Tools of Titans

Personally I wasn't moved by the first 100 or so pages, but then the real fun started. There are gems one can find here - insights, ideas, habits worth considering. I find this to be a very valuable read and definitely one that I will return to.

Tools of Titans is not meant to be read all the way through and I wholeheartedly agree. Although I struggled to get through certain sections due to a lack of interest in the topic, much of the information and concepts presented in this book are moderately interesting at worst and profound at best. On occasion, Ferriss's writing can come across as a bit self-centered (i.e. “As I was writing this book is Paris, sipping my glass of (x)...” sort of thing), but the value of the book's content makes up for it.

If you're looking to get as much value from this book in the least time possible, I would highly recommend going straight to the back of the book, where Ferriss summarizes some of the commonalities of the people he's interviewed over the years and more importantly, the books that have been most frequently recommended by those same people. After doing so, flip through each section and skip liberally if you so desire.

Is it a page turner from start to finish? No. Absolutely not. Would I recommend it just based on likelihood of finding at least one profound nugget of wisdom or info that may shift your perspective on something? Absolutely.

Very helpful tips from top performers, conveniently categorised and with added commentary, too, by Tim Ferriss.

Ce livre a traîné très longtemps dans ma bibliothèque avant que je ne m'y attaque. Il y est enfin retourné avec des dizaines de pages marquées sur les conseils que je trouvais les plus intéressants et importants. Le format est assez étrange, un assemblage d'interview sans en être vraiment, mais ce livre renferme tellement de conseils intéressants et surprenants que chacun y trouvera son compte. A feuilleter au gré du temps et des réponses que l'on cherche :)

”You must want to be a butterfly so badly, you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.”

Po přečtení jsem si uvědomil, že se snažíme být stejně úspěšní jako jiní. Ale ve skutečnosti bych se měl snažit být úspěšný sám sebou. Neexistuje univerzální metoda, která vás udělá úspěšným v tom, co děláte. Některé metody pravděpodobně nikdy nevyzkoušíte (James Fadiman si dává mikrodávky psychedelik), ale jiné by vás nejspíš bavily (Seth Rogen používá jako nástroj různé druhy marihuany v závislosti na situaci. Například k psaní a kreativnímu myšlení konopí jménem Jack Herer). Každý si tak ke své práci musí vytvořit ideální metodu, která mu vyhovuje. A právě tato kniha vás může nasměrovat.

Tim distills the wisdom of successful celebrities, artists, athletes and business people down into a book jam packed with so much great advice you'll need to read it multiple times.

Wonderful little nuggets of wisdom from inspiring people. Interesting stories, actionable advice.

Big fan of Tim's stuff for a while now. Was really really looking forward to this book, and although I'm VERY happy with the purchase (if you enjoyed the podcasts, you'll love the book - fact.), I'm also slightly disappointed and feel a bit cheated for two reasons -
1. The book is organised by interviewees, not by subjects (although from some of his promo materials I understood that it would be structured by topics)
2. There is really not that much of new content. I've listened to the vast majority of the episodes, read vast majority of the blog posts and although Tim says that there is 200+ pages of brand new content - there just isn't. There are some new bits here and there but altogether it's just a book of highlights from the podcast and the blog.

But I love it anyway. Gave me 100s of ideas, reminded me of 1000s of tips from various interviews that I wanted to try out etc. This will definitely be my go-to reference in times of need.

P.S. IMO “Wealth” is by far the best section of the book.