#741: Jim Collins and Ed Zschau

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 #361 "Jim Collins — A Rare Interview with a Reclusive Polymath" and #380 "Ed Zschau — The Polymath Professor Who Changed My Life." Please enjoy! Sponsors: Eight Sleep’s Pod 4 Ultra sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating: https://eightsleep.com/tim (save $350 on the Pod 4 Ultra) 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.) LMNT electrolyte supplement: https://drinklmnt.com/Tim (free LMNT sample pack with any drink mix purchase) Timestamps: [00:00] Start [05:00] Notes about this supercombo format. [06:03] Enter Jim Collins. [06:28] How Jim’s students influenced his entrepreneurial path. [10:45] Why Jim carries a three-timer stopwatch. [12:21] Using a spreadsheet to optimize discipline in service of creativity. [13:42] Ideal minimum creative hours per year. [15:19] Avoiding a life-distorting “funk.” [17:41] Calculating an optimal end point. [19:27] Patterns discovered using Jim’s time-tracking method. [20:23] Three crucial components for living the life Jim wants to lead. [22:18] The bug book and the hedgehog concept. [30:31] Peter Drucker mic-drop lessons. [34:39] Enter Ed Zschau. [34:59] How I convinced Dr. Zschau to let me into his Princeton engineering course. [37:38] Ed’s background in competitive figure skating and the lessons it taught him. [41:45] The origin of Ed’s meticulous attention to detail. [45:31] The benefits of learning by doing through the case method. [49:21] Ed’s definition of entrepreneurship. [50:50] The role of optimism in entrepreneurship and life. [53:30] Ed’s aspir