Episode 117: Tim Urban –  Using Procrastination to Perform A Ted Talk & Befriend Elon Musk

Listen carefully to both the beginning and the end of this conversation.  Tim Urban is one of the most thoughtful leaders that I have ever met.  As a listener I found Tim to be patient and thoughtful in his responses to my questions, sometimes taking a minute or so before his point came across.  Genuinely, I loved that about him.  Be prepared for an incredibly funny, yet insightful conversation on The Learning Leader Show.

Tim Urban has become one of the Internet’s most popular writers. With wry stick-figure illustrations and occasionally epic prose on everything from procrastination to artificial intelligence, Urban’s blog, Wait But Why, has garnered millions of unique page views, thousands of patrons and famous fans like Elon Musk. (Bio from Ted.com)

Episode 117: Tim Urban –  Using Procrastination to Perform A Ted Talk & Befriend Elon Musk

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The Learning Leader Show

“Life is like a white canvas.  Most people paint in white.  White paint on white canvas.  You don’t even notice them.  The people who paint in different colors make things happen.  They lead.  You notice them.”

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

  • Doing something that makes a splash… Changing what others do, continuing to reinvent yourself leads to sustained excellence
  • Seth Godin has a great knack for constantly reinventing himself because he’s always searching and noticing
  • How writing about a number of different topics helps you learn
  • 7 Ways to be insufferable on Facebook
  • The secret (not really) to getting 4,000 people to pay you for your blog content
  • Getting invited to the main TED conference
  • The pain of coming up with a topic for his TED speech
  • The imposter syndrome… Feeling like he didn’t belong with the other TED speakers
  • The process for writing and delivering a world class TED talk
  • How Elon Musk became a fan of Tim’s work
  • Getting a phone call from Elon and discussing how they could work together
  • Humility and confidence are the qualities of great learning leaders
  • The opposite of arrogance… Having an open mind and being humble is the definition of a learning leader

 “One of the few things I feel like an expert on is procrastination.” – Tim Urban

Continue Learning:

You may also like these episodes:

Episode 001: How To Become A Master Connector W/ Jayson Gaignard From MasterMind Talks

Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon

Episode 082: Dan Pink – The Science of Motivation, Legendary Writer & Ted Talk

Episode 086: Seth Godin – How To Become Indispensable & Build Your Tribe

Episode 107: Simon Sinek – Leadership: It Starts With Why

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If you enjoyed hearing Tim Urban on the show, please don’t hesitate to send me a note on Twitter or email me.

Episode edited by the great J Scott Donnell

Bio From Ted.com

Tim Urban has become one of the Internet’s most popular writers. With wry stick-figure illustrations and occasionally epic prose on everything from procrastination to artificial intelligence, Urban’s blog, Wait But Why, has garnered millions of unique page views, thousands of patrons and famous fans like Elon Musk.

What others say:

With “Wait But Why,” Tim Urban demonstrates that complex and long-form writing can stand out in an online wilderness choked with listicles and clickbait.

“Wait But Why has captured a level of reader engagement that even the new-media giants would be envious of.” — FastCompany, 2015