Tim Ferris is one of my personal favorite podcast hosts for his excellent listening skills, astute questions, and exceptional guests he is able to attract onto the show. He is also the author of the four-hour workweek, has started successful businesses, and has given out enough advice of his own that I have outlined here.

-Be a specialized generalist, not a specialist or generalist

-what would you pay to have a day or experience 20 years previously? This shows the value of experiences

-try to combine a few skills that don’t generally get combined to be able to do well, that are rare together; that gives you a key competitive advantage

-not dabbling in hundreds of things, but you are going deep in a few skill sets. E.g. Warren Buffett has finance and public speaking. That leads to the Archimedes lever, where he can use his vision and leverage the whole world

-public speaking, writing, negotiating are easier ones to add as soft skills

-win even if you fail, due to the skills and relationships that remain even if total failure occurs. Thus, if I fail, I must still win in some way. If skills or relationships they must be actual skills or good people that can benefit long term

-Need a positive snowball effect upward trend over time

-only specialize in one area if you plan to be the top of the top in your field, as it’s a risky strategy otherwise

-have your failures lead to platforms that can lead to success

-get a few skills that can compliment and add to each other very well

-you will never find balance, you must schedule it

-does not like switching cost between tasks so does admin tasks on Monday and podcasts Friday

-every once a quarter, 1-2 weeks semi or completely off grid in nature itself, blocked out in advance and preferably pre-paid and pre-planned in advance

-write but not read, to reflect rather than consume

-put everything in the calendar

-pay attention to your whole-body signs: yes/no for your mind (rational), gut (past experiences), heart (emotional). Need to have all of them yes to say yes, otherwise say no. Need 100% yes for yes. Signs of a no: constricting or tightness in lungs or chest, recoiling or bad feeling in gut

-when in doubt there is no doubt

-only if the answer is a strong yes without hesitation should you do say yes. It’s a hell yes or a no