“I cultivate empty space as a way of life for the creative process.”
– Josh Waitzkin
Josh Waitzkin is an endlessly fascinating person who gets mentioned a lot on this show for good reason (and he’s been a guest not just once, but twice).
He was the basis for the book and movie Searching for Bobby Fischer. Considered a chess prodigy, Josh has perfected learning strategies that can be applied to anything, including his other loves of Brazilian jiu-jitsu (he’s a black belt under phenom Marcelo Garcia) and Tai Chi push hands (he’s a world champion). These days, he spends his time coaching the world’s top athletes and investors, working to revolutionize education, and tackling his new passion for paddle surfing (and nearly killing me in the process).
I initially met Josh through his incredible book, The Art of Learning, which I loved so much that I helped produce the audiobook (download here on Audible).
This episode is a highlight reel of sorts — lessons I’ve learned from Josh and shared in my new book Tools of Titans. Please enjoy!
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- Listen to it on iTunes.
- Stream by clicking here.
- Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Want to hear another Tools of Titans preview? — Listen to this podcast with Derek Sivers. In this episode, I share my thoughts on Derek’s life philosophy, his marketing strategy, decision-making, and much, much more (stream below or right-click here to download):
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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
Selected Links from the Episode
- Connect with Josh:
Website | The Art of Learning Project
- Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Timothy Ferriss
- Josh’s first and second appearances on this show.
- The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance by Josh Waitzkin
- Searching for Bobby Fischer: The Father of a Prodigy Observes the World of Chess by Fred Waitzkin
- What is zugzwang?
- Grandmaster Maurice Ashley plays NYC Trash Talker — The Tim Ferriss Experiment
- Marcelo Garcia Academy, New York City
Show Notes
- The importance of empty space: minimizing input to maximize output. [06:15]
- Learning the macro from the micro — focusing on depth over breadth by studying in reverse. [07:07]
- What I learned from Marcelo Garcia about sharing secrets with competitors. [09:33]
- Why ending a training or work session on a good “rep” helps internalize quality overnight. [12:32]
- To turn it on, learn to turn it off (and vice versa). [15:10]
- The little things are the big things. [15:50]
- Encountering an obstacle in unfamiliar territory? Take a principle from one thing and apply it to another to “just go around.” [16:30]
- Learning to embrace your funk. [17:37]
- What do you pick when your ego seems threatened? [18:18]
- The importance of language on a rainy day. [18:39]