Tools of Titans – Book Review

Tools of Titans is a collection of tips and tricks from the 200+ highly successful podcast guests Tim Ferris has interviewed. From Billionaires to professional athletes and actors, each guest is profiled in 3-5 pages of important information conveyed during their 1-2 hour interview.

Tim’s podcast episodes have surpassed 200 million downloads, and once you hear them you can understand why. He has a great way of asking probing questions and teasing out interesting and useful information from his guests. From Tony Robbins, to Charles Poliquin, to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, topics generally hover around self improvement, daily routines, how they became successful, and their views on life.

Normally I take notes on a book, but this book is notes and so I’m limited in what I can add below. I strongly suggest you listen to The Tim Ferriss Podcast to get a taste of what this book will contain. For the podcast guests I found particularly interesting I took my own notes, which were much more comprehensive than what you get in Tools of Titans. For that reason, should you purchase the book first, it’s a good idea to listen to episodes in full should you find a certain guest very appealing.

Tools Of Titans by Tim Ferriss

PRO TIP: Take notes! When you read a book, use a blank sheet of paper as a bookmark. Write down any interesting facts and information from the book. This condenses a whole book into 3-4 pages of key notes that are important and relevant to you. 

My Notes

The book is separated into three chapters: Healthy, Wealthy and Wise.

Top 10 Podcast Episodes at the time of publishing:

1. 124 – Jamie Foxx (Actor)
2. 37 – Tony Robbins (Life Coach)
3. 107 – Jocko Willink (Navy SEAL)
4. 178 – Tony Robbins (Life Coach)
5. 173 – Lessons from Geniuses
6. 60 – Arnold Schwarzenegger (Actor/Former Bodybuilder)
7. 158 – Gymnastics Strength Training
8. 138 – Seth Godin (Author)
9. 117 – Dom D’Agostino (Medical Research – Ketosis)
10. 91 – Charles Poliquin (Strength Trainer)

Commonalities of top performers:

1. Daily meditation or mindfulness
2. Listening to single songs on repeat for focus
3. Have read either Sapiens, Poor Charlie’s Almanac, Influence or Man’s Search For Meaning

“Everything around you that you call ‘life’ was made up by people that were no smarter than you. You can change it, build on it, influence it. Once you learn that you’ll never be the same again.” – Steve Jobs

• Re-worded question “What might you do to accomplish your 10 year goals in the next six months if you had a gun to your head?”
• People use Metformin for life extension. 0.5g daily for 12 weeks, though it lowers testosterone and may damage mitochondria.
• Tim takes 5mg Lithium Orotate for optimal health.
• Do a long walk on the first day of a fast to use up glycogen
• Don’t take Multi-Vitamins, Vitamin A supplements, Vit E, K or C. DO take Magnesium 600-800mg daily.
• Request Hb1Ac in a blood test, it’s a 3 month rolling average of insulin levels. “You age at the rate you produce insulin”. Taking Magnesium drops your Hb1Ac value.
• Different sources of Magnesium go to different parts of the body. Try threonate, rotate and glycinate.
• Recommended documentary “Cosmos” by either Carl Sagan or Neil DeGrasse Tyson
• Buy a Chilli Pad for improved sleep
• For sleep, 2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey in a cup of hot water before bed
• A morning routine: 1) Make your bed, 2) 10-20 mins of meditation, 3) 5-10 reps of a chosen exercise, 4) Green tea with ginger and turmeric, 5) 5 minute journal
• Tech Tips: 1) P2 (WordPress Theme) for replacing e-mail, 2) Momentum – Chrome extension for focus, 3) Wunderlust -to-do management app/tool, 4) Calm.com – meditation
• Avoid trends for business as there’s too much competition. You don’t want to be the 8th person selling something. Find a unique problem people are not solving elsewhere.
• Creator of Dilbert: “Combine two skills you are in the top 25% for to be successful.” In his case drawing, and humour. It’s much harder to be in the top 1% for one skill, so a “double threat” is more likely to lead to success.
• “If you can’t be first in a category, set up a new category you can be first in”
• “Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want”.

“The standard pace is for chumps. You can pass a 4 year degree in 2 years, the curriculum has to be set for the lowest common denominator and you’re smarter than that.” – Derek Sivers

Recommendations:

• 1000 True Fans (Article)
• The Dvorak Zine (Online Comic Book) – consider the Dvorak keyboard layout
• The Tail End (Article)
• Givewell.org (charity)
• 7 Up (14 Up, 21 Up etc.) – A documentary series following the same group of people every 7 years

Information I Bookmarked

• Page 7: Sauna Protocol
• Page 12: Shoulder extension and Thoracic Bridge exercises
• Page 14: QL Walk (Lower back help – Quadratus Lumborum)
• Page 15: Jefferson Curl (Thoracic mobility)
• Page 17: Ag Walks (Shoulder flexibility)
• Page 18: Pike Pulses (ab exercise)
• Page 19: Cast Wall Walk
• Page 23: Ketosis with Dom D’Agostino
• Page 62: Glute Medius Workout
• Page 86: Warm ups: Halos (shoulder) and Cossacks (Ankle)
• Page 106: Micro-dosing LSD
• Page 110: Flotation tanks as a mild psychadelic
• Page 125: Kelly Starrett talks mobility (Cat-camels, lunges, shoulder internal rotation)
• Page 151: Transcendental Meditation
• Page 158: Wishing Happiness on Others exercises
• Page 200: Productivity tips from Tim
• Page 248: 10 idea lists examples for your “idea muscle”
• Page 304: Good Interview Techniques
• Page 429: Tips for Internet Security
• Page 507: Popular songs for playing on repeat
• Page 594: 17 Questions that changed my life
• Page 614: Morning Pages exercise