Episode
#283: Managing Procrastination, Predicting the Future, and Finding Happiness - Tim Urban
1:36:47
Published: Thu Nov 30 2017
Description
Tim Urban (@waitbutwhy) is the author of the blog Wait But Why and has become one of the Internet's most popular writers. According to Fast Company, Tim has "captured a level of reader engagement that even the new-media giants would be envious of." Wait But Why receives more than 1.5 million unique visitors per month and has over 550,000 email subscribers.Tim has gained a number of prominent readers as well, like authors Sam Harris (page 365 in Tribe of Mentors) and Susan Cain (page 10), Twitter co-founder Evan Williams (page 401), TED curator Chris Anderson (page 407), and Brain Pickings' Maria Popova.Tim's series of posts after interviewing Elon Musk has been called by Vox's David Roberts "the meatiest, most fascinating, most satisfying posts I've read in ages." You can start with the first one, Elon Musk: The World's Raddest Man. Tim's TED Talk, Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator, has received more than 21 million views.Enjoy!This podcast is brought to you by Peloton, which has become a staple of my daily routine. I picked up this bike after seeing the success of my friend Kevin Rose, and I've been enjoying it more than I ever imagined. Peloton is an indoor cycling bike that brings live studio classes right to your home. No worrying about fitting classes into your busy schedule or making it to a studio with a crazy commute.New classes are added every day, and this includes options led by elite NYC instructors in your own living room. You can even live stream studio classes taught by the world's best instructors, or find your favorite class on demand.Peloton is offering listeners to this show a special offer. Visit onepeloton.com and enter the code "TIM" at checkout to receive $100 off accessories with your Peloton bike purchase. This is a great way to get in your workouts or an incredible gift. Again, that's onepeloton.com and enter the code TIM.This podcast is also brought to you by ConvertKit. After trying the competition, this is the only email tool that has made email marketing easy for my team without sacrificing any of the features and benefits I need to run a profitable business. It's got easy-to-use systems, split testing, resending technology, automation, targeted content, high rates of deliverability, integration with more than 70 services -- like WordPress, Shopify, and Sumo -- and excellent customer service.Whether you have a thousand subscribers or a million, whether you run a simple blog or a whole company, ConvertKit has a plan that's scaled to fit your budget and requirements. Go to ConvertKit.com/Tim to try it out and get your first month for free! Test the platform, kick the tires, and make sure it works for you and your business.***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 Ferriss discusses his popular email newsletter, Five Bullet Friday, which delivers his top findings of the week, and reveals his process for finding guests to interview on his podcast.
00:00 - 01:24 (01:24)
Summary
Tim Ferriss discusses his popular email newsletter, Five Bullet Friday, which delivers his top findings of the week, and reveals his process for finding guests to interview on his podcast.
Episode#283: Managing Procrastination, Predicting the Future, and Finding Happiness - Tim Urban
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferris interviews blogger Tim Urban, author of waitbutwhy.com, whose blog has garnered over 1.5 million unique visitors per month, and has become popular among prominent readers, including Elon Musk, Sam Harris, and Susan Cain.
01:24 - 08:47 (07:22)
Summary
Tim Ferris interviews blogger Tim Urban, author of waitbutwhy.com, whose blog has garnered over 1.5 million unique visitors per month, and has become popular among prominent readers, including Elon Musk, Sam Harris, and Susan Cain.
Episode#283: Managing Procrastination, Predicting the Future, and Finding Happiness - Tim Urban
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker shares their experience of finding their creative voice through blogging, starting with using it as a form of procrastination and eventually developing their style and content.
08:47 - 15:37 (06:50)
Summary
The speaker shares their experience of finding their creative voice through blogging, starting with using it as a form of procrastination and eventually developing their style and content. Through consistently writing and publishing, they were able to hone their voice and find success.
Episode#283: Managing Procrastination, Predicting the Future, and Finding Happiness - Tim Urban
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The author discusses the negative human qualities that come through on Facebook and how it is the wild west of social etiquette.
15:38 - 22:05 (06:26)
Summary
The author discusses the negative human qualities that come through on Facebook and how it is the wild west of social etiquette. The first post on the blog was about the ways people can be insufferable on Facebook, and the author wrote it after spending a month alone on Easter Island.
Episode#283: Managing Procrastination, Predicting the Future, and Finding Happiness - Tim Urban
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The key to success is finding your niche audience and timing your content right.
22:05 - 30:16 (08:11)
Summary
The key to success is finding your niche audience and timing your content right. Starting with the mindset of writing for yourself is an easy way to find your unique audience and tapping into the cresting wave of technological advancements is crucial.
Episode#283: Managing Procrastination, Predicting the Future, and Finding Happiness - Tim Urban
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker discusses his approach to learning through reading articles and watching YouTube videos without necessarily discerning the accuracy of each source to gain an overall understanding of a topic.
30:16 - 35:15 (04:59)
Summary
The speaker discusses his approach to learning through reading articles and watching YouTube videos without necessarily discerning the accuracy of each source to gain an overall understanding of a topic.
Episode#283: Managing Procrastination, Predicting the Future, and Finding Happiness - Tim Urban
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker talks about starting with the big bang to explain any concept and making it more fun and understandable with stick drawings or diagrams.
35:15 - 41:41 (06:25)
Summary
The speaker talks about starting with the big bang to explain any concept and making it more fun and understandable with stick drawings or diagrams. Also, he discusses how our biology has not evolved to keep up with the world we live in right now.
Episode#283: Managing Procrastination, Predicting the Future, and Finding Happiness - Tim Urban
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The history of human civilization, from the advent of Islam to the emergence of AI in 2025, can be summarized in just 701 pages, according to author and historian, Yuval Noah Harari.
41:41 - 49:17 (07:35)
Summary
The history of human civilization, from the advent of Islam to the emergence of AI in 2025, can be summarized in just 701 pages, according to author and historian, Yuval Noah Harari. He sees the pages as revolutionary, marking key moments such as the Renaissance, Enlightenment and the birth of constitutional democracy.
Episode#283: Managing Procrastination, Predicting the Future, and Finding Happiness - Tim Urban
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The timeline for AI surpassing human intelligence is a hot topic, but most predictions fall between 50 and 10 years from now.
49:17 - 53:54 (04:37)
Summary
The timeline for AI surpassing human intelligence is a hot topic, but most predictions fall between 50 and 10 years from now. While this raises concerns about AI safety, it also raises questions about how we view human happiness when we have the power to play god with other species and potentially even ourselves.
Episode#283: Managing Procrastination, Predicting the Future, and Finding Happiness - Tim Urban
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The equation for happiness is the reality minus expectations, which can be improved by refining your expectations to reflect what matters to you and improving your reality.
53:56 - 58:15 (04:19)
Summary
The equation for happiness is the reality minus expectations, which can be improved by refining your expectations to reflect what matters to you and improving your reality. It's important to be grateful for what you have and think positively to train your brain for happiness.
Episode#283: Managing Procrastination, Predicting the Future, and Finding Happiness - Tim Urban
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Traveling to foreign countries, especially those where you don't speak the language and deliberately exposing yourself to people who are less privileged, can help you develop fresh perspectives and gain well-being.
58:15 - 1:05:08 (06:53)
Summary
Traveling to foreign countries, especially those where you don't speak the language and deliberately exposing yourself to people who are less privileged, can help you develop fresh perspectives and gain well-being.
Episode#283: Managing Procrastination, Predicting the Future, and Finding Happiness - Tim Urban
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker discusses his interest in life extension and the potential for scientific research on psychedelics and MDMA to treat debilitating conditions such as PTSD and depression.
1:05:08 - 1:14:28 (09:19)
Summary
The speaker discusses his interest in life extension and the potential for scientific research on psychedelics and MDMA to treat debilitating conditions such as PTSD and depression.
Episode#283: Managing Procrastination, Predicting the Future, and Finding Happiness - Tim Urban
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss shares his personal routine for structuring his writing days, including setting a manageable writing quota of two pages per day and incorporating physical activity and an accountability partner to combat isolation and negative mental states.
1:14:34 - 1:20:16 (05:41)
Summary
Tim Ferriss shares his personal routine for structuring his writing days, including setting a manageable writing quota of two pages per day and incorporating physical activity and an accountability partner to combat isolation and negative mental states.
Episode#283: Managing Procrastination, Predicting the Future, and Finding Happiness - Tim Urban
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The difference between a prolific writer and someone who doesn't write anything is that the former dedicates even just a fraction of their time consistently to their craft, while the latter doesn't.
1:20:17 - 1:29:42 (09:25)
Summary
The difference between a prolific writer and someone who doesn't write anything is that the former dedicates even just a fraction of their time consistently to their craft, while the latter doesn't. Internal motivation and consistency is key to achieving success.
Episode#283: Managing Procrastination, Predicting the Future, and Finding Happiness - Tim Urban
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The guest speaker emphasizes the significance of having self-compassion and exploring various personal growth tools before considering psychedelics, which should only be done under professional supervision due to potential legal and safety risks.
1:29:42 - 1:36:43 (07:00)
Summary
The guest speaker emphasizes the significance of having self-compassion and exploring various personal growth tools before considering psychedelics, which should only be done under professional supervision due to potential legal and safety risks. The host also shares his "Five Bullet Friday" newsletter and current experiment on self-love.