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The Tim Ferriss Show

The Tim Ferriss Show

By: Tim Ferriss: Bestselling Author Human Guinea Pig
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Tim Ferriss is a self-experimenter and bestselling author, best known for The 4-Hour Workweek, which has been translated into 40+ languages. Newsweek calls him "the world's best human guinea pig," and The New York Times calls him "a cross between Jack Welch and a Buddhist monk." In this show, he deconstructs world-class performers from eclectic areas (investing, chess, pro sports, etc.), digging deep to find the tools, tactics, and tricks that listeners can use.© 2014–2026 Tim Ferriss Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • #874: Guy Oseary — The Legendary Hollywood Power Broker on 5-Minute Decisions, 36 Years of Managing Madonna, 26 IPOs, and Spotting Magic First

    #874: Guy Oseary — The Legendary Hollywood Power Broker on 5-Minute Decisions, 36 Years of Managing Madonna, 26 IPOs, and Spotting Magic First
    Jul 7 2026
    Guy Oseary (@guyoseary) has been spotting talent before anyone else could see it for nearly four decades. Under his leadership at Maverick Records, Maverick sold more than 100 million albums. Guy has managed some of the biggest names in music, including Madonna, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and U2, and was named Variety's Music Mogul of the Year in 2022. He executive produced Twilight, which became one of the most successful franchises in movie history, generating more than $3.5B. Guy was also an early investor in Vita Coco and co-founded A-Grade Investments and then Sound Ventures, now with nearly $2 billion under management. At A-Grade, his hits included Airbnb, Uber, and Spotify. Sound Ventures launched with less than $100M and has since had 86 exits and 26 IPOs.This episode is brought to you by:Momentous high-quality creatine for cognitive and muscular support: https://livemomentous.com/TimAG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: DrinkAG1.com/Tim*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 hr and 33 mins
  • #873: David Allen — The Art of Getting Things Done (GTD) (Repost)

    #873: David Allen — The Art of Getting Things Done (GTD) (Repost)
    Jul 2 2026
    For more than 40 years, David Allen has worked with individuals and organizations around the world to help them stay clear, focused, and productive—without burning out. He is the author of the mega-bestseller Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. Subscribe to David's Substack at davidallen.substack.com.This episode was originally published in September 2019. Show notes: https://tim.blog/2019/09/03/david-allen-getting-things-done/This episode is brought to you by:Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: Shopify.com/timEight Sleep Pod Cover 5 sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: EightSleep.com/TimAG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: DrinkAG1.com/Tim5-Bullet Friday, my very own free email newsletter: https://tim.blog/fridayTimestamps:[00:00:00] Start.[00:03:12] As David once told Chase Jarvis: "Your mind is made for having ideas, not for holding ideas." What did he mean by this?[00:06:06] What are the first questions and exercises David presents when he begins coaching high-functioning but overwhelmed people?[00:08:28] What are the consequences of breaking an agreement with yourself, why are you most likely to break such an agreement, and what are your options for recovering from a broken agreement?[00:11:35] David's best tips for renegotiating an agreement when the need arises.[00:17:01] Where does David keep his backlog?[00:18:25] What are the pros and cons of keeping track of information in digital versus analog format?[00:20:00] As a teenager, what did David want to be when he grew up?[00:24:08] What did David's college and career path look like, and how did it steer him toward understanding models for navigating life's complexities?[00:25:48] What David can piece together from Berkeley, 1968 and the long list of careers that followed — leading to the formation of the principles detailed in GTD.[00:30:32] What mentors does David credit as being instrumental in his creation of GTD?[00:33:09] What are next action decisions, and how do they differ from what people generally put on their to-do lists?[00:36:24] The capture list, the two-minute rule, and emptying the in-basket.[00:37:22] Top-down versus bottom-up systems and understanding the hierarchy of priorities.[00:43:02] What led to the Allens' relocation to Amsterdam, and what quality of life improvements have he and his wife noticed since moving there?[00:48:29] How long did it take for the Allens to go from thinking about the possibility of moving from Ojai to Amsterdam to actually going through with it?[00:50:50] What does David consider his most fruitful — though seemingly counterintuitive — life decision?[00:55:34] One of David's mentors in Berkeley claimed to have extra-sensory abilities. Did David ever experience evidence of this in person?[00:56:58] David shares a particularly difficult period of time in his life, what led to it, and what happened in its aftermath.[01:01:21] What does the word "spiritual" mean to David?[01:02:14] What does David's meditation practice look like these days — and what does he recommend for someone who wants to start meditating?[01:02:58] What was David's biggest takeaway from the time he spent in a mental institution?[01:04:05] Does David ever feel overwhelmed or unfocused? If so, how does he deal with it?[01:05:02] Are there any new beliefs, behaviors, or habits that have materially improved David's life in the last handful of years?[01:06:19] Books (aside from his own) that David has gifted or recommended most to others.[01:07:13] What are David's bedtime and morning routines, and how much sleep does he get every night?[01:08:48] Is there anything about GTD David wishes more adherents would heed? Does anything important get commonly missed?[01:10:25] What are the steps of the GTD weekly review? Does David recommend doing it at any particular day or time?[01:12:40] Are there certain categories of things to which David simply says "No" as a default?[01:14:00] How does David filter unpleasant people out of his life?[01:14:52] Why GTD is intended as a force for freedom and creativity, not a yawnworthy paean to rigid structure — as Brad Keywell, Howard Stern, Will Smith, and Robert Downey, Jr. can testify.[01:18:58] Is the GTD weekly review inherently a solo process, or can it involve someone's group, staff, or family?[01:19:38] What does David use to organize his email?[01:20:58] Does David use any particular app or program for pulling material like articles or references from the Web?[01:22:13] Are there any quotes by which David tries to live his life?[01:22:48] What would David's billboard say?[01:23:16] Does David still have hope that people will do something with the space created by GTD to answer life's bigger questions?[01:25:35] Parting thoughts.*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit ...
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    1 hr and 32 mins
  • #872: Graham Duncan — Talent Is the Best Asset Class (Repost)

    #872: Graham Duncan — Talent Is the Best Asset Class (Repost)
    Jul 1 2026
    Graham Duncan (@GrahamDuncanNYC) is the co-founder of East Rock Capital, a multibillion-dollar multi-family investment office he launched in 2006. He is also Chairman of the Sohn Conference Foundation, which funds pediatric cancer research.This episode was originally published in February 2019. Show notes: https://tim.blog/2019/02/28/graham-duncan/This episode is brought to you by:Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: Shopify.com/timEight Sleep Pod Cover 5 sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: EightSleep.com/TimAG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: DrinkAG1.com/Tim5-Bullet Friday, my very own free email newsletter: https://tim.blog/fridayTimestamps:[00:00:00] Start.[00:02:29] I think of Graham as far more than an investor. How does he describe what he does?[00:06:13] Absent the systems and frameworks he's honed over time, what made Graham a good talent hunter at the tender age of 24?[00:08:42] What constitutes taste when Graham is scouting for talent these days?[00:11:14] Upon meeting someone, how does Graham stress-test whether or not someone is "commercial" in the way they balance aggression and integrity?[00:16:49] One high-signal question Graham has found particularly useful when trying to determine the quality of anyone from a trader to an OB/GYN.[00:19:17] When interviewing a potential candidate, how does Graham vet their given references?[00:22:21] On approaching the reference process with curiosity rather than an attempt to catch anyone with a "gotcha."[00:25:34] Why does mutual friend Josh Waitzkin call Graham The Wild Gardener?[00:27:04] How does Graham deal with contradictory perspectives — when the data is telling him one thing and his gut is telling him another?[00:29:09] What does Graham do to familiarize himself with the way people underwrite their mental models (besides nearly beheading them)?[00:30:29] Graham talks about his role as an investment coach, of sorts, and how he picks the best "players" for the game at hand.[00:31:53] What other patterns has Graham noticed in the successful talent he's ended up selecting?[00:36:06] In what way have others helped Graham surface his hidden assumptions, and how might a coach do the same for others?[00:39:17] An example of when Graham's "grip" has been a bit too tight around his own beliefs.[00:40:09] What Byron Katie has taught us about articulating the opposite of such beliefs — and having a mindful lunch.[00:46:18] When evaluating a team, how does Graham think about each person developing the ability to look at the opposite versus hiring to end up at that optimal mixture?[00:49:12] How might someone train to more clearly see disconfirming evidence — and roll with the punches when their instincts lead them toward regrettable decisions?[00:42:21] What books does Graham gift to others most often?[00:56:11] An aside about Wim Hof and Josh Waitzkin embracing "the other side of pain" to get the most out of life.[00:59:31] How does James Carse's distinction of finite and infinite games apply to finance, and how would Graham test a potential teammate for compatible sensibility?[01:02:41] How likely would it be for Graham to invest in a Jocko Willink project?[01:04:16] Different people have different ways of sniffing around direct questions. Here are a few examples.[01:05:54] Graham explains what this Kwame Appiah quote means to him: "In life the challenge is not so much to figure out how best to play the game; the challenge is to figure out what game you're playing."[01:08:13] Going by David Foster Wallace's famous commencement speech, what's your water? Podcasting helps me see mine.[01:09:32] Graham's take on Greg McKeown's Essentialism.[01:10:31] How Graham sees careers as a river (with a nod of thanks to neuroscientists Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson's model of well-being).[01:12:53] Toward which bank do the top one percent in any given field swim? What if that field is financial markets? What if that field is writing fiction novels?[01:16:39] The differences between millionaires, billionaires, cultural billionaires, and time billionaires.[01:18:47] An idea for how Tim Urban might allow for personalization of his 90-year-life calendar.[01:20:00] Are you more concerned about the length of your life or its width?[01:20:38] Life changes Graham and I have both made as a direct result of reading Tim Urban's "The Tail End" piece at Wait But Why.[01:22:05] How does Graham try to appreciate the width of his life?[01:25:05] Aside from the aforementioned Kwame Appiah quote, what might Graham put on his billboard?[01:25:52] The power to be found in treating negative feelings like welcome party guests.[01:27:43] Parting thoughts from Mark Twain and Graham.*For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet...
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    1 hr and 34 mins
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