Hello, boys and girls, ladies and germs. This is Tim Ferriss. Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, where it is usually my job to sit down with world-class performers of all different types to tease out the habits, routines, favorite books, and so on that you can apply and test in your own life. 

This time, we have a slightly different format. I’m the guest, and you asked the questions. 

I recently sat down with subscribers to my email newsletter for a fun and live Q&A on YouTube.

To join these exclusive Q&A sessions in the future, it’s simple. Just sign up at tim.blog/friday. 

Every Friday, you will receive my free 5-Bullet Friday newsletter—a short email of five bullet points. It’s one of the most popular newsletters in the world.

Each newsletter describes the five coolest things I’ve found or explored that week, often including books, gadgets, tech workarounds, tricks from experts, strange experiments, and weird stuff from all over the world. My subscribers have seen many, many things at the edges before they’ve gone mainstream. 

In this episode, I answer questions on resurrecting “forgotten” languages, dog training, writer’s block, reducing alcohol intake, AI companions, training the “good enough” muscle, low-back pain, the importance of weight training and muscle mass, travel recommendations for Japan, managing fear of death and the descent to death, breaking negative self-talk, and much, much more. 

Please enjoy! 

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch the Q&A on YouTube here.

Brought to you by Eight Sleep’s Pod Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating; Cometeer delicious hyper-fresh, flash-frozen coffee; and AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement.

The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

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Want to hear my last Q&A? Listen to the episode here, in which I answered questions about newsletters I read every day, how to launch a successful nonprofit, outcompeting in a saturated market, notable contributions during my days as a tech company advisor, cosmic insignificance therapy, metaverse musings, recent spiritual shifts, required reading for someone in need of self-love, and much more.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

• What Is Your Carbon Footprint? | The Nature Conservancy
• Put Oil Back Underground | Charm Industrial
• An Anti-GHG 501c3 | Terraset
• So You Want to Be a Neuroscientist? | Harvard Brain Science Initiative
• How to Become a Marine Biologist | Conservation Careers
• How to Become a Comic Book Artist | The Art Career Project
• Derek Sivers — The Joys of an Un-Optimized Life, Finding Paths Less Traveled, Creating Tech Independence (and Risks of the Cloud), Taking Giant Leaps, and Picking the Right “Game of Life” | The Tim Ferriss Show #668
• The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman by Timothy Ferriss | Amazon
• Occam’s Protocol
• 4-Hour Body: Occam’s Protocol and the Minimum Effective Dose | Social Media University, Global (SMUG)
• The Slow-Carb Diet One-Pager | Tim Ferriss
• Masterpieces of Fantasy Art by Dian Hanson | Amazon
• Fan Ho’s Street Photography: What Hong Kong Looked Like 60 Years Ago | Public Delivery
• The Conscious Leadership Group
• The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A New Paradigm for Sustainable Success by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Warner Klemp | Amazon
• Don’t Let Perfection Be the Enemy of Productivity | Harvard Business Review
• “I Think That Saying ‘Good Enough’ is a Superpower.” -Derek Sivers | Tim Ferriss, Twitter
• Logitech BRIO Ultra HD Webcam | Amazon
• MacBook Pro | Apple
• Audio-Technica ATR2100x-USB Cardioid Dynamic Microphone | Amazon
• Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferriss | Amazon
• Fasting vs. Slow-Carb Diet, Top $150 Purchases, Balancing Productivity and Relaxation, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #213
• Imposter Syndrome: Why You May Feel Like a Fraud | Verywell Mind
• Aizuchi | Wikipedia
• Definition of Backcountry Skiing, Slackcountry, Sidecountry, and Off Piste | The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog
• 10 Reasons to Finally Give Backcountry Skiing a Try | goEast
• Skis | DPS Skis
• How I Built a #1-Ranked Podcast With 60M+ Downloads | Tim Ferriss
• 1,000 True Fans by Kevin Kelly | The Technium
• Creative or Cool Excuses to Not Drink | r/TheGirlSurvivalGuide
• Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Liquid Soap (Baby, Unscented) | Amazon
• Check Your Sunscreens! More Recalls Due to Benzene | The Legal Examiner
• Nordic Naturals ProOmega 650 EPA/450 DHA | Amazon
• Easy Strength: How to Get a Lot Stronger Than Your Competition-And Dominate in Your Sport by Dan John | Amazon
• The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics by Dennis O’Neil | Amazon
• Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by BJ Fogg | Amazon
• Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear | Amazon
• How to Read the Good Books | The New Yorker
• The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Timothy Ferriss | Amazon
• 12 Rules for Learning Foreign Languages in Record Time — The Only Post You’ll Ever Need | Tim Ferriss
• Die Hard | Prime Video
• One Piece Wiki | Fandom
• Don’t Shoot the Dog!: The New Art of Teaching and Training by Karen Pryor | Amazon
• Dog Tips and Training | Tim Ferriss
• The Most Important Skill to Teach Your Dog | Tim Ferriss
• How to Keep Your Dog Occupied | Tim Ferriss
• Dog Breakfast Tips with Molly | Tim Ferriss
• Dog Tricks: Command, Safety, and Vanity | Tim Ferriss
• Susan Garrett — Master Dog (and Human) Trainer | The Tim Ferriss Show #200
• How to Lose 100 Pounds on The Slow-Carb Diet — Real Pics and Stories | Tim Ferriss
• The Healthiest Red Meat on the Planet | Maui Nui Venison
• Nutrient Density Study | Van Vliet Lab
• Jake Muise — The Relentless Pursuit of Innovation, Quality, and Meaning | The Tim Ferriss Show #678
• Mark Zuckerberg: First Interview in the Metaverse | Lex Fridman Podcast #398
• The AI Companion Who Cares | Replika
• An ‘Epidemic’ of Loneliness Threatens Health of Americans, Surgeon General Says | Smithsonian Magazine
• Dr. Vivek Murthy — Former Surgeon General on Combating COVID-19, Loneliness, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #417
• Charted: The Rapid Decline of Global Birth Rates | Visual Capitalist
• The Sunk Cost Fallacy | The Decision Lab
• What the Luddites Really Fought Against | Smithsonian Magazine
• The Turing Test | Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• Google’s AI Passed the Turing Test — And Showed How It’s Broken | The Washington Post
• Inokashira-koen Park and Ghibli Museum | Truly Tokyo
• Stores | Lawson
• Spirited Away (English Language) | Prime Video
• Bar Gen Yamamoto | Instagram
• We Visit a Hidden Bar in Niseko | Steven & Diep
• Bar Gyu+ | Instagram
• Nikko Toshogu Shrine Autumn Grand Festival | Nikko Official Guide
• Samurai Archery: Yabusame in Nikko (Japanese Horseback Archery) | Ronin Dave
• QuestBridge
• Support a Classroom. Build a Future. | DonorsChoose
• Free Online Courses, Lessons, & Practice | Khan Academy
• Accelerating Kids’ Education | Mentava
• Arthur C. Brooks — How to Be Happy, Reverse Bucket Lists, The Four False Idols, Muscular Philosophies, Practical Inoculation Against the Darkness, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #692
• Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace | Amazon
• Adding Weight Lifting to Workouts May Boost Longevity | Harvard Health
• Peter Attia: Strength Training for Health Is a Key to Longevity | Shortform Books
• Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia | Amazon
• A Guide to the Biggest Thing Missing From Your Fitness Routine: Zone 2 Training | The Art of Manliness
• Coach Chris Sommer — The Secrets of Gymnastic Strength Training | The Tim Ferriss Show #158
• Coach Chris Sommer — The Secrets of Gymnastic Strength Training, Part Two: Home Equipment, Weighted Stretches, and Muscle-Ups | The Tim Ferriss Show #180
• How to Design a Life — Debbie Millman | The Tim Ferriss Show #214
• My Healing Journey After Childhood Abuse (Includes Extensive Resource List) | The Tim Ferriss Show #464
• Intermittent Fasting: What Is It, and How Does It Work? | Johns Hopkins Medicine
• The Five-Minute Journal | Amazon
• How 30 Grams of Protein at Breakfast Can Help You Lose Weight | Healthline
• Some Practical Thoughts on Suicide | Tim Ferriss
• What is Stoicism? | Daily Stoic
• Stoicism Resources and Recommendations | Tim Ferriss
• The Harvard Classics: Plato, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius | Amazon
• History of Memento Mori | Daily Stoic
• Psychedelics May Lessen Fear of Death and Dying, Similar to Feelings Reported by Those Who’ve Had Near Death Experiences | Johns Hopkins Medicine
• Transcendental Meditation
• Logically, After You Die Will Be Like Before You Were Born | Fact or Myth?
• What If We Treated Death Like Birth? | Modern Loss
• Dr. Shirley Sahrmann — A Legendary PT Does a Deep Dive on Tim’s Low-Back Issues, Teaches How to Unlearn Painful Patterns, Talks About Movement as Medicine (or Poison), and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #685
• Fisher Traction | Amazon
• Vyper 3 High-Intensity Vibrating Foam Roller | Amazon
• Herman Miller Classic Aeron Chair | Amazon
• Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by John Sarno | Amazon
• Mind Over Back Pain: A Radically New Approach to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Back Pain by John Sarno | Amazon
• The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain by John Sarno |Amazon
• Pilates: What It Is and Health Benefits | Cleveland Clinic
• A Prophet (Un prophète) | Prime Video
• On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft by Stephen King | Amazon
• A Fictional World Built for These Chaotic Times | The Legend of CØCKPUNCH
• Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott | Amazon
• The Tao of Seneca: Letters from a Stoic Master (aka The Moral Letters to Lucilius) | Tim Ferriss
• The Science of Gratitude & How to Build a Gratitude Practice | Huberman Lab Podcast #47
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) | Cleveland Clinic
• The Work | Byron Katie
• Kia Kaha | Wikipedia

SHOW NOTES

• [07:10] How I’m reducing my carbon footprint.
• [08:37] Parallel reality career choices.
• [09:11] Life optimization (and deoptimization).
• [11:40] Fan Ho: An impressive personality.
• [12:15] The value of personal coaching.
• [14:41] Working on the “good enough” muscle.
• [16:10] My current video/audio tech specs.
• [16:58] The impact studying overseas has had on my success.
• [17:54] Is a part three with Todd McFarlane imminent?
• [18:05] If it were written or revised today, what would I add to The 4-Hour Body?
• [18:44] Cultivating the rustic country vibe of my living space.
• [20:04] Have I ever experienced imposter syndrome while interviewing a guest?
• [22:50] Why is there a washing machine in my kitchen?
• [23:02] This winter’s skiing plans.
• [23:33] If I started podcasting today, what would I do differently?
• [25:33] Cutting back on booze.
• [26:46] Skin care.
• [29:44] Social activities that deliver maximum happiness.
• [31:30] Yet-uninterviewed guests I’d like to have on.
• [32:05] Foiling the friction of fabricating fiction.
• [35:43] Gleaning meaning from holy scriptures.
• [36:26] As a polyglot, how do I maintain fluency in languages I’ve learned?
• [41:05] Training puppies, dolphins, chickens, and kids: The power of positive reinforcement.
• [45:24] Batch cooking and the slow-carb diet.
• [46:57] Digital emotional surrogacy’s impact on the loneliness epidemic.
• [50:43] When reliance on the digital diminishes human deftness.
• [52:22] Travel recommendations for Japan.
• [55:28] The future of education: Talent sourcing and accelerated learning.
• [57:08] The future of religion(s).
• [1:00:05] The importance of weight training for longevity.
• [1:03:48] Improving interview skills and asking the right questions.
• [1:08:54] How I kickstart my metabolic machinery in the morning.
• [1:11:56] Managing fear of death with Stoicism and transcendent experiences.
• [1:15:20] Managing back pain: Exercises, techniques, and tools.
• [1:19:47] A pronouncement for Pilates poo-pooers.
• [1:20:32] Relationship advice may be dispensed at a later date.
• [1:21:26] Rewatching favorite movies.
• [1:21:53] Books that were better after a reread.
• [1:22:51] Breaking negative self-talk: Gratitude practice and dialectical behavioral therapy.
• [1:23:44] Parting thoughts.

PEOPLE MENTIONED

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The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than 900 million downloads. It has been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it’s been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.