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Q&A with Tim — New Religions, AI Companions, Longevity Levers, Resurrecting “Forgotten” Languages, Stress-Testing Cherished Beliefs, Tactics for Writer’s Block, Low-Back Pain, and Much More (#704)

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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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#704: Q&A with Tim — New Religions, AI Companions, Longevity Levers, Resurrecting “Forgotten” Languages, Stress-Testing Cherished Beliefs, Tactics for Writer’s Block, Low-Back Pain, and Much More

This episode is brought to you by Cometeer! Cometeer is hyper-fresh, expertly brewed, flash-frozen coffee that produces an incredibly delicious cup. Cometeer lets you prepare your coffee with no mess, no machines, no burning, and no bitterness. Cometeer sources high-quality beans from the country’s top roasters. The coffee is brewed using proprietary technology to pull out more flavor compounds and antioxidants. It’s then flash-frozen at minus 321 degrees Fahrenheit to lock in that incredible flavor and freshness of the specialty brew. Simply add hot water and you’ve got a game-changing cup of coffee. It’s easily customizable in seconds for iced coffees, lattes, espresso martinis, and more.

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This episode is brought to you by AG1! I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG1 further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. 

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This episode is brought to you by Eight Sleep. Temperature is one of the main causes of poor sleep, and heat is my personal nemesis. I’ve suffered for decades, tossing and turning, throwing blankets off, pulling them back on, and repeating ad nauseam. But a few years ago, I started using the Pod Cover, and it has transformed my sleep. Eight Sleep has launched their newest generation of the Pod: Pod 4 Ultra. It cools, it heats, and now it elevates, automatically. With the best temperature performance to date, Pod 4 Ultra ensures you and your partner stay cool in the heat and cozy warm in the cold. Plus, it automatically tracks your sleep time, snoring, sleep stages, and HRV, all with high precision. For example, their heart rate tracking is at an incredible 99% accuracy.

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And now, listeners of The Tim Ferriss Show can get $350 off of the Pod 4 Ultra for a limited time! Click here to claim this deal and unlock your full potential through optimal sleep.

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.

#628: Q&A with Tim — Revisiting 15+ Years of PR and Marketing Lessons, Time Dilation for Deep Relaxation, The Art of Setting Ultra-High Prices, The Low-Information Diet, Studying Animal Communication, My 3-Day Fasting Protocol, Tools for Handling Adversity, Selling to the Affluent, My Current Coffee and Alcohol Rules, Risk Mitigation, 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

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

The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion 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.

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Jason zhang
Jason zhang
11 months ago

Hi, Tim Ferriss, I’m Your Podcast Listener in China.

I’m leaving you a message to thank you for sharing so selflessly over the years, thank you, and thank you for the Tim Ferriss Show.

I first learned about you through the The 4-Hour Work Week, a book I used to flip through during my years at work and draw strength from whenever I slacked off. In 2020, I used the method in my book, to make a list of the difficulties I might encounter after quitting, and I looked at the list and said, well, quitting doesn’t seem that scary.

So I quit.

After quitting my job, I really had a lot of difficulties, financial difficulties, scheduling difficulties, etc. . But I think this is the right decision, this is my dream life. It was difficult, but like the cost of doing business, I was free, and that was enough.

Because my English is not good (so this comment was also translated by DeepL) , so whenever you update the podcast, I have to Google Translate it. Thank you for the transcript, i can read them as Chinese articles after translation.

In your podcast, I received a lot of role models, especially Derek Sivers, with whom I emailed about his new book in China. It’s a wonderful feeling to get to know another person and connect with him through you, thanks to you, Ferriss. Finally, thank you for your persistent creation, I wish you good health, I wish you happy every day ❤️

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Yavor Lazarov
Yavor Lazarov
11 months ago

I love Q&A episodes, these are my favourite. You should make them more often. The main reason a lot of people (myself included) listen to the show is because of your insight and tinkering with lifestyle ideas and life hacks, not necessarily because of the guests. Cheers!

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Clarecreates
Clarecreates
11 months ago

Loved this personal episode with you Mr Ferriss.

Thank you for sharing your unique perspective with us all.

Clare

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Pavle
Pavle
10 months ago

I am on the slow-carb for the second time, and I have million of questions, where i can ask those

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Ben Bench
Ben Bench
7 months ago

I am curious if you’ve tried Functional Patterns for pain, especially back pain?
I have been doing it for a few weeks and it’s DEFINITELY helped with my low back pain but I am admittedly much less scientific about new techniques than you are.
https://functionalpatterns.com/

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