Book review: Tools Of Titans by Tim Ferriss

Introduction of "Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferriss"

The United States Amazon Online Bookstore overall list, "New York Times" best-selling list double champion

More than a thousand readers and video bloggers tweeted: "This is the most practical book I have ever read!"

Extracted from the podcast show "The Timothy Ferris Show" with more than 300 million downloads

A miracle in the publishing world, Timothy Ferris is back with his new book!

Inspirational should also "spend the least time and get the most effective",

Learn directly from the "Life Victory Group", starting to change from the body, head, and heart,

Let you live healthier, more prosperous, and wiser!

Don’t get me wrong, this is not a chicken soup for the soul to shout to your spirit,

It is a super practical reference book that allows you to successfully replicate the experience of the strong.

In the past two years, Timothy has interviewed more than a hundred world-class professionals on his show, including Hollywood stars, extreme athletes, best-selling authors, scientists, and countless business giants and venture capitalists. He condensed the experience of these people into "tools," and actually used it on himself, healed Lyme disease that had been plagued for many years, made millions in investment, and repaired several important interpersonal relationships.

We always believe that the experience of successful people cannot be fully replicated, because they have a different starting point from ours, because they are the triumphant group in life. do you know? Timothy was not in the bird. He extracted the essence from the life stories of these strong men, and summed up the details that can be implemented, such as what they did in the first hour of getting up in the morning? How do they keep in shape? What books and movies do they watch? What is the best and worst advice they have ever heard? The most important point, how do they ask questions? Asking questions is your precious hoe. The right questions can knock on people's hearts and knock on the door of opportunity. Learn the thinking patterns of these people, adjust your own perspective, and you will see a different world.

The book is summarized into three themes of "health", "wealth" and "wisdom".

Contains the essence of interviews with more than one hundred celebrities.

About the author

Timothy Timothy Ferriss

He is a best-selling author worldwide, a bizarre work in the publishing world, and an odd number in the business investment world.

He was nominated as one of the "2007 Most Innovative Business People" by Fast Company, the most influential business magazine in the United States, and No. 1 in the book rankings of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Business Week. 1 Best-selling author. His "4 Hours of Work a Week", "Bible for Body Adjustment", and "Bible for Deconstruction of Cooking Skills" have been translated into 35 languages and distributed all over the world.

"Wired" magazine called him "Silicon Valley Superman" because of his extraordinary physical manipulation ability. He is also the world record holder and former Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion. He is a faculty member at Singularity University and a guest lecturer in the entrepreneurship course at Princeton University. His popular blog www.fourhourblog.com has more than one million downloads every month, and his Twitter account @tferriss was selected by the international news blog Mashable as one of the five "must-track" entrepreneurs. So far, he has been interviewed by more than one hundred media, including The New York Times, The Economist, Time Magazine, Forbes, Fortune, Outside, NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, And CNN.

When he is not doing human experiments on himself, Timothy likes to speak at events organized by Nike and the Harvard School of Public Health.

Excerpts from the original text

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

“In the end, winning is sleeping better.”—Jodie Foster

“I’m not the strongest. I’m not the fastest. But I’m really good at suffering.”

“If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.”

“Kids don’t do what you say. They do what they see. How you live your life is their example.”

“The opposite of play doesn't work. It's depression.”—— Quoted from page 100

Tools of Titans Book Summary

Let’s summarize the main content of this issue:

1. Life is a short journey.

We always think that there is still a lot of time to squander, but in fact, there is really not much time left for us. The author calculated the time he spent with his parents. When he left his hometown after graduating from high school, he had already used up 93% of the time spent with his parents. Although our situation is different, I think it should be around 90%. It can be seen that when you rarely go home and get along with your parents, why should you spend the few remaining time arguing instead of enjoying the moment; for dying patients, it is not the meaning of life that is more important to them, But the way to connect with the world at that moment, to feel the present, to cherish the present. Feeling: This part mainly reflects on the problems in our daily life from the short-term dimension of "life". You will find that life is short and it is too late to enjoy the moment. There is no time to complain and entangle the problems that are not a problem.

2. Learn to be happy, enjoy life, and have true freedom.

In order to gain true freedom, you have to set some limits for yourself. The so-called "true freedom" is financial freedom, time freedom, freedom from disease and poverty. In order to achieve this goal, you must be self-disciplined.

First, it is obtained A lot of insight;

The second is to build strong self-confidence; and

The more important third, by summing up the main points of the conversation, he has a strong ability to tell stories.

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Tools of Titans Book Review

The book "Tools of Giants" is a collection of interviews with personal potential explorer Tim Ferris interviewing more than 100 top elites from all walks of life in the United States. It took me more than a week to read it twice. The book is too thick and scattered, but insights shine in many places. I recorded the essence of it, sorted it out, and shared it with everyone.

[1] Train with half of your limit

If you can do up to 10 push-ups at a time, then you don't need to do 10 when you train, just do 5. If you do 10, you have reached the limit, but it is also very painful. It is so painful that you do it once and don't want to do it the second time. But if you do 5, you are relaxed, comfortable, and confident. You can have another set after 15 minutes. Then come one more group, come again...

In this way, you can better train your abilities, because you are more likely to stick to it for a long time and repeat. This method is counter-common sense. We are generally educated to surpass ourselves and break the limit. As a result, everyone is afraid to take the first step. Many people now like to run marathons because of this belief. But this method does the opposite. The book also gave a name called "Motion Neural Etching Training Method." I don't quite understand the name, but I believe the truth. It can be said that this is the most valuable inspiration I got from this book.

Can refer to: P.96-97

[2] Feel the disappearing things

When I took a bite of the cherries, the feeling was very sweet just after the mouth was bitten. As the skin of the cherries was bitten, the juice sprayed out in the mouth with a rich aroma, which was very satisfying. I was still biting this one in my mouth, and I was already impatient to get the second one before it was all in my stomach. This sense of urgency can be used as a metaphor in today's era. The desire of modern society is that we continue to obtain and possess something, but when did these things disappear? We don't care.

Feeling the things that disappear is a good concentration training. When did the sweetness of cherries disappear? Can I feel it? To feel it slowly falling from the peak of taste until it disappears completely? If I was still doing other things when I was in cherries, I definitely couldn't do it. I had to focus on one thing, and even let time stagnate.

So I think this method is quite valuable and opened up my horizons. Of course, it is not suitable for eating durian, because the smell of durian does not seem to disappear easily...

See also: P.141

[3] Avoid discussing trends

In this book, the famous investor Peter Thiel said in an interview: "I don't like to talk about technology trends. I think that once a certain trend occurs, it shows that there are already many people in this field. And once many people are engaged in a certain field, there will be a lot of competition... Generally speaking, we don't want to be a member of a certain fashion trend."

I very much agree with this sentence. I feel that many times today, talking about trends has become a trap. People are obsessed with this grand narrative that makes hormones soar, but they don't know how to take care of their small tasks, and they gradually become cowhide kings one after another.

Another investor, Scott Belsky, also expressed a similar view to Peter. He said: “There are people around me who try to categorize and profile the company’s success factors-the largest of them Most people forget that innovation (and investment in innovation) is precisely a job about exceptions."

The implication of avoiding trends is to do what is unique to you, ignore what others are admiring, stick to your uniqueness, and look for the uniqueness of other people, paying attention to the unexpected and unexpected. This is the right path.

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Refer to: P.229-230, P.371-372

[4] Wandering is an outlook on life

Rolf Potts, a travel writer interviewed for this book, expressed this view: "Wandering is an outlook on life. Wandering is about using the prosperity and many possibilities of the information age to improve personal choice rather than increase Personal wealth. Wandering is seeking adventure in normal life, normal life in an adventure."

What I want to say here is that the concept of "wandering" is not the same as "traveling" in that time, space and mentality are different. We generally talk about traveling, which means going to one place for 2 to 7 days during holidays and so on, while wandering means going to different places for a longer period of time, two months, half a year, or even a few years. The meaning of travel is more like we finally squeeze time out from busy work to another place to catch a breath, watch the flowers, check-in. Wandering, I put aside all other things, and go to this vast world as a free body to be a bum, oh no, be a free man.

You can think about it, this kind of experience is likely to subvert everything we previously believed. Some time ago I said a sentence in the circle of friends: "If there is no imagination, the world will become dull. Our daily life is like jumping out of a chicken cage during the day and going back in the evening." It is a bit exaggerated to say that the chicken cage. But in fact, why not?

I have never been wandering. After reading these words in the book, I feel sincerely regret that I have not been wandering.

See also: P.375

[5] Be an omnivorous animal

In this book, many interviewees of Ferris and himself are passionate about omnivores, which is a very diversified diet. For example, physical coach Charles Polly Quinn’s breakfast will switch between the combination of nuts, seafood, and steak. Surfer Laird Hamilton’s post-training drink is a mixture of turmeric powder, Chaga, chili extract, raw honey, and apple cider vinegar (please don’t imagine its taste). And marketing expert Seth Godin’s breakfast is made of bananas, protein powder, almond meal, dried cranberries, and walnuts after being mixed with water in a blender... "paste"?

Why do we have to eat and drink in such a variety of ways? My understanding is that our body needs very diverse nutrients. Eating mixed is necessary for our body, and the reason why we want to mix together I think It's because these busy people need to save time as much as possible!

In fact, the nutrition of the body and the nutrition of the mind are the same thing. The body needs diversified material nutrition, and the mind also needs diversified information nutrition. The latter is actually the important meaning of the "multiple thinking model" referred to by Charlie Munger.

Therefore, we should all become "omnivorous animals".

Refer to: P.81, 101, 131, 239

[6] Don’t be satisfied with the regular rhythm

In fact, deep in our hearts, we believe that it is safe to follow the public. This is by nature, but it is not necessarily accurate. This book provides a point of view that if you can graduate in two years in college, don’t spend four years, because “the standard rhythm is for fools.” The school must teach according to the average level to ensure that everyone does not Leave behind, then if you always follow the standard rhythm, you will definitely be mediocre.

I have a deep understanding of this. I find that resisting standardization is like a necessary ritual for a hero to set off. He must awaken from it and understand how important it is to be different and to walk at his own pace. This is by no means chicken soup, but a necessary path.

See also: P.174

[7] One criterion of "success" is to handle the relationship with family members

Medical expert Peter Atiyah said: "The criterion for success is: Does your child remember that you are the best father. The so-called best father is not the father who can meet all the material requirements of the child, but depends on whether the children Being able to open up to you one day, whether they can call you any time they need you, and whether you are their first person to ask for advice." Dr. Atiyah’s definition of success is unexpected but true, Really, really moved me.

Another respondent’s answer was somewhat similar. Shay Carr said: "In my opinion, the so-called success is to have a harmonious relationship with your parents, grandparents, and children, and be good at handling various interpersonal relationships. ."

I think these two definitions of success can prompt many people to reflect. In many cases, our understanding of success is too narrow. We are too obsessed with utilitarian goals and get lost in them, forgetting the meaning of all our struggles. If a person is unable to handle the relationship with his closest person, I have to say that it is a failure. Of course, from my point of view, if he has tried his best but still fails to handle it, then he can’t be blamed, because the relationship is not. One person can deal with it unilaterally.

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Refer to: P.76, P.463

[8] Advocate fierce debate in the enterprise

This is the view of Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor Mark Anderson. In his company, there is a rule called: "Attack each other without mercy." Of course, it is not the person who is attacking, but the opinion. In a meeting, an employee does not care about his position and views, and when he puts forward his views, he must be ready for all kinds of fierce doubts and confrontations. The so-called real gold is not afraid of fire, Anderson believes that only this pressure-filled method can make a truly good idea stand out.

Ferris calls this method the creation of a red team (opposite side), which is like an exercise in which the red and blue armies engage in battle. In addition to Anderson, several other interviewees also put forward similar views.

Here I would like to add a knowledge point. A well-known organizational behavior scientist Aguiris discovered a common phenomenon in corporate research called organizational defense. This means that in order to avoid conflicts, colleagues often speak euphemistically and do not speak the truth, instead of seeking the truth with defense, this creates hidden dangers for the evolution of the organization. In fact, in many large companies, this kind of organizational defense phenomenon is simply inevitable. Especially the subordinate to the superior, how dare to argue a few words. In this way, Mark Anderson's suggestions and practices are very sharp and very valuable.

See also: P.156, P.453

[9] Ideas that appear in the third-place are more valuable

Derek Sievers is a musician and entrepreneur. He said something very interesting: "For any question, the first answer we think of will not be too interesting, because this answer is automatically generated."

The automatically generated answer is an obvious answer and an answer that does not require thought. It calls the "system 1" part of the mind called by psychologist Daniel Kahneman. Then you think if you always answer some answers that don’t require thinking, how can you get inspiration from them?

But if you ask another question, it will be interesting. For a certain question, what is the third answer you think of? This third answer requires you to think about it. The process itself is to force yourself to think more deeply.

In fact, there is a key sentence in this book. The quality of a person’s questions determines the quality of his life. But if you think about it carefully, most people are not very careful about asking questions. The main problem is that he does not ask new and different questions, and he always spins around in a kind of inertial questioning. If you give yourself a try and ask yourself some different questions, you will probably open up a new horizon.

See also: P.173

[10] Try to solve the simplest and most important problem

To be honest, when LinkedIn’s founder Reid Hoffman made this point, I was surprised. I am surprised why I have never thought about it in this respect. Hoffman said: "The main part of business strategy is to focus on solving the simplest, easiest but most important problems. In fact, one of the goals of strategic planning is to solve the simplest problems."

People all over the world pride themselves on solving complex problems, but they have neglected that the really important problems are the simple ones. So I also asked myself, what is the simplest and most important problem I can try to solve. A simple problem must exist in life, and it is not difficult to encounter problems. Such problems do not require profound knowledge or broad vision. They exist there, but they are ignored by us.

Find the simplest problem and solve it, maybe you win.

See also: P.225

[11] Demonstrate your initial project to 10 people

Marketing expert Seth Godin advocates a simple marketing theory to demonstrate his original product to 10 people with who he trusts and who has a good relationship with. If they don’t tell others to actively promote this product, then your product is not enough. Well, it should not be followed up.

I think this method is easy to understand. If even a good friend of yours will not take the initiative to tell others how good your product is, then it is likely that the product is really not good enough, and you can expect other people to promote you. Product?

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This tool is very practical and easy to apply. We usually have one or two WeChat groups that have a very good conversation. Throw what you are doing in the group and see how everyone reacts. If you throw it in like a stone and then sink, and few people come out to say a few words, then it's very likely that this thing is not good for you, and you have to do it again. This kind of early turnaround in time is much better than turning around after you have invested a lot.

See also: P.237

[12] Two particularly good parenting suggestions

Seth Godin also gave two particularly good parenting suggestions. He said that children should be taught two things. The first is how to lead, and the second is how to solve interesting problems.

For the first point, Gao Ting’s explanation is that most people don’t know how to lead others, so they can only obey the leadership with a relatively low salary. However, in the future society, you can no longer let your children rely on themselves. To be more obedient than others to win", but to show strong leadership skills. It is of course better for a person to have leadership skills than not to be able to lead. Such a simple truth is ignored by most people. I think the reason is that we have never received relevant education ourselves.

The second point, to solve interesting problems, is to teach children how to solve them. Fun is the fuel for learning. Let children take the initiative to do it. It doesn't matter if they fail in the process of solving. Don't criticize them, but help them find reasons and explore new solutions. I decided that in the process of educating children, the current parents are generally too anxious, but they do not have the guidance of advanced concepts and methods. They only know that they are constantly adding to the knowledge learning.

But we have to think about it. What are the most outstanding strengths of the great people in all walks of life in this world? In fact, they are their leadership and problem-solving skills. Ready-made knowledge solves known problems, while true elites solve new problems that are constantly emerging. This must be taken into consideration in parenting.

See also: P.240

[13] Train your own "idea muscles"

James Altuchel is an investor, entrepreneur, and writer. He has a habit of writing down 10 ideas in a small notebook every morning, which means he trains his ability to generate creativity like a muscle exercise.

A person's creativity can be trained and cultivated, it is by no means a completely innate thing. I found that many people have a misunderstanding that creativity is innate. People like Mozart, Picasso, and Einstein are so powerful that we can’t understand, so we use the term “genius” to generalize and treat them as Another kind of extraordinary human being who ignores their acquired long-term and conscious cultivation of their own creativity.

In fact, if you apply the right methods and persistence, the creative potential you can tap will definitely exceed your imagination. Just like my first two public articles, I just made a small test, and I did something that I didn't dare to think about before—because I always thought that I couldn't paint, and it was insulated from painting.

So, go boldly train your talents. Altuchel said, if you can’t think of 10 ideas, think about 20 because you will find it easier to think of 20 than 10. Remember that quote from John Steinbeck that I quoted? ——"Creativity is like rabbits. You have a few, and then learn to keep them, and soon you will have a dozen."

In this book, many interviewees also mentioned the practice of "morning notes" many times, which is also a similar free creative exercise. Although I don't have the habit of taking morning notes, inspirations always appear at different times of the day, and I will copy them down immediately. Many of these inspirations were subsequently incorporated into the book I wrote, which is hard to count.

See also: P.245

[14] Use large, complete-time

Tim Ferris wrote in the book:

"As investor Brad Field and many others have observed, if you try to piece together time here 30 minutes, 45 minutes there, then you will not be able to accomplish a great creative work. Large, complete The time-at least 3~5 hours-is a necessary condition for creating. It is not enough to arrange a large block of time once a week. You must have multiple days of concentration time. For me, this means weekly I will be in the creator mode for at least 3 to 4 mornings (at least until 1 PM)."

I empathize with this sentence, because I don't go to work myself, and I usually stay in the coffee shop every day to read and write things. For me, large and undisturbed working hours are essential. Especially for some complicated and in-depth thinking, think clearly from beginning to end, there will be no two or three hours at all.

In fact, for a creator, entering the state of "flow" is the most important thing. He needs to be completely focused and devoted to his work, forgetting himself, forgetting time, and allowing time to flow. The novelist Paul Coelho is even more "exaggerated." When he writes, he will delay at first, and then he will say to himself: "Let's write for half an hour and bite the bullet." But I didn't expect it, often I couldn't stop writing, and half an hour might turn into 10 hours. Write for 10 hours in a row! He said: "That's why I write books quickly. "I am envious.

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Refer to: P.402, P536

[15] Reduce the difficult task to be no smaller, and then do it

Rick Rubin is America's premier music producer, and many big-name singers have worked with him. He is experienced and has amazing energy. When asked how to help artists in trouble, he replied like this: "Usually, I give them a very small task." For example, a musician signed an agreement with him, but he couldn't write a song. , How to do it? Rubin said to him, you only need five lyrics for this song, and your task today is to write a word, write a word you like, and that's it.

OK, this task is so simple, just write a word! When I read this paragraph in the book, do you know what I thought of? I suddenly had the urge to write lyrics by myself! I can also write songs, why not, just start with one word, how simple, write one word today, write one word tomorrow, two months later, a song came out, perfect.

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