5-Bullet Friday

Hi All!

Here is your weekly dose of 5-Bullet Friday, a list of what I’m pondering and exploring. I threw in an extra bullet for fun.

This edition is brought to you by ​The Way, the meditation app I use most often. Be sure to see their offer in the P.S.

What I’m listening to

“Productivity Mix, a deadmau5 compilation.” I listened to a deadmau5 continuous mix when I wrote The 4-Hour Body back in 2009, and not all mixes are created equal. This option from Haldor Asheim has been perfect for immersing myself in writing without distracting vocals.

Nut butter my testes and I are enjoying

​Artisana Organics Raw Walnut Butter with Cashews (Amazon, Artisana). This contains just two ingredients: organic raw walnuts and organic raw cashews. Artisana also makes my favorite almond butter, and both are delicious.

Gents, walnuts are good for your swimmers.

The strongest walnut-specific study was a 2012 randomized controlled trial in 117 healthy men ages 21–35 eating a Western-style diet. They were randomized to either continue their diet or add 75 g/day of walnuts (~2.6 oz) for 12 weeks. This amount isn’t trivial, but it isn’t impossible, either. 75 grams is roughly 0.63 cups of chopped walnuts, which amounts to roughly 2.5 handfuls per day.
​
Compared with controls, the walnut group improved:

Sperm vitality: significant, P = 0.003
Sperm motility: significant, P = 0.009
Normal morphology: significant, P ≈ 0.03–0.04
Sperm concentration: no significant improvement

Nuts seem to be generally supportive of fertility. A 2024 systematic review/meta-analysis also showed that consuming at least 60 g/day of nuts improved sperm motility, vitality, and morphology, although it did not significantly improve sperm concentration.

Science I’m following

“Brain-Stimulating Contact Lenses Match Prozac in Depression Study” (Neuroscience News).
​
​Materials scientists have developed a ‘wearable, drug-free’ contact lens capable of treating depression by delivering mild electrical signals through the retina. The study demonstrates that these specialized lenses are as effective as fluoxetine (the active ingredient in Prozac) at reducing behavioral, neural, and physiological signs of depression in mice. This technology leverages the eye’s anatomical connection to the brain to stimulate mood-regulating circuits non-invasively.​
​
Treating the brain through the eye opens a fascinating new frontier, and it is one I am excited to follow. Here’s the original paper in Cell Reports Physical Science if you want to go deeper. Sincere thanks to Dr. JF for putting this on my radar.

Productivity technique I’m using again

​The Pomodoro Technique. Set a timer for 25 minutes, work on one thing and one thing only until it rings. Then, take a five-minute break and repeat, if needed. A couple of timer options: E.ggTimer, a dead-simple countdown site, and Google Timer (you can also just type “25 minutes timer” into Google search, and it starts immediately.)

Coaching session I’m excited to share

​Behind-The-Scenes Session with Niels Hoven. The most fascinating conversations I have are often behind closed doors. I’ve long assumed them too confidential to share, but this episode is my second exception. Niels and I discuss all things related to Mentava, whose software can teach some toddlers to read before they turn three. If you want to rethink education, I think this conversation has some rich terrain.

Quote I’m pondering

“One must say Yes to life and embrace it wherever it is found—and it is found in terrible places. … For nothing is fixed, forever and forever and forever, it is not fixed; the earth is always shifting, the light is always changing, the sea does not cease to grind down rock. Generations do not cease to be born, and we are responsible to them because we are the only witnesses they have. The sea rises, the light fails, lovers cling to each other and children cling to us. The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out.” ​
— James Baldwin​
(Click here to share on X.)

You can complement this edition of 5-Bullet Friday with my interview with Dr. Becky Kennedy of Good Inside on raising resilient, confident kids.
​
And, as always, please give me feedback on X. Which bullet above is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know. Just send a tweet to @tferriss and put #5BulletFriday at the end so I can find it.
​
Have a wonderful weekend, all.
​
Much love to you and yours,
​
Tim

P.S. Deal of the Week — The Way​ meditation training program. 10 minutes a day might just change your life...

I’ve explored a lot of meditation practices over the years. My current hands-down favorite, and the easiest way to get back in the habit, is ​The Way​, taught by Zen Master Henry Shukman. Using the app for just 10–20 minutes a day has reduced my anxiety more than I would have thought possible with any app. Try it for a week, and I think you’ll notice something similar. Here are 30 days for free.
​
​The Way​ leads you down a single, long-term path that covers all the key areas of a deep and fulfilling meditation practice. It’s an easy and calming way to find more ease and calm. There’s no overwhelming menu of stuff or meditation du jour, just Henry taking you on a logical progression of lessons, one manageable bite at a time. You’ll be learning skills you can actually take into your daily life. Henry’s sessions will become something you look forward to. He’s appeared on my podcast twice and is always a listener favorite. I recently chose to invest in The Way, given all the above, and I’ve been working with Henry and his team to make the app as good as humanly possible. I’ve probably sent a hundred notes on the product, and they’ve been improving it each and every week. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​
​Now, subscribers to 5-Bullet Friday can try 30 days for free, no credit card required. Just go to TheWayApp.com/Tim​. Try it for a week, and I think you’ll be more than pleasantly surprised.