Interviewing experts to uncover trends in various fields
Key takeaways:
Interviewing industry experts can provide valuable insights into emerging trends and technologies.
Examining what technical experts do in their free time can yield useful investment information.
Observing what rich people are currently doing can provide a glimpse into the future, such as the potential for widespread use of AI virtual assistants.
Transcript:
Speaker 1
So, for instance, there are many examples in the world of doping, where you have, say, Balco back in the day, where famously Barry Bonds and others purportedly use things like the cream and the clear. And these were based on antibiotics that were sourced from Soviet literature or older literature from the 50s and 60s that might not be on the radar of the dating anti doping groups that would administer the testing. So, all of these different buckets were of interest to me. And I begin where I usually do just interviewing folks. So I would interview one or two people in a given field. So, I might ask them any number of questions. So one is, what are the nerds doing on the weekends or at night? This is also really good for investing. It's like, all right, what are the really technical nerds doing at night or on the weekends after they've put in a really long workday or work week. Let's take a really close look at that. Another one is, and I'll create a flow for this, but what are rich people doing now that everyone or tens or hundreds of millions of people might be doing 10 years from now. And an example of that would be, let's just say, full time assistant virtual assistant AI. Right. So we've seen the needs and wants being addressed by different technology but it's an iteration of the same thing on some level. (Time 0:14:50)
Investigating Nerds, Rich People, and Awkward Solutions
Key takeaways:
Interviewing experts in a given field can provide valuable insights into trends.
Observing what nerds are doing on weekends or at night can reveal potential investment opportunities.
Looking at what rich people are doing now can give an indication of what may become popular in the future.
Identifying areas where people are cobbling together awkward solutions can reveal opportunities for innovation.
Transcript:
Speaker 1
So I would interview one or two people in a given field. So, I might ask them any number of questions. So one is, what are the nerds doing on the weekends or at night? This is also really good for investing. It's like, all right, what are the really technical nerds doing at night or on the weekends after they've put in a really long workday or work week. Let's take a really close look at that. Another one is, and I'll create a flow for this, but what are rich people doing now that everyone or tens or hundreds of millions of people might be doing 10 years from now. And an example of that would be, let's just say, full time assistant virtual assistant AI. Right. So we've seen the needs and wants being addressed by different technology but it's an iteration of the same thing on some level. In the case of say using chat GPT tied into Zapier for various functions. And then where are people cobbling together awkward solutions. So, where are people piecing together awkward solutions. And is there room for some type of innovation there. These are a few of the questions that I would not only ask myself but ask experts in different areas. So if I end up spending time say this was few years prior to writing the four hour (Time 0:15:28)
Studying the Edge Cases: How Extreme Cases inform Product Designs
Key takeaways:
Safeguards must be put in place to ensure that individuals are the only keepers of their data
Conversations with people outside of one's usual circle can lead to new ideas and innovations
Studying extremes cases can provide valuable insights into product design and development
Transcript:
Speaker 1
It's like okay that raises some interesting questions like okay well then how might you get around that. How might you put in safeguards so that you are the one and only keeper of your data so to speak. I brought up all sorts of targeted weaponry by sort of bio weapons possibilities that I was interested in. And then I would ask that person who's clearly like willing to step outside of the box of whatever he's working on day to day. Who are two of your close friends or two thinkers you really pay a lot of attention to are kind of at the bleeding edge of something and unorthodox. And then I would just continue to have these conversations over and over again and the, the, the, the stream of development that I paid a lot of attention to something along the lines of the following. So the, the, the very beginnings are usually in some type of extreme case, and I think the extremes. And this goes for product designs well but the extremes inform the mean but not vice versa so you can actually learn a lot by studying the edge cases. So race horses, for instance, you'll often see things start with say race horses, or people with wasting diseases for instance, or any type of chronic or terminal illness who are willing to try some more experimental interventions. (Time 0:17:46)
Learning from Edge Cases: Insights from Bodybuilding, Athletes, Billionaires, and the Rest of Us
Key takeaways:
Studying extreme cases can reveal insights in product design
Observing behavior in bodybuilding and high-level athletes, billionaires, and rich people can provide a glimpse into the future
Practitioners are likely to be ahead of peer-reviewed research papers, which will have a lag time of three to five years
Transcript:
Speaker 1
And this goes for product designs well but the extremes inform the mean but not vice versa so you can actually learn a lot by studying the edge cases. So race horses, for instance, you'll often see things start with say race horses, or people with wasting diseases for instance, or any type of chronic or terminal illness who are willing to try some more experimental interventions. So let's just take one step for the bodybuilding. See a lot of interesting behavior and bodybuilding and high level athletes, then billionaires, then rich people, then the rest of us. Right. So my assumption is, and was for the forearm body that along the lines of William Gibson's quote, you know, the future is already here it's just not evenly distributed. So I'm never predicting the future. I'm just finding the seeds that are germinating that I think are going to bloom and end up spreading really, really widely. So that's, that's, that's generally where I start and I assume the practitioners are going to be ahead of the papers. So studying say the coaches whose jobs are on the line who are getting paid based on athlete performance and assuming that a lot of that will eventually, if it holds up, make its way into say the peer reviewed exercise science papers, but it's going to have a lag time of three to five years. At least, at least, at least, at least, takes a long time. (Time 0:18:39)
The Benefits of Late Night Writing and the Importance of Sleep in Writing Success
Key takeaways:
It's important to value practitioners who can put theories into practice
Exercising, eating and getting enough sleep are important in creative endeavors
Late nights and early mornings are often the most productive times for writers
Matt Walker's book on sleep drastically changed people's attitudes towards sleep
Transcript:
Speaker 1
I like practitioners, not just the people with pretty theories, although the theories are important. I prefer to see someone who can actually put them into practice. So Kelly served that function. Certainly. And we're still very close friends. And then after that, shake off the cobwebs. Get the body moving. Get the brain moving. Also eat. And then I would actually focus on synthesis. So I would write generally from, let's call it. 9pm or 10pm through to four or five a.m. And I would ride the wave if I happened to be in the zone. If I weren't in the zone, I wouldn't force it. And I would try to get more sleep. But I have always performed best with my writing in those witching hours of what's called at 10pm to 4am. And my experience is that. The writers I've interviewed, the writer friends I've become close with. If you look at when they made themselves, not necessarily what they do now. But what they did that eventually got them to escape velocity, they're almost always doing most of their writing, very late at night or very early in the morning when the rest of the world or their social group is inactive. Wow.
Speaker 2
And I say wow because of course all of this was prior to the publication of Matt Walker's seminal book, Right? Why We Sleep? Which I really see as the book that shifted a lot of people fortunately from the I'll sleep when I'm dead mindset to really paying attention to it. And I don't think that gets enough credit. I mean, there's been a revision of a few points within that book, but the majority of it is just spot on and hyper limit. (Time 0:27:42)
Networking Tips: Playing the Long Game
Key takeaways:
Playing the long game is important in building your network
Be methodical in how you approach building your network
Professionalism, punctuality, and being easy to deal with can make you memorable to high performers in your network
Transcript:
Speaker 1
And this is what happened over time, over a few months. And then I got invited to join in on meetings that were planning future events. And I eventually got to the point where I was recruiting speakers and able to set the agenda for an entire main event. And then that's how I got to know, say, Jack Canfield, who is the co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul and many others, who introduced me to my book agent many, many, many years later, Jack Canfield. But I was a nobody, though. You have to play the long game, but you can be methodical on how you play that. And that is one approach, just as an example, for how to build your network, which Snowballs over time, don't hump every VIPs leg within 10 minutes and meeting them.
Speaker 2
Play it cool. And the gatherings where that person has a lot of demands on them is the last place you want to do that.
Speaker 1
The way you're going to make yourself memorable with people like that is to be very professional, always on time, predict what they're going to need or problems they'll run into beforehand and address them before they even think of them, and be easy to deal with. And people like that, high performers, notice these things. They will make note of it. (Time 1:15:50)
Networking with Authenticity: Making Genuine Connections
Key takeaways:
The speaker attends events and asks for introductions to people they might get along with.
They make genuine connections with people and continue to be friends with many of them.
Their approach is focused on finding people they vibe with rather than collecting business cards.
Transcript:
Speaker 1
I'm here to hopefully meet people who are involved with A, B, or C. And then if we hit it off, which was not true every time, but if it seemed to be going well, I would say, I don't know anyone here. I'm really sort of orphaned here, making my way through this entire event. Is there anyone else here you think I would get along with? Who maybe I could buy a drink or a coffee? And the vast majority of the time, they'd be like, oh, yeah, you should be so and so. And then I get the introduction. And then I would meet that person. I would have a genuine interaction with that person. And if it made sense, if things were going well, I'd do the same thing. Is there anybody else here you think I should just say hi to and I get along with? Not who I can ask for something. And that wasn't deception. I was being honest. Like someone I could actually vibe with. And if so, would you mind making the intro? Yeah, no problem. Many of those people are still my friends. And by being surgical in that way, not trying to gather business cards to use a really antiquated metaphor. People still hand them out. People still hand them out. I guess depends on where you are, especially like Boston. But if rather than trying to collect people as Pokemon cards, developing say (Time 1:19:53)
Examining Motivations with Tim Ferriss
Key takeaways:
Examining your motivations is important to avoid getting into trouble in life
Being aware of driving motivations helps avoid playing unconscious games
Asking oneself if they would do something if they couldn't tell anyone can reveal true motivations
Transcript:
Speaker 1
If I could have, let's just say we didn't know each other and I was like, okay, I'm earlier in my career. Let's apply some constraints. So I'm not where I am. I still want to do A, B, and C in the public eye. Maybe I want to build a podcast, whoever. If I could meet with you, but I could never tell a soul, would I do it?
Speaker 2
I would. I would.
Speaker 1
I would. But I would too. But for a lot of folks, if they see me, I'd meet with you.
Speaker 2
I'm not saying I'd meet with me by the way. I'd be with me. Believe me, I meet with me all the time. And sometimes it's pretty unpleasant. Yeah.
Speaker 1
And that can be applied to all sorts of things. And it's a useful question because I ask myself this for examining your motivations. And I'm not saying one motivation is always better than another, but it's, it's, you should at least be aware of your driving motivations because you can end up playing games. You're not even aware you're playing. And that's how you end up, I think, getting into a lot of trouble in life. One of the ways. So that would be a question I might apply. I apply other questions. (Time 1:25:43)
Achieving Fitness and Other Goals with Practical Exercise
Key takeaways:
Regular exercise is not as time-consuming as people assume
With proper weight, load, and time under tension, intense kettlebell swings can be a great workout
Combining exercise elements such as pushups and core work can target multiple areas
Ratcheting down the scale of expectations can remove barriers to achieving a goal
The concept of scaling down expectations can apply to many areas of life, including fitness, language learning, and investing in technology.
Transcript:
Speaker 2
And that could apply to anything. Yeah, it could apply to anything.
Speaker 1
You know, could apply to, could apply fitness. It's like, look, if you do really intense kettlebell swings twice a week with proper weight and load and time under tension. And you do pushups a few times a week and handle a couple of other elements. You can get in pretty good shape. It's so simple. But it's a lot. It hits your entire posterior channel. Okay, fine. Do some pushups and some core work. But if you're not exercising at all because you've made the assumption that it's four hours, five hours a week, rather than completely remove that objective and call it just impractical. Can you ratchet down the scale? How far can you ratchet down the scale until you have no excuses? Right. That would just be one, one example. Language learning, tech investing, it applies to everything. (Time 1:31:32)
