The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers

1-Sentence Summary of Tools of Titans

Unlock the tactics and habits of world-class performers in Tim Ferriss’s “Tools of Titans”—because mastering their secrets might just make you the next titan! 🚀💪

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Tools of Titans is a comprehensive compilation of insights, advice, and strategies from successful individuals across various fields, offering practical guidance for enhancing health, wealth, and wisdom.

We’re scratching the surface in this Tools of Titans summary. If you don’t already have the book, order it here or get the audiobook for free on Amazon to learn the juicy details.

Introduction

What if you could have all the wisdom of highly successful people from a range of life areas in the palm of your hand?

You can.

Tools of Titans is a bible of the best advice Tim Ferriss has learned while hosting his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show. He has interviewed over two hundred successful people. These guests range from super celebs, like Jamie Foxx and Seth Rogen, to extreme athletes and black-market biochemists. 

Every guest has one thing in common: a recipe for success. Tools of Titans contains all the insightful tools, tactics, tips, and tricks offered by these successful people.

About Tim Ferriss

Tim Ferriss is an author, investor, TV host and economic advisor. He has written five New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling books, including his bestselling debut book, The 4-Hour Work Week. On his TV show, Fear(less) with Tim Ferriss, he has interviewed highly successful CEOs, sportspeople, and others at the top of their game. His popular podcast, The Tim Ferris Show, has exceeded 500 million downloads, and The Observer has called him the ‘Oprah of audio.’

Ferriss invests in and advises huge companies like Facebook, Shopify, Duolingo and Uber. He is also on the advisory board for DonorsChoose, the first charity to make the Fast Company list of the 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World.

Part 1: HEALTH

StoryShot 1: Extreme Athletes Have Some of the Best Health Tips

Athletes used to facing extreme conditions are well-placed to offer advice on achieving success.

Amelia Boone

One of the most extreme sports to emerge in recent years is obstacle course racing. This sport involves running long distances with the added challenge of barriers along the way. For example, athletes must duck under and climb over walls, cross water, crawl under barbed wire, and run on fire. 

Amelia Boone is the most successful athlete of this popular sport. She has placed first in 30 obstacle races and participated in the world’s hardest competition, Toughest Mudder. During this 24-hour race (without breaks!), Boone covered a 90-mile course with almost 300 obstacles.

Recovery is essential for all sports, especially one as grueling as obstacle course racing. Boone’s body is under extreme pressure in these tournaments, so she is perfectly placed to offer insightful tips for recovery. 

Boone blends beetroot powder with hydrolyzed gelatin before every training session and race. This drink is crucial for the regeneration of her connective tissues.

The hamstrings are one of the most essential muscle groups for overall strength and posture. Boone employs a specific way to stimulate this essential muscle group. Every day, she rolls her feet over a golf ball to stimulate the hamstrings.

Wim Hof

Wim Hof is an athlete who has excelled in sports in some of the most challenging climates, especially extreme cold. Known as ‘The Iceman,’ Hof has broken over 20 world records in icy climates, including a 7,500-meter climb of Mount Everest in just shorts and shoes.

These feats may seem extreme, but people have used ice for health benefits for decades. For example, ice baths are a standard part of any top athlete’s post-match routine. Some athletes go above and beyond to experience the benefits of the cold. Surfing champion Laird Hamilton and self-improvement guru Tony Robbins work in cold environments. They believe this improves their immune function, promotes weight loss, and helps them fight depression. 

We don’t have to start competing in extreme sports, the dangerous version of an otherwise beneficial pursuit. A more accessible alternative is to finish your daily shower with a 30- to 60-second blast of cold water. This is completely safe, and you will obtain several health benefits.

StoryShot 2: Learn the Health Formula That Is Right for You

“Investing in yourself is the most important investment you’ll ever make in your life… There’s no financial investment that’ll ever match it, because if you develop more skill, more ability, more insight, more capacity, that’s what’s going to really provide economic freedom… It’s those skill sets that really make that happen.” — Tim Ferriss

People tend to seek simple answers to health questions. However, our health is complicated and unique to us. For example, although high cholesterol is generally considered bad, low cholesterol is not necessarily good. 

Justin Mager

Justin Mager is a physician and personal health coach for Olympic athletes and corporate executives. Mager believes one-size-fits-all health tips are a bad idea. He has noticed high cholesterol can help build lean body mass and defined muscles over a short period. While an office worker will probably be better off on a low-cholesterol diet, an elite athlete might benefit from a cholesterol-rich diet. 

Mager recommends everybody finds out what is healthy for them rather than following strict rules. The modern world is obsessed with regulations, e.g., no alcohol, no sugar, and no carbs. This dietary guidance might work for some but not others. Experiment so you can decide for yourself.

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James Fadiman

James Fadiman is an expert in psychedelics and recommends that people try things out before judging. Many people take micro-doses of psychedelic drugs to improve their well-being and empathy. It can also expand their consciousness. 

Ferriss talks about a ‘friend’ called Slim Berriss. This ‘friend’ takes two-weekly micro-doses of ibogaine hydrochloride (a psychoactive substance in some flowering plants). Slim Berriss also participates twice a year in a two-day retreat where he takes a high dose of ayahuasca. This is a psychoactive botanical used by the Amazon indigenous people for thousands of years to obtain spiritual enlightenment. People who take this plant claim it helps them feel more interconnected with everything in the universe. 

Fadiman and Ferriss do not recommend everyone takes psychoactive drugs; it is the mindset that is important. We should be open to different viewpoints and ways of becoming healthy. It is essential to seek medical supervision, as long as there aren’t strict rules. 

StoryShot 3: Improve Your Mobility with Simple Exercises

“Nothing breaks my heart more than seeing that person who’s struggling to lose weight who thinks that they need to run 20 miles a week. They have no desire to do it, their knees hurt, they hate it, and they’re not losing weight. And I’d like to say, ‘Well, I’ve got great news for you. You don’t ever need to run another step a day in your life, because there’s no value in that.’ “There is value in exercise, though, and I think that the most important type of exercise, especially in terms of bang for your buck, is going to be really high-intensity, heavy strength training. Strength training aids everything from glucose disposal and metabolic health to mitochondrial density and orthopedic stability. That last one might not mean much when you’re a 30-something young buck, but when you’re in your 70s, that’s the difference between a broken hip and a walk in the park.” — Tim Ferriss

Ferriss provides various exercises to improve mobility. Firstly, the campfire test will identify your level of mobility. If you cannot squat to the ground with your feet and knees together, your hips and ankles don’t have their full range of motion. This can cause problems such as hip impingement, plantar fasciitis, torn Achilles, and pulled calves.

To improve mobility, Tim uses techniques recommended by Eric Cressey, specifically, Cossack squats.

StoryShot 4: Suffering Is Associated With Our Thought Patterns

Changing how you view negative events in your life can boost your chances of success.

Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins, an American author, speaker, and coach, believes life is always happening for us, not to us. It is our job to work out where the benefit is. If we do, life is magical. 

There are three thought patterns associated with suffering:

• Loss
• Less
• Never

These thought patterns are focused on ourselves, even if it isn’t always obvious. We often describe suffering as something external, e.g., I’m worried about my children failing. The reality is, you’re worried about failing your children. Suffering is always linked to yourself and your thought patterns. 

We generally recognize problems rather than solutions. To solve this, we must adopt a higher emotional state. 

StoryShot 5: Invest in Your Health

“More than 80% of the interviewees have some form of daily mindfulness or meditation practice.” — Tim Ferriss

You can’t be successful without looking after your body and mind.

Jack Dorsey

The investment that has brought Twitter Founder, Jack Dorsey, the most success is not financial, but physical. Dorsey walks 5.3 miles to work every morning, which takes him 75 minutes each way.

This walk helps him to unplug from the world. He does not email or text during this time, just listens to music or audiobooks, or the sounds of his local area. He uses the sounds and sights of San Francisco as inspiration for thoughts and ideas.

Part 2: WEALTH

StoryShot 6: Seek Out Difficult Jobs

A common tip for becoming wealthy is hard work. However, your past experience in a tough job is as important. Engaging with a demanding job gives you the drive to attain the success that can help you leave the job for better things.

Chris Sacca

Chris Sacca is a successful investor in the San Francisco Bay Area. His parents exposed him to the hard-job lesson from a young age. Sacca and his siblings had a summer of two halves. They spent the first part interning with a high-powered relative. For example, at the age of 12, Sacca was teamed up with his godbrother’s father, the lobbyist in Washington, DC. Sacca spent his summer, pre-adolescence, sitting in meetings with members of Congress. He even learned how to convince these members to endorse specific bills. 

He spent the second half of his summer working in a far less prestigious job. One of his first jobs was servicing septic tanks. So, he shifted from working alongside members of Congress to filthy buckets of excrement. Importantly, both jobs were complicated. 

Discovering the benefits of being an executive and the difficulties of cleaning septic tanks should motivate you. Then, you can start taking steps in the right direction, even if these initial steps are not straightforward.

Seth Godin

When you start moving toward success, you must remain positive. Seth Godin is a successful publisher. He obtained his success by keeping track of every positive thing in his life, even during those early steps.

People tend to spend significant time thinking about their failures and the negative events in their lives. However, focusing on your failures will leave you feeling defeated. You are allowing adverse events to continue to hurt you. Instead, focus on the times you were successful, brave, or helpful. Concentrating on your positive moments will empower and encourage you to do greater things. 

StoryShot 7: Create Long-Term Systems Rather than Short-Term Goals

“Success, however you define it, is achievable if you collect the right field-tested beliefs and habits.” — Tim Ferris

You’re more likely to achieve larger goals if you look at the bigger picture.

Scott Adams

Scott Adams is the writer of the comic strip Dilbert. Dilbert is an office worker who is, in many ways, the perfect antihero. There is nothing particularly special about Dilbert, but he is still a successful character. Adams attributes this success to him forming systems rather than achieving goals. People tend to focus on short-term goals when pursuing their personal success. Many businesses fail because the owners expect immediate results. They have quit their job and decided to pursue something they expect to work instantly. After a few ‘failures,’ they head back to their old jobs. 

An example of a system to pursue is one that has an impact once you look at the bigger picture. A project may be doomed to fail if short-term goals are your aim. For example, engaging with creative pursuits should not just be to create work for an art gallery. Some may view art without potential wealth as a failure, but you are building a new skill by creating different types of art. These skills will be extremely useful later when you may need them for a specific project.

When Adams started blogging years ago, it took up a lot of time and he had little to show for it in additional income. That said, he knew it would be worthwhile as he was still working within his system. The experience he gained from writing this blog helped develop his writing style. This helped him become an influential online presence and a best-selling author. Adams’ years of buying into his system paid off. If he had relied on short-term goals, it could have been a different story.

StoryShot 8: Ignore Peer Pressure and Take Big Risks

People who conform to those around them are far less likely to have what it takes to become wealthy and successful. Successful people have to develop immunity to peer pressure.

Shaun White

Olympic snowboarding champion Shaun White ignored peer pressure to obtain success. When he was 15, his parents paid for him to travel to Japan to compete in an international snowboarding event. This event was of a very high standard. Many of the competitors were significantly older than White and sponsors fully covered their expenses.

The day before the competition, all the other athletes went out partying. White realized the impact this peer pressure would have on their performance. On the day, the competitors were so hungover, they decided not to take the event too seriously. They wanted to split the prize money after a show run. Despite the older athletes’ complaints, White didn’t succumb to peer pressure and refused to accept this deal. He won the competition and the $50,000 prize. This event set the foundation for the rest of his career. He is now one of the most marketable athletes in America.

White’s decision to refuse the deal is also an example of taking a risk. He could have settled for a guaranteed smaller amount of money. Instead, he decided to risk this money as he believed in his ability. 

Peter Diamandis

Peter Diamandis showcases another example of the importance of risk-taking. He is the founder of the XPRIZE Foundation, which offers an award for innovative solutions for space exploration. He decided the winner of the prize should receive at least $10 million. However, even with his friends’ help, he was only able to raise half this amount. Most people would have given up. Instead, Diamandis took a risk and invested the money in a massive fundraising event. Spending his money on the event paid off. The magnitude of the event reassured the sponsors, and the donations began pouring in. 

Without Diamandis taking a risk, this prize would never have existed. It was awarded for the first time in 2004.

StoryShot 9: Plan Ahead to Achieve Success

“The superheroes you have in your mind (idols, icons, titans, billionaires, etc.) are nearly all walking flaws who’ve maximized 1 or 2 strengths.” — Tim Ferriss

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger applies a winning mentality to all he does. In his bodybuilding competitions and movies, he is not there to compete. He is there to win. Schwarzenegger’s confidence comes from his vision. He is a big believer in clear visions making life easier.

He is also an avid chess player and has been for years. Chess requires players to think many steps ahead. Schwarzenegger did this with his investments. He started making his millions before landing substantial movie roles. He saved his money from bodybuilding and selling fitness courses. These savings were used to put money down on apartments so he could rent them out for profit. Schwarzenegger was successful before he became a huge celebrity, thanks to his clear vision.

Naval Ravikant

Naval Ravikant is a co-founder and chairman of AngelList. He believes we always have three options:

• Change it
• Accept it
• Leave it

Don’t react emotionally to circumstances and don’t encourage inaction. For example, anger is like hot coal you hold in your hand while waiting to throw it at someone. 

Find every way of developing compound interest. Suggestions in the media about how to eat, invest, and think will leave you nutritionally, financially, and morally bankrupt. Instead, figure life out for yourself and use the abundance of free education and resources online. You can then obtain all the benefits of compound interest in your life. 

Jocko Willink

Jocko Willink is an American retired naval officer who served in the Navy SEALs. He believes that plan Bs are one of the most important things in life. He has the mantra of ‘Two is one and one is none.’ Always have a contingency plan.

Life is far more straightforward than you think. Stop meditating on decisions and decide to become mentally tougher. This involves taking extreme ownership of your life and role. For example, stop blaming others for your circumstances. Instead, stay humble and identify how you can improve. 

Part 3: WISDOM

StoryShot 10: Move Fast, Even if You Make Mistakes

We should try to obtain our goals as quickly as possible, rather than slowly without faults. An error rate of 10–20 percent is acceptable as long as you’re moving fast. Try to complete your 10-year plan in six months. You might make mistakes, but you’ll learn from them and achieve your goals sooner.

We should never be afraid to try something we are not qualified to do. Ferriss had no experience or understanding of podcasting before trying it. His podcast is now one of the most popular in the world.

StoryShot 11: Don’t Let Your Thoughts Control You 

Our everyday life is like a dreamlike state. It is through this veil of thought we go about our day and perceive our environment. We are merely talking to ourselves nonstop though thoughts.

We need to identify these thoughts as objects of our consciousness. Thoughts arise and pass, just like all consciousness. So, we should not be overly controlled by our thoughts. Instead, learn from others and accept that all consciousness is fleeting. 

StoryShot 12: You Have Three Options in Every Situation

In every life situation, you have three options: change it, accept it, or leave it. Never choose to sit around, wishing for change but not changing things.

Similarly, never wish you could leave the situation, yet stay or accept it. Most of our misery is caused by not choosing one of these three options. The word Ferriss chooses most often is ‘accept.’

StoryShot 13: Comedians Offer Unique Recipes for Creativity

It is not only top athletes and executives who can offer insights into success. Entertainers have plenty of suggestions too.

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg

“So much of the job is more emotion and ‘heart work’ than it is ‘head work.’ The head comes in after, to look at what the heart has presented and to organize it. But the initial inspiration comes from a different place, and it’s not the head, and it’s not an intellectual activity.” — Tim Ferriss

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are famous comedians. Their success is built on their ability to be uniquely creative. Their three basic recipes for life and creativity are:

• Work with what you know – As young artists, they had an overwhelming desire for more sex. This compulsion provided the inspiration for the film Superbad, which became a huge success. They worked with what they knew, and this allowed them to use their creativity to greater effect.
• Work against the male stereotype – Their mentor, Judd Apatow, gave them this second strategy. He told them to challenge the male stereotype and not to block out their emotions. The most crucial thing in life is our emotions. We should use them to better communicate our creativity. The best filmmakers use their emotional side to develop characters with at least one emotional wound that needs to be healed.
• Smoke weed to get the creative juices flowing – Both comedians believe marijuana is a great tool for creative inspiration. The two have learned so much about marijuana that they have different strains for different situations.

StoryShot 14: Live Your Life and Embrace Fear

Think about the last time you were on vacation. Were you more productive afterward? Often the answer is yes. People attribute this greater productivity to being well rested. Another explanation is this productivity is associated with recent inspiring experiences. 

Whitney Cummings

“Ours is a culture where we wear our ability to get by on very little sleep as a kind of badge of honor that symbolizes work ethic, or toughness, or some other virtue—but really, it’s a total profound failure of priorities and of self-respect.” — Tim Ferriss

Whitney Cummings, a comedian who wrote the hit TV series 2 Broke Girls, is creative due to her life experiences. At the start of her career, Cummings was filled with self-doubt, low self-esteem, and procrastination. She started to believe the only way she could make people laugh was by making fun of herself. 

She eventually realized she just needed more time for her personal life. She had previously been a workaholic and had not been allowed to simply live. Since making this decision, Cummings and her comedy have become enriched. Notably, she started to embrace and experience all parts of her life: good and bad. 

As well as holidays and new cultures, we also need to experience fear and discomfort. 

Brené Brown

Brené Brown is a sociologist and public speaker. She rejects the idea that some people are brave heroes and others cowards. In reality, most people are afraid and brave. Instead of heroic acts being a marker of bravery, true courage is feeling and confronting fear.

Based on this guidance, people must seek fear and discomfort. Then, look these fears in the eye. Facing your fears is crucial in tackling difficult problems like racism, homophobia, and climate change. These issues can’t be resolved comfortably. 

One way to find uncomfortable situations is to spend more time with people who have different viewpoints and backgrounds than you. These experiences make us vulnerable in front of others. One of Brown’s most outstanding personal achievements was showing her vulnerability during a TED talk. Brown spoke about her breakdown and subsequent spiritual awakening. This talk reached an audience of 31 million people. It was an uncomfortable talk for Brown, but it offered her an opportunity to be successful. Discomfort is a sign of growth.

StoryShot 15: Writing Is Powerful and People Are Interesting

Successful people in the world of writing also have advice to offer about how to achieve your goals.

Matt Mullenweg

Matt Mullenweg is one of the co-founders and developers of WordPress. A belief that guides his life is that when you write well, you think well. Clarity of writing leads to clarity of thinking.

Mullenweg aims to learn something from everybody he speaks with. Everyone is interesting in their own way. If you find someone boring, the problem is with you, not the person you are speaking with.

Young people need to slow down. Youthful mistakes are often mistakes of ambition rather than mistakes of laziness. Slowing down involves meditating, taking time away from screens, and focusing on every conversation.

Getting upset won’t help anything. Think about the bigger picture. How does your decision have an impact on tomorrow? What about in a year or ten years? 

Paulo Coelho

Only 900 copies of Paulo Coelho’s book, The Alchemist, were originally published. The publisher then refused to reprint it. The book has since sold over 65 million copies worldwide. This shows the potential for good books to eventually become successful. 

Authors must keep things simple for the reader. Don’t fall into the trap of describing everything. Most readers have enough imagination to fill the gaps; giving too much information can confuse readers. Just provide hints.

Coelho has not used any researchers, as he does not see his books as an opportunity to show how intelligent he is. Instead, they are an opportunity to share his heart and soul. 

Reid Hoffman

Reid Hoffman is often considered the oracle of Silicon Valley. He has invested in many successful startups, e.g., Facebook, Flickr, and Airbnb. Hoffman is also a co-founder and executive director of LinkedIn.

Hoffman focuses on the importance of language. Suppose you are trying to talk about a problem and make progress. You need to make language as positive an instrument as possible. So, consider how language does and does not work. 

If you identify a potential success, pinpoint a significant reason for taking this specific action. There needs to be one decisive reason. Then, weigh up the potential pitfalls against that one reason. 

StoryShot 16: Asking Stupid Questions Is the Key to Wisdom

Never be afraid to ask questions, no matter how stupid you may think they sound.

Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell is a journalist and author of The Tipping Point and other successful books. His advice is to not worry about whether others think you are an idiot. He gained this approach from his father. Gladwell’s father would always ask questions with no concern about whether others would see them as stupid.

Gladwell has also adopted this approach. If he does not understand something, he will ask. Even if it is the simplest concept, it is better to understand and look stupid than stay quiet and lack the required knowledge. 

Final Summary and Review

Tools of Titans is packed with advice on how to be successful in different areas of your life. Tim Ferriss has collected nuggets from top athletes, businesspeople, and celebrities. They share some of the secrets to their success with easy-to-follow tips on how you can do the same.

Let’s review the key takeaways from Tools of Titans:

• Look after your body and mind by finding what works for you rather than blindly following ‘advice’ in the media.
• Put systems in place to incrementally work toward your long-term goals.
• Rather than dwelling on problems, take action: change it, accept it, or leave it.

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Rating 

We rate Tools of Titans 4.4/5. How would you rate Tim Ferriss’ book based on our summary?

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