On the latest episode of The Thrive Global Podcast with iHeartRadio, Thrive Global founder and CEO Arianna Huffington sat down with Tim Ferriss, productivity guru, author of the new book Tribe of Mentors, entrepreneur and host of the The Tim Ferriss Show podcast to talk about how he manages such a full plate of projects.
It comes down to asking himself one simple question when he’s feeling overwhelmed: “What might this look like if it were easy?”
Speaking about the success of his podcast, Ferriss told Huffington that the question is one he asks himself constantly, whenever he’s feeling anxious or overwhelmed. “In some sense,” he said, “that question is my life raft.”
Huffington said, “My terminology is moving from struggle to grace.”
Ferriss said this approach is new for him—it’s only in the last few years that he’s learned the importance of checking in with himself and prioritizing self-care. And part of it, he said, is taking the pressure off—does every project have to be a complex masterpiece?
“If you’re creating, say, an interior design or architecture, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a gothic cathedral,” he said. “Maybe you want to look for more of a sort of Scandinavian/Japanese aesthetic with very few moving pieces, metaphorically speaking, and you see what you look for.”
But it also helps that he pursues projects he’s passionate about: “In many cases, it’s just choosing things that you’re really excited about, because it greases the wheels for everything else.”
To hear the full conversation, click here.
You can also listen to the Thrive Global Podcast internationally for free on iTunes and Stitcher.