Tim Ferriss - 5-Bullet Friday — September 9, 2022

Hi All!

Here is your weekly dose of 5-Bullet Friday, a list of what I’m pondering and exploring. Please feel free to forward this along to friends.

Article I’m reading

​“Is the Psychedelic Therapy Bubble About to Burst?” by Grace Browne for WIRED. This coverage expands upon a recent paper that’s received some attention: “Preparing for the Bursting of the Psychedelic Hype Bubble” by David Yaden, PhD, James B. Potash, MD, and Roland R. Griffiths, PhD, in JAMA Psychiatry.

What I’m using for sleep

​Protekt REST (Protekt, Amazon). This was given to me by a friend after I mentioned I was avoiding melatonin due to its effects on gonadal function and next-day sluggishness. From the description: “While other sleep aids leave you groggy in the morning, we’ve chosen valerian root, theanine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA.” Pro tip #1: If you have trouble opening the packets, just use scissors. Pro tip #2: Mix the packets with water. Do *not* skip that step and chug it alone. This REST cocktail has worked well for me over the last few weeks, so I plan to continue using it as part of my sleep toolkit. As with any supplement, I tend to cycle off at least 1–2 days a week.

Audiobook I’m recommending

​A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. First and foremost, huge thanks to everyone who recommended their favorite novels from Ursula on Twitter. I’m now three deep, but this was my first, and it is still absolutely my favorite. This is also a favorite of Neil Gaiman and countless other writers who were deeply influenced by Ursula. One could argue that without A Wizard of Earthsea, there is no Harry Potter or Hogwarts. Last but not least, Rob Inglis is the perfect narrator for this book. To listen at faster than 1x speed would be sacrilege! Savor instead of optimizing. He also narrated the unabridged The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien.

​​What I’m listening to

“Bad Horsie” (YouTube, Spotify) by Steve Vai (@stevevai). Pair it with “Steve Vai - Vinnie Colaiuta’s Sight Reading,” which is hilarious. Before you watch the sight-reading video, read the following sight-reading definition from Wikipedia: “In music, sight-reading, also called a prima vista (Italian meaning ‘at first sight’), is the practice of reading and performing a piece in a music notation that the performer has not seen or learned before. Sight-singing is used to describe a singer who is sight-reading. Both activities require the musician to play or sing the notated rhythms and pitches.” Thanks to Dave Elitch (@daveelitch) for the video recommendation.

Quote I’m pondering

“There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning.”
​— Louis L'Amour​
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You can complement this edition of 5-Bullet Friday with this video on my evening routine, my interview with neurobiologist Dr. Andrew Huberman on improving sleep (among other things), and my conversation with physicist Safi Bahcall, which touched on Safi’s self-hypnosis techniques for relaxing and falling asleep.
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And, as always, please give me feedback on Twitter. Which bullet above is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know. Just send a tweet to @tferriss and put #5BulletFriday at the end so I can find it.
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Have a wonderful weekend, all.
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Much love to you and yours,
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Tim

P.S. Deal of the Week — Maui Nui Venison, wildly delicious venison. Don’t miss the last paragraph…

I’ve been eating Maui Nui Venison for the past two years, and there’s no going back. My pantry and freezers are full of it, and I restock every month. Why? (1) If I combine Maui Nui Venison with even a little exercise, I drop body fat unbelievably quickly. (2) It tastes delicious and isn’t gamey. (3) Ethically, I feel great about Maui Nui protein, as axis deer are an invasive species on Maui, where their population needs to be managed in order to protect vulnerable ecosystems. The damage from overpopulation looks like wildfire damage and even disrupts coral systems with runoff.
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Harvested using stress-free methods, Maui Nui’s fresh venison is clean-tasting, tender, and one of the most nutrient-dense meats on the planet. Maui Nui is a nearly daily go-to for me, both as a supplement to my daily diet (with broth, jerky snacks, etc.) and through main courses (via their fresh-meat subscription program). I fell in love with this company so much that I ended up investing, which is a rarity.
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​Remarkably, Maui Nui has nearly stabilized Maui’s Axis deer population, which means the door to one of the most exclusive proteins on the market will soon be closed. The list of people waiting for invitations to become a Fresh Subscriber is long, which is why I am excited to offer 5-Bullet Friday subscribers an exclusive opportunity to bypass the waitlist (until EOD Monday) and get instant access to one of the few remaining subscriptions. Visit MauiNuiVenison.com/Tim to take advantage of this limited-time offer and secure your subscription today. If you are currently on the waitlist, you will get immediate access. Maui Nui will stop offering subscriptions when they reach 8,000 subscribers—when the Axis deer population will have reached equilibrium—so act fast.