Tim Ferris is about CUTTING OUT THE CRAP. He is about efficiency. Tim ferris checks his email once per week. He did this while running a very profitable business. He got to where he is by employing these principles. And unlike other "gurus" that just make money on selling their "guru" information (like rich dad poor dad guy, tony robbins) this guy actually did A WHOLE LOT of things. Now he is sharing his experience on "lifestyle design".
His advice is meant to free up your time, to invest in things that actually matter, and actually produce returns. Do you mean to tell me that posting on yc, checking your email a billion times a day, and screwing around on your phone is productive? It's not, you can bash me all you want, but it simply is not.
Being up to date on news is bullshit. Sure its "nice to know", but does it really get you anywhere? Read his thoughts on "information overload" and you will understand.
All this stuff we are doing, its "nice" but its not efficient, and optimized. If you want to get anything done in this life, you need to be efficient and optimized.