Tim Ferriss’s Daily Routine
Tim Ferriss has been listed as one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and one of Fortune’s “40 under 40.” He is an early-stage technology investor/advisor (Uber, Facebook, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ others) and the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers, including The 4-Hour Workweek and Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers. The Observer and other media have called Tim “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of The Tim Ferriss Show podcast, which is the first business/interview podcast to exceed 100 million downloads. It has now exceeded 700 million downloads.
Summarized Version
- He makes his bed.
- He meditates for 20 minutes.
- He drinks strong tea.
- He journals for five to 10 minutes.
- He eats a small breakfast.
- He exercises for 20-90 minutes.
Makes His BedFerriss chooses to start his days by clearing both his room and his mind. “If you see an external distraction (speaking personally), you end up creating an internally distracted state,” he says.
Making his bed not only helps Ferriss keep his physical space clear but also gives him a sense of control over his mind. It’s a strategy that helps him deal with all of the intangibles and curveballs that life throws at him and gives him a sense of control over his life.
“No matter how s—ty your day is … you can make your bed,” Ferriss writes. “And that gives you the feeling, at least it gives me the feeling, even in a disastrous day, that I’ve held on to the cliff ledge by a fingernail and I haven’t fallen. There is at least one thing I’ve controlled.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmFwRkl-TTc
He meditates for 10 to 20 minutes.
More than 80 percent of the world-class performers Ferriss interviewed practice some daily mindfulness, however briefly.
By meditating, “you’re practicing focus when it doesn’t matter (sitting on a couch for 10 minutes) so that you can focus better later when it does matter (negotiation, conversation with a loved one, etc.),” he writes.
Ferriss recommends first-timers try a meditation app, like Headspace or Calm, or listen to a guided meditation from someone like Sam Harris or Tara Brach.
Work Out
In “Tools of Titans,” Ferriss advocates doing five to 10 reps of any exercise first thing in the morning. He prefers push-ups, but you could try sit-ups, squats, or lunges.
“The five-to-10 reps here are not a workout,” he says. “They are intended to ‘state prime’ and wake me up. Getting into my body, even for 30 seconds, has a dramatic effect on my mood and quiets mental chatter.”
He has since extended his morning workouts to include 20-to-90 minutes of activity. “That exercise could be riding on a Peloton bike and doing a 20-minute HIIT workout [high-intensity interval training], or it could be acro yoga, or it could be weight training or working on a Concept 2 rower,”
He drinks “titanium tea” and has a small breakfast
Ferriss prepares a custom blend of teas and spices, which he’s dubbed “titanium tea.”
“This name was a joke, but it stuck,” he writes. The tea consists of one teaspoon of pu-erh aged black tea, one teaspoon of dragon well green tea, and one teaspoon of turmeric and ginger shavings. He also adds coconut oil or Quest MCT oil powder and chases it with a glass of cold water.
In addition to the tea, Ferriss also consumes a small breakfast. He’ll often opt for half a can of Amy’s high-protein and high-fiber black bean chili, which he orders in bulk.
He journals for five to 10 minutes
Ferriss alternates between two types of journaling: One is for “getting unstuck or problem-solving (what should I do?),” and the other is for “prioritizing and [for] gratitude (how should I focus and execute?).”
When he’s writing about what he’s grateful for, he considers four categories: An old relationship that helped him out, an opportunity he had that day, something significant that happened yesterday, and something simple near him or within sight.