My guest today is Logan Ury, the author of How To Not Die Alone: The Surprising Science That Will Help You Find Love. Logan studied psychology at Harvard, ran Google’s behavioral science team, and now works at the dating app Hinge and as a dating coach.In our conversation, Logan shares advice on what really matters in a long-term partner and what doesn’t, the pros and cons of online dating, why you shouldn’t focus on the initial spark or chemistry on a date, the difference between falling in love and being in love, and so much more.TIMESTAMPS:[00:44] - Why modern dating is so hard[03:55] - The 3 dating tendencies (or what’s holding you back in dating) [08:10] - Attachment styles and how it affects your dating life[12:00] - Myths around the spark and love at first sight[16:37] - The traits that actually matter in a long-term partner[20:50] - Vetting for a life partner[25:36] - Why you should go on more second dates[28:47] - How to make dates more fun and less like job interviews[33:00] - Tips for staying in love [35:40] - How to know when you found the person you want to marry[38:50] - A book that had a huge impact on Logan’s lifeResources:Twitter: @loganuryWebsite: loganury.com***If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe & write a positive review.Every week, I send out a free weekly newsletter with actionable advice from amazing books. Join 5,000+ readers here.Connect with Alex & Books:Twitter: @alexandbooks_Instagram: @alexandbooks_YouTube: Alex and Books

My guest today is James Altucher, the author of Skip the Line: The 10,000 Experiments Rule and Other Surprising Advice for Reaching Your Goals.  James is an entrepreneur, angel investor, chess master, comedian, and prolific writer. He's also the podcast host of "The James Altucher Show" which has had over 30 million downloads.In our conversation, James shares advice on how to get around the 10,000-hour rule, how to acquire skills quickly, why you want to learn micro-skills, the value of experimenting, and much more.TIMESTAMPS:[00:35] - What it means to "Skip The Line"  [12:41] - Why people don't like it when you try to skip the line  [17:01] - The importance of learning micro-skills [21:50] - Writing tip: Remove the first and last paragraph from your article[23:52] - 6-minute networking tip from Jordan Harbinger[27:20] - Is your network your net worth?[32:20] - How to get around the 10,000-hour rule[39:26] - How coming up with 10 ideas a day changed James's life  [49:26] - How James tried to buy Greenland[51:58] - How to monetize your passion [57:36] - Lessons from Nassim Taleb and his booksResources:Twitter: @jaltucher Website: jamesaltucher.com***If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe & write a positive review.Every week, I send out a free weekly newsletter with actionable advice from amazing books. Join 4,800+ readers here.Connect with Alex & Books:Twitter: @alexandbooks_Instagram: @alexandbooks_YouTube: Alex and Books

My guest today is  Blas Moros, a talented writer and the creator of a very popular blog called The Rabbit Hole, where he's shared 600+ book summaries, along with dozens of essays and other educational resources.In our conversation, Blass shares advice on how to choose what book to read next, the value of taking notes and writing summaries, how to find time to read more, and more great reading tips.He also talks about the importance of playing infinite games, explains the opportunity paradox, and shares details about his newest project, The Latticework–a multidisciplinary learning roadmap that curates, organizes, and interconnects valuable ideas.TIMESTAMPS:[00:55] - How Blas discovered his love for reading[05:10] - How Blas chooses what book to read next[06:10] - How to find more time to read[08:48] - Blas's note-taking & book summary process[10:48] - Ebooks vs audiobooks vs print books[11:52] - How Blas uses his book summaries to grow as a person[13:51] - What makes a book worth rereading[16:55] - Helpful reading tips for people just getting into reading[20:00] - Lessons from Blas's essay The Infinite Game [25:50] - Lessons from Blas's essay The Opportunity Paradox[31:30] - Why more discipline equals more freedom[33:24] - Blas's newest project: The Latticework[36:00] - What is  first-principle thinking & how did Elon Musk use it to build SpaceX & Tesla[40:10] - Explaining second-order thinking[41:40] - Two books that had a huge impact on BlasResources:Twitter: @BlasMorosWebsite: blas.comThe Latticework***If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe & write a positive review.Every week, I send out a free weekly newsletter with actionable advice from amazing books. Join 4,700+ readers here.Connect with Alex & Books:Twitter: @alexandbooks_Instagram: @alexandbooks_YouTube: Alex and Books

My guest today is Scott Young, the bestselling author of Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career.Scott is a prolific writer who writes about learning, productivity, and habits. He is known for documenting learning challenges such as completing 4-years of MIT computer science classes in one year and learning four languages in one year.In our conversation, Scott talks about how to learn skills faster, the paradox of learning and why sometimes learning strategies that feel that easiest are the least effective, how to remember more from the books you’ve read, how to prevent yourself from forgetting a skill, and much more.TIMESTAMPS:[00:44] - What is Ultralearning?  [04:02] - How Scott completed 4 years of MIT classes in 12 months  [08:37] - How to deal with distraction and procrastination  [13:08] - The importance of direct learning  [20:20] - The paradox of learning (sometimes learning that feels easy is the least effective)  [26:31] - How to remember more of what you’ve learned & prevent yourself from forgetting information [29:25] - Why you want to space your learning and not cram for an exam [31:15] - How to remember more from the books you’ve read[37:55] - Advice to people starting their first ultralearning project  [40:26] - How to maintain skills and prevent yourself from losing them  [45:40] - How to raise your kids to be ultralearners [50:50] - Two books that changed Scott’s lifeLearn more about the author:Twitter: @ScottHYoungWebsite: scotthyoung.com***If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe & write a positive review.Every week, I send out a free weekly newsletter with actionable advice from amazing books. Join 4,200+ readers here.Connect with Alex & Books:Twitter: @alexandbooks_Instagram: @alexandbooks_YouTube: Alex and Books

My guest today is Alex Banayan, the author of the #1 international bestseller The Third Door: The Wild Quest to Uncover How the World's Most Successful People Launched Their Careers.At 18-years old, Alex won The Price Is Right and sold the grand-prize to fund his journey of tracking down the world’s most successful people to uncover how they launched their careers. He interviewed Bill Gates, Tim Ferriss, Steve Wozniak, Warren Buffett, Larry King, Maya Angelou, and many more incredible individuals. In our conversation, Alex shares advice on how to pursue your dreams, overcome setbacks and rejection, the books that changed his life, how he met Tim Ferriss and learned his secret cold email technique, an exclusive look into Alex’s new book, and so much more.This is a podcast you do not want to miss.TIMESTAMPS:[00:39] - How the book Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh changed Alex’s life[07:40] - Why Alex Banayan and I love reading[09:30] - How to find the courage to pursue your dreams [12:24] - The Third Door analogy explained [16:17] - Alex & Books’ Third Door journey[19:00] - How to deal with setbacks and rejection[27:06] - How Alex used The Third Door method to interview Tim Ferriss[36:00] - Lessons from being over persistent [41:35] - Two books that changed Alex’s life[45:42] - EXCLUSIVE: Alex’s talks about his upcoming bookLearn more about the author:Twitter: @AlexBanayanWebsite: thirddoorbook.com***If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe & write a positive review.Every week, I send out a free weekly newsletter with actionable advice from amazing books. Join 3,300+ readers here.Connect with Alex & Books:Twitter: @alexandbooks_Instagram: @alexandbooks_YouTube: Alex and Books

My guest today is Robin Hanson, the co-author of The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life. Robin is an associate professor of economics at George Mason University and a research associate at the Future of Humanity Institute of Oxford University.In his book, Robin explores the hidden (and oftentimes sometimes darker) motives in everyday life. In our conversation, Robin talks about the hidden meaning of body language, how humans deceive themselves and others, the dark motivation behind charity donations, how sex, status, and politics all play a role in our motives, and much more. If you’re into evolutionary psychology or ever wondered why humans act the way they do, you’ll find this conversation fascinating.TIMESTAMPS:[00:45] - What is the elephant in the brain?[03:45] - Hidden motives in chimps[05:54] - The 3 main games people play: sex, status, and politics[07:58] - Social norms & hiding our darker intentions[13:20] - Understanding the secret message of body language [18:12] - The hidden motives behind buying luxury items [23:32] - The darker motives of why people give to charities[27:47] - Hidden motives of speaking  [31:29] - Why people laugh & how it serves as a signal to others[36:17] - How this book can help you develop a new mental model of the world[41:06] - The hidden motive behind the educational system[44:52] - Two books that had a big impact on RobinLearn more about the author:Twitter: @robinhansonWebsite: hanson.gmu.edu***If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe & write a positive review.Every week, I send out a free weekly newsletter with actionable advice from amazing books. Join 3,100+ readers here.Connect with Alex & Books:Twitter: @alexandbooks_Instagram: @alexandbooks_YouTube: Alex and Books

My guest today is Nir Eyal, the author of Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. Nir Eyal is a bestselling author, former Stanford lecturer, and behavioral design expert. In Indistractable, Nir explains the hidden psychology behind distractions and shares practical advice on how to get the best out of technology without letting it get the best of us. In our conversation, Nir talks about what really drives human behavior,  what to do when you get distracted, how to prevent distractions such as email and smartphones, how to raise kids to use technology properly, and much more. TIMESTAMPS:[00:43] - What it means to be Indistractable  [03:17] - Why discomfort is the root cause of our distraction[05:33] - The opposite of distraction is traction[10:14] - Why you shouldn't shame or blame yourself when you get distracted[15:17] - The role of willpower and mindset in minimizing distractions[17:46] - How knowing your values & planning ahead helps avoid distractions[22:51] - Greg McKeown & Essentialism[24:11] - How to hack back emails[31:17] - How to hack back your smartphone[36:22] - How to make your kids Indistractable[41:50] - Kids & social media[43:48] - Two books that had a big impact on Nir Eyal[Learn more about the author:Twitter: @nireyalWebsite: nirandfar.com***If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe & write a positive review.Every week, I send out a free weekly newsletter with actionable advice from amazing books. Join 3,000+ readers here.Connect with Alex & Books:Twitter: @alexandbooks_Instagram: @alexandbooks_YouTube: Alex and Books

My guest today is Eric Jorgenson, the author of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness.  Naval Ravikant is the co-founder of AngelList, investor in 200+ companies, and considered by many to be a modern-day philosopher. This book is a collection of Naval's wisdom and experience shared as a curation of his most insightful interviews, essays, and podcasts. In our conversation, Eric shares Naval's advice on how to build wealth, learn the skill of happiness, become a better reader, and much more. You can get a free ebook copy of the book here: navalmanack.comTIMESTAMPS:[00:41] - The background story of this book  [03:18] - Who is Naval Ravikant?[05:13] - How to get rich without getting lucky[08:12] - If you want to get rich, you have to own equity[11:23] - How you can use leverage to create wealth[16:27] - Why you want to productize yourself[21:27] - Happiness is a skill you can learn[32:03] - The benefits of meditation & how it can make you happier[37:25] - How Naval reads books & reading tips[43:33] - How has Eric evolved after studying Naval[46:12] - How to apply what you read [49:50] - Books that had a huge influence on Eric & how they changed him[54:50] - Update on Alex & Books Learn more about the author:Twitter: @EricJorgenson***If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe & write a positive review.Every week, I send out a free weekly newsletter with actionable advice from amazing books. Join 2,500+ readers here.Connect with Alex & Books:Twitter: @alexandbooks_Instagram: @alexandbooks_YouTube: Alex and Books

My guest today is James Altucher, the author of several books including the WSJ bestseller Choose Yourself! He is an entrepreneur, angel investor, chess master, comedian, and prolific writer. He is also the podcast host of "The James Altucher Show" which has had over 30 million downloads.In our conversation, James shares advice on how to find your passion, why you should choose yourself and not wait for the approval of others, advice from billionaires, how to be happy, and much more.   TIMESTAMPS:[1:14] About James Altucher & his background  [2:49] The benefits of trying new things[4:54] What it means to Choose Yourself[9:56] We live in a Choose Yourself era[12:52] How to find your passion[23:21] You don't have to quit your day job to be an entrepreneur[25:47] Dealing with failure & how to keep going when things get tough[29:53] Why you should experiment often & share your ideas [32:13] How to be happy & the role money plays in happiness[35:04] How James was able to overcome depression & rebuild himself from nothing[41:10] Things James learned from interviewing billionaires[46:06] It's never too late to Choose Yourself[49:00] Books that had a huge influence on James & how they changed him[53:38] How James inspired me to choose myself & start this podcastLearn more about the author:Twitter: @jaltucher Website: jamesaltucher.com***If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe & leave a positive review.Every week, I send out a free weekly newsletter with actionable advice from amazing books. Join 2,200+ readers here.Connect with Alex & Books:Twitter: @alexandbooks_Instagram: @alexandbooks_YouTube: Alex and Books

Greg McKeown shares insights on essentialism, trade-offs, the benefits of play and sleep, saying no to opportunities, uncommitting from projects, and applying essentialism to leadership. Learn how to focus on what truly matters in life and work.