Episode

#92: Maria Popova on Being Interesting, Creating More Time in a Day, And How to Start A Successful Blog
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34:19
Published: Fri Jul 24 2015
Description

Maria Popova (@brainpicker) 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 to seven friends, BrainPickings now gets more than 5 million readers per month (!). I read very few blogs regularly, but BrainPickings is one of the few that makes the cut. It’s a treasure trove. Maria is massively successful, and her output is staggering. None of it’s accidental, and she’s great at teaching what she’s learned. This episode answers the top-10 most popular questions you all had for Maria, including: The single attribute that leads to greatness in any given field Required reading and habits for anyone in public office How Henry David Thoreau was the first to talk about the dangers of sitting Why we must stop calling our work, "content" Links, resources, and show notes from this episode can be found at http://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 bandwith 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 Mizzen + Main. These are the only “dress” shirts I now travel with — fancy enough for important dinners but made from athletic, sweat-wicking material. No more ironing, no more steaming, no more hassle. Click here for the exact shirts I wear most often. Don't forget to use the code “TIM” at checkout. Enjoy!***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 introduces the concept of optimal minimalism and advertises his email newsletter, Five Bullet Friday, which contains short but informative bullet points of the coolest things he has found all over the world.
00:00 - 01:03 (01:03)
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optimal minimalism
Summary

Tim Ferriss introduces the concept of optimal minimalism and advertises his email newsletter, Five Bullet Friday, which contains short but informative bullet points of the coolest things he has found all over the world.

Episode
#92: Maria Popova on Being Interesting, Creating More Time in a Day, And How to Start A Successful Blog
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Athletic Greens is offering a free vitamin D supplement and travel packs with the first subscription purchase, and a customizable high-quality video player with 20GB storage and unlimited plays is available at Tim's website.
01:03 - 04:31 (03:28)
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Athletic Greens
Summary

Athletic Greens is offering a free vitamin D supplement and travel packs with the first subscription purchase, and a customizable high-quality video player with 20GB storage and unlimited plays is available at Tim's website.

Episode
#92: Maria Popova on Being Interesting, Creating More Time in a Day, And How to Start A Successful Blog
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
In this episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, Tim talks to author and entrepreneur Seth Godin about how to create something meaningful, the importance of not creating for an audience and why you should embrace your anxiety.
04:32 - 08:28 (03:56)
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Self-improvement
Summary

In this episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, Tim talks to author and entrepreneur Seth Godin about how to create something meaningful, the importance of not creating for an audience and why you should embrace your anxiety.

Episode
#92: Maria Popova on Being Interesting, Creating More Time in a Day, And How to Start A Successful Blog
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Hard work is often associated with difficulty and struggle, but it is really about showing up to do dedicated work that is satisfying to oneself, and not trying to please others by predicting what they might be interested in.
08:28 - 17:14 (08:46)
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Hard Work
Summary

Hard work is often associated with difficulty and struggle, but it is really about showing up to do dedicated work that is satisfying to oneself, and not trying to please others by predicting what they might be interested in. True artists and writers always show up for their work, regardless of how they are feeling.

Episode
#92: Maria Popova on Being Interesting, Creating More Time in a Day, And How to Start A Successful Blog
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
This transcript provides insights into how one's mood, time of year, events happening in life, and other factors impact the choice of books one would like to read.
17:14 - 29:46 (12:31)
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Reading choices
Summary

This transcript provides insights into how one's mood, time of year, events happening in life, and other factors impact the choice of books one would like to read. It further emphasizes the significance of the inner substance of work produced by an artist.

Episode
#92: Maria Popova on Being Interesting, Creating More Time in a Day, And How to Start A Successful Blog
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Author and podcaster Cheryl Strayed shares her thoughts on the importance of helping young people find their way to creative jobs that lift people up, and the balance between giving back and making sure your own work doesn't suffer.
29:46 - 34:10 (04:23)
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Creativity
Summary

Author and podcaster Cheryl Strayed shares her thoughts on the importance of helping young people find their way to creative jobs that lift people up, and the balance between giving back and making sure your own work doesn't suffer.

Episode
#92: Maria Popova on Being Interesting, Creating More Time in a Day, And How to Start A Successful Blog
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show