Timothy Ferriss's Blog, page 130

Where would you go if you had a free ticket anywhere? The island of Bohol in the Philippines? (source: WisDoc)

Not long ago, I received the following comment — edited for length — from Ryan N.:

I hate you Tim. I had a secure future ahead of me, and I left my job, my reasonably well paying professional career all because of your book. Best thing I've ever done!!

I was wondering if you might be able to put up a blog post where people could post their ideas or muses as case studies. I'm sure...

Jaime Cevallos and the MP30 Training Bat (Source: Jaime Cevallos)

"Cevallos told Zobrist [Tampa Bay Rays MVP:] he could turn him into a power hitter…The results have been remarkable."

- ESPN The Magazine

This article will tell the inspiring story of Jaime Cevallos, who went from $7 an hour to coaching MVPs in Major League Baseball, automating his income in the process.

Jaime is now — in many respects — set. But how did he do it?

Some of the questions I asked Jaime include:

1) What is your muse...

The last 72 hours – that's me on the right. (Source: AgentGenius)

I opened an appropriate fortune cookie last week: "A calm sea does not make a skilled sailor."

It's important to always have a Plan B.

Take, for instance, a book launch. It's easy to miss the bestseller list if you don't have a contingency plan for when things go wrong.

This is exactly what happened to me in the last 72 hours, and my Plan B involves giving away lots of goodies.

Today is December 15th, and the new Expanded and...

Here is my most recent keynote from the 2,000-person+ Le Web in Paris, which focused on how to catalyze a global phenomenon on a very limited budget. Topics include:

- How to sell "around the product" for more coverage.

- The three necessary types of media exposure.

- Real-world tipping points from the launch of The 4-Hour Workweek

- How to increase website conversion 80%.

It pulls from real case studies, including my own experience and tech start-ups I advise…

To advance slides on the...

Random – China Episode 2 Part B from Glenn McElhose on Vimeo.

This is a continuation of the Random series. Past episodes include language learning, start-up advice, must-read books, and more.

In this episode, filmed on the roof of the Yin bar in Beijing, Kevin Rose and I (and a little bit of Glenn McElhose) discuss our top-3 favorite travel spots. Details include favorite areas, seasons, things to look for and, occasionally, things to look out for…

Let us know your favorite travel spot in the...

The Wilburns have created a multinational from their home.(Photo: Dana Smith)

"So, do you have any ideas?"

"Well, if we're going to do something, it should be big. It should make people sit up and say OMFG. Make people actually do something," I responded.

The conversation continued in front of the Thai restaurant, me pacing on my cell phone in San Francisco — foregoing food in excitement — and Tobi in his offices in Ottawa, Canada.

We decided in the subsequent 10 minutes to offer $100,000 c...

Playing Santa isn't easy. (Credit: GarlandCannon)

I dislike shopping, but I love finding the perfect gift.

Finding that gift, though, gets harder with time. Those damn adults seem to already have everything. That includes me.

More salt and pepper shakers? Nah. Alternate versions of the shirts I got last year? No, thank you. In the eternal quest to eliminate clutter, I now give Santa a not-to-buy list instead of a wish list.

If you're having trouble thinking up killer (in the good...

Keep calm and carry on. (source: zenonline)

Right alongside the cash and credit cards, I keep a number of strange things in my wallet.

The largest is a folded-up page from the July 6, 2009 issue of Fortune magazine. In a profile, Scott Boras, widely regarded as the most powerful agent in professional baseball, describes a dinner with one of his mentors after a record-breaking contract:

"He said that if you are really effective at what you do, 95% of the things said about you will be...

Last night, world-famous magician and endurance artist David Blaine taught me — along with about 10 other TEDMED attendees — how to hold my breath.

David holds the Guinness world record for holding his breath: 17 minutes and 4.4 seconds. I was born premature and, unlike David, I couldn't remember the last time I held my breath for more than one minute. It is my physiological Achilles heel.

What were the results?

My first baseline test: 40 seconds.
15 minutes of training later: 3 minutes and...

An impromptu b-boying lesson at home after some Bulleit bourbon. Don't drink and dance.

Breakin' 2 did it. It was 1984 and I was convinced I would be a professional breakdancer. Alas, I was seven years old, and I looked exactly like this reader who left a comment on my tango instructional post:

Tim,

I'm pretty impressed by your achievements in tango, but what about tips on your first love?

B-boying is a sport I've watched and attempted for years. Sadly, the minute I go from uprock to six-step...