Episode
#460: Maria Popova on Writing, Workflow, and Workarounds (Repost)
1:46:38
Published: Sun Sep 06 2020
Description
This interview originally aired in 2014. You can find the show notes here: https://tim.blog/2014/10/21/brain-pickings/Maria Popova (@brainpicker) is a reader and a writer who writes about what she reads on Brain Pickings, which is included in the Library of Congress permanent web archive of culturally valuable materials. She is the author of Figuring, the editor of A Velocity of Being: Letters to a Young Reader, and the creator and host of The Universe in Verse, an annual charitable celebration of science through poetry at the interdisciplinary cultural center Pioneer Works in Brooklyn.Brain Pickings is Maria’s one-woman labor of love — 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 the hidden gems. She is also PROLIFIC and makes me look like a sloth.In this in-depth conversation, we cover just about everything: how it happened, her workflow, how she writes (and workarounds to problems), how her site generates revenue, her workouts, and many more details. If you want to know the habits of a hyper-productive person, this episode is for you.***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.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
Five Bullet Friday is a popular email newsletter with millions of subscribers that contains five short bullet points about the coolest things the creator has found that week, including apps, books, documentaries, supplements, gadgets, new self-experiments, hacks, tricks, and all sorts of weird stuff.
00:00 - 00:54 (00:54)
Summary
Five Bullet Friday is a popular email newsletter with millions of subscribers that contains five short bullet points about the coolest things the creator has found that week, including apps, books, documentaries, supplements, gadgets, new self-experiments, hacks, tricks, and all sorts of weird stuff.
Episode#460: Maria Popova on Writing, Workflow, and Workarounds (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The episode talks about Tim Ferriss' email newsletter, Five Bullet Friday, and its popularity with subscribers, as well as his recommended all-in-one supplement, Athletic Greens, which provides many nutrients often missing from meals.
00:54 - 05:59 (05:04)
Summary
The episode talks about Tim Ferriss' email newsletter, Five Bullet Friday, and its popularity with subscribers, as well as his recommended all-in-one supplement, Athletic Greens, which provides many nutrients often missing from meals.
Episode#460: Maria Popova on Writing, Workflow, and Workarounds (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Maria Popova is the founder of Brain Pickings, a fantastic blog that shares creative and insightful stories from different people and cultures.
05:59 - 12:03 (06:03)
Summary
Maria Popova is the founder of Brain Pickings, a fantastic blog that shares creative and insightful stories from different people and cultures. She joins Tim to discuss her incredible story, process of content curation, and the lessons that shaped her journey.
Episode#460: Maria Popova on Writing, Workflow, and Workarounds (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
This interview discusses the concept of Brain Pickings, a collection of interesting things and personal subjective private thinking that takes form in writing, as well as the importance of timeless and timely topics in writing.
12:03 - 18:18 (06:14)
Summary
This interview discusses the concept of Brain Pickings, a collection of interesting things and personal subjective private thinking that takes form in writing, as well as the importance of timeless and timely topics in writing.
Episode#460: Maria Popova on Writing, Workflow, and Workarounds (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The author of the book 's title is a semicolon.
18:18 - 31:09 (12:51)
Summary
The author of the book 's title is a semicolon.
Episode#460: Maria Popova on Writing, Workflow, and Workarounds (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Author and podcaster, Tim Ferriss, discusses his disciplined sleep routine and his struggle to balance productivity and presence in a culture that values efficiency and performance.
31:09 - 40:15 (09:06)
Summary
Author and podcaster, Tim Ferriss, discusses his disciplined sleep routine and his struggle to balance productivity and presence in a culture that values efficiency and performance.
Episode#460: Maria Popova on Writing, Workflow, and Workarounds (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker talks about gathering quotes and references from books and other materials, even when they are written in shorthand or acronyms.
40:15 - 51:31 (11:16)
Summary
The speaker talks about gathering quotes and references from books and other materials, even when they are written in shorthand or acronyms. By following references and citations, one can discover amazing works that they may not have found otherwise.
Episode#460: Maria Popova on Writing, Workflow, and Workarounds (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Maria Popova discusses the challenges she faces with note-taking for her vast amounts of reading and offers some tips for dealing with digital rights management on e-books.
51:31 - 59:10 (07:38)
Summary
Maria Popova discusses the challenges she faces with note-taking for her vast amounts of reading and offers some tips for dealing with digital rights management on e-books. However, she admits that the problem has not been solved in any kind of practical way and that the tools she uses are a bunch of hacks using existing technologies.
Episode#460: Maria Popova on Writing, Workflow, and Workarounds (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
In this podcast episode, the speaker discusses the importance of proofreading and copy editing one's own work, as well as having a copy editor to help catch errors.
59:10 - 1:04:51 (05:40)
Summary
In this podcast episode, the speaker discusses the importance of proofreading and copy editing one's own work, as well as having a copy editor to help catch errors. They also mention using WordPress as a platform.
Episode#460: Maria Popova on Writing, Workflow, and Workarounds (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker explains her new commitment to only speak to students because it is worth her time if it steers even one journalism student from a career in buzzworthy media.
1:04:51 - 1:12:37 (07:46)
Summary
The speaker explains her new commitment to only speak to students because it is worth her time if it steers even one journalism student from a career in buzzworthy media. She also discusses the challenge of delegating tasks and admitting the need for outsourcing.
Episode#460: Maria Popova on Writing, Workflow, and Workarounds (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The guest discusses fitness hacks such as elevated push-ups and inverted bent rows while traveling.
1:12:37 - 1:18:24 (05:47)
Summary
The guest discusses fitness hacks such as elevated push-ups and inverted bent rows while traveling. They also mention the importance of including bodyweight exercises in their workout routine. Additionally, they touch upon the website Brain Pickings and how it is used as a reference by academics.
Episode#460: Maria Popova on Writing, Workflow, and Workarounds (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Maria Popova believes that people have a harder time with criticism when they feel misunderstood and the reactive culture on social media is toxic because people comment without taking the care to understand what is being said.
1:18:24 - 1:27:23 (08:58)
Summary
Maria Popova believes that people have a harder time with criticism when they feel misunderstood and the reactive culture on social media is toxic because people comment without taking the care to understand what is being said. She uses Buffer to schedule her Twitter, but she is cautious about Facebook comments and deletes them mercilessly if there's no humanity, patience, or thinking in them.
Episode#460: Maria Popova on Writing, Workflow, and Workarounds (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
In this podcast, the speaker discusses the importance of surrounding oneself with like-minded individuals and the role of personal microculture in this.
1:27:23 - 1:33:20 (05:57)
Summary
In this podcast, the speaker discusses the importance of surrounding oneself with like-minded individuals and the role of personal microculture in this. They also offer insights into how to deal with cold inquiries and politely decline friends or acquaintances who request them to read their books.
Episode#460: Maria Popova on Writing, Workflow, and Workarounds (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker discusses the different methods of fundraising for charities, including one-time donations and monthly memberships, and advises against making decisions based on fear or a desire for prestige.
1:33:20 - 1:40:05 (06:44)
Summary
The speaker discusses the different methods of fundraising for charities, including one-time donations and monthly memberships, and advises against making decisions based on fear or a desire for prestige. While initially assuming that one-time donations accounted for more, the speaker believes that recurring donations will eventually become the larger means of financial support for charities.
Episode#460: Maria Popova on Writing, Workflow, and Workarounds (Repost)
PodcastThe Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss interviews Maria Popova of Brain Pickings about her journey, her writing process, and cultivating meaning in life through literature and philosophy.
1:40:06 - 1:46:31 (06:24)
Summary
Tim Ferriss interviews Maria Popova of Brain Pickings about her journey, her writing process, and cultivating meaning in life through literature and philosophy.