From Physics to Philosophy: A Journey of Unforeseen Paths

This episode is a two-for-one, and that’s because the podcast recently hit its 10-year anniversary and passed one billion downloads. To celebrate, I’ve curated some of the best of the best—some of my favorites—from more than 700 episodes over the last decade. I could not be more excited. The episode features segments from episode #361 "Jim Collins — A Rare Interview with a Reclusive Polymath" and #380 "Ed Zschau — The Polymath Professor Who Changed My Life."

Please enjoy!

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Timestamps:

[00:00] Start

[05:00] Notes about this supercombo format.

[06:03] Enter Jim Collins.

[06:28] How Jim’s students influenced his entrepreneurial path.

[10:45] Why Jim carries a three-timer stopwatch.

[12:21] Using a spreadsheet to optimize discipline in service of creativity.

[13:42] Ideal minimum creative hours per year.

[15:19] Avoiding a life-distorting “funk.”

[17:41] Calculating an optimal end point.

[19:27] Patterns discovered using Jim’s time-tracking method.

[20:23] Three crucial components for living the life Jim wants to lead.

[22:18] The bug book and the hedgehog concept.

[30:31] Peter Drucker mic-drop lessons.

[34:39] Enter Ed Zschau.

[34:59] How I convinced Dr. Zschau to let me into his Princeton engineering course.

[37:38] Ed’s background in competitive figure skating and the lessons it taught him.

[41:45] The origin of Ed’s meticulous attention to detail.

[45:31] The benefits of learning by doing through the case method.

[49:21] Ed’s definition of entrepreneurship.

[50:50] The role of optimism in entrepreneurship and life.

[53:30] Ed’s aspirations as a teenager and young adult.

[55:32] What drew Ed to Princeton as an aspiring physics philosopher.

[58:21] How Ed got into teaching and his belief that career planning is overrated.

[1:03:37] How Ed learned to become a good teacher and the influence of extemporaneous speaking.

[1:06:53] Lessons from extemporaneous speaking competitions about preparation and adaptation.

[1:11:04] Ed’s thoughts on focusing for extended periods versus opening himself to opportunities.

[1:13:06] Ed’s decision to run for Congress.

[1:17:57] Advantages of committing to a maximum of three terms in the House of Representatives.

[1:21:29] Ed’s experience and self-reflection after losing his Senate race.

[1:23:40] Ed’s decision process when transitioning from investor to CEO.

[1:26:05] Differentiating between high-impact commitments and peer pressure.

[1:29:41] Comparing Ed’s parenting style to his teaching style.

[1:31:17] Ed’s belief in encouragement over direction and his own upbringing.

[1:34:45] The origin of Ed’s goal to live a life that matters.

[1:37:05] Influential books and recommendations for aspiring entrepreneurs.

[1:42:05] Ed’s current excitement and efforts to make higher education affordable through technology.

[1:48:37] The mantra by which Ed lives his life and his childhood nickname.

[1:50:57] How Ed brings the sound of music to his endeavors.

[1:57:34] Ed’s influence on others to continue his work of changing the world.

[1:59:40] Parting thoughts.

*

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Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, Margaret Atwood, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Dr. Gabor Maté, Anne Lamott, Sarah Silverman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.

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