5-Bullet Friday — Favorite Life Advice for 2026

"If George Bernard Shaw had not made it a rigid rule to do first things first, he would probably have failed as a writer..."  ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

5-Bullet Friday   The latest from author and investor Tim Ferriss   Hi All!   Here is your weekly dose of 5-Bullet Friday, a list of what I'm pondering and exploring.   To help you kickstart 2026, this edition contains some of my favorite pieces of advice that I've collected in the last handful of years. I'm rereading all of them myself.   This edition is brought to you by ​​​Seed's DS-01® Daily Synbiotic​​, a 2-in-1, 24-strain probiotic and prebiotic that I use daily. Be sure to see their offer in the P.S.   Advice I'm revisiting "The Most Important Question of Your Life" by Mark Manson. I could reread this once a week and still benefit. Excellent reminders all around. ​ ​"So you wanna de-bog yourself" by Adam Mastroianni. I only found Adam in July of 2024, but his writing is some of the most hilarious—and helpful—I've seen in a long time. Really worth the read. Deep bow to Crazy B for sending this to me. ​ ​"A message for the New Year" from Brandon Stanton, creator of Humans of New York. This relates to something he and I have texted about often: attention. How should you think about protecting your own attention in 2026? If you don't have attention, the time and money you have matter very little. Attention is the mother resource. Brandon's post was first written in early 2024, but it's more essential with every passing day. This is one life raft for a post-AI world. ​ ​"101 Additional Advices" by Kevin Kelly. Regular readers know that I consider Kevin one candidate for the real-world most interesting man in the world. ​ ​"Masters of Love" (The Atlantic). Alternate link if you have trouble with the former. This is the best article on courtship, love, and dating that I've read in years. It's not only well-researched and full of memorable insights, it's very actionable and gives labels to concepts you can use. Ignore the terrible subheadline, which makes it seem like an obvious throw-away piece. The article is much more interesting and helpful than the subheadline implies. ​​ "Why You Should Seek More Awe in the New Year" by Ashley Stimpson. Every time I've done a past-year review (PYR), a pattern emerges: peak positive emotional experiences are correlated to awe at least 70% of the time. For at least the past 3–5 years, this has been so consistent that I often determine what big blocks to schedule in the new year based on potential for awe. The payoffs include time dilation and, more broadly, traversing the miraculous canvas of full human experience. Friends have asked me why I do silent retreats in nature, why I love ski touring, why I hunt once in a blue moon, or why I am deeply interested in psychedelic science and psychedelic-assisted therapies. If I had to sum it all up in one word, it would be: Awe. But what exactly is "awe," and how can we embrace more of it? I haven't found a better article exploring these topics than Ashley Stimpson's "Awestruck," featured in Johns Hopkins Magazine, so I asked for permission to publish on my blog, which was graciously granted. I hope you find it as thought-provoking and helpful as I did. ​ ​"63 Principles" by Nabeel S. Qureshi. Nabeel is currently a stealth startup founder but was previously at Palantir. He has been a visiting scholar in AI at the Mercatus Center as well as an Emergent Ventures awardee. ​ ​​Coach Christopher Sommer's email to me. Coach Sommer is a former U.S. National Team gymnastics coach and the creator of GymnasticBodies. This personal email sent to me, which I reread often, was so good that I had to include it in Tools of Titans. Make the one big decision. ​ ​"​You don't need more time" by Seth Godin. And his follow-up expansion.   Book highlights that I'm pondering "If George Bernard Shaw had not made it a rigid rule to do first things first, he would probably have failed as a writer and might have remained a bank cashier all his life. His plan called for writing five pages each day." — How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie​ ​(Click here to share on X.)​ ​ "When life gets tough, some of us feel that we've lost the game and life has won. But life isn't trying to defeat you. Life isn't even a participant—the game is yours." ​— Solve for Happy by Mo Gawdat ​ ​(Click here to share on X.) Happy new year, everyone! May 2026 be your most joyous yet, and may it be full of surprises that make you smile. ​ Much love to you and yours, ​ Tim ​ P.S. Deal of the week — ​​​Seed's DS-01® Daily Synbiotic​​: what I use daily as my 2-in-1, 24-strain probiotic and prebiotic! I've been interested in the microbiome and probiotics for decades, but most products never quite lived up to the hype. Now that's changing. Seed's DS-01 was recommended to me way back in 2024 by a PhD microbiologist, so I started using it well before their team ever reached out to me. It's since become a daily staple. I've always been highly skeptical of most probiotics due to the lack of science and the fact that many do not survive digestion. But after incorporating two capsules of ​Seed's DS-01 Daily Synbiotic​ into my morning routine, I have noticed improved digestion, skin tone, and overall health. Why is it so effective? For one, it's a 2-in-1 probiotic and prebiotic formulated with 24 clinically and scientifically studied strains that have systemic benefits in, and beyond, the gut. I've been impressed by Seed's rigorous biopharma approach and their delivery technology—the capsule-in-capsule system that ensures survivability. If you've ever thought about probiotics but haven't known where to start, DS-01 is my current vote. ​ ​​ ​Get 30% off your first month of DS-01 with code TIM30. You can also use this code to get 30% off site-wide and 40% off when you purchase 2 or more products. Click here to get started. Offer ends on January 15, 2026.   Forwarded this message? Sign up here. Join millions of monthly readers. Get exclusive content, private Q&As, giveaways, and more. No spam, ever. Just great stuff.   Sign Up   Listen to The Tim Ferriss Show Podcast The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion downloads. 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