Episode
Ep 39: Maria Popova on Writing, Work Arounds, and Building BrainPickings.org
1:44:43
Published: Tue Oct 21 2014
Description
This episode is sponsored by 99Designs and ExOfficio.Maria Popova has written for amazing outlets like The Atlantic and The New York Times, but I find her most amazing project to be BrainPickings.org.Founded in 2006 as a weekly email that went out to seven friends, BrainPickings now get more than 5 million readers per month (!). I read very few blogs regularly, but BrainPickings is one of the few. It is a treasure trove.BrainPickings is Maria's one-woman labor of love — her subjective lens on what matters in the world and why. It's also an inquiry into how to live and what it means to lead a good life. From Mark Twain to Oscar Wilde and everyone in between, Maria finds hidden gems to share.And that's what I hoped to do in this episode. It takes me a few minutes to warm up in this interview, but as soon as we get going, we geek out like crazy, talking about almost every aspect of her life, her site, her business, and her writing. I loved doing this interview, and I hope you love listening to it. There are a lot of valuable nuggets.***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
Tim Ferris introduces his weekly newsletter, Five Bullet Friday, which delivers a concise list of the coolest things he's discovered that week, ranging from apps to documentaries.
00:00 - 00:51 (00:51)
Summary
Tim Ferris introduces his weekly newsletter, Five Bullet Friday, which delivers a concise list of the coolest things he's discovered that week, ranging from apps to documentaries.
EpisodeEp 39: Maria Popova on Writing, Work Arounds, and Building BrainPickings.org
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Athletic Greens is offering a free vitamin D supplement and five travel packs with the first subscription purchase.
00:51 - 04:08 (03:16)
Summary
Athletic Greens is offering a free vitamin D supplement and five travel packs with the first subscription purchase. Learn more at tim.blog/Friday.
EpisodeEp 39: Maria Popova on Writing, Work Arounds, and Building BrainPickings.org
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss talks with writer, Maria Popova, about dissecting excellence and finding tools and tactics that we can apply to our own lives.
04:08 - 08:32 (04:24)
Summary
Tim Ferriss talks with writer, Maria Popova, about dissecting excellence and finding tools and tactics that we can apply to our own lives. They also discuss Maria's ability to consume and parse down vast amounts of information to find hidden gems to share.
EpisodeEp 39: Maria Popova on Writing, Work Arounds, and Building BrainPickings.org
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
In this podcast episode, Sam Harris talks about his love for reading and how it is a fundamental part of his personal and professional life.
08:32 - 12:48 (04:16)
Summary
In this podcast episode, Sam Harris talks about his love for reading and how it is a fundamental part of his personal and professional life. He also shares his annotated reading process and how it helps him retain knowledge and insights from the books he reads.
EpisodeEp 39: Maria Popova on Writing, Work Arounds, and Building BrainPickings.org
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The question of how to live well and fulfill our lives is a common denominator that is addressed in different aspects ranging from philosophy to art to literature.
12:48 - 19:58 (07:09)
Summary
The question of how to live well and fulfill our lives is a common denominator that is addressed in different aspects ranging from philosophy to art to literature. The interviewee shares a semicolon quote as a nod to a friend with a tattoo, but this may also be the reason for the interviewer's interest in their work.
EpisodeEp 39: Maria Popova on Writing, Work Arounds, and Building BrainPickings.org
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker discusses how he navigates through the world and understands his place in it by creating patterns of meaning from unrelated information in order to obtain wisdom.
19:58 - 31:10 (11:12)
Summary
The speaker discusses how he navigates through the world and understands his place in it by creating patterns of meaning from unrelated information in order to obtain wisdom.
EpisodeEp 39: Maria Popova on Writing, Work Arounds, and Building BrainPickings.org
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
This podcast focuses on the difficulty of balancing productivity and presence in a society that values efficiency and success above all.
31:10 - 37:12 (06:01)
Summary
This podcast focuses on the difficulty of balancing productivity and presence in a society that values efficiency and success above all. The host emphasizes the importance of routines and rituals to create a rhythm that allows you to work efficiently while taking breaks to rest and recharge.
EpisodeEp 39: Maria Popova on Writing, Work Arounds, and Building BrainPickings.org
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker describes how they keep track of quotes from books by writing them down on the last page and listing the corresponding page numbers, which is especially important when reading as a writer.
37:12 - 43:39 (06:27)
Summary
The speaker describes how they keep track of quotes from books by writing them down on the last page and listing the corresponding page numbers, which is especially important when reading as a writer. However, this method is imperfect when dealing with older out-of-print books.
EpisodeEp 39: Maria Popova on Writing, Work Arounds, and Building BrainPickings.org
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The host argues that philosophy is the only way to figure out how to live and thus, we should use it intelligently and reclaim it.
43:39 - 51:56 (08:17)
Summary
The host argues that philosophy is the only way to figure out how to live and thus, we should use it intelligently and reclaim it. He suggests using Seneca's letters as a gateway drug into philosophy.
EpisodeEp 39: Maria Popova on Writing, Work Arounds, and Building BrainPickings.org
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
This podcast discusses the challenges of transcribing books in the digital age and how API can solve some of these problems.
51:56 - 57:00 (05:03)
Summary
This podcast discusses the challenges of transcribing books in the digital age and how API can solve some of these problems. They also talk about techniques for formatting and transposing text from various sources.
EpisodeEp 39: Maria Popova on Writing, Work Arounds, and Building BrainPickings.org
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
In this podcast episode, the speaker discusses the benefits of delegating work to an assistant and how it can help manage demands that become too overwhelming.
57:00 - 1:02:28 (05:28)
Summary
In this podcast episode, the speaker discusses the benefits of delegating work to an assistant and how it can help manage demands that become too overwhelming.
EpisodeEp 39: Maria Popova on Writing, Work Arounds, and Building BrainPickings.org
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The host discusses delegating tasks, prioritizing responsibilities, and the importance of optimizing one's workflow, as they share their personal experience with optimizing their workflow with mailing lists and newsletters.
1:02:28 - 1:10:09 (07:40)
Summary
The host discusses delegating tasks, prioritizing responsibilities, and the importance of optimizing one's workflow, as they share their personal experience with optimizing their workflow with mailing lists and newsletters.
EpisodeEp 39: Maria Popova on Writing, Work Arounds, and Building BrainPickings.org
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker talks about their obsession with Bulgarian Olympic weightlifters and how they try to bring up the topic whenever they meet Bulgarians, even though it's not always relevant.
1:10:10 - 1:15:43 (05:33)
Summary
The speaker talks about their obsession with Bulgarian Olympic weightlifters and how they try to bring up the topic whenever they meet Bulgarians, even though it's not always relevant.
EpisodeEp 39: Maria Popova on Writing, Work Arounds, and Building BrainPickings.org
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Social media perpetuate snap reactions and outrageously inaccurate comments with many users failing to actually read the content.
1:15:43 - 1:23:24 (07:40)
Summary
Social media perpetuate snap reactions and outrageously inaccurate comments with many users failing to actually read the content. Brain Pickings offers a stronghold of positivity and instructions to ban vicious behavior rather than rational disagreement.
EpisodeEp 39: Maria Popova on Writing, Work Arounds, and Building BrainPickings.org
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The Email Charter can help improve the effectiveness of emails, yet it's still important to consider the value of sharing information with others.
1:23:25 - 1:32:35 (09:09)
Summary
The Email Charter can help improve the effectiveness of emails, yet it's still important to consider the value of sharing information with others. When it comes to dealing with pitches and requests from writer acquaintances or friends, it can be challenging to balance being polite while also setting boundaries.
EpisodeEp 39: Maria Popova on Writing, Work Arounds, and Building BrainPickings.org
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The recurring payment options seem to be the largest form of financial support compared to the single ones.
1:32:35 - 1:38:19 (05:43)
Summary
The recurring payment options seem to be the largest form of financial support compared to the single ones. Authenticity is maintained on the blog by producing content that the author would like or dislike as a reader.
EpisodeEp 39: Maria Popova on Writing, Work Arounds, and Building BrainPickings.org
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker shares reflections on what he learned in the seven years of reading, writing, and living.
1:38:19 - 1:43:07 (04:47)
Summary
The speaker shares reflections on what he learned in the seven years of reading, writing, and living. One insight shared is that Brain Pickings can cause you to focus on what you'd like to like, rather than what you actually like.
EpisodeEp 39: Maria Popova on Writing, Work Arounds, and Building BrainPickings.org
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The transcript includes an advertisement for 99Designs and Exoficio, as well as a concluding message to subscribe and provide feedback through various social media platforms.
1:43:07 - 1:44:26 (01:19)
Summary
The transcript includes an advertisement for 99Designs and Exoficio, as well as a concluding message to subscribe and provide feedback through various social media platforms.