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.
Seeking the Productive Life: Some Details of My Personal Infrastructure by Stephen Wolfram. (Hat tip to the incredible Kevin Kelly for the recommendation.) The most compelling documentary I’ve seen in the last year, which— Tim Ferriss
Big Mouth. This hilarious R/X-rated animated series was recommended to me countless times, and I finally caved. It’s great medicine if you’re taking shit too seriously, especially if you’ve given yourself an emotional Heimlich maneuver with Newness (above). I suggest starting with Episode 1 of Season 1, titled “Ejaculation.” If that word somehow offends you, this may not be the show for you.— Tim Ferriss
Newness. Polyamory? Off-menu sexual arrangements and relationship stress-testing? This movie has enough twists and turns to make anyone mutter, “Oh, God… don’t do it. Oh, no…,” and cover their eyes, peeking through split fingers. I watched this with a group of four, and each of us found the movie to be a rollercoaster of eroticism, masochism, deceit, brutal honesty, and—oddly enough—hope. It’s realistic enough to make nearly everyone uncomfortable at points, and that’s a good thing.— Tim Ferriss
Silicone Universal Lid from Made In, a 2018 TIME magazine invention of the year. For some reason, I lose pot lids. I have a motley crew of cookware, and half of them are missing covers. Perhaps it was my move from CA to TX, or perhaps it’s simply the fact that lids are easily confused with one another and a pain to store. Imagine my glee when I found a single gadget that gets rid of the headache: a one-size-fits-nearly-all silicone pot cover. Just get a few of them, and you’re set. Or put another way, no need to buy another set. Your ragtag gang of mismatched metal can now be a functional fami— Tim Ferriss
Reflecting on My Failure to Build a Billion-Dollar Company by Sahil Lavingia (@shl). This is the story of a wonderful philosophical reboot. Nearly everyone should consider reading it. Thanks to reader @lucasgabd from Rio de Janeiro for sharing with me via Twitter. For more great lessons from “failures,” check out “What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars.”— Tim Ferriss
“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself – and you are the easiest person to fool.” —
My podcast interview with Jim Collins. If you liked my interviews with Seth Godin, you'll also like this one...— Tim Ferriss
Anchor PurityWrap. “Anchor Packaging PurityWrap 12" x 2000' foodservice film is premium grade film with excellent cling and puncture properties. The cutter box includes hand holes for easy transport as well as an improved cutting edge.”— Tim Ferriss
Compasses Mejor Conjunto Festival San Martin de los Llanos 2013. This was sent to me by a professional musician with the following text: “I’ve been meaning to send this to you forever, man. Check this out, these dudes are RIPPING! I have no idea how this guy is doing that with maracas?! … I showed a few touring drummer friends of mine the other night and they were like ‘what the fuck is going on?! How is he doing that?!’” If you only have 30 seconds, check out 2:00-2:30 in the video for a sample of the craziness. If you have a few minutes (and you do), listen to the entire thing in the backgro— Tim Ferriss
“You remain awake at night and perform your devotions. Also awake at night are dogs, better than you. They bark and in no way can they be stopped. They go and sleep on the dung heap, better than you. They do not leave their master's door, even if they get beaten with slippers, better than you. Bulleh Shah, buy yourself something for the journey, or else the game will be won by the dogs, better than you.” ― (also introduced to me by Jawad Mian)
Sonder (from The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows). “Sonder n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate passageways to thousands of other lives that you’ll never know existed, in which you might appear only once, as an extra sipping coffee in the background, as a blur of traffic passing on the highway, as a lighted window at dusk.” (Hat tip to Jawad Mian— Tim Ferriss
What Impossible Meant to Feynman. This is a really fun read for laypeople (like me) and scientists alike. It was sent to me by Ozan Varol, a former rocket scientist and fellow Richard Feynman fan.— Tim Ferriss
“Gratitude is the wine of the soul. Go on. Get drunk!” —
Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington: The Complete Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington Sessions. Normally, I can’t listen to music with lyrics while I work; the words interfere with my thinking and typing. That isn’t so with this album, for whatever reason. Its soothing tracks allow my body to relax and my mind to wander into corners I didn’t even know were productive. Your mileage may vary, but it’s been a wonderful new audio sanctuary for calming down and writing.— Tim Ferriss
Rapamycin. For more background, check out “My Life Extension Pilgrimage to Easter Island.”— Tim Ferriss
Bruce Lee at the 1967 Long Beach Tournament. Bruce was so far ahead of his time, it’s hard to believe. How did I not find this video sooner?! The audio includes a lot of great anecdotes as a bonus.— Tim Ferriss
Excerpts from Where Mountains Roar: A Personal Report from the Sinai and Negev Deserts by Lesley Hazleton (@accidentaltheo). You can find the specific section that I’m (re)reading here: page 1 and page 2. I was given the excerpts by a tour guide while trekking through the Negev not long ago.— Tim Ferriss
"Character, like a photograph, develops in darkness." —
Gnossienne No. 3, by Erik Satie. I’ve been exploring minor key music after my recent conversation with Susan Cain. Although often thought of as “sad” music, she believes minor key music can help you better experience the full spectrum of the human condition. For coming to peace with inevitable “undesirable” emotions, that seems like a good thing and a good practice. I still favor bossa nova and more upbeat music most of the time (and I listen to it as a palate cleanser after the minor key stuff), but I’m giving greater variance a shot...— Tim Ferriss
DF “Distraction Free” Tube. Noise and distraction online are endless. It’s nice to have tools to clean up the mess a bit. I learned about DF Tube from uber-entrepreneur/investor Caterina Fake’s blog. Here is her description: “This is a chrome plugin that eliminates all the cruft around a YouTube video. For the past few months I’ve been trying to force YouTube to show me palatable content on my sidebar, but no matter how much crap I reject as “Not Interested” more crap appears. Since the font of crap is inexhaustible, I searched for a YouTube cleanup plugin. DF Tube–Distraction Free Tube–is so — Tim Ferriss
“Can’t stop watching this.”— Tim Ferriss
Germs in Your Gut Are Talking to Your Brain. Scientists Want to Know What They’re Saying (via @nytimes). Though microbiome science is still in the early stages, it’s fascinating to imagine the implications for Alzheimer’s disease, autism, and other conditions. Hat tip to reader Sam McRoberts (@Sams_Antics) for the recommendation. It’s worth the read. (Related company I invested in long ago: uBiome.) Short video I’ve watched at least 10 times (do NOT try this at— Tim Ferriss
“Without courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.” —
The 25 Most-Clicked Links from “5-Bullet Friday” in 2018.— Tim Ferriss
doTERRA Peppermint Essential Oil Beadlets 125 ct. These are odd but fantastic. Think of them as sugar- and sweetener-free Altoids with the mouthfeel of peppermint caviar balls. The first tube was gifted to me by a friend in Salt Lake City, and I’ve since bought many more. I have no affiliation with the company, which is based in Utah and appears to have had some interesting run-ins with government agencies.— Tim Ferriss
"My Wage" by . I found this in The ONE Thing, written by Gary Keller (@garykeller) and Jay Papasan (@jaypapasan). Gary is the founder and chairman of the board of Keller Williams Realty, the world's largest real estate franchise by agent count, and he carries this poem with him. I picked up The ONE Thing for the second time after Allen Walton and a few other 4-Hour Workweek case studies recently mentioned the book’s impact on their early growth.
The Resilience of Costco. This takes just 5-10 minutes to digest. The gist: “For 40 years, Costco has succeeded with a simple formula: reinvest merchandising profits into lower prices and better products; be a disciplined operator; and treat customers and employees well.” This is a great study in simplicity (drastically reducing SKUs, per slide 44, and keeping the stores barebone, per slide 70), contrarian decision-making (no expensive advertising, per slide 54, and only offering bulk sizes, per slide 58), and much, much more. It also makes one wonder where Amazon Prime memberships will take A— Tim Ferriss
“Those who do not weep, do not see.” —
Down from the Mountain: O Brother, Where Art Thou? “Recorded at Nashville's historic Ryman Theater as a sort of a musical wrap party for the Coen Brothers' 2000 film O Brother Where Art Thou, this album offers live versions of several of the traditional American folk songs featured in the film, with a few additions along the same vein.” (AllMusic Review by Zac Johnson)— Tim Ferriss
Hu’s almond butter and puffed quinoa dark chocolate bars. Be forewarned: this and their cashew butter version cause a complete loss of portion control. This is not my first encounter with Hu, and after eating tens of thousands of calories of their products (paleo and vegan, but calories nonetheless), I connected with the team to figure out the secret sauce. Long story short, I’ve now become an advisor to Hu. My first chocolate adventure! They have some fun things coming.— Tim Ferriss
Surge Cities: The 50 Most Startup-Friendly Places in America (@Inc). Using seven key indicators, such as the rate of entrepreneurship and overall job creation, this list provides a comprehensive overview of fastest-growing startup-friendly cities in the U.S. The top three are Austin (#1), Salt Lake City (#2), and Raleigh (#3). There are many more you might not expect, and quite a few should be fantastic places to invest in the next few years.— Tim Ferriss
“A man is about as big as the things that make him angry.” ―
Juanes (like tamales) near Tarapoto, Peru. Mine had chicken, rice, and pitted olives in them, and they’re the perfect, self-contained backpacking food. Here’s more information from Wikipedia: “The juane is one of the main dishes of the cuisine of the Peruvian jungle and is widely consumed on June 24, the feast of St. John the Baptist (San Juan), hence the name. . . . The juane is usually made on the basis of rice, meat, olives, hard-boiled egg, spices among others, which is wrapped with bijao (macaw-flower) leaves and then put to boil for about an hour and a half. Rice can be substituted with — Tim Ferriss
Delta of Venus by Anaïs Nin. This erotica was assigned to me and my girlfriend by a well-known relationship coach, and we’ve been reading a chapter or two together before bed. Here’s the process, while looking at the same Kindle: when the non-Kindle-holder finishes reading a page, she (in this case) taps her partner on the shoulder, and when we’re both finished, the page is turned. It’s smoother than it sounds, and the sensual effects have been dramatic. A note of warning: many of these stories will make you very uncomfortable, even nauseous, and that’s kind of the point—to shock you out of yo— Tim Ferriss
Ryan Speedo Green: From Juvenile Delinquency to Opera Stardom (via @60Minutes). This short, 13-minute clip tells the incredible story of Ryan Speedo Green (@ryanspeedogreen, website), once a violent youth locked in solitary confinement, now a powerhouse on the global opera stage. One of my favorite lines from this video, which I’ll likely end up repeating to myself, is “Don’t let this moment define you.”— Tim Ferriss
“No person would give up even an inch of their estate, and the slightest dispute with a neighbor can mean hell to pay; yet we easily let others encroach on our lives—worse, we often pave the way for those who will take it over. No person hands out their money to passersby, but to how many do each of us hand out our lives! We’re tight-fisted with property and money, yet think too little of wasting time, the one thing about which we should all be the toughest misers.” — in The Daily Stoic, which is now only $1.99 in ebook until 1/6. I liked this book so much that I publ
Claudio Naranjo (born November 24, 1932) is a Chilean-born psychiatrist of Arabic/Moorish, Spanish, and Jewish descent who is considered a pioneer in integrated psychotherapy.— Tim Ferriss
Shure MV88 iOS Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone. This mic can literally fit inside my closed hand. It plugs right into my iPhone lightning port for easy recording of podcast intros and so on. I use the Shure MOTIV app for audio capture, but the hardware is app agnostic. To get it to my laptop, I use the “Share” feature and AirDrop. Here’s the official description: “The MV88 iOS digital stereo condenser microphone offers content creators unrivaled convenience and professional-quality audio on the go. Simply plug it into your iPhone, iPad, or iPod and hit record in your favorite audio or vide— Tim Ferriss
Venco Dubbel Zout DZ (Double Salt) Dutch Black Licorice. These are quite salty and barely sweet, so I’m unlikely to eat more than one or two small nubs at a time. They nonetheless seem to scratch the sweet-tooth itch on a cheat day (or any day).— Tim Ferriss
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." — (Theodor Seuss Geisel)(alternatively attributed to Sir Mark Young and/or Bernard Baruch) P.S. Last year, around this time, many of you found the text below helpful. I am including it again, as this what I do every year. Have a wonderful NYE! I’m often asked about 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 the change? I have found “past year reviews” (PYR) more informed, valuable, and actionabl
Robert Caro (born October 30, 1935) is an American journalist and author known for his biographies of US political figures Robert Moses and Lyndon B. Johnson. After working for many years as a reporter, Caro wroteThe Power Broker (1974), a biography of New York urban planner Robert Moses, which was chosen by the Modern Library as one of the hundred greatest nonfiction books of the twentieth century. He has since written four of a planned five volumes ofThe Years of Lyndon Johnson (1982, 1990, 2002, 2012), a biography of the former president.— Tim Ferriss
TOMS’ attempt to help end gun violence. TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie grew up hunting in Texas. He and I both own guns. He is pro Second Amendment, pro hunting, etc. At the same time, prompted by seemingly endless tragedies in the US, he wanted to try and curb needless gun-related danger and risks. How? By putting pressure on politicians to push forward with universal background checks, something ~90% of Americans — including conservatives — agree is a good idea. If you head to this page on TOMS and spend 10 seconds filling out a few fields, they will print and mail a postcard to Congress, deman— Tim Ferriss
Package Thief vs. Glitter Bomb Trap. I don’t watch much on YouTube, but this was sent to me by three separate people. It’s definitely worth the entire 9–10 minutes. Save it for an after-work treat, if needed. If you’ve ever had packages stolen, as I have, this will put a smile on your face.— Tim Ferriss
The 50 Best Podcast Episodes of 2018. This is a spectacular list of great podcast episodes. The topics are varied, often unexpected, and hit the nail on the head for me in a bunch of cases. I’ll be listening to many podcasts I never would have found on my own.— Tim Ferriss
“Of all sexual aberrations, chastity is the strangest.” —
Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers by Leonard Koren. I revisit this short read a few times a year, especially during holidays, New Year’s, etc., when I can pause, reflect, and reassess projects, priorities, and general orientation towards the world. It bends the normal lens a bit.— Tim Ferriss
“For one human being to love another human being: that is perhaps the most difficult task that has been entrusted to us, the ultimate task, the final test and proof, the work for which all other work is merely preparation.” —
For New Year's Eve, I'll be headed to this unusual event. If interested, I think there are roughly 10 spots still available.— Tim Ferriss
The Duolingo Spanish Podcast. At the time of this writing, the Duolingo Spanish Podcast is one of the top 50 most popular shows on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, out of 500,000+ podcasts. I’ve been using it to prepare for an upcoming trip to South America, and I started with a fun episode called “Flamenco,” which took me back to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I used to live (here are some travel tips). I listened to the audio while reading the transcript here. The episodes are short (often the app, software, etc.) many years ago because their free language learning platform was the best I’d ever seen.— Tim Ferriss
Lisbon. I’d love to make my way to Portugal in 2019 and check out Lisbon, which I recently learned fromWikipedia is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is certainly one of the oldest in Western Europe, predating other modern European capitals such as London, Paris, and Rome by centuries. Specifically, I’d love to see theSão Jorge Castle and Praça do Comércio. Do you have any other must-see or must-do recommendations for Portugal? Please let me know by sending a tweet to @tferriss with #timinportugal!— Tim Ferriss
Rivers and Tides (documentary). I first learned of Andy Goldsworthy through Johns Hopkins’ medical staff, who introduced me toone of his amazing books in their session room used for psilocybin studies. This classic documentary complements the book and shows his art (and the artist) in process. It won’t resonate with everyone, and it’s a bit odd, but it will strike a chord with many. This is especially true if you’ve spent some time in non-ordinary states. Before watching, I suggest seeing one of his books or at least looking atimages of some of his artwork in nature.— Tim Ferriss
Zuke's Mini Naturals Dog Treats (Peanut Butter Formula). Lots of people have asked me about dog training, so I figured I’d share this (especially given the documentary above). I’ve tried dozens of treat options for my pooch, Molly, and these tiny morsels are the best I’ve found for training purposes. Real peanut butter is the #1 ingredient, and each bite is less than three calories. Small is ideal for speed (especially combined with clicker training); believe it or not, even polar bears can be trained with food items like raisins. For a few basic how-to videos, click here or here. For a real a— Tim Ferriss
How to Configure Your iPhone to Work for You, Not Against You by Tony Stubblebine (@tonystubblebine). My team has already found this article extremely helpful.— Tim Ferriss
What MDMA Therapy Did For Me by Tucker Max (@tuckermax).— Tim Ferriss
“It is easier to act yourself into a new way of thinking, than it is to think yourself into a new way of acting.” —
My interview with the one and only, LeBron James. This episode of The Tim Ferriss Show was the first time that LeBron (@KingJames) has been interviewed alongside his very below-the-radar, some might say top-secret, athletic trainer about details of training, recovery, diet, and even how much longer he hopes to play in the NBA. Enjoy!— Tim Ferriss
Coda. Specifically, I’m playing with new versions of the Dreamlining and Fear-setting exercises using their platform. I have no stake in the company but find it interesting. Perhaps, like Stripe, it will reinvigorate a space full of incumbents?— Tim Ferriss
What if the Placebo Effect Isn’t a Trick? (New York Times Magazine). This was recommended to me by Dr. Peter Attia. Here’s a good teaser from the piece: “New research is zeroing in on a biochemical basis for the placebo effect — possibly opening a Pandora’s box for Western medicine.”— Tim Ferriss
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” ― Epicurus For my friends spread across the U.S., I wish you and yours a most joyous Thanksgiving holiday! And to all of my friends out there, spread across the globe, please accept my sincerest gratitude. If it weren’t for y’all, I wouldn’t be here, have this weird “career,” or be nearly as excited for 2019 as I am. There is much adventure coming! With heartfelt thanks, I am sending much love to you and yours… 🙏
Peak Design Everyday Backpack 20L. This was given to me as a gift, and, truth be told, I let it sit for months. This is because I stupidly tossed the literature aside and tried to use it like a normal backpack, which it isn’t. One day, when I sat down and actually read the instructions (yes, read them), I was blown away and embarrassed that I’d waited so long. Most of the features are non-obvious and incredibly helpful. Note: I load everything from the sides and only use the top latch (as cool as it may be) for stuffing in a sweatshirt or workout clothing. This was the key decision after readi— Tim Ferriss