Writer Tim Ferris just opened up on the Huffington Post:

We all like to appear “successful” (a nebulous term at best) and the media like to portray standouts as superheroes.

Sometimes, these dramatic stories of overcoming the odds are inspiring. More often, they lead to an unhealthy knee-jerk conclusion:

“Well… maybe they [entrepreneur/artist/creator painted as superhero] can do it, but I'm just a normal guy/girl…”

This post is intended to give a behind-the-scenes look at my own life. Though I've occasionally done profiles like A Day In The Life with Morgan Spurlock's crew, I rarely let journalists follow me for a “normal” day. Why?

I'm no superhero. I'm not even a consistent “normal.”

Forgive me, I'd no more heard of this guy than I have used Digg. I'm learning a lot today. Ferris wrote The Four-Hour Week, which just makes me shudder, and in this feature he lists all the fantastic things he's done recently – right alongside all the bad. Some lazy, some trivial, others seriously concerning but they're all there and he says he's written all this out so that:

Most “superheroes” are nothing of the sort. They're weird, neurotic creatures who do big things DESPITE lots of self-defeating habits and self-talk.

Personally, I suck at efficiency (doing things quickly). Here's my coping mechanism and 8-step process for maximizing efficacy (doing the right things):

Productivity Tricks for the Neurotic and Crazy (Like Me) – Tim Ferris, Huffington Post

You know I'm going to recommend that you read the full piece to see what his “coping mechanism and 8-step process” is and I am. Here I am, recommending it. But also read what he's done well and what he has done badly. Right in itself, that's got me thinking about what does and doesn't matter.