Everything Tim Ferriss has recommended in 5-Bullet Friday — 2,095 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.
“The $69 Million JPEG” on Planet Money (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast). More exploration of NFTs and related Wild West tech territories. If you think things are already cuckoo bananas, just wait until this new frontier really gets warmed up. I think we’re still in the first inning.— Tim Ferriss
“Lost in Thought” by David Kortava for Harper’s Magazine. I would have dismissed this article were it not for my personal experience with retraumatization and breakdown at a silent retreat in 2017. I recount this experience at roughly 12:11 of my podcast episode on healing from childhood abuse. This is a very well-researched piece on the largely ignored risks of meditation and, more specifically, the enhanced risks of longer retreats for some populations. I still regularly meditate, but I do find there to be a point of diminishing returns, as well as a point (i.e., extended retreats) where the— Tim Ferriss
UCSF establishes the Neuroscape Psychedelics Division with $6.4M in funding. This is huge news for the burgeoning field of psychedelic medicine. Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris (@RCarhartHarris), a renowned psychedelic researcher best known for his work at the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London, is joining Neuroscape as the director of the Psychedelics Division, and he’ll be working alongside the founder of Neuroscape, Dr. Adam Gazzaley (@adamgazz). Prior Neuroscape (previously known as Gazzaley Lab) research has been featured on the cover of Nature (cover image and synopsis, — Tim Ferriss
Princess Mononoke (Amazon: English, Japanese; iTunes). This animated film, from the legendary Hayao Miyazaki and his Studio Ghibli, has thousands of five-star reviews on Amazon and elsewhere. I was in Tokyo for its opening weekend in 1997, and I recall being astonished by the neverending lines of theatergoers bending around city blocks, eagerly awaiting the first showings. It dramatically outearned The Lost World: Jurassic Park at the box office, which opened the same weekend. Even if you don’t watch the entire film, the original Japanese traileris worth watching. Of course, I prefer the Japan— Tim Ferriss
“Good tests kill flawed theories; we remain alive to guess again.” — , one of the most influential philosophers of science of the twentieth century (via Conor White-Sullivan, co-founder of Roam Research)
The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2021.— Tim Ferriss
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy (@charliemackesy). This short and beautiful book was gifted to me by my mom. “This book is for everyone, whether you are eighty or eight,” as the Introduction puts it. It looks like a children’s book, and you can read it in 30 minutes, but it’s replete with wisdom for adults. To give you an idea of how popular this book has become, it has 62,862 ratings on Amazon and an average of 5 stars.— Tim Ferriss
Ruby Hibiscus Water. Ruby unsweetened hibiscus water. 0g of sugar and 0 calories. Sometimes you just want a different flavor around, ya know? Thanks to Noah for the recommendation.— Tim Ferriss
“Oregon is Blazing a Psychedelic Trail” or “Can Magic Mushrooms Heal Us?” (The New York Times) by Ezra Klein (@ezraklein). Both links go to the same article, as it has had two headlines. The subheadline is “A very promising mental health experiment is taking shape in Oregon,” and the entire piece is excellent. Five-minute read. “Sounding the Alarm on Compass’s Interference with Oregon’s Psilocybin Therapy Program” by David Bronner. This combines well with the above to provide a fuller picture of what is at stake and what is possible.— Tim Ferriss
The Overstory by Richard Powers. This unusual novel has been recommended to me multiple times. I made two attempts but put it down each time because the first pages made little sense to me. Finally, it was Hugh Jackman who, during our conversation on the podcast, gave me the best advice on how to approach this book: “Stick with it. It works on you in the way nature does. It’s patient, and it’s in no rush. It’s slow and it’s steady and it’s true.” Now, I’m in the middle and enjoying it tremendously. Here is a shortened description: “The Overstory, winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, i— Tim Ferriss
Armaid (company website, which includes how-to videos; Amazon). This was put on my radar by competitive rock climbers. I’ve had forearm and elbow issues for years, including one elbow surgery. The nagging tightness and pain can take a lot of exercise off the menu, but Armaid appears to be working surprisingly well to resolve issues. TBD, but so far, so good.— Tim Ferriss
“I don't trust people who don’t love themselves and tell me ‘I love you.’ … There is an African saying which is: ‘Be careful when a naked person offers you a shirt.’” —
Schitt’s Creek, created by Eugene Levy (@RealEugeneLevy) and Dan Levy (@DanJLevy). I’m extremely late to the party, but this show is hilarious and appeared in my life at the perfect time. The writing and acting are outstanding. 2–3 short episodes before bed is a great way to laugh and decompress after a hard day of slogging through the Internet like Atreyu in the Swamp of Sadness. Sometimes you just need some audio-visual Scooby Snacks to get you through the week.— Tim Ferriss
“Banksy Work Physically Burned and Digitized as NFT in Art-World First” and “The Non-Fungible Token Bible: Everything you need to know about NFTs” (especially sections 1, 2, and 3, as a lot has happened since this piece was published). “NFTs are a dangerous trap” by Seth Godin. Quick note and questions related to Seth’s post — The current energy costs of crypto/blockchain appear to be enormous. For the crypto-literate engineers out there: How should we think about the promise and feasibility of Proof of Stake as a remedy, and how much of the energetic costs might that mitigate? The creator of — Tim Ferriss
Breath-derived versus blood-derived measurements related to ketosis. From former podcast guest Dr. Dominic D’Agostino (his first episode, “Dom D’Agostino on Fasting, Ketosis, and the End of Cancer,” was a mega-hit): “Fasting (36 hrs) Data from @mybiosense Breath Acetone and @levels CGM (Libre). Abbott Precision Xtra = 0.8 mM, whereas @ketomojo = 1.8 mM BHB (not sure what to make of that)...” The images and explanations continue in the linked post.— Tim Ferriss
“Malemolência” (YouTube, Spotify) by Céu (@ceumusic). This has been one of my favorite songs for 4–5 years, and the entire album is stellar (Lenda is another standout for me).— Tim Ferriss
Penn and Teller: Fool Us | Mahdi Gilbert Performs Sleight of Hand without Hands. I discovered Mahdi through this video, which he shared in a comment on the blog and wrote that “everyone needs hope during this long and dark winter.” For more magic, check out my interviews with Penn Jillette and Richard Turner.— Tim Ferriss
Menakao’s Dark Chocolate 63% with Orange & Cranberries. I found this via Cocoa Runners, a beautiful and delicious service introduced to me by Reid Hoffman (@reidhoffman). Thank you, Reid!— Tim Ferriss
When Death Comes When death comes like the hungry bear in autumn; when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse to buy me, and snaps the purse shut; when death comes like the measle-pox; when death comes like an iceberg between the shoulder blades, I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering: what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness? And therefore I look upon everything as a brotherhood and a sisterhood, and I look upon time as no more than an idea, and I consider eternity as another possibility, and I think of each life as a flower, as common as — Tim Ferriss
Ketamine for Depression: What the Treatment Reveals About the Brain by Lauren Tanabe (@lauren_tanabe). This is one of the best pieces on ketamine therapy that I have read. It covered some familiar ground for me, but it also surfaced several possibilities and combinations that I’d never considered. One such combination is ketamine plus rapamycin, an immunosuppressive drug widely used for organ transplants, which also happens to have profound life-extension implications in many species: “He [Chadi Abdallah, MD] and his colleagues recently published a study that found that giving rapamycin, an an— Tim Ferriss
“For 500 days I’ve written 500 words of Morning Pages. While they’re usually just brain dumps, I’ll sometimes reflect on specific questions. As @tferriss says, if you want better answers, ask better questions. -My Top 10 Reflection Questions (and where I got them)- [THREAD]” from Dickie Bush (@dickiebush).— Tim Ferriss
Wrestling Coaches Strip in Protest at the 2016 Olympics, a breakdown. This was sent to me by a former Olympian. It’s tragic, hilarious, and nearly unbelievable on several levels. Thanks, Matty T!— Tim Ferriss
“I am distressed, almost discouraged, and fatigued to the point of feeling slightly ill. What I am doing is no good, and in spite of your confidence I am very much afraid that my efforts will all lead to nothing.” — Claude Monet In a letter to Gustave Geffroy, 1889
Guardians of the Amazon. “As the Amazon rainforest faces a crucial tipping point amidst the increase of illegal logging activities, Dan Harris [@danbharris] and his team embed with the Guardians, a small indigenous group taking up arms to hunt down illegal loggers and fight for their land.” For a taste of the action, see the trailer here. This is a topic I care a lot about. For another way to help preserve the ecosystems of the Amazon, which includes both the lungs of the planet and indigenous communities, take a look at the Amazon Conservation Team. For my interview with the co-founder, Mark — Tim Ferriss
Roses (Imanbek Remix) by SAINt JHN (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music). Some fun facts: The song has seen more than NINE BILLION plays on TikTok, became a wild hit on Snapchat, and it reached No. 1 on the United Kingdom’s Official Singles Chart. Rolling Stone crowned it as the song of the summer, and it has scored a Grammy nomination. Not bad for an accidental collaboration between SAINt JHN and a 19-year-old who used to work in a local train station, eh?— Tim Ferriss
Meet the 19-Year-Old From Kazakhstan Who Remixed ‘Roses’ Into a Hit (NYT). Sometimes it seems impossible to beat the odds. And sometimes the ruts seem too deeply dug. But when you come across someone like Imanbek Zeikenov, you gain a little hop in your step and a little optimism in your spirit. From the NYT: “Imanbek Zeikenov [@realimanbek] is 19 years old and lives with his parents in the small village of Aksu in Kazakhstan. He studied railway engineering at school, and until last December, held a day job at his local train station. But everything changed in the summer of 2019, when he discov— Tim Ferriss
Metolius Simulator 3D board. I’m finally getting back into rock climbing after a hiatus of roughly a decade. I loved climbing but stopped due to elbow surgery on my right arm and medial epicondylitis in both elbows. Several people suggested this board as a means of improving finger strength, which ostensibly helps prevent over-pulling with the arms to compensate. Question for any experienced rock climbers who’ve dealt with elbow issues — What would you suggest as a minimalist training program for progressive strength gains, which should not pose any risk of flaring up the elbows? Please let me— Tim Ferriss
“Still Alive” by Scott Siskind, better known as “Scott Alexander” (@slatestarcodex). This really struck a chord, and if you are considering growing your audience or “platform,” make this essay part of your required reading. This bullet will be a bit longer and more heated than usual, as it reopened old wounds. Some of my dear friends are journalists, and they’re wonderful people. They measure twice and cut once. They are thoughtful, unrushed, and considerate, despite organizational pressure and incentives to be the opposite. That takes extraordinary discipline, and it’s fucking hard. It isn’t — Tim Ferriss
“You know, the matrix says, ‘Pick an identity and stick with it. Because I want to sell you some beer and shampoo and I need you to stick with what you are so I’ll know how to market it to you.’ Drag is the opposite. Drag says, ‘Identity is a joke.’” — (@RuPaul) (Thank you to Claudia Dawson for the quote, which I found in Recomendo: The Expanded Edition.)
The first episode of Season 3 of Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia (VICE TV, Amazon Prime, Apple TV). I love this series. Hamilton is a legitimate biochemist and also happens to be excellent at film/TV editing (trivia: his father is Errol Morris of The Fog of War fame). Here’s the short description: “Traveling the globe to correct a mistake from his past and experience a euphoria that can create or destroy life on Earth, Hamilton Morris [@HamiltonMorris] explores the anthropological history and science of Meth, LSD, Bufotenine, 5-MeO-DMT, Ibogaine, and Xenon.” Here is the season’s trailer, and you can w— Tim Ferriss
“What Is Death?” (Sunday New York Times) by BJ Miller (@bjmillermd). Dr. BJ Miller has helped more than 1,000 people to die. He is a hospice and palliative medicine physician as well as author of A Beginner’s Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death. When people ask about episodes of my podcast that deeply affected me, I often mention my podcast with BJ, which was hilarious, heart-wrenching, and transcendent. I still remember many of the lessons, even though it was recorded in 2016. His new NYT piece is an outstanding revisitation of death, alongside the opportunitie— Tim Ferriss
Of Wolves and Men by Barry Lopez. This is probably my favorite nonfiction book of the last five years. I received it as a Christmas gift, I devoured it in one week, and nearly every page is covered in highlighter. It’s truly that phenomenal. Barry’s mastery of structure and the written word echoes of John McPhee, and the beauty of his prose reminds me of Mary Oliver. Repeatedly, I found myself saying aloud, “Wow. How does someone DO this?” Here’s the description, edited for length: “Humankind’s relationship with the wolf is the sum of a spectrum of responses ranging from fear to admiration and— Tim Ferriss
The Art of Seeing Things: Essays by John Burroughs, edited by Charlotte Zoë Walker (@czwalkergil). How do you sharpen the eye and mind? How can you more fully experience the vibrant details of nature? John Burroughs writes beautifully on these and many other topics. He can be heavy on the bird references, but the essay that is the namesake of this volume—“The Art of Seeing Things”—is simply outstanding.— Tim Ferriss
“If we can forgive what’s been done to us… If we can forgive what we’ve done to others… If we can leave our stories behind. Our being victims and villains. Only then can we maybe rescue the world.” — , all, and happy holidays to you and yours. Much love, Tim P.S. To wrap up the year, here are the 30 most popular podcast episodes of 2020! If you haven’t already, please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. It really helps us with visibility and recruiting incredible guests. Lots of big things are planned for 2
Anton Ego speech from Ratatouille. (— Tim Ferriss
2020 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 informed, valuable, and actionable than half-blindly looking forward. Here’s the step-by-step process I follow.— Tim Ferriss
Michelin restaurants and fabulous wines: Inside the secret team dinners that have built the Spurs’ dynasty (@espn). This piece is FANTASTIC. It is wonderfully written and full of takeaways if you read carefully. Hat tip to @bakerlink for the recommendation. Here’s a short teaser from the beginning: As much as [Coach] Popovich knows about hoops, he really knows food and wine. “I don’t know that he doesn’t know more about wine than he does about basketball,” former Spurs assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo says. Popovich scouts restaurants and wine lists as obsessively as he might any opponent. Befor— Tim Ferriss
Qantu’s Chuncho 70% Dark Chocolate. If you love chocolate, this bar is incredible. Warm hugs and smooches to Darya Rose (@daryarose) and Kevin Rose (@kevinrose) for the gift. For those curious, the brand name “Qantu” derives from the Quechua language and is pronounced ‘kantu.’ It is a “symbol of unity and hospitality… it is [also] the name of the national flower of Peru and Bolivia [technically Cantua buxifolia, commonly called flor del Inca, or ‘flower of the Inca’].”— Tim Ferriss
And then one day One magic day he passed my way While we spoke of many things Fools and Kings This he said to me: “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn Is just to love and be loved in return.” — “Nature Boy” by eden ahbez, first performed by Nat King ColeAnd, as always, please give me feedback on Twitter. Which bullet above is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know. Just send a tweet to @tferriss and put #5BulletFriday at the end so I can find it. Have a wonderful weekend, all, and happy holidays to you and yours. Much love, Tim P.S. In case you — Tim Ferriss
Wegan /ˈwēɡən/ noun. Someone who follows a vegan diet, omitting all animal products except for wild-harvested meats. Put another way, a wegan diet is a vegan diet modified to include only wild-harvested meats. This term was coined by Kuʻulani Muise of Maui Nui Venison, as she, her husband Jake, and their three young children all enjoy a “wegan” diet but struggled to find a simple term to encapsulate it. Hence the invention of this word and “weganism.”— Tim Ferriss
Ascent Cap in Optifade Subalpine. This is one of the lightest and most comfortable caps I’ve ever worn. Though designed for hunting, it’s perfect for nearly any outdoor activity, whether hiking, tennis, cross-country skiing, or other.— Tim Ferriss
World Chase Tag (@worldchasetag). Who knew parkour could be combined with tag to make a professional sport? This video has nearly 40 million views and gives you a taste of the action. I chanced upon World Chase Tag on NBCSN (@nbcsports). It makes you wonder what other disparate games and skills could be combined to make something amazing. Salsa curling competitions? Skeet falconry? Handstand hopscotch fingerpainting? So many options...— Tim Ferriss
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” —
This’ll be a two-for-one bullet, since some of you will have seen the first. First, the visual feast that is My Octopus Teacher. Short description: “A filmmaker forges an unusual friendship with an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, learning as the animal shares the mysteries of her world.” Second, The Art of Living with Less Stress by Derek Sivers (@sivers), which I’m watching repeatedly. The latter might seem odd, as it’s a short clip from a podcast interview I was already part of, but I often choose what I’ll produce (interviews, videos, animations, blog posts, etc.) based on wh— Tim Ferriss
Do Not Disturb: How I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain by Kevin Roose (@kevinroose) for The New York Times.— Tim Ferriss
Tales of the Dervishes: Teaching-Stories of the Sufi Masters over the Past Thousand Years. Sometimes I learn, and absorb usable truths, best through time-tested fiction. Most stories in this book are only 1–5 pages long. Description: “Dervish tales are more than fable, legend, or folklore. For centuries, dervish masters have instructed their disciples by means of these teaching stories, which are said to increase perception and knowledge and provide a better understanding of man and the world. … Idries Shah spent many years traveling through three continents to collect and compare oral version— Tim Ferriss
“Falling to Pieces” (YouTube, Spotify) by Faith No More (@faithnomore), one of my favorite bands of all time. Mr. Bungle (@mrbungle) also gets a gold star.— Tim Ferriss
Don Emilio & His Little Doctors (1982) by Luis Eduardo Luna [Complete Film]. If you’ve ever been interested in how ayahuasca is brewed in much of the Amazon, this captures the process. 99.9% of the remaining footage will be nonsensical to 99.9% of you, and therein lies the charm.— Tim Ferriss
Bathos: “an effect of anticlimax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous.”— Tim Ferriss
This is a two-for-one bullet. First, Víctor Hugo Yáñez Piña and his sculptures of people chiseling away at their own bodies (@escultor_vhyp). Hat tip to Mike N., who sent me this article about Victor. Second, this amazing Lion Turtle piece by Lauren Henderson (@truffke).— Tim Ferriss
How to Think for Yourself by Paul Graham (@paulg). I have recommended many of Paul’s essays over the years, including The Risk of Discovery, Having Kids, Keep Your Identity Small, and, perhaps more than any other, Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule. How to Think for Yourself is a fabulous new addition to the list. Here’s one of my favorite excerpts from it: “Treat it as a puzzle. You know that some accepted ideas will later turn out to be wrong. See if you can guess which. The end goal is not to find flaws in the things you’re told, but to find the new ideas that had been concealed by the br— Tim Ferriss
“The largest part of what we call ‘personality’ is determined by how we’ve opted to defend ourselves against anxiety and sadness.” –
Voters approve Colorado’s unprecedented wolf reintroduction measure by Bruce Finley for The Denver Post. “Gray wolves gained a hard-fought path to ‘paws on the ground’ in Colorado with the approval Thursday of a controversial reintroduction measure, the first time a state’s voters have forced their government to re-introduce an imperiled species.” Collectively, listeners of the podcast donated $110,000+ to wolf conservation to match my own $100K, and each of you should be very proud. It was an incredible showing, and it quite possibly made all the difference, as the ballot measure passed with — Tim Ferriss
Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory. This clip will amaze you. Watch the whole thing, as the post-music conversation towards the end is the most mind-blowing.— Tim Ferriss
This week, the iconic Navy SEAL Foundation (NSF) pledged one of the organization’s largest single grants in its 20-year history to support a major post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) study focused on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. This is a very big deal. I might expand more another time, but for now I’ll simply extend sincere gratitude to the Navy SEAL Foundation. Thank you for leading from the front. This is a large domino that could tip over many others.— Tim Ferriss
How we can face the future without fear, together by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. Rabbi Sacks was an incredible man, and he sadly passed away last Saturday. I’m sure he’s already helping those in need on the other side. To feel his brilliance and warmth of spirit, you might also enjoy this conversation between Rabbi Sacks and David Brooks or my long-form podcast with him, recorded just a few months ago. May he rest in peace, and my sincerest condolences to his family and loved ones.— Tim Ferriss
Politician Cyrus Habib Leaves Office to Join the Jesuits (The New York Times — @nytimes). Have you ever fantasized about walking off and leaving it all behind? This is the amazing story of one man, on track for ever-growing prestige and power, who did just that. Kudos to Frank Bruni (@FrankBruni) for a great piece. For more on Cyrus, here is his Wikipedia page.— Tim Ferriss
over and over announcing your place in the family of things. — Mary Oliver(Thank you to Jim Dethmer for bringing this poem back to my attention.) And, as always, please give me feedback on Twitter. Which bullet above is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know. Just send a tweet to @tferriss and put #5BulletFriday at the end so I can find it. Have a wonderful weekend, all. Much love to you and yours, Tim P.S. Deal of the Week — Eight Sleep Pod Pro Cover. Good sleep is the ultimate game changer. More than 30% of Americans struggle with sleep, and I’
Wild Geese You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about your despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imaginati