#25 - 25 Lessons From The Most Value-Packed Book I Own
Tactics, Routines, Habits
Welcome to this week's edition of Tuesday's Rule. A breakdown of a "life-rule" that I find useful or interesting.
It's week two of the three-week mini-series, extracting rules and lessons from books I've been re-reading.
There is one book that I am nearly always re-reading. I'm in no doubt that it contains more value than any other book I own.
The book is: Tools of Titans - The Tactics, Routines and Habits of Billionaires, Icons and World-Class Performers, by Tim Ferriss.
The book is a 670 page collection of ideas, tools and tips from world-class performers, from Kevin Costner, to Jamie Foxx, Tony Robbins to Maria Popova.
Split into three sections—Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise—the book and every page in it are brimming with gems of wisdom from individuals who are the best in the world at what they do.
As Tim writes in the intro: "These world-class performers don't have superpowers. The rules they've crafted for themselves allow the bending of reality to such an extent that it may seem that way, but they've learned how to do this, and so can you."
Anyone who's listened to a Tim Ferriss podcast will be familiar with his mantra: extract tools, routines, and habits from world-class performers. In this book, he has distilled many of those from over 200 incredibly esteemed individuals.
The first 24 editions of Tuesday's Rule have all been centred around one rule or lesson. With this book, there is no chance that I could take just one. So, I've hand-picked 25 of them.
Not a single word below is my own, but each of these takeaways is personal and resonates most with me as a man in my early 30s trying to figure out who I am and what I want to be.
Some are serious, some less so. Some are deep and require reflection, and some are tactical and implementable immediately.
Even if only a single one of the 25 resonates with you, I hope you enjoy it, no matter your stage in life. Because who doesn't want to be a bit healthier, wealthier, or wiser.
Let’s get into it…
The moment you feel that, just possibly, you’re walking down the street naked, exposing too much of your heart and mind and what exists on the inside, showing too much of yourself. Thats the moment you might be starting to get it right.
Neil Gaiman
Tony Robbins “Dickens Method”:
Select and examine 2 or 3 of your main ‘beliefs’, and answer these questions, inspired by the ghosts from a Christmas Carol.
What has each belief cost you and the people you love in the past? What have you lost because of these beliefs?
What is each costing you and the people you love in the present?
What will each cost you and the people you love in 1,3,5 years from now?
In the wrong environment, your creativity is compromised
Scott Belsky’s advice to his 30-year old self
Multivitamins are the worst of both worlds. They contain a bunch of what you don’t really need and not enough of what you do need. It poses an unnecessary risk with no upside.
Peter Attia on why he doesn’t take multivitamins
On one level, wisdom is nothing more than the ability to take your own advice. Its actually very easy to give people good advice. It’s very hard to follow the advice that you know is good… If someone came to me with my list of problems, I would be able to sort that person out very easily.
Sam Harris
Restrepo
Jocko Willinks favourite documentary
Writing prompts from Cheryl Strayed:
Write about a time when you realised you were mistaken.
Write about a lesson you learned the hard way.
Write about a time you were inappropriately dressed for the occasion.
Write about something you lost that you’ll never get back.
Write about a time when you knew you’d done the right thing.
Write about something you don’t remember.
Write about your darkest teacher.
Write about a memory of a physical injury.
Write about when you knew it was over.
Write about being loved.
Wrote about what you were really thinking.
Write about how you found your way back.
Write about the kindness of strangers.
Write about why you could not do it.
Write about why you did.
Men, if you wake up and you don’t have a boner, there’s a problem. Yes or no? One or zero? Boner, no boner?
Kelly Starretts simple indicator of sleep quality, hormonal health, circadian rhythm timing, and more
To me, the definition of success is being cool with your parents, your grandparents [if still alive], and your kids. Being able to navigate the difficult task of dealing with each other as human beings.
Shay Carl
A problem is a terrible thing to waste.
Peter Diamandis
If you go on the internet, there are 20 recipes for pound cake. I go with the one that even describes to a quarter of an inch the size of the pan. Because if someone is describing that level of detail, you know they have gone through it. There person who writes a recipe that says, ‘Grease the cake pan’ [without specifying the size]? You know they haven’t made it. Its a tip-off right away that something is wrong.
Chef Andrew Zimmerman on finding the right recipes for the kitchen (or life)
Naval Ravikants response to the question “Are there any quotes you live by or think of often?”
Be present above all else.
Desire is suffering (Buddha).
Anger is a hot coal that you hold in your hand while waiting to throw it at someone else (Buddhist saying).
If you cant see yourself working with someone for life, don’t work with them for a day.
Reading (learning) is the ultimate meta skill and can be traded for anything else.
All the real benefits in life come from compound interest.
Earn with your mind, not your time.
99% of all effort is wasted.
Total honesty at all time. It’s almost always possible to be honest and positive.
Praise specifically, criticise generally (Warren Buffet)
Truth is that which has predictive power.
Watch every thought (always ask, “Why am I having this thought?”)
All greatness comes from suffering.
Love is given, not received.
Enlightenment is the space between your thoughts (Eckhart Tolle).
Mathematics is the language of nature.
Every moment has to be complete in and of itself.
It’s not that I’m blocked. It’s that I don’t have enough research to write with power and knowledge on that topic.
Sebastian Junger on ‘writers block'“ in non-fiction
At the end of the day, who cares? What’s the big deal? I’m here, I’m going to try my best, and I’m going to go home, and my family’s there…
Shaun White’s self talk before dropping into an Olympic run
“With boys, there is an active encouragement - despite the possibility that they could get hurt - and guiding the son to do it, often on his own. When a daughter decides to do something that might have some risk involved, after cautioning her, the parents are much more likely to assist her in doing it. What is this telling girls? They’re fragile and they need our help. That is acculturated so early. So of course, by the time we’re women and in the workplace or relationships, that’s going to be a predominant paradigm for us: fear… … I would say it’s time to adopt a paradigm of bravery instead of a paradigm of fear. So, when you have a boy and a girl, or a man and a woman, facing the exact same situation, there will be two emotional reactions to it that are sort of opposite. The man will be trying to access his bravery, and the woman will be accessing her fear.”
Caroline Paul on common parenting differences when raising sons and daughters
Productivity is for robots. What humans are going to be really good at is asking questions, being creative, and experiences.
Kevin Kelly
To blame someone for not understanding you fully is deeply unfair because, first of all, we don’t understand ourselves, and even if we do understand ourselves, we have such a hard time communicating ourselves to other people. Therefore, to be furious and enraged and bitter that people don’t get all of who we are is a really cruel piece of immaturity.
Alain De Botton
Lesson number one, when people ask me what [interviewing] tips would I give, is aim for the heart, not the head. Once you get the heart, you can go to the head. Once you get the heart and the head, then you’ll have a pathway to the soul.
Cal Fussman
Try smelling wine with your mouth open, you’ll get more information.
Richard Betts (9th person in history to pass the Master Sommelier exam on his first attempt)
I always say that I’ll go first… That means if I’m checking out at the store, I’ll say hello first. If I’m coming across somebody and make eye contact, I’ll smile first. [I wish] people would experiment with that in their life a little bit: Be first, because - not all times, but most times - it comes in your favour.
Gabby Reece
Paul Levesque (Triple H) on overcoming jet-lag
When I landed, I would check into the hotel. The second we checked in, I’d ask them: ‘Is the gym open? Can I go train?’ Even if it was to get on a bike and ride for 15 minutes to reset things. I learned early that it seemed any time I did that, I didn’t get jet lag.
The Fog of War
Morgan Spurlock’s (Super Size Me) favourite documentary
Why exercise is important to General Stanley McChrystal
Aside from the self-image and performance aspects, it also puts discipline in the day. I find that if the day is terrible, but I worked out, at the end of the day, I’ll go, ‘well, I had a good workout’, almost no matter what happens.
The culture of news is a culture without nuance
Maria Popova
If more information was the answer, we’d all be billionaires with perfect abs
Derek Sivers