Tim Ferriss - 5-Bullet Friday — February 3, 2023

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.

Winter jacket that’s saving my ass

​Stio’s Environ XT Jacket. I recently replaced my old ski jacket/shell with this, and I’m thrilled that I did. It’s lightweight, durable, and has made even windy negative temperatures easy to handle with a proper base layer and midlayer. The Stio Environ XT is one of SKI Magazine’s “Best Men’s Ski Jackets of 2023,” and I chose Afternoon Azure for color. Here’s the description from the website: “Primed and ready for sidecountry hits, all-day tours, and storm laps in the resort, this jacket is for the minimalist who never uses his powder skirt and the purist who knows exactly what he needs.”

Audiobook I’m loving

​Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. This is one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever found. The dialogue is burst-out-loud funny, and the writing is spectacularly visual. I’d heard the name Lonesome Dove many times over the years, and I finally dove in after a friend mentioned that it’s his all-time favorite book. Here’s the description: “A love story, an adventure, and an epic of the frontier, Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, Lonesome Dove, is the grandest novel ever written about the last defiant wilderness of America. Two retired Texas Rangers, Captains Woodrow Call and Augustus ‘Gus’ McCrae, lead a cattle drive from the small town of Lonesome Dove to the unsettled Montana territories. On their grueling journey, they are joined by Joshua Deets, a Black scout and former Ranger; Jake Spoon, a fugitive; and Newt Dobbs, a 17-year-old boy who may have family ties to Call.”

Even if you end up reading the text, listen to 30–60 minutes of the audiobook for narrator Lee Horsley’s accents and performance. Warning: Gus can be high-volume, as he’s a loudmouth in the book, and there is one tough stretch via audio about one-third in. I was tempted to put it down briefly, as was a friend, so just power through or switch to text. It evens out after that and simply gets better and better with each short chapter.

Documentary I’m watching

​David Hockney: The Art of Seeing. Here’s the description: “David Hockney, widely considered to be Britain’s best-loved living artist, has taken over the Royal Academy [RA] in London with his exhibition A Bigger Picture, made up of recent works depicting the landscape of his native Yorkshire. In this programme, Andrew Marr, a friend of Hockney’s and an amateur painter himself, is in conversation with the artist, both at his home in Bridlington and in the galleries of the RA.”

​​Article I’m rereading

“Taming the Mammoth: Why You Should Stop Caring What Other People Think.” This remains one of the most empowering articles I’ve read in recent years. It’s hilarious and amazing. For double trouble, pair it with my interview with the author, Tim Urban (@waitbutwhy).

Quote I'm pondering

“The very secret of life for me, I believed, was to maintain in the midst of rushing events an inner tranquility.” ​
— Margaret Bourke-White​
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You can complement this edition of 5-Bullet Friday with my interview with bestselling author Neil Gaiman, who wrote and narrated another of my favorite audiobooks, The Graveyard Book.
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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 — LMNT tasty electrolyte drink mix!

I’ve stocked up on boxes and boxes of LMNT, and I usually use 1–2 packs per day to add electrolytes. These days, as I’m logging more outdoor and skiing hours, LMNT has been critical. Electrolytes are essential minerals that keep you moving and prevent dehydration symptoms like headaches, muscle cramps, and fatigue. They support hundreds of processes within the body. I add electrolytes for many reasons: because I over-hydrate compulsively while stuck at a laptop (which dilutes electrolytes and leads me to feel tired), because I’m on a low-carb diet, because I’ve lost electrolytes through exercise, etc. It’s simply cheap hydration insurance that tastes great.

Developed by Robb Wolf and his coaches, each serving delivers a meaningful dose of electrolytes without the garbage—no sugar, no artificial ingredients, no coloring, no junk. LMNT is used by three Navy SEAL teams, as prescribed by their master chief; Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr (5x CrossFit Games winner); dozens of NFL and NBA teams; and others, like me, who are looking for a physical and mental edge. My favorite flavor is Citrus Salt, which, as a side note, you can use to make a kick-ass, no-sugar margarita. Grapefruit is a close second, so I alternate the two.

​Find your favorite flavor with a free LMNT Sample Pack, included with any purchase for a limited time. And if you don’t love your purchase for any reason, my friends at LMNT offer a no-questions-asked refund policy. This special offer is available here >>> DrinkLMNT.com/Tim.