5 Bullet Archive — everything Tim Ferriss has recommended

The Art of Memoir

BooksTim featured this 2× · 2021–2026 · Mary Karr · amazon.com

The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr. I’ve long been fascinated by Mary Karr, and I originally picked up her book on the craft of memoir writing after a recommendation by Michael Pollan. It applies to much of life, and I’d consider it a philosophical guide in many respects, replete with the dead serious and spit-up-your-coffee funny. If you work with the written word in any capacity, I highly recommend this read. For more Mary, check out our conversation on the podcast.— Tim Ferriss

The Four Buddhist Mantras for Turning Fear into Love

ArticlesTim featured this 2× · 2021–2026 · Maria Popova · themarginalian.org

“The Four Buddhist Mantras for Turning Fear into Love” by Maria Popova. Thanks to JZ for the recommendation.— Tim Ferriss

Valentin Delluc: Speedriding in

Misc VideosTim featured this 2× · 2021–2026 · redbull.com

Valentin Delluc: Speedriding inFrom Avoriaz with Love. This is one of the most terrifying and impressive things I’ve seen in years. Truly jaw-dropping, and the cinematography is gorgeous. Do yourself a favor, and instead of another cup of coffee, watch this three-minute video. Description: “This new project from speedriding pioneer Valentin Delluc sees him flying into a deserted snow resort on his skis.”— Tim Ferriss

About This Life: Journeys on the Threshold of Memory

BooksTim featured this 2× · 2021–2026 · Barry Lopez · amazon.com

About This Life: Journeys on the Threshold of Memory by Barry Lopez. I have fallen in love with Barry Lopez’s writing. If you’re new to his work, I would suggest reading Of Wolves and Men or Arctic Dreams first, as they are nonfiction at its best. About This Life is a mostly autobiographical collection of essays. In descending order, my favorites are: “Learning to See,” “Orchids on the Volcanoes,” and “Apologia.”— Tim Ferriss

Philip Roth: Unmasked

DocumentariesTim featured this 2× · 2021–2026 · Joyce Carol Oates · amazon.com

Philip Roth: Unmasked. I greatly enjoyed this deep dive into the life, craft, and humor of Philip Roth. My quest to learn more about Philip was sparked by Joyce Carol Oates, one of the most decorated and prodigious American writers of the last century, who spoke about him during our podcast together. Here’s the official description of this interview-rich documentary: “American Masters explores the life and career of Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning novelist Philip Roth, often referred to as the greatest living American writer. Reclusive and diffident, Roth grants very few interv— Tim Ferriss

QuotesTim featured this 2× · 2020–2026

“If you expect to succeed as a writer, rudeness should be the second-to-least of your concerns. The least of all should be polite society and what it expects. If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered, anyway.” ― Stephen King from On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Undone

FilmsTim featured this 2× · 2020–2026 · Raphael Bob-Waksberg · amazon.com

Undone. This amazing series bends time and reality enough to simulate a psychedelic experience. Check out this short trailer, and the preceding sentence will make more sense. Here’s a short description: “Undone is a half-hour, genre-bending, animated series that explores the elastic nature of reality through its central character Alma, a twenty-eight-year-old living in San Antonio, Texas. After getting into a car accident and nearly dying, Alma finds she has a new relationship to time. She develops this new ability in order to find out the truth about her father’s death.” Undone was created by— Tim Ferriss

▶Beauty Beats

MusicTim featured this 2× · 2020–2026 · Beats Antique · youtube.com

“Beauty Beats” (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music) by Beats Antique.— Tim Ferriss

▶Coreto

MusicTim featured this 2× · 2020–2026 · youtube.com

“Coreto” (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music) by Céu (@ceu).— Tim Ferriss

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution

DocumentariesTim featured this 2× · 2020–2026 · netflix.com

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution. This film was just what I needed after a rough day. Short description: “A groundbreaking summer camp galvanizes a group of teens with disabilities to help build a movement, forging a new path toward greater equality.” It has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and won the Sundance Film Festival’s Audience Award in 2020. You can find the trailer here.— Tim Ferriss

If George Bernard Shaw had not made it a rigid rule to do first things first, he would probably have failed as a writer and might have remained a bank cashier all his life.

BooksTim featured this 2× · 2025–2026 · Dale Carnegie · amazon.com

“If George Bernard Shaw had not made it a rigid rule to do first things first, he would probably have failed as a writer and might have remained a bank cashier all his life. His plan called for writing five pages each day.” — How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie (Click here to share on X.) “When life gets tough, some of us feel that we’ve lost the game and life has won. But life isn’t trying to defeat you. Life isn’t even a participant—the game is yours.” — Solve for Happy by Mo Gawdat (Click here to share on X.) Happy new year, everyone! May 2026 be your most joyous yet, and— Tim Ferriss

The Most Important Question of Your Life

ArticlesTim featured this 2× · 2024–2026 · Mark Manson · markmanson.net

“The Most Important Question of Your Life” by Mark Manson. I could reread this once a week and still benefit. Excellent reminders all around. “So you wanna de-bog yourself” by Adam Mastroianni. I only found Adam in July of 2024, but his writing is some of the most hilarious—and helpful—I’ve seen in a long time. Really worth the read. Deep bow to Crazy B for sending this to me. “A message for the New Year” from Brandon Stanton, creator of Humans of New York. This relates to something he and I have texted about often: attention. How should you think about protecting your own attention in 2026? I— Tim Ferriss

2025 Past Year Review

Life HacksTim featured this 2× · 2022–2025 · Chris Cordry · tim.blog

2025 Past Year Review. I’m sometimes asked how I approach New Year’s resolutions. The truth is that I no longer approach them at all, even though I did for decades. Why? I have found “past year reviews” (PYR) more valuable and actionable than half-blindly looking forward. Here’s the step-by-step process I follow. For a fun pairing, also read “I’ve Done Tim Ferriss’s Past Year Review for 5 Years. Here Are 22 Lessons I Learned” by Chris Cordry. (Alternate link.)— Tim Ferriss

▶Cleopatra in New York

MusicTim featured this 2× · 2020–2025 · Nickodemus · youtu.be

“Cleopatra in New York” (YouTube, Spotify) by Nickodemus.— Tim Ferriss

QuotesTim featured this 2× · 2020–2025

“Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness; I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.” — Søren Kierkegaard

QuotesTim featured this 2× · 2020–2025

“Propaganda seeks to destroy art in order to sanitize culture.” — Mary Karr in The Art of Memoir

QuotesTim featured this 2× · 2020–2025

“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive.” ― James Baldwin

Extreme brainstorming questions to trigger new, better ideas

PodcastsTim featured this 2× · 2024–2025 · Jason Cohen · longform.asmartbear.com

“Extreme brainstorming questions to trigger new, better ideas” by Jason Cohen. I’m using these to help brainstorm possible future projects, directions for the podcast, and more. From the page: “The following prompts jostle you out of tiny thinking. Each stretches some dimension of reality to an extreme. So extreme that it is nearly nonsense.”— Tim Ferriss

Learn to Read Korean in 15 Minutes

Life HacksTim featured this 2× · 2023–2025 · ryanestrada.com

“Learn to Read Korean in 15 Minutes.” For those who might want to sing along to KPop Demon Hunters and actually read the Korean, it’s surprisingly easy. In fact, learning to read all Korean (Hangul or 한글) takes only an hour or so! “15 minutes” might be a slight exaggeration, but it’s pretty close. You’ll be reading Korean without having any idea of what you’re saying, but, hey… that’s good enough to slay at karaoke or sing-along Golden. Baby steps! It’s a beautiful language.— Tim Ferriss

Marc Pro | Recovery Tool for Sore Muscles & Pain Relief

Products & GadgetsTim featured this 2× · 2022–2025 · marcpro.com

Marc Pro | Recovery Tool for Sore Muscles & Pain Relief. Kelly Starrett (@thereadystate) of The Ready State originally recommended the Marc Pro to me for decreasing swelling after a snowboarding accident years ago. Or maybe it was when he tricked me into a 280-mile mountain bike ride that he promised would be “like a beach cruiser in Santa Monica”? Either way, it works, and both he and a top MLB physio and performance coach recommended I use it for hours a day after my elbow surgery this week.— Tim Ferriss

My Next Guest with David Letterman and Shah Rukh Khan

Misc VideosTim featured this 2× · 2020–2025 · netflix.com

My Next Guest with David Letterman and Shah Rukh Khan. If you know who Shah Rukh Khan is, you’ll want to see this. If you don’t know who Shah Rukh Khan is, you will especially want to see this. The scale and charm of everything about SRK is truly mind-boggling. He’s a consummate pro.— Tim Ferriss

QuotesTim featured this 2× · 2018–2025

Hanlon’s Razor. “Hanlon’s Razor states that we should not attribute to malice that which is more easily explained by stupidity. In a complex world, this principle helps us avoid extreme paranoia and ideology, often very hard to escape from, by not generally assuming that bad results are the fault of a bad actor, although they can be. More likely, a mistake has been made.” (Source: Farnam Street). More can be found in the Wikipedia entry.

Trial, error, and the God complex

Misc VideosTim featured this 2× · 2020–2025 · Tim Harford · ted.com

“Trial, error, and the God complex,” a TED talk by Tim Harford. Official description: “Economics writer Tim Harford studies complex systems—and finds a surprising link among the successful ones: they were built through trial and error. In this sparkling talk from TEDGlobal 2011, he asks us to embrace our randomness and start making better mistakes.” This talk takes a little time to warm up, and it might seem meandering in the middle, but I found the payoff and message to be really helpful. Related: Tim Harford’s podcast Cautionary Tales, “telling true stories about mistakes and what we should — Tim Ferriss

▶El Búho - Calchaqui (Nicola Cruz Remix)

MusicTim featured this 2× · 2020–2025 · youtu.be

El Búho - Calchaqui (Nicola Cruz Remix). Nicola’s music has had a great calming effect on me for the past week. Kudos to Mike N. for introducing me to Nicola’s audio delights.— Tim Ferriss

Now keep looking at this unpleasant situation or person until you realize that it isn’t they that are causing the negative emotions.

BooksTim featured this 2× · 2024–2025 · Anthony De Mello · amazon.com

“Now keep looking at this unpleasant situation or person until you realize that it isn’t they that are causing the negative emotions. They are just going their way, being themselves, doing their thing whether right or wrong, good or bad. It is your computer that, thanks to your programming, insists on your reacting with negative emotions. You will see this better if you realize that someone with a different programming when faced with this same situation or person or event would react quite calmly, even happily. Don’t stop till you have grasped this truth: The only reason why you too are not r— Tim Ferriss

Ep. 1 Ponyo is Here” (10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki)

Misc VideosTim featured this 2× · 2019–2025 · www3.nhk.or.jp

“Ep. 1 Ponyo is Here” (10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki). Hayao Miyazaki has been called “the Walt Disney of Japan,” but he has said the comparison isn’t accurate because Walt Disney was a business person, and he sees himself as “just a director.” Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli has produced four of Japan's top-five most successful animated blockbusters, including my favorite movie, Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke, which beat The Lost World: Jurassic Park when they both hit the big screens in Japan. This episodic series from NHK, the BBC of Japan, chronicles “the creative process of the legendary Ja— Tim Ferriss

A Thousand Kisses Deep

MusicTim featured this 2× · 2017–2025 · Leonard Cohen · leonardcohenfiles.com

“A Thousand Kisses Deep” by Leonard Cohen. This one is worth reading a few times… and then a few times more. Listen on YouTube here.— Tim Ferriss

Santa Barbara Chile Lemon Pistachios

Products & GadgetsTim featured this 2× · 2021–2025 · santabarbarapistachios.com

Santa Barbara Chile Lemon Pistachios. Description: “The zest of habanero pepper and the zing of lemon combine to create a crisp, lively tasting pistachio. Our Chile Lemon is mild enough, yet wild enough. All organic.” Thanks to JZ from The 4-Hour Chef for this amazing recommendation. Be forewarned: these disappear quickly.— Tim Ferriss

American Fiction

FilmsTim featured this 2× · 2024–2025 · amazon.com

American Fiction. American Fiction is probably my favorite movie of the last 1–2 years. I’ve become obsessed with it, and you’ll laugh your ass off. It’s a comedic Trojan Horse of epic proportions. Don’t trust the streaming descriptions; American Fiction is about much more. Every character is flawed in their own beautiful, human way, and the writing hits a home run. Ambiguities are left in so that the movie becomes your own Rorschach test. It currently has a 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and you can find the trailer here. Trust me and watch the trailer.— Tim Ferriss

Spielberg

DocumentariesTim featured this 2× · 2018–2025 · amazon.com

Spielberg. Description: “Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg steps out from behind the camera to open up about his life and career.” The documentary has 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, and you can watch the trailer here. I’m combining this doc with reading Spielberg: The First Ten Years, as I’m most interested in the early decisions that helped Spielberg hit stratospheric success, not what he did after he was an icon. If you dig into these, pay special attention to how constraints and problems (e.g., the mechanical shark in Jaws breaking, personal promises to George Lucas on Raiders of the Lost Ark) — Tim Ferriss

A message for the New Year

ArticlesTim featured this 2× · 2024 · Ashley Stimpson · instagram.com

“A message for the New Year” from Brandon Stanton, creator of Humans of New York. This relates to something he and I have texted about often: attention. How should you think about protecting your own attention in 2025? If you don’t have attention, the time and money you have matter little. Attention is the mother resource. Brandon’s post was first written earlier this year, but it’s more relevant every day. Coach Christopher Sommer’s email to me. Coach Sommer is a former US National Team gymnastics coach and the creator of GymnasticBodies. “Why You Should Seek More Awe in the New Year” by Ashl— Tim Ferriss

▶Mentalism, mind reading and the art of getting inside your head

Misc VideosTim featured this 2× · 2022–2024 · Derren Brown · youtube.com

“Mentalism, mind reading and the art of getting inside your head” by Derren Brown (TED).— Tim Ferriss

QuotesTim featured this 2× · 2021–2024

“I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom.” — Bob Dylan

Draft No. 4

BooksTim featured this 2× · 2020–2024 · John McPhee · amazon.com

Draft No. 4 by John McPhee. This is one of the best books about nonfiction writing that I’ve ever read. Be forewarned that it skips the hand-wavy platitudes and gets straight to the nitty-gritty details, as all McPheesian stories do. If you want to get a fun taste of his writing and mastery of structure, try Levels of the Game, which at least a dozen podcast guests have also recommended.— Tim Ferriss

▶Tito on Timbales

MusicTim featured this 2× · 2023–2024 · Tito Puente · youtube.com

“Tito on Timbales” (YouTube, Spotify) by Tito Puente. Tito is a legend. I like to imagine that he freestyled for an hour and selected his favorite six minutes for this track. The man knows how to jam. Let it cleanse your mind of this week’s BS and set the stage for a homebase slide into the weekend.— Tim Ferriss

Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers

Misc VideosTim featured this 2× · 2020–2024 · amazon.com

Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers. This six-part series of one-hour episodes is simply incredible, and I found it profoundly calming. It might be my favorite interview series of all time, which is saying a lot. 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 t— Tim Ferriss

▶The Moth Presents — Stephanie Peirolo: Walking with RJ

Misc VideosTim featured this 2× · 2019–2024 · youtube.com

The Moth Presents — Stephanie Peirolo: Walking with RJ. This is an incredibly moving and brutal 12-minute video. It helps put things in perspective, and it made me reconsider my “stresses” as almost entirely absurd. Perhaps you also need a reset for this weekend? Watch the whole thing to feel it properly.— Tim Ferriss

Stutz

DocumentariesTim featured this 2× · 2023–2024 · netflix.com

Stutz. This doc pairs well with Adam’s “what I’m reading” post above. Stutz was recommended to me by multiple friends, and it does a beautiful job of sharing both a loving relationship and effective therapeutic tools for changing your life. I was hesitant to watch this at first. I worried that it might dredge up old, painful personal issues that I feel I’ve spent enough time on, but it didn’t open Pandora’s box at all. As my friends correctly reassured me, it’s nothing but upside. Here’s the official description: “In candid conversations with actor Jonah Hill, leading psychiatrist Phil Stutz e— Tim Ferriss

▶Nasty

MusicTim featured this 2× · 2022–2024 · Polyphia · youtube.com

“Nasty” (YouTube, Spotify) by Polyphia, feat. Jason Richardson ). This seemed to me like an appropriate soundtrack for the week, no? Give the track a minute or so to warm up, and if you think it’s all synth, think again. Here’s an unplugged version of a track called “Playing God,” featuring lead guitarist Tim Henson. It’s bananas.— Tim Ferriss

Give yourself permission to be creative

Misc VideosTim featured this 2× · 2023–2024 · Ethan Hawke · ted.com

“Give yourself permission to be creative” by Ethan Hawke. This clocks in at roughly nine minutes. And thanks to Laird Z. for the recommendation. From the description: “Reflecting on moments that shaped his life, actor Ethan Hawke examines how courageous expression promotes healing and connection with one another—and invites you to discover your own unabashed creativity. ‘There is no path till you walk it,’ he says.”— Tim Ferriss

QuotesTim featured this 2× · 2019–2024

“Old George Orwell got it backward. Big Brother isn’t watching. He’s singing and dancing. He’s pulling rabbits out of a hat. Big Brother’s busy holding your attention every moment you’re awake. He’s making sure you’re always distracted. He’s making sure you’re fully absorbed. He’s making sure your imagination withers. Until it’s as useful as your appendix. He’s making sure your attention is always filled. And this being fed, it’s worse than being watched. With the world always filling you, no one has to worry about what’s in your mind. With everyone’s imagination atrophied, no one will ever be

QuotesTim featured this 2× · 2023–2024

“The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.” ― James Baldwin

▶My Friend

MusicTim featured this 2× · 2022–2024 · Groove Armada · youtu.be

“My Friend” (YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify) by Groove Armada (@GrooveArmada).— Tim Ferriss

QuotesTim featured this 2× · 2019–2024

“It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship, that makes unhappy marriages.” — Friedrich Nietzsche