Smiling with the Hario hand grinder. Combine with the AeroPress below, and you can make world-class coffee on an airplane meal tray.
I dislike shopping, but I do love finding the perfect gift.
Finding that gift, though, gets harder with time. Those damn adults seem to already have everything. That includes me.
More salt and pepper shakers? Nah. Alternate versions of the shirts I got last year? No, thank you. In the eternal quest to eliminate clutter, I now give Santa a not-to-buy list instead of a wish list.
If you’re having trouble thinking up killer (in the good sense) gifts, here are 11 goods that deliver.
Prices are estimates, I advise two of them thanks to obsessions (#1 and #10), and all of them have either changed my life or saved my ass. OK, almost all. A few were thrown in purely for fun…
#1 – CLEAR Card – $49 for six months (35%+ off of normal $79)
I first used CLEAR card in 2007. It’s one of my secret weapons, and I never travel without it.
Hate the feeling of arriving at the airport and wondering if the security lines will take 5 minutes or 45 minutes…maybe longer? CLEAR allows you to skip security lines completely at enrolled airports (San Francisco, DFW, Denver, and more).
Now, I am never anxious going to airport. Uber takes 15 minutes from my door to check-in kiosk (eliminating parking), and I know CLEAR can get me through security in 5 minutes or less. Last time I timed myself during SFO rush hour, I was 25 minutes faster than the first-class line and more than an hour faster than the economy line… all with an economy ticket. Gift cards can be e-mailed or printed, and kids under 18 traveling with you go through the CLEAR lane for free.
#2 – Kershaw Ken Onion Leek Serrated Folding Knife with Speed Safe – $39
I have collected knives since taking pack trips through the Teton mountain range as a teenager.
This Kershaw knife with “open-assist” (basically a side-opening switchblade) is the most all-around convenient and useful knife I own. Fixed blade knives are awesome, and I own many, but the balance and utility of this Kershaw blade makes it my go-to default at home or on the road.
Be sure to get it with the serrated edge. Be sure not to leave it in your carry-on luggage. The TSA will make a frowny face otherwise.
#3 – Three Books, Three Eras
The Education of Cyrus (Cyropaedia) by Xenophon –
This was written a few years ago…in the 4th century BC. If you like Seneca or my other philosophical favorites, you’ll like this one. It was introduced to me by Wofford College president Ben Dunlap, one of the best teachers I’ve ever met in my life. For those interested, here’s his unreal Wikipedia entry. He embodies many of the lessons taught in The Education of Cyrus, as is clear in own his TED talk on lifelong learning and passion (the last 5 minutes are gold, if you need to skip around).
Levels of the Game by John McPhee –
John McPhee is probably my favorite non-fiction writer of all-time. He’s written about everything from oranges to hardwood canoes, and he transforms every subject into page-turning fascination. In Levels of the Game, published in 1979, McPhee writes his first book on tennis. I’m not a tennis player, but I loved this short, 149-page book. The critics got it right: “This may be the high point of American sports journalism.” (The New York Times) “McPhee has produced what is probably the best tennis book ever written.” (Life)
The 4-Hour Chef by Some Long Islander –
Writing The 4-Hour Chef changed how I look at learning, passion, and creativity forever. In 2007, if I’d had the contacts I do now, I would have written this book before The 4-Hour Workweek. Accelerated learning is the foundation for everything I enjoy, and it’s the force multiplier for everything in my previous two books.
Sidenote: If you’d like to explore the gear in the first 150 pages of the book, I’ve put it all here.
#4 – Amazon Prime + Roku + Escape to River Cottage – Around $152 ($79/year, $70, $1.99/episode)
I own an Apple TV, but I barely use it. Why?
Simple: An Amazon Prime membership gives me free 2-day shipping on almost everything Amazon.com, as well as 1,000s of free streaming movies and TV shows. To watch them on my TV, I just need the Roku box, which I also bought for my parents. It’s dead simple to use.
The most inspiring and life-affirming TV series I’ve watched using Prime/Roku combo is the British Channel 4’s Escape to River Cottage with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. If you’ve ever fantasized about escaping the city to live in the country and live off the land, you will love this series.
#5 – AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker – $32
For this beauty, more than 300 reviewer said something like this: “I have a drip coffee machine, a french press and a Krups espresso maker, and they are all officially retired thanks to the Aeropress.”
If you combine it with a hand grinder and a non-stabby pocket thermometer, you can make the best coffee of your life on a plane flight…on the meal tray of a middle seat. I’m not kidding. Baristas often travel with an AeroPress for this reason exactly, and it takes less time to clean than a butter knife. Winning.
Extra trivia: The AeroPress was invented by the same rogue Stanford mechanical engineer who created the Aerobie toy craze.
#6 – BioTrust Low-Carb Protein Powder – $49.95
(Non-affiliate link)
I am always asked about protein powders, often related to my “30 within 30” recommendation of consuming 30 grams (g) of protein within 30 minutes of waking up. My dad, as one example, went from 5 pounds of average monthly fat loss to 17.85 pounds/month in the first month of adopting this habit.
But what to use?
For the last several months, I’ve used BioTrust low-carb protein powder, and I plan to continue doing so. It contains just 4g net carbs per serving, mixes easily with a spoon, and I find the combination of undenatured whey protein isolate, micellar casein, and other proteins easy to digest but filling enough to act as a (small) meal replacement. This is an unusual combo, and I regularly keep six or so jars at home, and I travel with two jars. During book launch, I used the “30 within 30” rule to sustain immune function while sleeping 2-3 hours per night at hotels around the country.
Be forewarned: I love the product, but like many companies, BioTrust has frequent e-mail follow-up for their related nutritional products. I’m allergic to e-mail and in elimination mode, so I opted out of this.
#7 – WaterPik Ultra Water Flosser – $45
I’ll keep this one short.
I have hated flossing my entire life. Each year, I got a lecture from the dentist, and each year, I’d attempt flossing for 2-3 days and throw in the towel. No longer.
Using the WaterPik in combination with the free Lift app got me to floss consistently for the first time. Now, I look forward to it. Weird.
#8 – Jumpcut – Free
This free download saved my sanity. It is my small gift for you.
As a writer, I cannot tell you how many times I’ve copied something important to the clipboard, gotten distracted, then copied something else…losing hours of work! Damnation! At the very least, such mistakes meant frustration and feeling like a sad keyboard monkey.
Meet Jumpcut.
Jumpcut appears on your toolbar and saves around 40 items you’ve copied to your clipboard. You won’t realize how time-saving (even life-changing) this is until you start using it. There are positive side-effects, too. Know all those temporary text files you use for notetaking for later in the day or whenever? Forgettaboutit — Jumpcut to the rescue. Special thanks to Maneesh Sethi for introducing me to this tool.
#9 – Splurge at The Billionaire Shop -$1,000,000+
Finally, a way for you to shop for your Danish Zenvo ST1 (limited to 15 in the world) online!
Ah, the conveniences of the Internet. No more shlepping down to your local Lamborghini dealership or waiting for helicopter catalogs. You can max out your AMEX black card here with one click, and that perfect X-mas gift will depreciate in 30 minutes more than the value of my current house. Enjoy!
#10 – Quarterly – My 4-Hour Obsession – $100/Quarter
Readers have been asking me for a box of physical goodies for years. So, my Lords and Ladies, I have created one with the start-up Quarterly.
Every three months — 4 times a year — you’ll get a box full of my favorite things, my newest and favorite obsessions. Through my global travels, my guinea pig self-experiments, my extensive product testing, and adventures/misadventures, I’ll find the coolest gems to share with you and pick the best for the box.
Tim Ferriss not your thing? A little too Ferrissy for ya’? Well, then… get off my lawn! But seriously, there are other cool folks to choose from, including Veronica Belmont, Mark Frauenfelder, Tina Roth Eisenberg (swissmiss), Jason Kottke, and Megan Collins. For gifting, you have the option of sending the gift confirmation directly (and immediately) to the recipient, or sending it to yourself so you can print or forward it as you see fit.
And Most Important of All…
#11 – What You Already Have – Priceless
The holiday season shouldn’t be all about stuff. It should be about connecting with others and reconnecting with yourself. Don’t get me wrong: I like toys and encourage you to play. Just don’t get so lost in the X-Box that you skip a proper year-in-review introspection.
Looking back on the year, looking ahead to the next, ask yourself:
– What and who am I grateful for?
– What and who should I be more grateful for?
Remember that if you don’t appreciate what you have now, nothing you get (e.g. house, jet, business, spouse, whatever) will make you happier, much less fulfilled. There’s more to life than increasing its speed and size. Drive both without focus and your life will end up resembling the Exxon Valdez: unwieldy and hard to control.
In the new year, what will you remove from your life? What will you learn and teach? What will you simplify?
Just as I recommend these questions, I’m asking them myself.
Happy holidays, all!
Wishing you and yours the most joyous of holiday seasons,
Tim
The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.
Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That’s how we’re gonna be — cool. Critical is fine, but if you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation! (Thanks to Brian Oberkirch for the inspiration.)
May I also have some looser pants please? 🙂
Tim – Ok, this is a dumb-ass question, I know…and thanks for the awesome list by the way, but where did you get the penguin shirt you’re wearing in the picture above? Love it. Must have. Let me know, if possible.
Tim – Great list! Where’d you get the penguin shirt in the pic? Love it! Want it.
Got it for free from a start-up named Plancast while at sxsw.com a few years ago 🙂
That is the coolest shirt I want one
Thanks!
Number #11 rocks the most.
Hey…I’ve got that t-shirt. 🙂
You make me smile/giggle and that is a cool gift. 🙂
Just one little bone to pickey….why does everytime I click on one of your links, a page saying something along the lines of “sorry can’t find this page, are you sure you wanted it?” comes up. Yes of course I am sure I wanted it! Where the devil is it?:)
#12, this photo of you. Deadly.
Mmm..Going to have to give the BioTRUST a shot.
I’ve been using Mercola’s Miracle Whey (peanut butter flavor) and it is the absolute BEST tasting protein powder I’ve ever tried and I’ve tried a lot. Grass fed and all the jazz too, of course 😉
…and thanks for the Jumpcut recommendation!
Thank you. As you are pretty high up on my who I’m grateful for list I don’t think you hear it enough with the amount of free cheat codes, templates, and hacks u provide. I’ve been quietly working on my muse which launch date is approaching. Soma hack couldnt have been better timing. I will send u product soon as I’m hoping it to be better than one of the 11 listed, I’ll let u decide. Thanks again.
These are great, Tim! I love all these, we have the same taste in stuff 🙂
Great list. Going to definitely watch Escape to River Cottage . Now Foods unflavored whey is worth checking out too. I had the WaterPik for a while. It’s amazing what you can get out even after flossing (yeah I eat too much Beef Jerky). Any hint as to what might come in a Quarterly shipment.
Thoroughly enjoy your stuff. Keep up the great work!
For PC folks, Ditto is a great (free) clipboard extender.
http://ditto-cp.sourceforge.net/
For #6 I would also recommend trueprotein.com.
It’s my personal Go-to source for protein because they offer so many types of protein at the lowest prices I’ve ever found.
And quarterly?? NO WAY! I just signed up with them and got my first package and it was AWESOME. I’m totally signing up for yours. Great work tim!
Hey Tim,
Great list thanks for that! I may well have to sort myself out with an Amazon Prime account and get one of those Roku’s! Then it’s onto the Billionaire shop at the end of next year! If I am to achieve my goal of cash millionaire by 30 (Next December) then I will need somewhere to spend the money! 🙂
Thanks again, loving the 4HC so far will leave a review for you when I get to the end 🙂
Tim – If you liked “escape to river cottage” you should also try the 2002 PBS miniseries “Frontier House”
Happy holidays Tim – thanks for all the inspiration this year
I believe you have inspired me to give your #10 gift to myself. Thanks always for sharing.
Tim … Holidays are there… Thank you for writing.. And writing books…. Thank you for sharing your mind on the blog… Dont want to make this somse awkard long creepy comment.. But man… You rock for sharing… And beeing just you.. Cheers from the netherlands with à good glas of red wine … Livelife … Every single day … !! Pura vida…….
That water flosser looks like some kind of munted Stormtrooper helmet – but hey I have the same issue with going on an occasional floss binge so worth a shot!
BTW I’m half way through T4HC and have done the Sexy Time Steak several times, here’s one attempt I documented – have since done it even better a few times, great stuff:
http://highsteaks.com/sexy-time-steak-hack-four-hour-chef/
Thanks for the list.
My wife and I purchased the 4HChef and can’t wait to get rolling with it. Also, the 4HWW and 4HB have inspired me to think outside the box, and I am going to Costa Rica in March!
Thanks again and have a great holiday,
–Al
Hi Tim, big fan here, long time die-hard. I regularly spread your teachings far and wide across my family and friends. They are under suspicion as it is, and I I just want you to know, that I’m going to order this quarterly package. I’m not sure why, I just want to be an ordinary person, but I know it will be worth it. Sincerely, Mike
Thank you for the support, Mike. The box won’t disappoint!
Happy holidays to you and yours 🙂
Tim
Thanks Tim. 100 bucks for pure mind stimulation sounds worth it. Thanks for always over-delivering.
🙂
Tim – Quick question about BioTrust Protien… Is it Paleo compatible? I see that it contains milk and soy. Huge fan! Thanks!
I have two of the Kershaw Leeks (non-serrated), they are great knives. As an EDC knife, I prefer a sharp, smooth edge and sharp tip, the Leek fits that bill well. Granted, I live in a major metropolitan area, so the need for serrations is pretty infrequent.
I’m quite partial to GNC’s pro-performance Banana Cream protein powder. 5g of carbs per 24g of protein, but it does have 2g of sugar — but it tastes phenomenal. Add it to 6oz of water, stir and drink.
Always appreciate new utilities, so I’m giving jumpcut a whirl.
Merry Christmas!
Oh, and the big difference, for me, between Amazon Prime and Apple TV — no closed captions on Amazon (still!). I’m partially deaf and rarely watch anything without captions. (I also rarely go to the movies for the same reason.)
Tim, one of the funniest posts of yours I’ve ever read. And informative.
“Be sure not to leave it in your carry-on luggage. The TSA will make a frowny face otherwise.”
“Winning.” Okay, not that funny, but C Sheen-approved.
“At the very least, such mistakes meant frustration and feeling like a sad keyboard monkey.”
“A little too Ferrissy for ya’? Well, then… get off my lawn! ”
Thanks for the laugh. And I’m grateful for a lot of the info I’ve read in these here Ferrissy books and posts over the last two years! Keep it up – you might have a shot at this writing gig!
Damn you and your Mac life! (joking) Got anything for those of us who prefer Android and Windows platforms? Otherwise a great list, especially #11, Thanks for more great stuff Tim.
Cyropedia is by far the best book I ever read. The training of Cyrus the Great is so worth reading, the way he managed his kingdom, his behavior towards his people and his personality as a whole…. fabulous. Its not a book you read it once and your done with it, its def. the one you want to read over and over again just like me. Its the book for entrepreneurs, managers, spiritualists, youths and mostly everyone. Oh man….when it comes to books, I feel so good. Great book. 🙂
I can fully attest to the Kershaw Onion Leek knife. Living in Montana, I’ve had mine for over 5 years- with several other knives in my arsenal that cost me $100+, the Kershaw is by far my favorite for things ranging from on the go backpacking to even just opening the mail(if in a pinch).
Great list. I second the AeroPress. I got my husband the AeroPress and the Hario Coffee Grinder for his 40th birthday along with some bags of fun coffee (Santa Cruz Dark, Philz Ether, Bicycle Coffee, Ritual Roasters…) He loved it so much that he wound up getting me an Aero Press for Mother’s Day later that month. He thought that neither one of us should ever be without an AeroPress. He doesn’t really use the hand grinder though. The AeroPress pretty much makes the best cup of coffee ever. My husband became a full on AeroPress nerd. He does inverted brews and experiments and even aspires to be in the AeroPress championships. It’s an awesome and inexpensive gift for your favorite coffee lover.
As someone from the UK, just wanted to say how impressed I was that River Cottage is on your radar Tim, that’s really cool and yes, everything River Cottage is fantastic!!
Have a great Christmas, hoping Santa brings me the 4 Hour Chef 🙂
#8 I’ve been dreaming of this for ages !
#11 : What and who am I grateful for?
You are on the top 3 list.
Happy Christmas
The Education of Cyrus is a no-brainer for me, but I’m biased. 🙂
Well, your quarterly package to Poland will be 115$ but heck, I’m gonna try it I think. Other products are unavailable in Europe so maybe at least this one 🙂
I just wanted to second (or is it third or fourth by now?) the kershaw ken onion speed assist knives. I had one throughout the last few years of Boy Scouts (yes, got my Eagle) and for several years after. It was a heart wrenching day when I lost mine about 3 years ago. It just went missing and I can only assume it was “borrowed.” I haven’t had any knife worth bragging about since then, and this is exactly what I needed to remind me to get a replacement.
Also, I got the biotrust with the 25-book package and was pleasantly surprised that it beat all the other protein powders I’ve tried so far.
I was also thrilled to see the aeropress in the 4HC as I bought one only 2 months before, and I haven’t used a coffee machine since then. Heck, I haven’t even drank the drip coffee from work. Aeropress coffee is the way I felt coffee should always taste, it doesn’t have to be that bitter all the time!
Happy holidays to you and yours, Tim! If you ever need a tour guide or help in San Antonio (or any if central texas for that matter), have your assistants get in touch with me! Thanks for all the great posts and books 🙂
Tim, how do you make coffee on an airplane? Is this described in the book? Basically, my questions boil down to: how to you obtain hot water?
The flight attendants will bring you hot water if you ask for it. Especially if you pay for the good seats.
For our honeymoon, we went to Ireland, they served tea time in flight with hot water, heavy plastic cups, and tea bags. Best flight ever.
Happy Holidays to you Tim. Thanks for all of the great info this year!
FYI, anyone interested the public domain version of Education of Cyrus as an ebook can find in on Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2085
They have it in ePub, MOBI, HTML and other formats.
Thanks, Andre! Great find!
Thanks for the list. I have been looking for a clipper that would save my previous clippings.
Rick
Tim- Those pants look like BetaBrand, are they?
It would be nice if the author stated that these apps are for the minority (%-wise) Apple operating system. That way, the rest of us wouldn’t waste our time reading about things that have zero use for us.
Tim- two things you’ll like:
One, I have carried the Ken Onion blade. Very nice, but the Spyderco Dragonfly has replaced it! Love the size and the steel: http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Dragonfly-Plain-Knife-Foliage/dp/B002GIOYX8/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1356117407&sr=1-1&keywords=dragonfly+g10
AND If you love AeroPress, You have to get the stainless steel filter: http://coava.myshopify.com/collections/store/products/disk-coffee-filter
Cheers!
#damnsexypants, Tim.
Sorry but feels like 99% affiliate links and marketing for your own products, quite disappointing I have to say….almost crazy how much you are trying to push 4 hour chef, almost makes me not buying it because it seems kind of desperate and thus lowers my expectations about the quality of the content….Otherwise I love your stuff Tim and I hope this was a rather one time thing…
You should totally consider getting the book James. It’s worth it and nice thing about Tim is he only recommends the best in products.
Great list! One question, though: Does anyone know if the Lift app has an Android equivalent? I looked into it, and it looks fantastic and useful, but the developers are saying it could be a long time before an Android version comes out. In the meantime, is there a similar app for Droid users?
The main idea behind Lift is “chaining” and how much we all hate breaking a hot streak. This idea has been attributed to Jerry Seinfeld because he mentioned using that technique in an interview.
There’s an Android app called “Seinfeld Calendar” that would be at least a workable replacement for Lift until they (or someone else) releases for Android.
Hi Tim,
My family has experienced 3 deaths in the last 14 months so I inject myself with as much inspiration as possible to keep going.
Just doing a series of best wishes to inspire readers on my site.
I have to say a personal thank you to you for all your great contributions to my personal development.
Peace, smiles and best wishes to you and all your readers,
David
Hey Tim,
Another incredibly useful post.
I knew there had to be a solution for the clipboard problem! I’ve had that happen to me sooooo many times and it’s so annoying. I know it’s frustrating for a few of my friends too so I’ll be sending it to them as a little cheap and cheerful xmas gift.
Thanks a bunch and have a great Xmas!
Oh and the Billionaire shop too! Aspirations multiplied!!!
What about the Trusted Traveler Program rather than Clear? It’s a 1 time $100 and in addition to getting you into the short lane at airport security, gets you in the fast lane for passport control returning to the US.
It also is available at more airports than Clear.
Have a great holiday season
Nick
Check. 4 outta 11 ain’t bad. 🙂 I signed up for your Quarterly, cause I’m cool like that. Not sure how they’re gonna fit you in that box but I’ll be looking forward to your visit in 3 months time. Toodles!
Hi Tim, loving 4HC. Evernote Q, as you’re an advisor, I can’t imagine you organizing that book without proper visual references in EN–and if this can’t be done it’s a new EN app with a waiting audience:
How the frick do you force the image you want to appear in snippet view, to appear there–and not some TOTALLY irrelevant image instead?
As when, for example, you’re clipping vegetarian recipe for the local SPCA bake-off and sharing with all your friends–and EN grabs an ad for broiled dog and slaps it in your snippet view?
Hi John,
Great question! I’ll ask them now via email.
Happy holidays!
Tim
John, here’s what Heather from Evernote had to say:
“At a very base level, the image that is chosen for the snippet view is the “largest” image we find in the body of the note. If all images are the same overall size, we’ll take the first one.
If it’s a clipping that has a large (pixelwise) background image, that can supercede any other images you have in the note.
So – try editing your images so that the one you want to show up in the snippet is the one that is the highest quality/pixel depth.”
Thanks for the swift reply! Alas, I got the same advice from them. Sounds good, but I find killing the chosen image in the note results in no snippet image at all, and of course you can’t edit the images before snipping from someone else’s site. Seems a truly crippling oversight for an otherwise excellent program.
Someone comes up with an app for this, I’ll be first in line. If EN hasn;t addressed this by now–it’s worth paying for.
Happy holidays yourself!
Upon further reflection, an EN pic app needs to go further. Just half a day creating a few custom images, but even that doesn’t work. There’s some algorithm at work, cropping or enlarging or reducing the photos (whichever is worst) unpredictably, so that even two photos with the same dimensions (even PRESIZED TO FIT) will be presented differently, often terribly (unless you make them all 75×75, though EN can present wider pix so why limit yourself?). It’s a frikkin’ disaster. Photos need to be user-selectable and -configurable, period. Maybe they’ll listen to you on this, they’re sure not listening to anyone else… New Year’s resolution: make EN photo-compatible! See you next year.
@Mr. Marlow, you said, ” …and of course you can’t edit the images before snipping from someone else’s site. ” You are using Evernote. EN has a web extension called clearly that removes all browser images ads and extras from any site you wish to save a snippet from. You can always clip the picture separately and paste it back on to the text only version you’ve saved in your notebook. Voila problem solved.
Thanks for the tip, will try it out. Still a few extra steps, but would be a definite improvement.
Escape to River Cottage not showing up as free (included with Prime) for anyone else? I have the student version so wondering if that is why.
Hey Tim,
Thanks for the list, I’m headed down to Costa Rica for a month retreat, and just ordered The Education of Cyrus and an AeroPress for the journey.
Happy New Year,
Seth
Fantastic post once again. #5 seems awesome, and #11 is a wonderful reminder to be grateful for what I have. This is totally not a big deal, and doesn’t take away from the content, but I happened to notice a typo… We all make typos. I do it all the time, but just thought I’d point it out. We’re all human 🙂
“For this beauty, more than 300 reviewer…” Add an “s” at the end of “reviewer,” and it’ll be typo-free!
It’s not very 4HB, but can Tim or anybody recommend a milk frother to compliment the AeroPress Coffee maker? Does the ‘Aerolatte To Go’ work well?
http://www.amazon.com/Aerolatte-To-Milk-Frother-Black/dp/B0001RT2C4/
Hey Tim,
I’m a huge fan of your books and the BioTrust protein seems like a good deal. Do you mix it in water or milk? Also, would it work well with the Geek to Freak or Occam’s Protocal workouts? I would love to get your opinion!
Thanks,
Jack
Just read Coming Into the Country by John Mcphee. Awesome book. I will read tennis one or gift it to my dad then read it haha. Thanks for recommendation. Are there any other resources to learn the McPhee nonfiction writing style and process like an open source version of his creative non-fiction Princeton course? I will start with Bird By Bird…
Definitely worth doing the 30 within 30. I wish I could get my hands on that powder over here in Asia.
I’m grateful for my wife and the businesses that I have started over here in Korea. I’m also grateful that I have the opportunity to make the 4 Hour Work Week a reality in my life.
Have a great holiday, Tim!
I’m grateful for my job and my friends.
I’d like to be more grateful for my health and body.
Thanks for all the inspiration, Tim!
Help! I can’t find the Hario grinder pictured at top. I can only find plastic based models, even checked the full Japanese catalog!
As for knives, Ken Onion rocks, but my favorite is the Shallot, which despite the name is a little bigger than the leek. It also has the “bump” shaped blade that made Ken Onion famous!
Regarding the waterpik- no decent size reviewed study has ever shown a benefit from flossing. I have a waterpik and occasionally use it, however the benefits may be negative.
Hi Tim,
Big fan here, I must say that there are plenty of things you showed me that I know apply to my life (e.g: 75 kettlebell swings as part of my workout, cod liver + d3 every day, Lift app to help me get rid of my nail biting obsession) and I look forward to picking things up from the 4 hour chef (hammering through it). Under your suggestion, I will be buying the hand grinder and the aeroexpress coffee maker. Any particular brand of coffee i should use? currently drink instant but I’ve been recommended Bulletproof coffee (http://www.bulletproofexec.com/coffee/). Have you heard of it.
I’m truly thankful for everything.
Un abrazo,
Jorge
Hello Tim,
It is a great honor to write to you. The 4 Hour Workweek is my bible for Time Management and the blueprints for my Pediatric (Childhood) Cancer research online company. I am grateful for my wife Kim, 3 year old son Sage, and 3 month old angel Soleil. I am grateful for Melinda Marchiano (Make-A-Wish Foundation) for her faith in me. I am grateful for this moment with you, Tim. For the new year, I will let go of Fear, and begin the journey of 10,000 miles with this first step. Happy Holidays to you and yours, Tim.
Namaste,
Peter Moon
Merry Christmas Tim!
Tim, #11 on this list hit home for me. Thank you SO MUCH for helping to keep us aware that in this community of working to improve and expand, we must never lose appreciation for what we’ve got.
Something for me to work on in 2013, I suppose!
Regards,
Jude
thank you for everything you have taught me these past few months…
(i am showing everyone how to fold a fitted sheet and t-shirts the easy way)
merry xmas and happy new year x
I think I’ll skip the billionaire shop for now but the Quarterly looks interesting, I’ll try it out and hopefully it’ll include things that will give us a little more insight about how your mind works Tim.
Good ideas ! Thanks
Thanks so much, Tim–this list started as a lazy scroll-through job for me but resulted in my immediately purchasing three items for The Boy. Can’t wait to check out “Escape to River Cottage”!
BMG
Too afraid to type Christ are we Tim? So you just x him out.
Is there a Jumpcut version for windows?
I actually have a Mac for my home computer, but my work computer is a pc (I won’t lie either, I love that my work computer is a pc, as I really only need word, powerpoint, excel, and a browser). I don’t know why I’m elaborating. I always feel like I have to defend my pc.
Anyways, Jumpcut for windows or no?
Thanks,
JB
ditto – http://ditto-cp.sourceforge.net/ is windows clipboard manager, goes one better than jumpcut – saving 40 entries – it saves all of them.
Thanks Dean! You da man!
Thank you for the eleven gift.
I’ve always looked ahead to the next year when the current year ends, and always thinking in things to do or accomplish.
What and who am I grateful for?
What and who should I be more grateful for?
What will I remove or simplify?
What am I going to teach?
These are great questions.
Thank you so much for your work, Tim.
Happy holidays, all!
Tim, aren’t you involved with Uber? If so, full disclosure of that fact would have been nice, in the context of you recommending the service.
Thanks for inspiration, Tim. I missed these gifts for christmas rush, but the birthday of my girl friend and brother is only one month away. Might use some of these.
#2 Aren’t serrated knifes difficult to sharpen? What is the advantage?
#8 I always used Yankee Clipper in Windows and now also Clipboard History on Android.
I also use YC in Windows and Clipboard History in Android. In linux I use Parcellite, and there is another one.
Do you ever recommend or have tried intermittent fasting?
Alright Tim
Awesome book have got to say, can really see the amount of work you’ve put in it.Very impressed.
1 quick question tho is that your English fans are having a bit of trouble getting the pieces of kit required to get cooking i.e combo cooker and sauté pan ,or have to pay a lot more for similar items, any chance of a English list getting made or sorting something out with amazon?
If not no problemo
cheers again for a awesome book ,luuuurvin it.
Hey Tim, Ive been on paleo for about a year now. If I purchase Biotrust will the casein/whey affect me?
Thank You,nick
Tim, congrats on breaking the 1000 comment barrier on Amazon for the 4HC in 2012!
Cheers to success!
David
Nice list Tim, especially number 11! I personally thing that should be number 1, but you probably thought it’d be better to save the best for last huh? =)
I think it’s super important to take some time to review how the last year went each year, and then at least think about making a plan for what you want to do in the next year. It’s better to actually plan it all out on paper of course, but not many average people care enough to do that unfortunately. But for people who live excellent lives – I’m willing to bet most of them do! So I’m curious,…do you?
Hi Tim,
I stumbled upon you in “A Day in the Life” while browsing through Hulu on my Roku box. Curiosity sufficiently piqued, I have found this list extremely inspiring. Within a few minutes I have: 1) downloaded the Lift app 2) purchased some new whey protein 3) added the cool little coffee maker to my Amazon wish list 4) downloaded Jumpcut to help with my cutting and pasting on my Etsy site 5) charged my water pic and will give it another try so my dental hygienist will be proud of me at the next visit and when I leave here, I will order your books. I like the way you think and operate. Thank you for being such an inspiration. I am grateful to have found your work at this particular point in time. I look forward to an awesome year with you. All the best.
Tim,
Just found you. Was going to purchase your books, but I’m more of a Kindle type person. See only The Chef book on Kindle. Are there plans to add The Body and The Workweek to Kinde?
Thanks
Ed Aiken
Hey Tim,
I apologize in advance if this has been answered before, but are you ever going to publish the end of the ultra marathon story? (You left a cliffhanger on the book – http://www.fourhourbody.com/ultra)
I’m looking forward to it even if it’s not the expected result… 😉
#2 Kershaw arrived today, great recommendation thanks tim!
Where did you get that shirt? The penguin is so cute. I want one!
Jumpcut! I used to have some app that works like this a few years back while I was still working as a programmer in my previous job. I’ve been looking for it for some time because I forgot its name.
Well, if what you’re saying is true (40 entries!) then this definitely is better than that other app I was using. I’m jumping on to that link, thanks.
#6 I recommend Vega Protein and on any given day- I’ll take Vibrant Health as a gift. I’m using it now to help detox from the holidays.
http://myvega.com/
http://www.vibranthealth.us/
Tim:
I love your books. Reading 4HC now. Excellent. Great list here, but I’ll admit I’m a bit surprised at the protein recommendation. Seems that something like Jay Robb’s unflavored Whey Isolate would be more Slow-Carb-friendly with 0 g of carbs and 0 g of sugar and 6 more grams of protein. Also, Jay Robb’s 80 oz bag comes in at $1/serving compared to BioTrust at $3/serving. Am I missing something?
Keep up the good work.
great article! Loves the “gadgets” and the books recommended! Thanks for sharing them since by my self some I would have not found!
dear tim ferriss,
being halfway across your new book and having read read several times an advice, how to protect your hands from smelling like fish or garlic/onions after the kitchen work, here an easy strategy in case it doesn´t/didn´t come up elsewhere: coffee.
use the coffe grounds (after finshing your delicious cup of however made coffee), cover your hands in it (take care they are cold enough)(the grounds, of course!), move your hands like you where using soap and rinse off under clear water. hand smell a bit earthy, but you will get rid of rhe very unsexy stenchmarks of yooking with your own hands.
speaking of coffee grounds, i gather them in a large yoghurt container right beside my espresso machine. this has several advantages over simply rinsing them into the sink: you protect your sink from congestion, in case it has a habit to do so, it draws humidity our of the air and coffee grounds can be used for multiple purposes, beside the very famous enrichening of flowery life when added to the earth in the pot.
for example: if you need a concentration boost and simultaneously want to quicken hair growth, wet your hair thoroughly, apply the thick paste-like grounds on your scalp, let it rest for 1-2 minutes and rinse it off with clear water. don´t use shampoo afterwards. no need to buy alpecin any more and in the best case, you feel like someone has done spring-cleaning in your head and opened all the windows.
similar, use an olive-oil/coffee ground peeling (best in summer) to enhance micro blood circulation in your outer skin tissue. just rinse off with warm water. will clean your skin and the oil will provide all the skin needs to recover from exposure to sun.
also makes you more awake and with improved circulation…well, you guess it.
best if you dry on the air, rubbing the water-pearls on your skin into it. (takes a while, but skin will become smooooooooooth)
thanks for your work,
your fan.
Gift ideas??? Buy all your friends a copy of 4-HC. The recipe for scrambled eggs alone is worth the price of the book for God’s sake. All the rest is
(wait for it) gravy.
While the Aeropress makes excellent coffee, I actually use it more to make tea, and alcohol infusions. It makes a hell of a cup of yerba mate, and will allow you to speed up your alcohol infusions. I recently made a “chai whiskey” that blew my mind. Don’t just stick with coffee; experiment! 🙂
I just “discovered” Mr. Ferriss & have been reading up on him; interesting. Hope you find that significant other, patch of land & especially a dog Mr. Ferriss, as that dog will be your one true friend. My husband died at 51 without ever getting to enjoy the fruits of his labor so I think I can get behind several of your ‘beliefs’. Make your mother proud.
I think its funny that Tim would put down personal training WHEN he is trying to be the worlds best PERSONAL trainer. I am trainer. I have 98% success rate with clients. Which no one he knows or any one reading this has the same success rate. I also have trained over 45,000 clients. With that being said I do like what he is doing. I would also say he only has a piece of the puzzle. If, he by himself can come up with this….. What do you think my data says??? I am not putting anyone down. Just not impressed with the position he took on trainers. I can take anyone walking and do what he has done. The real reality is not his data or case study. The fact is who will believe that his way has fact. That in it self is the key. First is the person and there thought pattern. Second by far is the rest.
Thanks for reading my post,
JP Latham
The Education of Cyrus (Cyropaedia) by Xenophon is definitely one of my favorites too 😉
A good advice for your WaterPik Ultra Water Flosser, add Chlorhexidine to the water. Commercial names differ from one country to another, but the chemical name is Chlorhexidine (I’m a french dentist 😉 )
By the way, unfortunately, it’s impossible for non US residents to buy the Kershaw knife… 🙁
China Study says casein promotes cancer, right? Any thoughts on its long-term safety, especially if you’re consuming 30g’s of it daily?
Tim, I have a question about the BioTRUST protein powder. I’m following the SloCarb diet,and doing the 30 grams in the first 30 minutes tract. I’m leaning towards protein powders because eating 2 eggs and a can of light tuna feels like gorging to me that early. I like the idea of this BioTRUST powder you’re talking about but I’m pretty much staying away from dairy all together. Is there a better choice between whey (which is dairy in my eyes, though I could be oversimplifying it) and egg proteins? Does it matter in this case? Any input would be appreciated.
Scott
Do you have another product to recommend for BioTrust Low-Carb Protein Powder?
I need a shirt!
I located my first puppy in a creek, my second and current dog at a German Shepherd rescue that takes
canines that will otherwise be put down. I’d die of heartbreak if I lost both to a disaster, and hope my small donation will go a little
approach to helping other individuals recover their pets.
Thanks for all you do in the Humane Society in difficult occasions and every single day!
I am absolutely sure if you posted a request on your web site asking men and women to foster canines while their owners are receiving
back on their feet you would get a very
good response.
I like that shirt!
::tips hat:: Thanks, Tim.