2008 pic, RV breakdown en route to Burning Man. Shit happens, but that’s OK.

Ladies and gents!

A few updates:

1) If you missed instructions for the three quick-start videos from Tony Robbins, or his morning breathing routine and Cryotherapy, I’ve added the links here.

2) I’m so very sorry for the delay in announcing NOBNOM prize winners.  Many of you have rightly asked: What the hell, Ferriss?  Why the radio silence?

To that, I answer: Mea culpa. Alas, I simply get my ass kicked sometimes. This time around, a few things happened:

1) Lyme disease completely annihilated my health, which led to strong antibiotics for 8+ weeks, which…

2) Produced side-effects (on top of Lyme) that disrupted my digestion, created “food allergies,” and additional hospital visits.

3) The data set was huge! You guys asked and answered 1,000s of questions. It was amazing but exceeded all expectations. To organize and analyze everything took a while.  There is a fun wrap-up post in the works that will discuss the fascinating patterns and findings.

To try and atone for my tardiness, I’m adding $100 to all the prizes, so $600 (instead of $500) to the grand-prize winners, and $200 (instead of $100) to all of the others.  I know it’s nominal, but please accept my apologies.

If you won — names below! — please email Tony at tony at lift dot do (@lift.do).  He will also attempt to reach out to you, and you can also ping him on Twitter at @tonystubblebine.

Now, to the good stuff…

How did we choose these folks, who are they, and who else did an amazing job?  Here are all the juicy details from Tony Stubblebine, CEO of Lift.  Out of the 5,000+ participants…

Enter Tony

Here are criteria I used… Looking to award the most “worthy” participants, I looked at streaks, answers, helpfulness of answers, and a little bit of judicial-license. To even be in the running, you had to have finished the month on a 31-day streak and left at least 100 answers for others. So, the bar was very high. Here are the three who stood out as worthy of an award:

Dennis Corsi ($600) – Received 351 helpful votes on his answers.

https://lift.do/users/867ed2f27c23ce1c199b

Brad B. ($600) – Received 391 helpful votes on his answers.

https://lift.do/users/364e6657ee8483603b86

Natasha Lynn ($600) – Received 327 helpful votes on her answers.

https://lift.do/users/3d63505de07ed9156bb2

We also offered $100 awards for people who fell off the wagon and got back on. These people finished the challenge on a streak of 20 or less, and were helpful in the Q&A.

Kuldeep Singh (now $200). https://lift.do/users/911752757306b3dcc17c

Ruben Gutierrez (now $200). https://lift.do/users/34db29a0da5602fc6ed3

Nick Hammond (now $200). https://lift.do/users/d9ebdb738ab7b1242c5a

Tommy Sarac (now $200). https://lift.do/users/7cfa47b88c66219a10c4

D M (now $200).  https://lift.do/users/11c424e6420d32e06da9

[TIM NOTE: Huge congratulations to everyone who participated in NOBNOM!]

Dennis and Brad (among the top-3 prize winners) both left more than 400 answers, which is insane. Natasha built up a fan club; I think because she gave a ton of props. So, while she left fewer answers, she got more helpful votes on those answers.

Here are some of the many people we considered, who all kicked ass.  Each and every one deserves a round of applause.

$500 Prize Candidates. They all finished with 31-day streaks

Dennis Corsi

NOBNOM answers: 406

NOBNOM answer props: 351

Profile URL: https://lift.do/users/867ed2f27c23ce1c199b

Most propped answer: https://www.lift.do/answers/35499-most-of-the-important-things-in-the-world-have-been-accomplished-by-people-who-have-kept-on-trying-when-there-seemed-to

Ro Le V

NOBNOM answers: 462

NOBNOM answer props: 286

Profile URL: https://lift.do/users/059b5ceadbda80926411

Most propped answer: https://www.lift.do/answers/34245-yes-but-now-that-you-put-it-that-way-i-feel-kinda-creepy-lol

Anton V

NOBNOM answers: 320

NOBNOM answer props: 179

Profile URL: https://lift.do/users/6e2f8d181f3645966f7e

Most propped answer: https://www.lift.do/answers/30000-i-ve-learned-that-i-m-letting-go-of-a-compulsion-and-feeling-more-pride-from-my-newfound-self-control

Kikoy Mann

NOBNOM answers: 398

NOBNOM answer props: 308

Profile URL: https://lift.do/users/deeff8f6a3768c660ec2

Most propped answer: https://www.lift.do/answers/34951-from-there-i-started-to-seek-help-at-work-we-had-something-like-a-life-work-coaching-they-claim-it-s-confidential-and-i

Dirk Diggler

NOBNOM answers: 389

NOBNOM answer props: 233

Profile URL: https://lift.do/users/1e4a7a3fc0e91c66b25d

Most propped answer: https://www.lift.do/answers/38752-personally-i-ve-completely-lost-any-desire-to-m-or-watch-porn-right-now-and-even-though-i-wanted-to-get-rid-of-it-before

Winson Teo

NOBNOM answers: 483

NOBNOM answer props: 339

Profile URL: https://lift.do/users/1a575ddf0f5833f9a0a4

Most propped answer: https://www.lift.do/answers/41843-haha-this-is-funny-natasha-has-been-a-really-supportive-figure-this-whole-month-i-think-she-started-the-whole-prop-cra

Melody Thiessen

NOBNOM answers: 396

NOBNOM answer props: 485

Profile URL: https://lift.do/users/d62a2dbd552e0b0e0ac4

Most propped answer: https://www.lift.do/answers/17844-science-link-time-http-joe-endocrinology-journals-org-content-52-1-51-short-tl-dr-according-to-the-study-sexual-in

Johnny Doe

NOBNOM answers: 309

NOBNOM answer props: 219

Profile URL: https://lift.do/users/e78a9e96aabef755b523

Most propped answer: https://www.lift.do/answers/40282-your-initials-are-giving-me-urges

Benjamin W.

NOBNOM answers: 245

NOBNOM answer props: 331

Profile URL: https://lift.do/users/7f361fc598c187ceb7af

Most propped answer: https://www.lift.do/answers/39061-i-ve-realized-that-masturbation-porn-and-booze-have-had-detrimental-effects-on-me-and-my-life-i-have-accomplished-so-mu

Brad B.

NOBNOM answers: 405

NOBNOM answer props: 391

Profile URL: https://lift.do/users/364e6657ee8483603b86

Most propped answer: https://www.lift.do/answers/20466-i-also-wanted-to-say-that-the-challenge-aspect-is-pretty-much-the-only-thing-that-keeps-me-going-i-ve-tried-this-so-ma

CxC CxC

NOBNOM answers: 288

NOBNOM answer props: 147

Profile URL: https://lift.do/users/6e788582c9f57a43e1ee

Most propped answer: https://www.lift.do/answers/35664-unfortunately-i-think-a-good-chuck-of-people-in-this-group-are-trying-to-eliminate-or-drastically-tone-down-fb-usage-too

Natasha Lynn

NOBNOM answers: 162

NOBNOM answer props: 327

Profile URL: https://lift.do/users/3d63505de07ed9156bb2

Most propped answer: https://www.lift.do/answers/41828-omg-i-woke-up-to-a-comment-about-me-being-a-question-p-cannot-believe-it-s-true-well-i-love-you-all-thank-you-_

The post NOBNOM Winners and Other Updates appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.

The short version: I’d like to pay you to not drink or jerk off for 30 days. Sign up here and get your monk on.

Sex is A-OK.

The longer version is below, which includes juicy details, more options for women, and some farewell-porn suggestions…

###

You know who you are, you filthy animals.

Secret bookmarks to Pornhub (“Discount airfare” – Ha!), secret folders labeled “Tax Returns” for when wifi fails, bookmarks for animated GIFs in case of slow connections (curtsy to Tumblr), Hotspot Shield for when you’re in countries that ban your cherished images (download it before you fly!)…

Oh, wait. Am I projecting again?

Yes, I’ve admitted it before, and I’ll admit it again: dudes watch porn on the Internet. Shocker, I know. All those guys on the magazine covers? They do it, too.

Less obvious, perhaps, is how dramatically your life can change if you quit porn and masturbation for a short period.

I did this for 30 days recently, and — oddly enough — I found it much easier and more impactful to quit booze for the same 30 days. Just a few of the benefits I experienced included…

• A dramatic surge in free testosterone and sex drive. Dozens of my seemingly healthy male friends, techies in particular, have approached me over the years about chronically low testosterone. There are many potential causes, including late-night blue light, but removing booze and porn appear to open the flood gates. Research (example, example) shows that alcohol reduces testosterone levels. So…should you be dating more? Trying a little harder instead of wanking, watching Battlestar Galactica, and calling it a night? This will help motivate you.
• Increased ability to focus and cognitive endurance. This goes along with increased “T” mentioned above.
• Getting roughly 50-100% more done. When you aren’t nursing hangovers, chewing up 3-4 hours per night with friends, destroying your sleep with booze, or procrastinating with porn (you know who you are) — miracle of miracles — you get more done! A LOT more done. In my mind, this alone easily justifies a 30-day booze and porn fast. You’ll clear off that goddamn to-do list faster than Speedy Gonzales. And remember: sex is still allowed.

Join Me for Another 30 Days

Given how transformative this was for me, I’m inviting you to join me for another 30 days. After that, you can go back to your hedonistic ways. I enjoy porn, but I’ve concluded I can level up by taking breaks.

I’ll refer to our 30-day challenge as NOBNOM (NO Booze, NO Masturbating), as the acronym itself sounds pornographic. We gotta make this sumnabitch memorable.

Next steps are described below.

NOTE: If you don’t masturbate (a lot of women don’t but should), or if you otherwise don’t watch enough porn to care about abstaining, here’s another option:

NOBNOC — No Booze, No Complaining

For this version, please first read “Real Mind Control: The 21-Day No-Complaint Experiment.” Then, join the same NOBNOB challenge page to be part of the community.

Next Steps — Do It Now!

1. STEP 1 – Join the NOBNOM goal page here. This is free, and it will keep you accountable to yourself and others.  This official challenge starts August 1st.  That means you get to go crazy on September 1st.  If you’re reading this another time, you can start whenever.  I’m sure people will still be on the page.

2. STEP 2 – If you’re really serious, up the ante and put some cash on the line. As discussed at length in The 4-Hour Chef, without stakes or consequences, about 70% of you will fail. So… choose not to fail.

Below are two options, and I earn nothing from either. I’d suggest doing both of them, if possible:

• A. Create a betting pool with a few friends or co-workers. Each person commits $100 or whatever (enough to sting if lost, but not enough to bankrupt you) to the pot, and those who complete the full 30 days split the pot. Using this type of betting pool is partially how Tracy Reifkind lost 100+ pounds, so you can definitely use it on NOBNOM.
• B. Get an accountability coach by clicking here. They’ll email you daily to keep you on track, and you get the first week free by using coupon “NOBNOM.” It’s otherwise $14.99 per week, so the month costs you $45. There are two coaches, and they have bandwidth for 200 people. The coaches: one is a former senior staffer from OneTaste (remember the 4-Hour Body orgasm chapters?). The other coach successfully stopped masturbating and is trained in accountability coaching.

3. STEP 3 – If you’d like to participate in 1-3 support meetings and private Q&As, sign up for my e-mail list and you’ll get the invites. I’ll probably host live video chats, 60-minutes long, and I’ll dedicate 15-20 minutes to the AA meeting-type stuff.  The NoFap page on reddit might also be helpful for some of y’all.

And that’s it!

How You Get Paid

I’m putting $1,000 of my own cash on the line, and Lift (which I advise) is putting up $500, for a total of $1,500.

Here’s how you get it:

1) You must complete the 30-day challenge (Aug 1-31, 2014) on the NOBNOM goal page I’ve linked to throughout this post. We’ll audit this.

2) You must put some of your cash on the line, using one of the above listed approaches. It shouldn’t be enough to hurt you, but it needs to be enough to motivate you.

3) You must leave helpful feedback, tips, and/or encouragement for others, on both that page and in the comments below.

After the challenge, the Lift team, my jury of magic elves, and I will choose the three (3) most helpful people, and each will get $500 USD. Bam!

Get excited and get on it.

So, What Are You Waiting For?

If you’ve been feeling less than super-productive, slightly lethargic, or mildly depressed, do this 30-day challenge. If you simply want to level-up your life, do this 30-day challenge.

At the very least, it’ll make you conscious of automatic behaviors.  Things you’ve done for so long that you know nothing else.

If you’re like me, once the fat starts melting off and you’re feeling like a different person, you’ll say to yourself:

“Holy shit, my baseline for the last 10 years [or 5 or 15 or whatever] has been fucked! I totally forgot what it feels like to live clean.”

Perhaps living clean ended for you after high school, or even before, as it did for me. Why not get reacquainted for 30 days?  Chances are that it’s been a while.

Here’s the first step.

A Parting Gift

If you need a last hurrah before 30 days of being a good boy or girl, here are a few options for party time:

• A bottle of 2011 Ménage à Trois red. It’s delicious.
• A viewing of “Momoko and Anjelica,” available through Ze Google. It’s also delicious, and DEFINITELY not suitable for work.
• A chaser of club soda with lots of lime. You might be having lots of these, so get friendly.

Welcome to Thunderdome!  You’ll thank me later.

See you on NOBNOM central.

Pura vida,

Tim

The post The 30-Day Challenge: No Booze, No Masturbating (NOBNOM) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.