Episode

#219: Lessons from Warren Buffett, Bobby Fischer, and Other Outliers
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1:58:04
Published: Thu Feb 02 2017
Description

Adam Robinson (@IAmAdamRobinson) first appeared on this podcast in the "Becoming the Best Version of You" episode (#210) alongside Josh Waitzkin (chess, jiu-jitsu, investing) and Ramit Sethi (personal finance, entrepreneurship). By popular demand, this is a dedicated episode of Adam's stories and life lessons. Adam Robinson has made a lifelong study of outflanking and outsmarting the competition. He is a rated chess master who was awarded a Life Title by the United States Chess Federation. As a teenager, he was personally mentored by Bobby Fischer in the 18 months leading up to his winning the world championship. Then, in his first career, he developed a revolutionary approach to taking standardized tests as one of the two original co-founders of The Princeton Review. His paradigm-breaking -- or "category killing," as they say in publishing -- test-prep book, The SAT: Cracking the System, is the only test-prep book ever to have become a New York Times bestseller. After selling his interest in The Princeton Review, Adam turned his attention in the early '90s to the then-emerging field of artificial intelligence, developing a program that could analyze text and provide human-like commentary. He was later invited to join a well-known quant fund to develop statistical trading models, and since, he has established himself as an independent global macro advisor to the chief investment officers of a select group of the world's most successful hedge funds and family offices. In his spare time, he's also become pen pals with Warren Buffett. This is a wide-ranging conversation (aka conversational parkour) with lots of takeaways. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed recording it! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is 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 two 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. This podcast is also brought to you by 99Designs, the world's largest marketplace of graphic designers. I have used them for years to create some amazing designs. When your business needs a logo, website design, business card, or anything you can imagine, check out 99Designs. I used them to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body, and I've also had them help with display advertising and illustrations. If you want a more personalized approach, I recommend their 1-on-1 service, which is non-spec. You get original designs from designers around the world. The best part? You provide your feedback, and then you end up with a product that you're happy with or your money back. Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade. Give it a test run... ***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, Tim talks with Adam Robinson, a jack of all trades and master of many, about his revolutionary approach to taking standardized tests, his study of chess, and his work in artificial intelligence and global macro advising.
00:00 - 13:47 (13:47)
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Adam Robinson
Summary

In this episode, Tim talks with Adam Robinson, a jack of all trades and master of many, about his revolutionary approach to taking standardized tests, his study of chess, and his work in artificial intelligence and global macro advising. They discuss Adam's habits, routines, and beliefs that have helped him achieve success across multiple fields.

Episode
#219: Lessons from Warren Buffett, Bobby Fischer, and Other Outliers
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
This transcript is about Bobby Fischer, the chess prodigy, and how a chess player learned to play by studying his games, magazines and by buying Bobby's book.
13:47 - 34:22 (20:34)
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Chess
Summary

This transcript is about Bobby Fischer, the chess prodigy, and how a chess player learned to play by studying his games, magazines and by buying Bobby's book.

Episode
#219: Lessons from Warren Buffett, Bobby Fischer, and Other Outliers
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss and guest speaker discuss how to approach decision making and developing a taxonomic system for categorizing food.
34:22 - 55:58 (21:36)
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decision-making
Summary

Tim Ferriss and guest speaker discuss how to approach decision making and developing a taxonomic system for categorizing food.

Episode
#219: Lessons from Warren Buffett, Bobby Fischer, and Other Outliers
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The host shares a personal experience of his constant battle with depression from the age of 14 to 30, where he would spend days alone, living in darkness and struggling with a lack of self-worth.
55:59 - 1:19:51 (23:51)
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Depression
Summary

The host shares a personal experience of his constant battle with depression from the age of 14 to 30, where he would spend days alone, living in darkness and struggling with a lack of self-worth.

Episode
#219: Lessons from Warren Buffett, Bobby Fischer, and Other Outliers
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Anecdotes and philosophical musings on the importance of connection with others, including the concept of stoic joy and the necessity of considering opposing viewpoints.
1:19:51 - 1:42:42 (22:50)
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Philosophy
Summary

Anecdotes and philosophical musings on the importance of connection with others, including the concept of stoic joy and the necessity of considering opposing viewpoints.

Episode
#219: Lessons from Warren Buffett, Bobby Fischer, and Other Outliers
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker encourages listeners to focus on the positive things in life and to create magic in each encounter or moment.
1:42:42 - 1:56:58 (14:15)
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Personal Growth
Summary

The speaker encourages listeners to focus on the positive things in life and to create magic in each encounter or moment. He also shares an editing principle for avoiding unnecessary arguments or negative interactions by asking if what you are about to say will create delight or magic in the other person.

Episode
#219: Lessons from Warren Buffett, Bobby Fischer, and Other Outliers
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show