Episode

#121: BJ Novak of The Office on Creative Process, Handling Rejection, and Good Comedy
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1:34:22
Published: Wed Nov 25 2015
Description

This tactical episode covers principles and tactics for creating amazing careers, comedy, writing, and much more. Hilarious stories weave it all together. My guest is B.J. Novak (@bjnovak), best known for his work on NBC's Emmy Award-winning comedy series "The Office" as an actor, writer, director, and executive producer. He has appeared in films such as Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds and Disney's Saving Mr. Banks. He is also the author of the acclaimed short story collection "One More Thing" and the #1 New York Times Best Seller "The Book With No Pictures" (great Christmas gift), which has more than one million copies in print. Last but not least, he is co-founder of The List App. In other words, he does a lot and does it well. What are the habits, tools, and routines that help him to do this? That's what we explore in this conversation. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by Vimeo Pro, which is ideal for entrepreneurs. In fact, a bunch of my start-ups are already using Vimeo Pro. WealthFront uses it to explain how it develops personalized investment portfolios. TaskRabbit uses it to tell the company’s story. Twitter uses it to showcase Periscope. Why are they using it instead of other options out there? Vimeo Pro provides enterprise level video hosting that typically costs thousands of dollars for a tiny fraction of the cost. Features include: Gorgeous high-quality playback with no ads Up to 20 GB of video storage every week Unlimited plays and views A fully customizable video player, which can include your company logo, custom outro, and more You get all this for just $199 per year (that’s only $17 per/mo.) There are no complicated bandwidth calculations or hidden fees. Just go to Vimeo.com/business to check it out. If you like it, you can use the promo code “Tim” to get 25% off. This is the deepest discount you will find anywhere for Vimeo Pro. This podcast is also brought to you by Wealthfront. Wealthfront is a massively disruptive (in a good way) set-it-and-forget-it investing service, led by technologists from places like Apple and world-famous investors. It has exploded in popularity in the last 2 years and now has more than $2.5B under management. In fact, some of my good investor friends in Silicon Valley have millions of their own money in Wealthfront. Why? Because you can get services previously limited to the ultra-wealthy and only pay pennies on the dollar for them, and it’s all through smarter software instead of retail locations and bloated sales teams. Check out wealthfront.com/tim, take their risk assessment quiz, which only takes 2-5 minutes, and they’ll show you—for free–exactly the portfolio they’d put you in. If you want to just take their advice and do it yourself, you can. Or, as I would, you can set it and forget it. Well worth a few minutes: wealthfront.com/tim. Mandatory disclaimer: Wealthfront Inc. is an SEC registered Investment Advisor. Investing in securities involves risks, and there is the possibility of losing money. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Please visit Wealthfront dot com to read their full disclosure.***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Visit tim.blog/sponsor and fill out the form.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chapters
In this episode, comedian BJ Novak shares his love for "The Great Debates", a comedy debate podcast where intelligent people argue over trivial and bizarre topics.
00:00 - 05:43 (05:43)
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Podcasts
Summary

In this episode, comedian BJ Novak shares his love for "The Great Debates", a comedy debate podcast where intelligent people argue over trivial and bizarre topics. He also discusses the benefits of listening to podcasts and how it's like adding an extra hour of reading a day.

Episode
#121: BJ Novak of The Office on Creative Process, Handling Rejection, and Good Comedy
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The Harvard Lampoon is a unique comedy magazine that fosters talented individuals and trains them rigorously in comedy writing, allowing them to fall in love with the craft and become successful in the entertainment industry.
05:43 - 17:41 (11:58)
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Comedy Writing
Summary

The Harvard Lampoon is a unique comedy magazine that fosters talented individuals and trains them rigorously in comedy writing, allowing them to fall in love with the craft and become successful in the entertainment industry. Its alumni have gone on to write for popular shows like The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live.

Episode
#121: BJ Novak of The Office on Creative Process, Handling Rejection, and Good Comedy
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The host of the podcast shares his advice for aspiring standup comedians, including avoiding the mentality of only chasing money and booking a full week of shows in advance.
17:41 - 23:12 (05:31)
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Standup Comedy
Summary

The host of the podcast shares his advice for aspiring standup comedians, including avoiding the mentality of only chasing money and booking a full week of shows in advance. He also talks about his admiration for Bob Saget and his experience struggling as a newcomer in the industry.

Episode
#121: BJ Novak of The Office on Creative Process, Handling Rejection, and Good Comedy
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
A comedian shares his experience of pursuing a career in stand-up comedy, where he ran out of his savings in about two years, but eventually found success through perseverance and luck, with the added advantage of having parents in the writing industry.
23:12 - 28:31 (05:19)
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Comedy
Summary

A comedian shares his experience of pursuing a career in stand-up comedy, where he ran out of his savings in about two years, but eventually found success through perseverance and luck, with the added advantage of having parents in the writing industry.

Episode
#121: BJ Novak of The Office on Creative Process, Handling Rejection, and Good Comedy
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
A lean team of writers consisting of Mindy Kaling, Paul Lieberstein, and Larry Wilmore, along with Greg Daniels' story outlines and Steve Carell's improvisations, made the beginning of "The Office" very exciting creatively.
28:31 - 35:36 (07:05)
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"The Office"
Summary

A lean team of writers consisting of Mindy Kaling, Paul Lieberstein, and Larry Wilmore, along with Greg Daniels' story outlines and Steve Carell's improvisations, made the beginning of "The Office" very exciting creatively.

Episode
#121: BJ Novak of The Office on Creative Process, Handling Rejection, and Good Comedy
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Comedian and writer, BJ Novak, shares his tips for developing stories and ideas for TV shows or stand-up comedy.
35:36 - 40:35 (04:58)
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Creativity
Summary

Comedian and writer, BJ Novak, shares his tips for developing stories and ideas for TV shows or stand-up comedy. He stresses the need to indulge in what you love and to find the inspiration to fix any challenges that arise.

Episode
#121: BJ Novak of The Office on Creative Process, Handling Rejection, and Good Comedy
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Comedian John Mulaney shares his approach to the two distinct phases of creative work, which he divides into the idea phase and the execution phase, emphasizing the importance of writing down every idea without judging it.
40:35 - 44:20 (03:44)
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Creative Process
Summary

Comedian John Mulaney shares his approach to the two distinct phases of creative work, which he divides into the idea phase and the execution phase, emphasizing the importance of writing down every idea without judging it.

Episode
#121: BJ Novak of The Office on Creative Process, Handling Rejection, and Good Comedy
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker talks about the challenges of combining paragraphs and dialogues, wanting to switch between different formats, and implementing perfect creative processes.
44:20 - 49:22 (05:02)
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Creative writing
Summary

The speaker talks about the challenges of combining paragraphs and dialogues, wanting to switch between different formats, and implementing perfect creative processes.

Episode
#121: BJ Novak of The Office on Creative Process, Handling Rejection, and Good Comedy
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker talks about finding good comedy and mentions how it applies to editing and the way movies break traditional forms.
49:22 - 56:37 (07:15)
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comedy
Summary

The speaker talks about finding good comedy and mentions how it applies to editing and the way movies break traditional forms.

Episode
#121: BJ Novak of The Office on Creative Process, Handling Rejection, and Good Comedy
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker expresses their interest in leveraging technology and the entertainment industry to create new products, and highlights tech as a leading force in shaping the future of entertainment.
56:37 - 1:04:24 (07:46)
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Technology
Summary

The speaker expresses their interest in leveraging technology and the entertainment industry to create new products, and highlights tech as a leading force in shaping the future of entertainment.

Episode
#121: BJ Novak of The Office on Creative Process, Handling Rejection, and Good Comedy
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The podcast discusses a list of Howard Stern's best interviews and a helpful list shared by Cheryl Strayed, the writer of "Wild".
1:04:24 - 1:11:03 (06:39)
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Podcasts
Summary

The podcast discusses a list of Howard Stern's best interviews and a helpful list shared by Cheryl Strayed, the writer of "Wild".

Episode
#121: BJ Novak of The Office on Creative Process, Handling Rejection, and Good Comedy
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker recommends two books for readers to try: the Oxford book of aphorisms and Daily Rituals.
1:11:03 - 1:15:03 (03:59)
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Book Recommendations
Summary

The speaker recommends two books for readers to try: the Oxford book of aphorisms and Daily Rituals.

Episode
#121: BJ Novak of The Office on Creative Process, Handling Rejection, and Good Comedy
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker talks about their tendency to overuse the word "like" in their speech, despite it being perceived as a more feminine term.
1:15:03 - 1:17:22 (02:19)
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Language
Summary

The speaker talks about their tendency to overuse the word "like" in their speech, despite it being perceived as a more feminine term. They give an example of their usage and how others react to it.

Episode
#121: BJ Novak of The Office on Creative Process, Handling Rejection, and Good Comedy
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The Tyvolo company produces large ice cubes that can elevate any drink for just $7 on Amazon, making every drink feel like it came from a fancy bar.
1:17:22 - 1:21:03 (03:41)
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Cocktail
Summary

The Tyvolo company produces large ice cubes that can elevate any drink for just $7 on Amazon, making every drink feel like it came from a fancy bar.

Episode
#121: BJ Novak of The Office on Creative Process, Handling Rejection, and Good Comedy
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker shares their approach to taking productive breaks, either by getting excited about an idea or by listening to commercial-free indie music on a daily show, and sometimes by reading news from the Wall Street Journal or New York Times.
1:21:03 - 1:24:05 (03:02)
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Productivity
Summary

The speaker shares their approach to taking productive breaks, either by getting excited about an idea or by listening to commercial-free indie music on a daily show, and sometimes by reading news from the Wall Street Journal or New York Times.

Episode
#121: BJ Novak of The Office on Creative Process, Handling Rejection, and Good Comedy
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Comedian and actor, Pete Holmes, discusses the various paths individuals can take to break into the comedy world and the importance of honing your craft before seeking out opportunities.
1:24:06 - 1:32:04 (07:58)
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Comedy
Summary

Comedian and actor, Pete Holmes, discusses the various paths individuals can take to break into the comedy world and the importance of honing your craft before seeking out opportunities.

Episode
#121: BJ Novak of The Office on Creative Process, Handling Rejection, and Good Comedy
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss talks about his Five Bullet Friday Newsletter, a weekly email where he shares the coolest things he has found or pondered over the week.
1:32:04 - 1:34:18 (02:14)
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Newsletter
Summary

Tim Ferriss talks about his Five Bullet Friday Newsletter, a weekly email where he shares the coolest things he has found or pondered over the week. It includes his favorite articles and apps, and it's very short.

Episode
#121: BJ Novak of The Office on Creative Process, Handling Rejection, and Good Comedy
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show