

New month resolutions (Ryan Shae)
Instead of new years resolutions, why not try something for a month and review it at the end?

Absurdism (Vlad Zamfir)
Humans are always looking for meaning, but are completely unable to find it. This is called ‘the Absurd’, absurd meaning that is not possible to be done by humans. Absurdism provides a clear philosophy for failure: either the intention was absurd, the strategy was not reasonable, or it was reasonable but was executed incorrectly. If you’re struggling with the Absurd, it’s best just to give up and do something else for a while.

Don’t be a victim (Daniel Negreanu)
Take 100% responsibility for your actions, don’t spin yourself a story where you are the victim.

Tasks/distractions (Robert Rodriguez)
Have somewhere to note down other ideas whilst you are attempting a primary task instead of letting them distract you. This would be useful for me when reading.

Fear (Kristen Ulmer)
You can’t conquer fear. You must merge with it, understand it and harness it. Feel it in your body, how does it make you feel? More awake and alert? Excited? Focused?

Personal resiliance and emotional intelligence (Yuval Noah Harari)
Most of what you learn in school will be obselete in 20 years. Focus on personal development so that you can adapt to change and learn what you need to learn to thrive in a changing economy.