About this episode
This episode is a two-for-one, and that’s because the podcast recently hit its 10-year anniversary and passed one billion downloads. To celebrate, I’ve curated some of the best of the best—some of my favorites—from more than 700 episodes over the last decade. I could not be more excited. The episode features segments from episode #366 " Neil Gaiman — The Interview I've Waited 20 Years to Do " and episode #214 " How to Design a Life — Debbie Millman ." Please enjoy! Sponsors: AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement: https://drinkag1.com/tim (1-year supply of Vitamin D (and 5 free AG1 travel packs) with your first subscription purchase.) Eight Sleep’s Pod 4 Ultra sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: https://eightsleep.com/tim (save $350 on the Pod 4 Ultra) LinkedIn Jobs recruitment platform with 1B+ users: https://linkedin.com/tim (post your job for free) Timestamps: [00:00] Start [05:11] Notes about this supercombo format. [06:14] Enter Neil Gaiman. [06:44] What Ian Fleming taught Neil about writing — even when he doesn't want to. [09:56] Neil's biggest rule for writing. [12:41] Neil's process for writing first drafts. [14:30] What Neil aims to accomplish with his second drafts. [14:40] Something Neil noticed when he first started writing and editing with the use of computers. [17:27] Notebooks Neil prefers for writing first drafts. [21:56] Fountain pens Neil has known and loved. [22:57] How Neil's default writing time has changed over the years. [24:56] The value of the Groundhog Day routine. [26:24] Today's methods may not be tomorrow's. [27:53] Lessons learned from Terry Pratchett. [29:22] Parting thoughts and gratitude. [31:21] Enter Debbie Millman. [31:45] How Debbie describes her diverse background to new acquaintances. [33:38] A childhood drawing predicting Debbie's future. [37:54] Debbie's unintentional path to becoming a designer. [45:41] Overcoming initial rejection. [50:04] Debbie's advice to her college self after that first major rejection. [54:25] Empathy vs. feeling slighted by those who reject us. [59:28] Manhattan's influence on Debbie's pursuit of happiness and career. [1:06:42] Debbie's abuse history and its impact on her self-sufficiency and charitable work. [1:12:41] Coping with abuse aftermath and feelings of isolation. [1:18:40] Debbie's experience being called a "corporate clown" and "she-devil." [1:37:00] From lowest point to godmother: a transformative journey. [1:37:38] The world-changing potential of brochures. [1:43:14] The Design Matters podcast: origins and evolution over 12 years. [1:46:46] Milton Glaser's impact on design and Debbie's life. [1:52:16] The "10-Year Plan for a Remarkable Life" exercise. [1:57:51] The nature of hard decisions. [2:07:07] Recommended Design Matters episodes for design novices. [2:07:55] Parting thoughts. * For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show , please visit tim.blog/podcast . For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show , please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter ( 5-Bullet Friday ) at tim.blog/friday . For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts . Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books . Follow Tim: Twitter : twitter.com/tferriss Instagram : instagram.com/timferriss YouTube : youtube.com/timferriss Facebook : facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld , Hugh Jackman , Dr. Jane Goodall , LeBron James , Kevin Hart , Doris Kearns Goodwin , Jamie Foxx , Matthew McConaughey , Esther Perel , Elizabeth Gilbert , Terry Crews , Sia , Yuval Noah Harari , Malcolm Gladwell , Madeleine Albright , Cheryl Strayed , Jim Collins , Mary Karr, Maria Popova , Sam Harris , Michael Phelps , Bob Iger , Edward Norton , Arnold Schwarzenegger , Neil Strauss , Ken Burns , Maria Sharapova , Marc Andreessen , Neil Gaiman , Neil de Grasse Tyson , Jocko Willink , Daniel Ek , Kelly Slater , Dr. Peter Attia , Seth Godin , Howard Marks , Dr. Brené Brown , Eric Schmidt , Michael Lewis , Joe Gebbia , Michael Pollan , Dr. Jordan Peterson , Vince Vaughn , Brian Koppelman , Ramit Sethi , Dax Shepard , Tony Robbins , Jim Dethmer , Dan Harris , Ray Dalio , Naval Ravikant , Vitalik Buterin , Elizabeth Lesser , Amanda Palmer , Katie Haun , Sir Richard Branson , Chuck Palahniuk , Arianna Huffington , Reid Hoffman , Bill Burr , Whitney Cummings , Rick Rubin , Dr. Vivek Murthy , Darren Aronofsky , Margaret Atwood , Mark Zuckerberg , Peter Thiel , Dr. Gabor Maté , Anne Lamott , Sarah Silverman , Dr. Andrew Huberman , and many more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .