#588: A.J. Jacobs — How to Be Less Furious and More Curious

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Apr 22, 2022

A.J. Jacobs, a bestselling author known for his adventurous experiments, discusses how to cultivate curiosity over fury. He shares transformative insights from his latest book about tackling life’s puzzles, emphasizing the power of collaboration and creative problem-solving. The conversation touches on the intricate beauty of puzzles, including innovative concepts like the mRNA vaccine derived from puzzle-solving strategies. Jacobs also highlights how adopting a curious mindset can enhance mental well-being, especially during challenging times.

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ADVICE

Puzzle Mindset

View the world as a puzzle, fostering curiosity and innovation.
Embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and discovery.

ANECDOTE

World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship

A.J. Jacobs and his family represented the USA in the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship in Spain.
They placed second to last but gained insights into strategy and global camaraderie.

ADVICE

Teamwork Strategies

Effective teamwork in puzzles, like in life, requires a clear division of labor.
Assign roles based on individual strengths, like sorting by color, shape, or trial and error.

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Thanks a Thousand

A Gratitude Journey

A.J. Jacobs

In 'Thanks a Thousand', A.J. Jacobs embarks on a global journey to thank every person involved in producing his morning cup of coffee. This deceptively simple idea transforms his life and highlights the benefits of gratitude, which include improving compassion, healing the body, and battling depression. Jacobs meets a diverse range of people, from Minnesota miners to Colombian farmers, and provides insights on how to focus on the positive aspects of daily life and practice gratitude effectively.

The 4 Hour Workweek

Timothy Ferriss

In 'The 4-Hour Workweek', Timothy Ferriss presents a step-by-step guide to 'lifestyle design', encouraging readers to question the traditional notion of retirement and instead create a lifestyle that prioritizes freedom, adventure, and personal growth. The book teaches how to outsource life tasks, automate income, and eliminate unnecessary work using principles like the 80/20 rule and Parkinson’s Law. Ferriss shares his personal journey from a corporate workaholic to a location-independent entrepreneur and provides practical tips and case studies to help readers achieve similar results. The book emphasizes the importance of focusing on high-value activities, taking 'mini-retirements', and living life to the fullest in the present rather than deferring enjoyment until retirement.

The Year of Living Biblically

One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

A.J. Jacobs

In this book, A.J. Jacobs embarks on a year-long experiment to live according to the Bible's rules as literally as possible. Raised in a secular Jewish family, Jacobs delves into the world of religion to understand its relevance in modern life. He follows over 700 biblical rules, from the well-known Ten Commandments to the lesser-known laws such as avoiding clothes made of mixed fibers and stoning adulterers. The book is a humorous and profound account of his journey, where he interacts with various religious groups, including Amish, Hassidic Jews, and evangelical Christians. Jacobs' experiment leads to surprising insights and personal growth, challenging his initial skepticism about religion and highlighting the complexities of biblical literalism[1][3][5].

The Puzzler

AJ Jacobs

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A.J. Jacobs (@ajjacobs) is a bestselling author, journalist, and human guinea pig. He has written four New York Times bestsellers, including The Year of Living Biblically (for which he followed all the rules of the Bible as literally as possible) and Thanks a Thousand (for which he went around the world and thanked every person who had even the smallest role in making his morning cup of coffee possible). He has given four TED talks with a combined 10M+ views. He contributes to NPR and The New York Times and wrote the article “My Outsourced Life,” which was featured in The 4-Hour Workweek. He was once the answer to one down in The New York Times crossword puzzle. You can find my 2016 interview with A.J. at tim.blog/aj.

His new book is The Puzzler: One Man’s Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life.

Please enjoy!

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Why have A.J.’s kids lately deigned to show him a modicum of respect? [06:20]

For most of his books, A.J. has a number of friends read the draft and offer suggestions for edits — what to cut and what to keep. Why was this usually sound strategy a bust for The Puzzler? [07:15]

Why did A.J. abandon his next planned book midway and pivot to writing The Puzzler? [08:54]

Is A.J. more of a George Plimpton or a Nellie Bly? [11:18]

Why puzzles are worthwhile and not, as I once believed, frivolous time-wasters, and what happened when A.J. discovered he was a clue in the world-famous New York Times‘ crossword puzzle. [14:42]

How does one compete in the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship? For that matter, how does someone who doesn’t really even like jigsaw puzzles wind up representing their whole country in one? What did A.J. and his hastily assembled Team USA learn about jigsaw diplomacy and strategy when they unwittingly became participants in this annual event? [17:25]

What would “the Ironman triathlon for nerds” look like? A.J. reckons it would be something like an MIT puzzlehunt. [23:25]

“Don’t get furious. Get curious.” Every problem or disagreement is just a puzzle in search of a solution. [24:08]

A.J.’s writing process is strong on structure and outlining, but he likes to allow room for surprises. One of these surprises while penning The Puzzler: a decades-unsolved CIA puzzle sculpture called Kryptos. [28:41]

On puzzle trolls, fabulous prizes, and what you can win if you solve one of A.J.’s designated puzzles in The Puzzler. [32:38]

What makes a good puzzler (and why does A.J. consider himself a better puzzle solver than puzzle creator)? As an aside: A.J. shares the origin of the phrase “Think outside the box.” [33:50]

Transferable ways we can apply our puzzle-solving skills to other areas, with examples from a preteen Gauss, British crosswords, tormenting jigsaw puzzles, and reverse-thought riddles. [38:39]

What puzzles does A.J. consider to give the most bang for their buck? It all depends on what you’re hoping to retain from the act of doing them, but Japanese puzzle boxes take things to a whole new level. [51:04]

The shadow side of puzzles that drive people mad: the Monty Hall problem, the Sleeping Beauty problem, and a puzzle A.J. commissioned that can’t be solved within the lifespan of the universe. [54:41]

If researching and writing Thanks a Thousand imparted A.J. with a lifelong appreciation for gratitude, what residual takeaways from writing The Puzzler does A.J. predict will remain with him for years to come? [1:00:26]

In what puzzle-oriented subculture would A.J. feel most at home? [1:03:08]

Obsessed with puzzles? Beware the perils of apophenia. [1:05:16]

According to A.J., the hardest corn maze in the world is run by a sadist in Vermont. What has this sadist learned about human nature during the time he’s spent observing people trying to escape from this maze? [1:07:40]

On puzzle creation epicenters, Garry Kasparov, and how chess puzzles differ from chess games. [1:10:10]

How do puzzles pertain to the meaning of life? [1:15:06]

Parting thoughts. [1:17:34]

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