Q&A with Tim — How to Live with Urgency, Find Joy, and Fight Complacency (#778)


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, and I’m the guest! 

As some of you know, I tested a “fan-supported model” in 2019, but I ended up returning to ads by request. That’s a long story, and you can read more about it at tim.blog/podcastexperiment. I recently sat down on Zoom with some of the supporters, which is the episode you are about to hear. 

I answer questions on how I’ve changed my mind around parenthood, what’s next for me and how I am thinking about next steps, how I find joy, how to live with urgency, my advice for career reinvention in the age of AI, avoiding complacency and ruts, and much, much more.

Please enjoy!

This episode is brought to you by Ramp easy-to-use corporate cards, bill payments, accounting, and more; Helix Sleep premium mattresses; and AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement.

Listen to the episode on Apple PodcastsSpotifyOvercastPodcast AddictPocket CastsCastboxYouTube MusicAmazon MusicAudible, or on your favorite podcast platform.

#778: Q&A with Tim — How to Live with Urgency, Find Joy, and Fight Complacency (#778)

This episode is brought to you by Ramp! Ramp is corporate card- and spend-management software designed to help you save time and put money back in your pocket. Ramp has already saved more than 25,000 customers—including other podcast sponsors like Shopify and Eight Sleep—more than 10 million hours and more than $1 billion through better financial management of their corporate spending.

With Ramp, you’re able to issue cards to every employee with limits and restrictions and automate expense reporting, allowing you to close your books 8x faster on average. Your employees will no longer need to spend hours submitting expense reports. In less than 15 minutes, you can get started issuing virtual and physical cards and making payments, whether you have 5 employees or 5,000. Businesses that use Ramp save an average of 5% on total card spending and related expenses in the first year. And now, you can get $250 when you join Ramp. Just go to ramp.com/Tim.


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. 

Right now, you’ll get a 1-year supply of Vitamin D free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit DrinkAG1.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive your 1-year supply of Vitamin D (and 5 free AG1 travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive daily, foundational nutrition supplement that supports whole-body health.


This episode is brought to you by Helix SleepHelix was selected as the best overall mattress of 2024 by Forbes, Fortune, and Wired magazines and many others. With Helix, there’s a specific mattress to meet each and every body’s unique comfort needs. Just take their quiz—only two minutes to complete—that matches your body type and sleep preferences to the perfect mattress for you. They have a 10-year warranty, and you get to try it out for a hundred nights, risk-free. They’ll even pick it up from you if you don’t love it. And now, Helix is offering 20% off all mattress orders at HelixSleep.com/Tim.


Want to hear my last Q&A? Have a listen here, where I discuss reinvention, optimization, intriguing investments, modern dating, personal heresies, taking a barbell distribution approach to life, cheap but choice art, making room for the irrational, workout routines for older parents, music I like, and much more.

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

SHOW NOTES

  • [00:05:09] Q&A format and ground rules.
  • [00:05:35] My shift in perspective on parenting and fatherhood.
  • [00:08:14] New creative directions: games, comics, animation.
  • [00:10:30] Identity diversification.
  • [00:18:01] Simple pleasures: outdoor activities, meditation, archery.
  • [00:23:21] Using AI to keep questioning fresh and relevant.
  • [00:27:12] Breaking through periods of feeling unsuccessful.
  • [00:35:25] Exploring the fringes and growing personally over the past decade.
  • [00:44:52] Longevity protocols and handling grief.
  • [00:53:41] Coping with the loss of a pet.
  • [00:55:00] Ecstatic creativity à la Rick Rubin and CØCKPUNCH.
  • [01:03:37] Physiological awareness and self-regulation.
  • [01:08:48] Finding career relevance in an AI-transformed landscape.
  • [01:16:48] 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.