Book · recommended on 93 episodes
The 4-Hour Workweek
Tim Ferriss ISBN 9780786149254
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Tim Ferriss ISBN 9780786149254
Find it on AmazonAffiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
This book by Tim Ferriss has come up 93 times across 2 different shows: Diary of a CEO, Tim Ferriss. 2 of those mentions were genuine on-air recommendations, not just passing references. The people who brought it up: Andrew Huberman, B. Jeffrey Madoff, Balaji Srinivasan, Blake Mycoskie, Cal Newport, Charlie Houpert. The earliest mention we indexed is from 2020-04-29 and the most recent from 2026-04-16. Every occurrence below links to the episode page and to the exact second it was said on YouTube.
The New York Times bestselling how-to and why-to guide to throwing out the old tools and methods for success and replacing them with a whole new way of living Tim Ferriss has trouble defining what he does for a living.
“So I go to the bookstore to find a book to help me get started. And I basically saw The 4-Hour Work Week, grabbed it, and it just sort of spoke to me.”— guest
The guest here is Brian Dean: SEO entrepreneur and founder of Backlinko (acquired by SEMrush) and Exploding Topics; built both off principles from The 4-Hour Workweek. Broke in his dad's basement, Brian Dean used The 4-Hour Workweek to build and sell two companies.
“I think The 4-Hour Workweek does a good job of breaking down kind of work for work's sake and money for money's sake”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Tim Ferriss: Author of The 4-Hour Workweek and The 4-Hour Body, angel investor, and host of The Tim Ferriss Show, appearing solo to discuss mental health, optimization, and his in-progress book on saying no. Tim Ferriss on quieting his ruminative OCD mind, the traps of self-help, and learning to say no in an AI-flooded world.
“I first met Charles because he reached out to me after reading the 4-hour work week, my first book, and he had applied a lot of it to his business”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Ben Patrick: Known as 'KneesOverToesGuy,' a coach and founder of ATG who overcame chronic knee pain and multiple surgeries to build a minimalist knee-training and joint-health system based on training the knees-over-toes position. KneesOverToesGuy Ben Patrick tells Tim Ferriss how backward sleds, deep squats, and Charles Poliquin's lessons fixed his knees.
“when we started chatting before I came on, I had read one of your books literally 10 or 15 years ago and it got me inspired to do kettlebells”— David Baszucki
The guest here is David Baszucki: Co-founder and CEO of Roblox; co-founder of the Baszucki Group and metabolic-psychiatry advocate (metabolicmind.org). Roblox CEO David Baszucki on saving his son's bipolar with ketogenic therapy, the science of ketosis, and building Roblox's digital economy.
“So it came out two years before the 4-hour work week. And I think I have a brief cameo in there probably because of the kickboxing stuff.”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Jack Canfield: Co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series (over 500 million copies sold) and author of The Success Principles. A former inner-city teacher turned success/human-potential trainer who introduced Tim Ferriss to his first book agent. Jack Canfield tells Tim Ferriss how Chicken Soup for the Soul beat 144 rejections, plus his success principles on responsibility, beliefs, and relentless action.
“under favorite books it said 4-hour work week. I'm like that's a great title. What is that? And I immediately order it on Amazon”— David Senra
The guest here is David Senra: Host of the Founders podcast, who reads and breaks down biographies of history's greatest entrepreneurs; launching a new interview show on Patrick O'Shaughnessy's Colossus network. David Senra explains how studying 400+ entrepreneur biographies revealed the patterns, archetypes, and obsessions that separate extreme winners.
“For my very first book, 4-hour work week, I used Google Adwords to test the top, let's just call it 10 title and subtitle contenders.”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Elan Lee: Co-creator and CEO of Exploding Kittens, the self-described number one independent game studio (60 million games sold), former chief design officer at Xbox; co-designed the game Coyote with Tim Ferriss. Exploding Kittens CEO Elan Lee walks Tim Ferriss through designing, testing, and selling their card game Coyote and what makes bestselling games.
“I have been a 4-hour work week acolyte for probably six months. Like evangelical. Everyone needs to read this book.”— Charlie Houpert
The guest here is Charlie Houpert: Founder of Charisma on Command, a YouTube channel and online education business (Charisma University) teaching social confidence and communication; former management consultant turned solo entrepreneur. Charisma on Command's Charlie Houpert traces his journey from broke consultant to multimillion-dollar online course creator, course-correcting through burnout and a painful co-founder split.
“if you read the 4-hour work week or whatever. Like there are guidelines for people who have perhaps not ever tried to objectively value their time.”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Chris Hutchins: Host of the All the Hacks podcast and former Wealthfront product manager; a self-described arbitrage obsessive who turned points, miles, and deal optimization into his full-time business. Points expert Chris Hutchins helps Tim Ferriss decide what to do with 15.5 million accumulated credit card points and miles.
“which relate to later questions on 4-hour work week and what I still use from that book.”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Kevin Rose: Investor, entrepreneur, and Tim Ferriss's longtime co-host on The Random Show. Referenced in this solo community episode rather than appearing in conversation. Tim Ferriss fields community Q&A on his three life commandments, AI, stoicism, writing, and the future of his fiction projects.
“which I think is a misunderstanding about what I do sometimes or what I often focus on even as early as the 4-hour work week”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Jake Kaminsky: Two-time Olympic recurve archer and silver medalist (London 2012 men's team), YouTube archery instructor, and Tim Ferriss's archery coach. Olympic archer Jake Kaminsky on hyper-precision, rebuilding his form, affirmations, and coaching Tim Ferriss to compete at Lancaster.
“The 4-hour work week was a huge book that allowed me to think about possibilities in my life in a new way.”— Steven West
The guest here is Stephen West: Creator and host of the Philosophize This! podcast, a self-taught philosopher who went from a high-school dropout stocking groceries to running one of the most respected independent philosophy shows; 225 episodes in over 12 years, with a book deal coming in 2026. Philosophize This! creator Stephen West tells Tim Ferriss how a homeless dropout warehouse worker built a beloved philosophy podcast.
“when I had my very first presentation at South by Southwest, 2007. It was the launch of the 4-hour work week”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Robert Rodriguez: Filmmaker behind El Mariachi, Spy Kids, Sin City, Desperado, and We Can Be Heroes; author of Rebel Without a Crew; known for guerrilla, resource-leveraging, fear-forward creativity. Robert Rodriguez returns to share fear-forward filmmaking, identity labels, working with his kids, and why journaling means reliving your life.
“that particular Southby is very nostalgic for me because I launched the 4-hour work week with an overflow presentation in 2007”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Ev Williams: Co-founder of Blogger, Twitter, Medium, and his current company Mosy; partner at Obvious Ventures. Started with a 1994 VHS tape teaching people how to use the internet. Ev Williams on strategic quitting, why greatness can't be planned, and building Mosy as an actual social network.
“same thing's true with the 4-Hour Work Week same thing's true with permission marketing”— Seth Godin
The guest here is Seth Godin: Bestselling author and marketing thinker (Permission Marketing, This Is Strategy), creator of the altMBA and the strategy deck of cards. Seth Godin reframes strategy as a philosophy of becoming built on systems, time, games, and empathy.
“New York Times bestselling author of The 4our work week the 4-Hour Body the 4-Hour chef”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Chris Sacca: Billionaire venture capitalist, early backer of Twitter and Uber, founder of climate fund Lower Carbon Capital, and former Shark Tank investor. Chris Sacca on raising resilient kids, saying no, the analog-craving backlash to AI, and betting on clean energy and community.
“once the success of the 4our work week gave me a certain grace period within which I could try anything because Publishers would be like well”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Tim Ferriss: Author of The 4-Hour Workweek and The 4-Hour Body, host of The Tim Ferriss Show podcast (10+ years), early-stage investor, and creator of the Cockpunch NFT/fantasy project that funded his science nonprofit. Tim Ferriss answers a small group's questions on parenthood, identity diversification, joy, grief, AI-proofing careers, and living with less urgency.
“the first time I encountered that was years ago when I saw somebody holding the 4 Hour Work week and I said oh wow great book”— Derek Sivers
The guest here is Derek Sivers: Musician-turned-entrepreneur who founded CD Baby (the largest independent music seller online), former TED speaker, and author of five books including How to Live and Useful Not True; now a writer and philosophical thinker living in New Zealand. Derek Sivers explains why deliberately reversing his strongest prejudices made the past year the happiest of his life.
“for instance, if you look at The 4-Hour Workweek, So I get rid of, not get rid of, but I automate my whole business”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Kevin Rose: Kevin Rose with Tim Ferriss. Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose riff on podcast sabbaticals, modern dating, longevity science, mediums, and ketamine therapy on the Random Show.
“I wish I had personally had Shopify in the early 2000s when I was running my own Ecommerce business I tell that story in the 4-Hour Work week”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Anne Lamott and Josh Waitzkin: Anne Lamott is a New York Times bestselling author of 20 books including Bird by Bird and Operating Instructions; Josh Waitzkin is an eight-time National chess champion, two-time Tai Chi Push Hands world champion, Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, and author of The Art of Learning. A 10-year anniversary combo episode pairing Anne Lamott on radical self-care with Josh Waitzkin on flow, learning, and presence.
“I love the timing for when I read 4our work week because it was actually just after I had done this like complete delegation of everything”— Derek Sivers
The guest here is Derek Sivers and Kevin Kelly: Derek Sivers is a former musician and circus MC who founded and sold CD Baby for $22M (donating the proceeds to charity) and authored books including 'Hell Yeah or No' and 'Useful Not True'; Kevin Kelly is the founding executive editor of Wired Magazine, former editor of the Whole Earth Review, and author of 'What Technology Wants,' 'Cool Tools,' and 'Vanishing Asia.'. Tim Ferriss 10-year anniversary combo: Derek Sivers and Kevin Kelly on saying no, voluntary simplicity, mastery, and long-term thinking.
“when I was running my own e-commerce business I tell that story in the 4 hour work week but the tools then were absolutely atrocious”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Michael Lewis and Martine Rothblatt: Michael Lewis is the bestselling author of Moneyball, The Big Short, and Going Infinite. Martine Rothblatt is a lawyer, transhumanist author, and founder/CEO of United Therapeutics and SiriusXM. Tim Ferriss 10-year anniversary combo: Michael Lewis on writing and ambition, Martine Rothblatt on science, transhumanism, and saving her daughter.
“when I was writing the 4-Hour Work week as my first book I still to this day find writing very challenging”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Jerry Seinfeld and Maria Popova: Jerry Seinfeld is an American standup comedian, actor, writer, and co-creator of Seinfeld; Maria Popova is an essayist and cultural critic who created Brain Pickings (now The Marginalian). Tim Ferriss revisits two favorite interviews on the craft of creating: Jerry Seinfeld on writing discipline and Maria Popova on reading deeply.
“all the 4our work week for the 4our body you know I've heard their fine books I've heard their those are very fine books and everyone should read them”— Ed Zschau
The guest here is Jim Collins and Ed Zschau: Jim Collins is the author of iconic business books including Good to Great, Built to Last, How the Mighty Fall, and Great by Choice. Ed Zschau is a polymath Princeton/Stanford/Harvard professor, 17-year tech-industry executive, and former U.S. congressman from California who became one of Tim Ferriss's most important mentors. A 10-year anniversary super-combo where Jim Collins and Ed Zschau share lifelong systems for creative discipline, purpose, and entrepreneurial teaching.
“one of the great ironies of writing a book called say essentialism or the 4-Hour Work week is that if those Concepts hit and the books do well”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Greg McKeown and Diana Chapman: Greg McKeown is the New York Times bestselling author of Essentialism and Effortless and host of the Greg McKeown podcast. Diana Chapman is co-founder of the Conscious Leadership Group and co-author of The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, who coaches leaders like Dustin Moskovitz. A best-of compilation pairing Greg McKeown on essentialism and saying no with Diana Chapman on conscious leadership and whole-body decision-making.
“in the early 2000s when I was running my own e-commerce business I tell that story in the 4-Hour Work week but the tools then were absolutely atrocious”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Dr. Gabor Mate and Dr. BJ Miller: Two featured guests: Dr. Gabor Mate, addiction and trauma expert and bestselling author (In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, When the Body Says No, The Myth of Normal); and Dr. BJ Miller, hospice and palliative care physician, triple amputee, and speaker whose TED Talk on end-of-life has 17M+ views. A Tim Ferriss anniversary super-combo pairing trauma expert Dr. Gabor Mate with hospice physician Dr. BJ Miller on healing, addiction, and dying well.
“I gave your 4-Hour Workweek to my then-teenage children. I said, I want you to learn the way this man thinks.”— Martha Beck
The guest here is Martha Beck: Harvard-trained sociologist, life coach, and bestselling author (The Way of Integrity); ex-Mormon known for radical honesty and somatic, joy-based coaching. Martha Beck on tracking joy in the body, her year of zero lies, and how curiosity defeats anxiety.
“I think it's in 4-Hour Workweek, you have some good models of pushing people on not just being busy, but being productive.”— Claire Hughes Johnson
The guest here is Claire Hughes Johnson: Former COO of Stripe (and prior Google executive); author of Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building. Stripe's former COO Claire Hughes Johnson on radical ownership, saying hard truths, renegotiating commitments, and building self-awareness as a leader.
“I mean this is really sort of 4-Hour Work Week style let's get in and write the systems for how we manage workload”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Cal Newport: Georgetown computer science professor, New Yorker contributor, and bestselling author of Deep Work, Digital Minimalism, and Slow Productivity. Cal Newport unpacks slow productivity, obsessing over quality, and resisting algorithm-driven attention economies in favor of long-horizon craft.
“after The 4-Hour Workweek, every pressure, including a lot of internal pressure, but every expectation and pressure was that I was going to do something in the same category”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Soman Chainani: Bestselling young-adult fantasy author of The School for Good and Evil series (six books, adapted into a 2023 Netflix film) and Beasts and Beauty; former longtime tutor and self-described specialist in the teenage mind. Fantasy author Soman Chainani talks creative flow, ketamine therapy, worst-case worrying, cross-collar dating, and reinventing your career like Madonna.
“Got a book, Million Dollar Weekend coming out to help people. Very similar, complementary to 4-Hour Workweek, and we're here today.”— Noah Kagan
The guest here is Noah Kagan: Founder/CEO of AppSumo (about $80M/year), former employee #30 at Facebook and #4 at Mint.com, YouTuber with a million subscribers, and author of Million Dollar Weekend. Noah Kagan and Tim Ferriss break down launching a million-dollar business in a weekend through asking, presales, and cheap validation.
“this is also on some level synonymous with what I described in The 4-Hour Workweek is the mini-retirement”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Matt Mullenweg: Co-founder of WordPress (runs over a third of all websites) and founder/CEO of Automattic, the open-source company behind WooCommerce, Tumblr, Day One, and the Texts messaging app. Matt Mullenweg on open-source freedom, an AI-shaped future, his first-ever sabbatical, and tools for life's darkest hours.
“to be almost an addendum to The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body and The 4-Hour Chef in terms of, say, healthy, wealthy, wise”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Tim Ferriss: Author, entrepreneur, angel investor, and host of The Tim Ferriss Show, in a solo live Q&A fielding pre-submitted and live-feed questions. Tim Ferriss answers fan questions on AI companions, weight training for longevity, writer's block, low-back pain, and meaning in a secular age.
“The 4-Hour Workweek came out in 2007, and there was a quote at the head of a chapter from Bill Cosby about breaking the rules”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Sheila Heen: Harvard Law School professor, founder of Triad Consulting Group, and co-author of Thanks for the Feedback and Difficult Conversations; three decades specializing in difficult conversations and feedback. Harvard's Sheila Heen teaches Tim Ferriss how to receive and give hard feedback, then applies it to dating, conflict, and lasting relationships.
“prior to that I wish I had personally had Shopify in the early 2000s when I was running my own e-commerce business I tell that story in the 4-Hour Work week”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Guy Laliberte: Founder of Cirque du Soleil, One Drop Foundation, and Lune Rouge; former street performer, fire breather, and accordion player who built the world's largest theatrical circus company before selling it in 2015. Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte tells Tim Ferriss how a busker built a billion-dollar entertainment empire from the streets.
“if you had to go back to before, when you wrote The 4-Hour Workweek, you would not change your mind”— Morgan Housel
The guest here is Morgan Housel: Partner at Collaborative Fund and author of The Psychology of Money (3M+ copies, 53 languages) and Same as Ever; two-time Best in Business Award winner and New York Times Sidney Award recipient. Morgan Housel on betting on what never changes, social debt, raising unspoiled kids, and writing for an audience of one.
“it came from reading your book almost exactly 10 years ago. And I posted an ad in Craigslist for an EA. I had nothing for her to do.”— Sam Corcos
The guest here is Sam Corcos: Co-founder and CEO of Levels (continuous glucose monitoring company); remote-first operator who has worked with the same executive assistant, Lori, for 10 years and now uses four EAs personally. Levels CEO Sam Corcos gives Tim Ferriss a tactical guide to delegation, async work with EAs, and calendar-based time management.
“this is where I first read The 4-Hour Workweek, so this is actually was super impactful for me in being very efficient using 80/20 principles”— Justin Gary
The guest here is Justin Gary: Former Magic: The Gathering U.S. National and World champion turned game designer; founder of Stone Blade Entertainment, creator of Ascension, SolForge, Bakugan, and Bad Beets, and host of the Think Like a Game Designer podcast. Magic champion turned game designer Justin Gary on creativity as process, testing assumptions, fear-setting, and building games and companies.
“then the notes of that class become the basis for the four hour work week I did not want to write a book but a friend of mine who's an author suggested it”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Tim Ferriss: Author, angel investor, and podcaster (interviewed by Bill Gurley); creator of The 4-Hour Workweek and The Tim Ferriss Show, recounting 20+ years of life and business experiments. Tim Ferriss tells Bill Gurley how a bootstrapped startup, a burnout book, and angel bets built his creator empire.
“that is what directly LED ultimately to the hockey stick for the 4our work week within Tech within specifically San Francisco”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Tim Ferriss: Five-time #1 New York Times bestselling author (The 4-Hour Workweek, Body, Chef), pioneering podcaster of The Tim Ferriss Show, startup investor, and major philanthropic funder of psychedelic mental-health research. Tim Ferriss breaks down his system for spotting future trends, learning fast, psychedelic philanthropy, and the personal traumas that shaped his work.
“the speaking session right before me in March of 2007 when I gave my very first presentation ever about the then forthcoming four-hour Work Week”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Eric Cressey: President/co-founder of Cressey Sports Performance and director of player health and performance for the New York Yankees; strength and conditioning coach known for extensive work with professional baseball players. Eric Cressey explains why MRIs mislead on back pain and how a movement diagnosis beats a medical one.
“I really admire, Tim, your 4-Hour Workweek as an example. I'm working on the 400-hour work week”— David Eagleman
The guest here is David Eagleman: Neuroscientist, Stanford professor, New York Times bestselling author (Sum, Incognito, Livewired), TED speaker, and founder of the neurotech company Neosensory. Neuroscientist David Eagleman explains sensory augmentation, why we dream, consciousness, memory, and his Lazy Susan method for managing many projects.
“Seth Godin: The 4-Hour Workweek? Tim Ferriss: Yeah, The 4-Hour Workweek was 2007. So let's call it 15 years ago.”— Seth Godin
The guest here is Seth Godin: Author of 21 international bestsellers (Tribes, Purple Cow, This Is Marketing), popular marketing blogger, founder of altMBA, Squidoo, and Yoyodyne, and creator of The Carbon Almanac. His latest book is The Song of Significance: A New Manifesto for Teams. Seth Godin tells Tim Ferriss that attitude is the one thing we choose, and meaning beats hustle.
“I would not have been able to write The 4-Hour Workweek had I not taken this advice. I was totally stuck on an entire section.”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Kevin Kelly: Co-founder and senior maverick at Wired magazine, co-chair of The Long Now Foundation, and author of 'Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I'd Known Earlier' along with 'Out of Control', 'What Technology Wants', and 'The Inevitable'. Kevin Kelly on optimism, AI as universal personal interns, sabbaticals, raising kids through travel, and being the only.
“your introduction to the world in four hour workweek, giving so many wonderful examples of how you don't have to accept the world's norms”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Derek Sivers: Entrepreneur turned author who founded and sold CD Baby; minimalist writer known for books like Anything You Want, now living in New Zealand. Derek Sivers walks Tim Ferriss through escaping the cloud, the unoptimized life, and his radical-skepticism worldview of 'Useful Not True.'.
“so much of how I ran my laboratory when I first became a professor was based on principles from The 4-Hour Workweek”— Andrew Huberman
The guest here is Dr. Andrew Huberman: Neuroscientist and tenured professor in the Department of Neurobiology at Stanford University's School of Medicine, and host of the Huberman Lab podcast. Andrew Huberman walks Tim Ferriss through his weekly training split, supplement stack, and the five daily foundations of physical and mental performance.
“it'll sound funny to hear me say this perhaps, given that I do delegate a lot and I'm The 4-Hour Workweek guy”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Matt Mochary: Silicon Valley CEO coach (Sam Altman, Brian Armstrong, Naval Ravikant), author of The Great CEO Within, former founder/filmmaker, and creator of the Mochary Coaching Methodology. CEO coach Matt Mochary live-coaches Tim Ferriss through fear, anger, hiring, firing, energy audits, and the pain hiding beneath anger.
“4-Hour Workweek is a good example of this. Nobody really used that phrase before the book. It was a little bit weird”— James Clear
The guest here is James Clear: Writer and speaker on habits and continuous improvement; author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Atomic Habits (10M+ copies sold) and creator of the 3-2-1 Newsletter (2M+ subscribers). James Clear breaks down the habit systems, identity shifts, and methodical launch strategy behind Atomic Habits' 10 million copies.
“it was around that time I discovered The 4-Hour Workweek. I think it had just come out or been out for a year or something”— Mark Manson
The guest here is Mark Manson: Three-time #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (~20 million copies sold), longtime personal-development blogger at MarkManson.net, and co-author of Will Smith's memoir 'Will'. Mark Manson tells Tim Ferriss the unglamorous truth behind his mega-bestseller, his decade of quiet iteration, and his pivot back to online video.
“I watched it several hundred times as background when I was writing The 4-Hour Workweek.”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Tim Ferriss: Author of The 4-Hour Workweek and host of The Tim Ferriss Show, recording a holiday Random Show with longtime friend and serial entrepreneur Kevin Rose (founder of Digg, former CEO of Hodinkee, Moonbirds). Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose trade 2023 resolutions, fitness gear, meditation, the yearly delete, AI's impact on art, and Cockpunch NFTs.
“this 4-Hour Workweek goes from — you got paid nothing for that book and then all of a sudden”— Jason Calacanis
The guest here is Jason Calacanis: Angel investor (300+ startups), Sequoia's first scout, author of Angel, and host of the This Week in Startups and All-In podcasts. Jason Calacanis tells Tim Ferriss his rise from a Brooklyn bar to media and venture success, plus the craft behind All-In.
“it came about because of the title of my first book, 4-Hour Workweek, and someone said, "Oh, you should talk to Aryeh"”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Aryeh Bourkoff: Chairman and CEO of LionTree, an independent investment and merchant bank; founder of Kindred Media; former vice chairman and head of Americas Investment Banking at UBS, and a seven-time top-ranked cable and satellite analyst. LionTree founder Aryeh Bourkoff on becoming media's hottest dealmaker, negotiation, time mastery, and where podcasting is headed.
“For the first book, The 4-Hour Workweek, that was bloggers, for instance. Most people were like, Blogs, what the hell is a blog?”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Tim Ferriss: Author of The 4-Hour Workweek, 4-Hour Body and 4-Hour Chef, host of The Tim Ferriss Show podcast, early-stage startup investor and advisor to companies including Shopify, Uber and TaskRabbit. Tim Ferriss fields a solo live Q&A on PR, marketing, launching products, selling to the affluent, time dilation, and his personal protocols.
“that was one of the two books I traveled with in the Years preceding the writing of the 4-Hour Work Week”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Rolf Potts: Author of the bestseller Vagabonding and the new book The Vagabond's Way; travel writer reporting from 60+ countries for National Geographic Traveler, The New Yorker, Outside, and the New York Times Magazine; based on a Kansas farmhouse with his wife, actress Kristen Bush. Travel writer Rolf Potts returns to discuss vagabonding, attention, slow travel, marriage later in life, and filling the vessel of midlife.
“he recommended the book four hour by week and i got home and i read through it and there were some things that just didn't apply”— James Smith
The guest here is James Smith: British personal trainer turned online fitness entrepreneur and author of Not a Diet Book, Not a Life Coach, and a new book on confidence; returning Diary of a CEO guest. Personal trainer James Smith breaks down confidence as evidence-based belief built through action, audacity, repetition and a willingness to lose.
“I'm interested in this idea that that book's reception in 2007 was actually a warning shot of sorts about what was happening in the world of work”— Cal Newport
The guest here is Cal Newport: Associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University, New Yorker contributing writer, and author of Deep Work, Digital Minimalism, and A World Without Email. Here he interviews host Tim Ferriss for a New Yorker piece revisiting The 4-Hour Workweek. Cal Newport interviews Tim Ferriss about how The 4-Hour Workweek warned of unsustainable knowledge work fifteen years early.
“wrote the article my outsourced life which was featured in the four hour work week what a title for our work week”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is A.J. Jacobs: Best-selling author, journalist, and self-described human guinea pig known for immersive books like The Year of Living Biblically and Thanks a Thousand. His latest book is The Puzzler, a deep dive into puzzles and the puzzle mindset. Author A.J. Jacobs explains how adopting a puzzle mindset, less furious, more curious, improves thinking, conflict resolution, and everyday life.
“really from the very beginning when you first published the four hour work week i feel like you've really been on a pathway”— Susan Cain
The guest here is Susan Cain: Author of the bestseller 'Quiet: The Power of Introverts' and the new book 'Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole.' A former lawyer whose TED talk has been viewed more than 40 million times. Susan Cain explains how bittersweetness, longing, and sorrow can be transformed into creativity, connection, and emotional resilience.
“it does make a reference to the four hour work week and not in terribly kind way ... the filling the void chapter”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Matt Mullenweg: Co-founder of the open-source publishing platform WordPress and founder/CEO of Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Tumblr, and Pocket Casts. A longtime friend of Tim, distributed-work advocate, and avid photographer. Tim Ferriss and Matt Mullenweg record from a tent on an Antarctic glacier, sharing personal reflections on grief, mortality, fear, and meaning.
“when i was working on my first book four hour work week the blessing and curse that that title has always been”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Anne Lamott: Best-selling author of 19 books including the writing classic 'Bird by Bird' and faith essay collections like 'Traveling Mercies.' A Sunday school teacher, recovering alcoholic, and Guggenheim fellow known for blending candor, humor, and spirituality. Anne Lamott on taming the inner critic, radical self-care, writing badly on purpose, recovery, prayer, and turning pain into medicine.
“my career at least in any credible sense didn't start with that and really it was the 4-Hour Workweek that put me on any map”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Cal Newport: Associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University (PhD from MIT) who researches the theory of distributed systems. He is a New Yorker contributing writer, host of the Deep Questions podcast, and author of seven books including Deep Work, Digital Minimalism, and A World Without Email. Cal Newport on building a deep life through slow productivity, digital minimalism, craft, and contemplation in an age of distraction.
“the 4-Hour Work week was actually really helpful uh at that time in helping me wrap my head around how I could straddle these Both Worlds”— Rich Roll
The guest here is Rich Roll: Former corporate lawyer turned ultra-distance endurance athlete, bestselling author of the memoir Finding Ultra, and host of the Rich Roll Podcast, one of the world's most downloaded shows. He got sober at 31 and overhauled his health at 40. Rich Roll on getting sober at 31, reinventing himself as an ultra-endurance athlete at 40, and the tools behind lasting change.
“So, one of one of the books I read at the time was Tim Ferriss's 4-Hour Workweek. And uh that book was life-changing for me”— Mark Manson
The guest here is Mark Manson: Author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (10M+ copies), former dating/pickup coach turned personal-development writer, co-author of Will Smith's memoir Will. Mark Manson traces his path from bullied outcast to pickup artist to mega-selling author, and the emptiness that came with success.
“the four-hour work week i mean i did give him a 20 earlier ... in all seriousness like that book was a huge influence as i said before which i'm super grateful for”— Blake Mycoskie
The guest here is Blake Mycoskie: Founder of TOMS, the shoe company built on a 'one for one' model that has given away more than 60 million pairs of shoes to children in need. A serial entrepreneur who started several businesses before TOMS, he was also a contestant on The Amazing Race. TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie tells Tim Ferriss how a serial entrepreneur turned an Argentina shoe drive into a one-for-one giving company.
“The 4-Hour Workweek is my first book, and it encapsulates my experience over the last 4 or 5 years uh conducting experiments around the world”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Tim Ferriss: Author, entrepreneur, and podcaster who guest-lectured on high-tech entrepreneurship at Princeton. In 2007 he was a startup founder and first-time author presenting the core ideas of his unpublished book, The 4-Hour Workweek. Tim Ferriss's recovered 2007 SXSW talk that launched The 4-Hour Workweek, laying out lifestyle design before the book existed.
“it is over more than a decade since four hour work week came out 2007 i started the blog i want to say in 2005 or 2006”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Chris Hutchins: Life-optimization enthusiast and host of the All the Hacks podcast, focused on upgrading life, money, and travel while spending less. A former founder, VC, and investment banker who has visited ~70 countries mostly on points, he interviews Tim Ferriss here as a relative podcasting newcomer (~19 episodes in). Tim Ferriss breaks down how he built a 700M-download podcast, covering gear, guests, prep, monetization, and growth with Chris Hutchins.
“four hour work week which by the way also had a huge impact on me my favorite story about that is i read four hour work week”— Jimmy Wales
The guest here is Jimmy Wales: Internet and technology entrepreneur, founder of Wikipedia and co-founder of Wikia/Fandom. He grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, worked as a futures and options trader in Chicago, and later launched the social-news experiment WT Social. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales on its dot-com-crash genesis, the failed Nupedia precursor, and designing healthier online communities.
“when i interviewed you and you talked about your book in the four-hour work week you know it was the same kind of thing”— B. Jeffrey Madoff
The guest here is B. Jeffrey Madoff: A former top-10 U.S. fashion designer who switched careers to film and video production, directing award-winning commercials and documentaries for clients like Ralph Lauren, Victoria's Secret, and Tiffany. He teaches at Parsons School of Design, wrote the book Creative Careers, and is producing the Lloyd Price stage musical Personality. Designer-turned-filmmaker B. Jeffrey Madoff on Ralph Lauren, scratching your own itch, perseverance through rejection, and the work behind every success.
“just go to four hourworkweek.com that's fourhourworkweek.com all spelled out and just drop in your email”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Giuliana Furci: Founder and executive director of the Fungi Foundation, the world's first nonprofit dedicated solely to fungi, established in 2012. A Harvard associate, Dame of the Order of the Star of Italy, and field mycologist who has named new species and pioneered fungal conservation policy. Mycologist Giuliana Furci on discovering new fungi, getting fungi into Chilean law, Jane Goodall's blessing, and why we must let things rot.
“when you think back to four hour work week and some of the analyses you did right you can tell you love the spreadsheet”— Ramit Sethi
The guest here is Ramit Sethi: Author of the New York Times bestseller 'I Will Teach You to Be Rich' and a personal-finance educator who has reached tens of millions. He hosts the podcast 'I Will Teach You to Be Rich,' featuring real stories about love and money from behind closed doors. Ramit Sethi shares the questions, exercises, and psychology shifts couples need to align on money and play offense.
“when i was working on my first book four hour work week the blessing and curse that that title has always been”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Anne Lamott: Best-selling author of 19 books including the classic writing guide Bird by Bird and the memoir Operating Instructions. A Sunday school teacher, left-wing activist, and recovering alcoholic sober since 1986 who writes with candor and humor about faith, addiction, motherhood, and grace. Anne Lamott on writing badly to write at all, recovery, dark nights of the soul, and turning pain into medicine.
“when i read your your book the four-hour work week ... they really helped me they're a lot of useful tools in there”— Andrew Huberman
The guest here is Andrew Huberman: Andrew Huberman is a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the Department of Neurobiology at Stanford University School of Medicine, known for work on brain development, vision, and neural plasticity. He hosts the Huberman Lab podcast and shares science-based health tools. Stanford neurobiologist Andrew Huberman on using light, breathing, and the body to control sleep, stress, and performance.
“some form of dreamlining is outlined in the four hour workweek but i will very frequently take the 80 20 analysis”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Tim Ferriss: Author, investor, and host of The Tim Ferriss Show, known for The 4-Hour Workweek and for interviewing world-class performers about their habits and routines. Here he flips the format to be the guest in a solo Q&A with his supporter group. Tim Ferriss answers fan questions on his morning and exercise routines, holotropic breathwork, self-compassion, meaning, and managing trauma.
“you've been talking about this stuff forever you know with the four-hour work week this is not it's not unusual for your audience”— Balaji Srinivasan
The guest here is Balaji Srinivasan: Angel investor and entrepreneur, former CTO of Coinbase and general partner at Andreessen Horowitz. Holds multiple Stanford engineering degrees, co-founded Earn.com and Counsyl, and was considered for a senior FDA role. Balaji Srinivasan lays out a sweeping thesis on crypto, decentralized media, life extension, network states, and a declining US versus a rising China.
“just go to four hourworkweek.com that's 4hourworkweek.com all spelled out and just drop in your email”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Vitalik Buterin: Creator of Ethereum, who discovered blockchain through Bitcoin in 2011, co-founded Bitcoin Magazine, and wrote the Ethereum white paper in 2013. He leads Ethereum's research team and was a 2014 Thiel Fellow; co-guest Naval Ravikant acts as interviewer. Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin, interviewed by Naval Ravikant, explains Ethereum, scaling, DeFi, tokens, public goods, and life extension.
“just go to 4hourworkweek.com that's 4hourworkweek.com all spelled out and just drop in your email and you will get the very next one”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Walter Isaacson: Professor of history at Tulane, former CEO of the Aspen Institute, former chair of CNN and editor of Time. He is the biographer of Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs, Einstein, and Benjamin Franklin, and author of 'The Code Breaker' about Jennifer Doudna. Walter Isaacson on CRISPR, Jennifer Doudna, gene editing's promises and perils, and the coming biotech revolution.
“he read a passage from the four hour work week in the course of that interview because he's read the book”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Steven Pressfield: Former Marine, Duke graduate, and author who became a published novelist at age 53 after roughly 30 years of failure. He wrote The War of Art, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Gates of Fire, and his then-newest novel A Man at Arms. Steven Pressfield on resistance, the artist's journey, the muse, shadow careers, and why finishing your first big work changes everything.
“tools of titans was basically my update to four hour work week for our body and for our chef simultaneously”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Tim Ferriss (interviewed by Kevin Rose): Tim Ferriss is the author of The 4-Hour Workweek/Body/Chef and host of The Tim Ferriss Show. Kevin Rose, his longtime friend and the show's very first guest, hosts this milestone episode by interviewing Tim with crowdsourced and friends' questions. For episode 500, Kevin Rose turns the tables and interviews Tim Ferriss in a loose, candid, fan-question-driven Random Show reunion.
“So, for those who have read the 4-Hour Workweek, this is before, right before I went to Argentina and had the entire saga of tango unfold”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Josh Waitzkin: Author of The Art of Learning, eight-time US national chess champion, two-time Tai Chi push hands world champion, and the first BJJ black belt under Marcelo Garcia. He now trains elite mental performers and runs The Art of Learning Project nonprofit. Josh Waitzkin turns the tables on Tim Ferriss, probing gating questions, the entanglement of genius and wounds, surrender, and preparing for accelerating change.
“just go to four hourworkweek.com that's 4hourworkweek.com all spelled out and just drop in your email”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is David Rubenstein: Co-founder and co-executive chairman of The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm with roughly $230 billion under management. A former White House deputy domestic policy advisor under President Carter, he is also a prominent philanthropist, author, and interviewer. Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein on building a private equity giant, mastering fundraising, advising Carter, and patriotic philanthropy.
“just go to four hourworkweek.com that's 4hourworkweek.com all spelled out and just drop in your email”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Richard Schwartz: Family therapist and Harvard Medical School psychiatry faculty member who developed the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model in the early 1980s. IFS is now an evidence-based form of psychotherapy widely used for trauma. Richard Schwartz explains Internal Family Systems therapy and leads Tim Ferriss through a live IFS session on his own anxiety and trauma.
“you had come out with 4-Hour Workweek, which was just this powerhouse of a book. And you were starting out with your blog as well.”— Leo Babauta
The guest here is Leo Babauta: Founder of Zen Habits, a website on simplicity and mindfulness with more than 2 million readers, named by Time among its top blogs and websites. A father of six who transformed his life starting in 2005 and now coaches others, studies Zen Buddhism, and unschools his kids. Zen Habits founder Leo Babauta on rebuilding his life one habit at a time, simplicity, contentment, unschooling, and befriending uncertainty.
“in the early days of shopify i probably gave out 100 copies of the four hour work week”— Harley Finkelstein
The guest here is Harley Finkelstein: Entrepreneur, lawyer, and Chief Operating Officer of Shopify, which he joined around 2010. He founded his first company at 17 while a student at McGill and is an advisor to Felicis Ventures. Shopify COO Harley Finkelstein on building the entrepreneurship company, lessons from law school, the Build-A-Business competition, and the accelerated future of retail.
“just go to four hourworkweek.com that's 4hourworkweek.com all spelled out and just drop in your email and you will get the very next one”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Jerry Seinfeld: Entertainment icon, stand-up comedian, and co-creator of Seinfeld, the most successful comedy series in TV history. Author of 'Is This Anything' and creator of the web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Jerry Seinfeld breaks down his writing systems, daily routines, gamification, and the brutal craft of surviving stand-up comedy.
“i was rereading the four hour work week and just kind of getting myself into your head about what you wrote that about 15 years ago”— Jim Collins
The guest here is Jim Collins: Researcher and teacher of what makes great companies endure, and a Socratic advisor to leaders. Author or co-author of six books (including Good to Great and Built to Last) that have sold more than 10 million copies. Jim Collins returns to discuss mentors, the power of small gestures, light vs. dark motivation, the Stockdale Paradox, and renewing over a lifetime.
“just go to four hourworkweek.com that's 4hourworkweek.com all spelled out and just drop in your email”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Yuval Noah Harari: Historian and best-selling author of Sapiens, Homo Deus, and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, considered one of the world's most influential public intellectuals. A longtime Vipassana meditation practitioner who has now adapted Sapiens into a graphic novel series. Yuval Noah Harari on meditation, the fictional stories that bind humanity, suffering as a test of reality, and the existential risks ahead.
“my initial title for the four hour work week which one could very compellingly argue still sounds like an infomercial product”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Guy Raz: Veteran journalist and podcast host who created and hosts How I Built This, Wisdom from the Top, and co-created the TED Radio Hour and Wow in the World. A former war correspondent for NPR and CNN, he was the first person to have three shows in the global top 20 simultaneously and authored the book How I Built This. Guy Raz on building 'How I Built This,' managing lifelong depression, the hero's-journey craft of storytelling, and the future of podcasting.
“just go to four hourworkweek.com that's 4hourworkweek.com all spelled out and just drop in your email”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Mike Novogratz: Founder and CEO of Galaxy Digital and former Goldman Sachs partner and Fortress Investment Group president. A macro trader, early institutional bitcoin advocate, and criminal justice reform philanthropist who chairs The Bail Project. Mike Novogratz on resilience after public failure, intuition in macro trading, his bitcoin bull case, ayahuasca, and bail reform.
“your book, Four-Hour Workweek, I mean that was a riot. I mean you wrecked my life for a while, frankly.”— Maurice Ashley
The guest here is Maurice Ashley: Maurice Ashley is the first African-American International Grandmaster in chess history, a three-time national-championship coach, author, ESPN commentator, and speaker. Born in Jamaica and raised in Brownsville, Brooklyn, he was inducted into the US Chess Hall of Fame in 2016. Grandmaster Maurice Ashley traces his path from Brooklyn chess hustles to history-making mastery, plus lessons on focus, teaching, and lifelong reinvention.
“a lot of these self-help books and your books are at a higher grade than the majority of them”— David Yarrow
The guest here is David Yarrow: One of the world's best-selling fine art photographers, known for dramatic, immersive images of wildlife and the human world shot with wide-angle lenses. A former sports photographer and hedge fund manager whose work raises millions for conservation and charity. Fine-art photographer David Yarrow traces his path from sports photography and a billion-dollar hedge fund to selling animal portraits for six figures.
“within a matter of weeks I turned 40 my first book 4-hour workweek had its tenth anniversary”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Naval Ravikant, Susan Cain, and Yuval Noah Harari: A compilation of three Tribe of Mentors profiles. Naval Ravikant is CEO and co-founder of AngelList and a prolific angel investor; Susan Cain is the bestselling author of Quiet and co-founder of Quiet Revolution; Yuval Noah Harari is a historian at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and author of Sapiens and Homo Deus. Tim Ferriss introduces Tribe of Mentors, then shares profiles of Naval Ravikant, Susan Cain, and Yuval Noah Harari.
“ray actually narrated my first book the 4-hour workweek a lot of you love him already he did an incredible job”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Derek Sivers, BJ Miller, and Christopher Sommer: A compilation of three Tools of Titans profiles: Derek Sivers, the introverted musician-turned-philosopher who founded and sold CD Baby; BJ Miller, a triple-amputee palliative care physician who has guided roughly 1,000 deaths; and Christopher Sommer, a former US National Team gymnastics coach and founder of the Gymnastic Bodies strength-training system. Tim Ferriss narrates his Tools of Titans intro plus profiles of Derek Sivers, BJ Miller, and Christopher Sommer.
“terrible title on some level kind of like the 4-hour workweek”— Tim Ferriss
The guest here is Kevin Rose: Kevin Rose is a serial entrepreneur, investor at True Ventures, and Tim Ferriss's longtime friend and co-host of The Random Show. He joins Tim for this live, boozy quarantine-edition conversation. Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose drink wine and riff on quarantine life, books, investing, anxiety, and binge-watching during early COVID-19.
26× recommendedTom O'Neill
17× recommendedSteven Pressfield
17× recommendedS.C. Gwynne
16× recommendedMarcus Aurelius
16× recommendedViktor Frankl
15× recommendedBrian Muraresku