If you have a close eye, you'll notice that I've peppered in Tim Ferriss's name throughout many of my posts on this blog. I'm a big fan of his podcast, the aptly name The Tim Ferriss Show, as he sits down one-on-one with experts in each industry. Some of my favorite episodes include his interviews with Seth Godin and Sophia Amoruso. If you enjoy podcasting, check out that show.
But enough with podcasting, we're here to talk about a book! Specifically, we're here to talk about Tim Ferriss's latest release, Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers. You might be surprised to learn that this is the first of Ferriss's books I have read. I know he's famous for his other "Four-Hour" books, especially The Four-Hour Workweek, but I just haven't gotten around to reading them.
Being an avid enthusiast of his podcast, you might be curious what I thought of his book, especially given how it was modeled much after his podcast interviews. Is it everything I thought it would be? Did it exceed my expectations? We'll get into that and more in the review below.
Before we jump in, I want to quickly explain how this review is structured. This book is broken down into three primary sections: healthy, wealthy, and wise. Because Ferriss breaks his book down this way, I thought it only appropriate to follow that same cadence. Okay, NOW let's into the it.
HEALTHY
Holy cow.
That phrase pretty much sums up my thoughts on this section. There was so much information. Almost too much. This section was the reason it took me almost a month to make it through the book; there's just so much information here. If you're curious on the best ways to keep your body healthy, look no further.
The issue with this section is that it was honestly too much information. Do you ever have those moments where you are given so much information about a given area that you decided that it is not worth pursuing at all? That was my mind here. The only reason I read this entire section was to maintain the integrity of this review. But frankly, it all seemed so daunting that I don't know that I'll employ anything from here.
My thoughts go to what Ferriss would think about this sentiment, and I think he would tell me (and you) that its not his intention that everybody tries 100% of what was shared here. I think he might even say that its his expectation that we don't even try 25% of what is shared here. In fact, I seriously can't tell if he would actually recommend exploring some things, like psychedelics, at all. I might tend to lean toward that "don't deluge your readers with too much info" camp, but I think I can see what Ferriss was aiming for here.
Don't get me wrong, the information in here isn't bad at all. In fact, I enjoyed some of it. I particularly enjoyed the thoughts shared by Paul "Triple H" Levesque as well as an exercise Ferriss encourages that basically encourages you to have a desire for random people to be happy. Sure, it sounds like an odd exercise, but the implications are astounding.
In any case, if you choose to read this book and find this section daunting, you might consider skipping on over to the next sections.
WEALTHY
Where the first section dragged on a little too much for me, this section definitely turned it around. I found a ton of value from all the titans throughout here. Perhaps one of the most fruitful ways I went about going through this section was expanding my knowledge upon a particularly interesting person by listening to the corresponding podcast. For example, my regular blog readers will know that I have referenced Scott Adams quite a bit lately. This is the direct result of having read Ferriss's snippet about him in this book.
And that is where I think this book really shines: it introduces you to brilliant minds that you perhaps were not aware of before. I knew Scott Adams was the cartoonist behind the Dilbert comic strip, but I personally took to heart his note about affirmations. (I echo my thoughts about that here.)
Because this is a long book, I am writing this review as I am reading the book, so this part of the review was written prior to me reading through the final part of the book. I bring this up to say that even without reading the final part yet, I can already say that this Wealthy section of the book merits a purchase of this book. My only hope is that the final section is just as good...
WISE
...and, thankfully, this final section of this book did not disappoint. I was introduced to characters that truly moved me at times. Folks like the tough-as-nails Jocko Willink and the beautiful life story shared by BJ Miller. I am very glad I steadfastly held through every word of this section as I learned much that I continue to reflect upon even after completing the book.
Perhaps one of the most moving parts of this section was Ferriss's reflection on suicide. Tim opens up and shares his personal journey in a way that I never would have expected given my experience of him on the podcast. I find it powerful because it adds a dimension to Tim that makes him more human. He's not this phenom that is on a level that nobody can possibly attain.
At the end of the day, Tim Ferriss is a human. Just like me. Just like you. And that should encourage you to understand that, like Ferriss, we can all take advantage of these tools of titans.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Having purchased the Kindle edition of this book, I was truly unaware of how much information was packed in here until I saw a physical edition of the book. Move aside, Harry Potter! I suppose it makes sense now why it took me so long to get through.
If I have one teeny complaint about the book, it has to do with Ferriss's suggestion on how to read the book. Because it is a large book, Ferriss opens by suggesting that readers purposefully jump around to things that interest them. The problem with this is that, aside from the super high-level headers, the book is separated by person, not subject. As somebody largely unfamiliar with many of the people in this book, how do I know that I'm not skipping over some gold?
To that end, I would suggest reading the entire book. (Perhaps skipping the Health section if that doesn't particularly interest you.) Know that getting through the entire book will be a trek, but the good thing is that Ferriss does a great job of segmenting the advice of these titans into concise sections. It's an easy book to pick up for just a few minutes. Heck, you could even make it a practice of only reading one or two thought leaders per day.
This is a very easy book to recommend. Ferriss introduces you to snippets from some of the greatest thought leaders of our generation, and if you find yourself thirsting for more of a particular person, you can always go and check out the corresponding podcast episode. The book indeed merits the title Tools of Titans, and I personally would love to see a "Part 2" in a few years after Ferriss interviews more thought leaders.
Disclaimer: This book was purchased using personal funds and was read cover-to-cover prior to the publication of this review.
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