Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferriss

From the author:

“For the last two years, I’ve interviewed more than 200 world-class performers for my podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show. The guests range from super celebs (Jamie Foxx, Arnold Schwarzenegger, etc.) and athletes (icons of powerlifting, gymnastics, surfing, etc.) to legendary Special Operations commanders and black-market biochemists. For most of my guests, it’s the first time they’ve agreed to a two-to-three-hour interview. This unusual depth has helped make The Tim Ferriss Show the first business/interview podcast to pass 100 million downloads.

“This book contains the distilled tools, tactics, and ‘inside baseball’ you won’t find anywhere else. It also includes new tips from past guests, and life lessons from new ‘guests’ you haven’t met.

“What makes the show different is a relentless focus on actionable details. This is reflected in the questions. For example: What do these people do in the first sixty minutes of each morning? What do their workout routines look like, and why? What books have they gifted most to other people? What are the biggest wastes of time for novices in their field? What supplements do they take on a daily basis?

“I don’t view myself as an interviewer. I view myself as an experimenter. If I can’t test something and replicate results in the messy reality of everyday life, I’m not interested.

“Everything within these pages has been vetted, explored, and applied to my own life in some fashion. I’ve used dozens of the tactics and philosophies in high-stakes negotiations, high-risk environments, or large business dealings. The lessons have made me millions of dollars and saved me years of wasted effort and frustration.

“I created this book, my ultimate notebook of high-leverage tools, for myself. It’s changed my life, and I hope the same for you.”


Genre: Personal Development, Self-Help

Getting Things Done: The art of stress free productivity by David Allen

I read this book when I was really busy trying to manage 400 employees as a production manager in automotive industry. I needed a system which could help me during the chaos I was facing on a daily basis.

David Allen’s solution is a systematic approach not a system which can be adapted to any situation and should be adopted to suit your needs.

The books simplifies the process of capturing an idea and turning into an actionable item (Horizontal Planning)which has no precedence which will be a cause of procrastination. GTD also talks about the idea of vertical planning, the act of looking into different levels of our lives and brining out stuff (unfinished tasks, wishes, goals, etc.) and turning them into next actions which are manageable.

Highly recommended for anyone who wants to improve their performance in any field of expertise.


Genre: Business & Money, Self-Help