Everything Tim Ferriss has recommended in 5-Bullet Friday — 2,122 books, articles, quotes, films, products and more, gathered from 480 issues since 2015. Browse by category, sort by what the community values or how often Tim has returned to it, and spend your 25 votes on what matters most to you. Each item's note is quoted from Tim's own words in the newsletter.
“G.O.A.T.” (YouTube, Spotify) by Polyphia (@polyphia). If you want to see another video of how such craziness comes together, check this out. I first heard Polyphia over the sound system at a climbing gym, and I literally jumped off the wall to figure out who was playing. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but I dig ’em for writing.— Tim Ferriss
“The road to hell is not paved with good intentions. It is paved with lack of intention.” — from Gabor, start here.
“Eres para Mí” (YouTube, Spotify) by Julieta Venegas (@julietav). Feeling sapped by an ever-increasing creep of nihilism in the world (dramatic, I know)? This is the type of track that helps me find an optimistic foothold. Good medicine for challenging times and good medicine for seeing the silver linings all around us. Things are generally better than we think.— Tim Ferriss
“My Twelve Rules for Life” by Russ Roberts (@EconTalker). In particular, I’m thinking about this one: “2. Find something healthy to worship David Foster Wallace says it well: Because here’s something else that’s weird but true: in the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god or spiritual-type thing to worship—be it JC or Allah, be it YHWH or the Wiccan Mother Goddess, or the Four Noble Truth— Tim Ferriss
Free Guy (94% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes). Free Guy stars and was produced by Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds). The movie is directed by Shawn Levy (@ShawnLevyDirect) from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman (@elprotecto) and Zak Penn (@zakpenn). Here is the official description of the movie: “A bank teller (Ryan Reynolds) discovers he is actually a background player in an open-world video game and decides to become the hero of his own story. Now, in a world where there are no limits, he is determined to be the guy who saves his world his way before it’s too late.”— Tim Ferriss
PSO-RITE for psoas muscle release. Recommended by multiple people in this Twitter thread on iliacus self-release.— Tim Ferriss
“Minding matter” by Adam Frank (@AdamFrank4). Here is an excerpt: “Like most physicists, I learned how to ignore the weirdness of quantum physics. ‘Shut up and calculate!’ (the dictum of the American physicist David Mermin) works fine if you are trying to get 100 percent on your Advanced Quantum Theory homework or building a laser. But behind quantum mechanics’ unequaled calculational precision lie profound, stubbornly persistent questions about what those quantum rules imply about the nature of reality – including our place in it. Those questions are well-known in the physics community, but p— Tim Ferriss
“The Rise of the Shaman Bro (and his eventual demise).” This succinct post is laughably accurate. It covers a few important subtleties, including the very real and COVID-driven Promoter Bro >>> Shaman Bro phenomenon. The same ecosystem disruption can explain the proliferation of another archetype I’ll call “Yogauasca Chick.” Same-same but different. Equally dangerous. A few quick recommendations if you’re ever in the market for shamans/guides/sitters: 1) If they don’t do a medical intake, including asking about current medications and family history (e.g., schizophrenia), avoid them. 2) If the— Tim Ferriss
Under the Banner of Heaven. Starring Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Daisy Edgar-Jones (@daisyedgarjones), FX’s Under the Banner of Heaven, the limited series inspired by the nonfiction bestseller by Jon Krakauer, follows the murder of Brenda Wright Lafferty and her baby daughter in a suburb in the Salt Lake Valley. As Detective Jeb Pyre investigates events that transpired, he uncovers buried truths about the violent consequences of unyielding faith. The trailer gives you a good taste of the production value. I found everything about this series—writing, casting, directing, cinematography, i— Tim Ferriss
“The Hero’s Adventure” from The Power of Myth with Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers (Audible for audio, Amazon for video). The first episode of this six-part series is simply incredible, and I found it oddly and profoundly calming. Here’s the description: “Forty years ago, renowned scholar Joseph Campbell sat down with veteran journalist Bill Moyers for a series of interviews that became one of the most enduringly popular programs ever on PBS. In dialogues that adroitly span millennia of history and far-flung geography, the two men discuss myths as metaphors for human experience and the path to— Tim Ferriss
“Forgiveness is accepting the apology you will never receive.” — (hat tip to Mark Goulston)
Cloudventure from On (@on_running). I have this pair in Black/Reseda. From On’s website: “The Cloudventure is a lightweight trail running shoe, built to excel in demanding outdoor conditions.” I’ve been pounding the hell out of these, and they’ve allowed me to hike more than I have in years without any pain from plantar fasciitis. I’ll be adding in rucking soon then slowly progressing to trail running, which I loved when I was younger. Related reading: “The Painless Path to Endurance.”— Tim Ferriss
I Choose Noise (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music), studio album by Hybrid (@HybridBandUK). If you want to whet your appetite, “Last Man Standing” and “I Choose Noise” are two good tracks to start with.— Tim Ferriss
“A South Texan’s Wild Quest to Break a National Birding Record” by Will McCarthy (@wrmccart) for Texas Monthly. Subheadline: “When she began her year-long bird-spotting adventure, Tiffany Kersten was lost and lonely. She ended up achieving a major milestone—and finding her way.” I’ve been on a nature kick and wanted to keep feeding the furnace. This provided a nice boost, and I’m already brainstorming new adventures…— Tim Ferriss
WAOAW Sleep Mask. This has become my favorite sleep mask. The WAOAW is a contoured mask that removes all pressure from the eyes, and it’s been added to my list of “things I didn’t know I needed.” The design also blocks much more light than conventional masks. Special thanks to my girlfriend for the spot-on gift. Grumpy Tim is good for no one.— Tim Ferriss
“I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.” — , theoretical physicist and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965
“How the Pentagon Started Taking U.F.O.s Seriously” and “The Unexplained Phenomena of the U.F.O. Report,” both for The New Yorker by Gideon Lewis-Kraus. Related to the above, “Don’t Dismiss the Alien Hypothesis” by Christopher Mellon (@ChrisKMellon). Christopher Mellon spent nearly 20 years in the U.S. Intelligence Community, including serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and the Minority Staff Director of the Senate Intelligence Committee.— Tim Ferriss
UFO. I initially dismissed this. I then revisited the series when I noticed that J.J. Abrams was involved. Before you decide to skip it, consider watching the short trailer for pure fun. Here’s the official description: “A four-part docu-series from J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot and Glen Zipper exploring our fascination with unidentified flying objects, and what clandestine influence the American government, lucrative private companies, and the military may have in shielding the truth behind [UFOs] to further their own agendas.” This series includes interviews with former senators, former military in— Tim Ferriss
Rafael Grassetti (@rafagrassetti). Rafael, better known as Raf, has been described as “one of the best-known digital sculptors in the world” and is Art Director at Sony for the God of War ) franchise. You can get a taste of his incredible work on Twitter, Instagram, and his website. Thanks to everyone who recommended Raf’s work in response to my tweet about favorite 3D artists. Preface to the next two bullets: I watched and read all of these prior to the related NASA news from yesterday, Thursday, June 9th (NYT: “NASA Plans to Join U.F.O. Research Efforts”). I’m fascinated by several aspects o— Tim Ferriss
“Don’t just write words. Write music.” I think about this type of cadence, musicality, and readability a lot when writing.— Tim Ferriss
“These are times in which a genius would wish to live. It is not in the still calm of life, or in the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues.” — , Letter to John Quincy Adams dated January 19th, 1780
“On Needing to Find Something to Worry About.” This brief blog post provides me with an afterglow of extended calm for at least a few hours, and it can sometimes last a few days. The quote from Donald Winnicott packs a wallop, so don’t miss it.— Tim Ferriss
“Matthew Inman and Elan Lee: Invite Everyone to The Party” (Apple Podcasts, Spotify) on Inc.’s What I Know podcast. Here is the official description: “Christine Lagorio-Chafkin talks to Matthew Inman and Elan Lee—founders of Exploding Kittens—about how they founded their company, when to give up on a potentially good idea, and the $1 million dollar meow.” To better understand the scope of Exploding Kittens, here’s a paragraph from a recent announcement: “Exploding Kittens is a leading game and entertainment company with a mission to inspire people to connect, laugh, and play fun games in the p— Tim Ferriss
Green Hills of Africa by Ernest Hemingway. I haven’t read Hemingway in more than a decade, but this specific nonfiction book was recommended to me by one of the smartest people I know. The writing, and commentary on writers and writing itself, is outstanding. It helps if you have some familiarity with hunting, but it’s not required. Before reading, I would suggest taking a few minutes to glance at 1–2 pictures of a few recurring animals: kudu, sable antelope, oryx, wildebeest, white rhino, and water buffalo. Be forewarned that the original publication date was 1935, and some of the language is— Tim Ferriss
Planet Earth II “Grasslands” episode (Amazon, YouTube, Apple TV), hosted by David Attenborough (@davidattenborough). The episode’s description: “Grasslands cover one quarter of all land and support the vast gatherings of wildlife, but to survive here, animals must endure the most hostile seasonal changes on the planet. From Asia’s bizarre-looking saiga antelope to the giant anteaters of Brazil, grassland animals have adapted in extraordinary ways to cope with these extremes. In the flooded Okavango, lions take on formidable buffalo in epic battles; on the savannah, bee-eaters take advantage of— Tim Ferriss
“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” —
The Great Dance by Craig Foster ) and Damon Foster. This was recommended to me by an excellent tracker. The best video I could find that’s viewable from the US was on Facebook. Be forewarned that it’s very grainy and very bizarre. This is the only footage of successful persistence hunting that I’ve ever seen, and filmmaker Craig Foster is also the diver featured in My Octopus Teacher. Here is the official description: “A story of three San hunters at their most extreme limits of endurance, culminating in ‘the Chasing Hunt’—a ritual that has never before been revealed to the world outside of th— Tim Ferriss
“Book Review: Raise A Genius!” by Scott Alexander (@slatestarcodex) of Slate Star Codex fame, now writing at Astral Codex Ten. Hat tip to R.R. of Most Recommended Books. Here’s the opening paragraph: “A few months ago, I learned about Laszlo Polgar, the man who trained all three of his daughters to be chess grandmasters. He claimed he could make any child a genius just by teaching them using his special methods. I was pretty upset because, although he had a book called Raise A Genius, it was hard to find and only available in Hungarian and Esperanto.”— Tim Ferriss
“The Top Idea in Your Mind” by Paul Graham (@paulg). This is arguably the most important short reading I’ve done in a while.— Tim Ferriss
Devon Larratt vs. “The Mountain” from Game of Thrones (225 lbs vs. 419 lbs) Devon Larratt Best Moments #265: Devon Larratt: Arm Wrestling on the Lex Fridman (@lexfridman) podcast.— Tim Ferriss
“It seems to me that the real problem is the mind itself, and not the problem which the mind has created and tries to solve. If the mind is petty, small, narrow, limited, however great and complex the problem may be, the mind approaches that problem in terms of its own pettiness.” —
“The most powerful feature that Twitter has: Advanced search.” Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey (@jack) commented on this thread and said, “twitter search is my favorite feature (and undervalued).” Thanks to JZ for sending this to me.— Tim Ferriss
Slow-Feed Stainless Steel Bowl. My dear Molly pup has a lot of superpowers, but eating slowly is not one of them. Every two weeks or so, she’ll manically Hoover her food and puke it onto the floor a few minutes later. Not my favorite. This new bowl has totally fixed the problem. No one likes the scarf and barf! For some recent Molly photos that don’t involve barfing, click here and here.— Tim Ferriss
“The Best Treatment for Insomnia Usually Isn’t a Pill” by Cyril Manning (UCSF Magazine), which includes the work of Jennifer Felder, PhD (@jenniferfelder), Aric Prather, PhD (@aricprather), and Andrew Krystal, MD. This article covers the interplay of insomnia and depression, CBT-I, as well as two associated apps. Both apps, though seemingly clinically effective, appear quite cumbersome to access. Have you found a nondrug sleep aid that has helped cure your insomnia? If so, please let me know @tferriss on Twitter with #sleep!— Tim Ferriss
This short and mesmerizing video, thanks to Matt Mullenweg (@photomatt). Be sure to watch through the finale.— Tim Ferriss
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of The 4-Hour Workweek, which was first published on April 24th, 2007 (4/24/07), I am signing and giving away 424 copies of the book! To toss your hat in the ring, please fill out this form before 11:59 PM PT on Tuesday, May 10th, 2022, and my team will select 424 folks at random as lucky winners. My team will notify the winners no later than next Friday at 5 PM PT. A few copies might be slightly damaged from shipping, but consider that a feature and not a bug… some are the early 2007 edition that have traveled with me since publication!— Tim Ferriss
“Sam Bankman-Fried and Matt Levine on How to Make Money in Crypto” on Odd Lots (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast). This takes 10–15 minutes to really warm up, but it covers a lot of excellent ground. It gets into some nitty-gritty finance stuff, but if you don’t understand a segment, keep listening and it will usually segue within a few minutes. Here’s the episode description: “The price of major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum have been moving sideways for a while. But it doesn’t seem like there’s any slowdown in terms of money entering the space. Every day, some new fund is being— Tim Ferriss
This upcoming Monday, May 9th, join me as I interview scientist Dr. Suresh Muthukumaraswamy. Suresh is an associate professor at the University of Auckland, and we will explore psychedelic medicine applications to mental health, experimentation in NZ vs. the US, and much more. Suresh’s expertise includes various hallucinogens (e.g., ketamine, LSD, psilocybin), microdosing studies, and neuroimaging the effects of ketamine in patients with treatment-resistant depression. Think of this interview as a free, live podcast. Sign up for free here. If that main page is confusing, click here for the dir— Tim Ferriss
“103 Bits of Advice I Wish I Had Known” by Kevin Kelly (@kevin2kelly). Last week, Kevin Kelly, arguably the real-life most interesting man in the world, turned 70 and shared another round of excellent advice. For more KK life tips, see his “68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice” from 2020 and “99 Additional Bits of Unsolicited Advice” from 2021. “It’s Time to Rage” by Roxane Gay (@rgay) (The New York Times).— Tim Ferriss
Old Enough!. This is a Scooby Snack for all the Japanophiles out there. These 10–15-minute episodes are perfect as emergency pick-me-ups. Here’s the description: “Children go on errands all by themselves for the very first time as a camera crew follows along in this beloved, long-running reality show from Japan.” Hat tip to JZ for this gem. いつもお世話になっております, JZ-kun!— Tim Ferriss
Hot Rock Steak and Chimichurri Sauce by Remi Warren.— Tim Ferriss
“No one knows how to actually learn a foreign language. I have been aggressively studying Spanish over the next month before I fly to Spain. Wanted to share a breakdown of what I’ve been doing, and how it differs from school...” by Jack Raines. For those who would like to explore language learning further, these posts will give you new tools and tricks for faster acquisition.— Tim Ferriss
Soft: “Ave Cruz” (YouTube, Spotify) by Céu (@ceumusic). Caramel and velvet for winding down. Hard: “Blood from a Stone” (YouTube, Spotify) by Sevendust (@Sevendust). Sonic hammer for winding up.— Tim Ferriss
“AcroYoga with Chelsey Korus and Matt Giordano.” This video has 1M+ views for a reason, and the sequences make me want to dive back into AcroYoga. For a good overview of the fundamentals, check out co-founder Jason Nemer’s book, Move, Connect, Play: The Art and Science of AcroYoga. You can also watch my video interview with him here.— Tim Ferriss
Drunken monkey hypothesis. From Wikipedia: “[The Drunken monkey hypothesis] proposes that human attraction to ethanol may derive from dependence of the primate ancestors of Homo sapiens on ripe and fermenting fruit as a dominant food source.” Thanks to Dr. Mark Plotkin (@DocMarkPlotkin) for introducing me to this hypothesis. Learn more about Mark here.— Tim Ferriss
“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” — (Thank you to Terry Crews for sharing this one.)
“Can the Clever Use of Old Legal Strategies Thwart Psychedelic Monopolies?”— Tim Ferriss
Moonbirds. Kevin Rose (@KevinRose), my nutty brother from another mother, is at it again. He’s been cooking this up with an entire team for some time, and I imagine there are surprises in store. Moonbirds are “a collection of 10,000 utility-enabled PFPs [profile picture NFTs] that feature a richly diverse and unique pool of rarity-powered traits. What’s more, each Moonbird unlocks private club membership and additional benefits the longer you hold [or ‘nest’] them.” If you missed our newest Random Show episode this week, you can find it here.— Tim Ferriss
No children were harmed in the making of this video… I’ve never been on TimTok until now. I don’t expect to make it a habit, but this was fun to put together. Pro tip: being bald makes the BritBrit hair toss a lot harder on the neck. Secret Hitler may or may not have been introduced to me by someone in this video.— Tim Ferriss
Secret Hitler. From the description: “Secret Hitler is a dramatic game of political intrigue and betrayal set in 1930s Germany. Players are secretly divided into two teams—liberals and fascists. Known only to each other, the fascists coordinate to sow distrust and install their cold-blooded leader. The liberals must find and stop the Secret Hitler before it’s too late.” This is a really fun board game, but it requires a minimum of five players. Any great recommendations for games that can be played well with 3–4 players? Please let me know @tferriss on Twitter.— Tim Ferriss
“How to tie the Marathon Knot.” Following a recent ski injury, I’ve had some neurological pain in my right foot. I notice it as shooting pain in the second toe when I go from sitting to standing. One of my doctors suggested this could be partially a result of an overtightened toe box at the front of my shoes, and he suggested trying this lacing technique. I immediately felt better. It’s not cured, but it’s substantially improved. Sometimes it’s the simple things, eh?— Tim Ferriss
“That’s L.A. They worship everything and they value nothing.” — in La La Land, played by Ryan Gosling Have a wonderful weekend, all. Much love to you and yours, Tim ----------------------------------------------------------------- P.S. Deal of the Week — Athletic Greens. ----------------------------------------------------------------- I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1 by Athletic Greens, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and didn’t get paid to do so. I foc
Fireside Project. Official description: “Fireside Project’s Psychedelic Peer Support Line offers free, confidential peer support by phone and text message to people in the midst of psychedelic experiences, people holding space for others who are in the midst of psychedelic experiences, and people integrating past psychedelic experiences.” The line is available daily from 3 PM to 3 AM PT at 62-FIRESIDE (623-473-7433), and it has been featured in Esquire, Forbes, Rolling Stone, and others.— Tim Ferriss
La La Land (Amazon, YouTube, Apple TV, Google Store). This movie is outstanding. I held off for a few years, despite the many recommendations from friends, because I’m largely allergic to musicals. Chew through that and you’ll be rewarded. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling (@RyanGosling) are beyond talented. Multi-hyphenate doesn’t do either of them justice. If you liked Whiplash, this is also from Damien Chazelle, the same writer-director. From Wikipedia: “It won a record-breaking seven awards from its seven nominations at the 74th Golden Globes and received eleven nominations at the 70th British A— Tim Ferriss
“I tell you: one must have chaos in oneself to give birth to a dancing star.” — From Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche
“Patents on Psychedelics: The Next Legal Battlefront of Drug Development” by I. Glenn Cohen (@CohenProf) and Mason Marks (@MasonMarksMD) for the Harvard Law Review. Here is an excerpt: The issuance of low-quality patents on psychedelics reflects unique characteristics of these substances, their complex history and regulation, and systemic problems with the patent system. Though prior art repositories and patent pledges can be helpful, meaningful patent reform is necessary to prevent the granting of meritless psychedelic patents. The existing patent framework often rewards those who patent “me-— Tim Ferriss
“Body Yako (Instrumental)” (YouTube, Spotify) by Captain Planet (@ChuckWild).— Tim Ferriss
The Most Reluctant Convert. I find C.S. Lewis, best known as author of The Chronicles of Narnia, endlessly fascinating. This film paints a rich picture of his life, and even though I don’t self-identify as religious and didn’t understand a few of the logical leaps, I was blown away by Max McLean’s (@MaxMcLeanNYC) performance. From the description: “Experience C.S. Lewis’ profound journey from vigorous debunker of Christianity to become, as he said, ‘the most reluctant convert in all England.’ Through Max McLean’s detailed and masterful performance, Lewis tells his story of grief, loss and rede— Tim Ferriss
“Of Trees, Tenderness, and the Moon: Hasui Kawase’s Stunning Japanese Woodblock Prints from the 1920s–1950s” by Maria Popova (@brainpicker). From the article: “Born into a Tokyo family of rope and thread merchants, Hasui Kawase (May 18, 1883–November 7, 1957) grew up dreaming of becoming an artist. His parents pressed him to continue in their path, but he persisted in following his own, drawing quiet inspiration from the example of his maternal uncle—the creator of the first manga magazine.”— Tim Ferriss
“It’s dark because you’re trying too hard,” said Susila. “Dark because you want it to be light. Remember what you used to tell me when I was a little girl. ‘Lightly, child, lightly. You’ve got to learn to do everything lightly. Think lightly, act lightly, feel lightly. Yes, feel lightly, even though you’re feeling deeply. Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them.’ I was so preposterously serious in those days, such a humorless little prig. Lightly, lightly—it was the best advice ever given me. Well, now I’m going to say the same thing to you, Lakshmi . . . Lightly, my darling,