How To Do Everything
Half advice show. Half survival guide. Half absurdity-fest. Each episode answers burning questions, from how to survive a public bathroom to how to get close to a panda. When the hosts don't know the answer, they bring in overqualified experts to help out. From the team at Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
Episodes
Burritos and Handshakes
Ian and Mike help a caller solve a handshake issue. Plus, how to mourn the loss of a favorite dish.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me+, who also get bonus episodes of Wait Wait Don't…Tell Me! featuring show outtakes, extended guest interviews, and a chance to play an exclusive WW
Crushes and Smells
This week: How to tell your crush you like them. Plus, do smells really linger in your nose?You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me+, who also get bonus episodes of Wait Wait Don't…Tell Me! featuring show outtakes, extended guest interviews, and a chance to play an exclusive WW+ quiz
Sheets and Blankets
This week: Ian and Mike help a couple figure out who exactly is responsible for stealing the covers at night.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me+, who also get bonus episodes of Wait Wait Don't…Tell Me! featuring show outtakes, extended guest interviews, and a chance to play an ex
Crickets and Clowns
This week: How to tell the temperature outside without a thermometer. Plus, how clowns trademark their unique looks.Featuring Marlene Zuk and Julie Proctor.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me+, who also get bonus episodes of Wait Wait Don't…Tell Me! featuring show outtakes, extend
The Breakfast Rule
This week: How the Wait, Wait team decides what jokes are too inappropriate for the airwaves. Plus Mike and Ian help a caller with a personal grammar problem.Featuring author Keith Houston.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me+, who also get bonus episodes of Wait Wait Don't…Tell Me
Curling Stones and Halfpipe Lines
More behind the scenes at the Milan Cortina Olympics with unsung heroes of the Winter Games. Mike and Ian talk with a curling legend, find out where those big stones come from and meet a guy snowboarders couldn't land without.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me+, who also get bonu
Forks and Ice Masters
This week: Mike and Ian talk with an Olympic Ice Master, help a listener who keeps meeting people with their same name, and get to the bottom of a mysterious survey glitch.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me+, who also get bonus episodes of Wait Wait Don't…Tell Me! featuring show
Torches and Ski Jumps
Mike and Ian are back, just in time for the opening ceremony at the Winter Olympic Games in Milan/Cortina. Olympians and Starfleet Captains share how to carry the torch, fly through the air, and mentally prepare for the big games.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me+, who also get
Eggs and Bald Eagles
[Headphones recommended for this episode] Closing out the season with another episode from the archives: Mike and Ian learn how to clean the greatest ceiling in the world and help a listener decide if they should go to the gym or stay in bed.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org. How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me+,
One-Liners and Free Throws
Ian and Mike help a listener lighten the mood with her clients, help another listener mess with an opponent’s free throw shot, and Peter Sagal shares his secret for falling asleep on an airplane.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me+, who also get bonus episodes of Wait Wait Don't…T
Volcanoes and Roosters
This week from the archives: how to make s’mores with a volcano. Plus a barn animal sanctuary worker wants to know how to live harmoniously with roosters.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org. How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me+, who also get bonus episodes of Wait Wait Don't…Tell Me! featuring show outtakes, extende
Carsickness And Traffic Jams
Ian and Mike look to the skies to help a listener solve her problem with motion sickness. Plus, a survivor of the longest recorded traffic jam in history shares how she got through it.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me+, who also get bonus episodes of Wait Wait Don't…Tell Me! fea
The Gilligan Rule
This week from the archives: a fire captain puts out a fire with the help of an unexpected beverage, showrunner Vince Gilligan discloses when it’s appropriate to drop a spoiler, and what ever happened to the lost fourth Rice Krispie elf?You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.The first-ever NPR Pod Club Awards are coming up, and YOU get to crown the winner of the People’s Choice Awar
Broadway Musicals And Best In Show
This week: A Broadway star tells us how he finished the New York Marathon and then performed in two shows back to back, a wife seeks advice on how best to shave her hairy companion, plus, are the lyrics to Bye Bye Birdie what we think they are?You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me+,
Talent Shows & Phone Call Etiquette
This week from the archives: how to stand out at a talent show, how to go to the bathroom during an important phone call, and an unlikely way to check the Wifi on a plane. Plus a “where is he now” 12 years later. You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me+, who also get bonus episodes of
Motivation, Secret Messages, and Stealing Your Thunder
This week: Filmmaker Alice Wu shares a clever trick to help you finally finish that thing you’ve been working on, why teenagers are taking over the comments sections of old podcast episodes, and the origins of the phrase “steal your thunder”. Plus we continue in our quest to be your out of office emergency contact.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is availa
Signs of Winter, Mystery Smells, and Blimps At Night
This week from the archives: Mike and Ian search for signs of winter, and Peter test-smells a mystery scent from a professional flavor chemist. Plus a Goodyear blimp pilot reveals more than you’d ever think to ask about blimps including where they go to sleep at night.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of
Earthquakes, Dentists, and How To Talk To Your Dog
On today’s episode: a bold new way to help out when an earthquake hits, and Mike and Ian help out a listener with the help of a friendly dentist and a dog named Stella. Plus, our continuing commitment to be your Out of Office emergency contact turns into a surprise birthday celebration.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages
Snack Bags, Shrek and Barry Manilow
This week from the archives, Mike and Ian help a high school student nail his performance in the school play. Plus, a listener asks how to compose a catchy jingle, so Barry Manilow joins the show to help out. And a quick tip on how to open your pesky bag of chips.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait
AI, War, and Exercise, with Arnold Schwarzenegger
On today’s episode, how to get rid of Google’s AI summaries, and we help a listener who wants to exercise in her car during a long commute–with an assist from a very overqualified exerciser and a very overqualified driver. Plus we talk about a possible connection between pizza and war with The Washington Post’s Tim Carman.You can check out Tim’s piece here and Juan's training routine here. And you
Apple Stores, Cow Chips and Miracles
On today’s episode from the archives, Apple’s top-secret guide on how to be a human being. Plus, how (not) to scam the airlines, and a competition you might want to avoid.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me+, who also get bonus episodes of Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! featuring sh
How To Make Lasagna Without An Oven, with Peter Sagal
Today, Mike and Ian recruit the help of legendary Taste-Tester-Turned-Public-Radio-Host Peter Sagal to rate a new, unorthodox approach to making lasagna. Plus, a listener calls in claiming he’s physically incapable of burping, so the guys ask a medical professional to help him out.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for s
Gum, Frogs and Fred Armisen
On today’s episode from the archives, Fred Armisen helps a grad student set up her wifi router. Tips on how to keep your milk fresh using nature’s little creatures, and how to tie your hair up stress-free. Plus, we finally answer the burning question: does gum really stay in your stomach for 7 years?You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without spo
OOO Baby, with Andy Samberg, Kate McKinnon, and U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón
We are so back! How To Do Everything returns for a packed second season. This episode, one listener asks Mike and Ian how to write the perfect “out of office” message. So, they confer with the highest language authority in the land, U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón.Comedians Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon join the show to answer your couple’s advice questions, some stranger than others. Plus, a fashio
"How To Do Everything" is so back
How To Do Everything is back for season two! With more taste tests, more life hacks and more help for our beloved listeners. This season, Rick Ross gives advice to The Pope, Arnold Schwarzenegger helps a listener work out, Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon host couples therapy and poet laureate Ada Limón drafts the perfect “out of office” message. Seriously, this time around, we’re saving lives.First
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Heckling, Yawning, and Imitating, with James Austin Johnson and Patton Oswalt
On our season finale, when a young listener has a question on behalf of her fifth grade class, we call up an old friend/chimp butt expert to help her out. And Saturday Night Live's James Austin Johnson walks us through his hilarious Donald Trump impression to tend to a listener's curiosities. Plus, Mike and Ian are stressed about some (cryptic) hate mail, so they call Patton Oswalt for some words
Pee-Rex
Today from the archives, a chance to win a free t-shirt if you have a sharp ear for dinosaur moans. And we help a listener with a question about public bathrooms. Plus, why both "Nathaniel" and "Phyllis Isabel Gertrude" are statistically awful names for a child.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wa
Don't Get in the Fridge, with Jesse Eisenberg
Ringing in 2025: Mike and Ian knock out a New Year's resolution with the help of filmmaker Jesse Eisenberg, and a listener calls in to settle a high-stakes bet on the sturdiness of honeybees. Also, the world's northernmost towns are in the middle of months-long darkness. To learn how to survive it, we call an astrophysicist who spent six months in complete Antarctic darkness.You can email your bur
Moo-ey Christmas!
From the archives: When cows need help, Ian and Mike create a Christmas miracle, with the help of some adorable reinforcements.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me+, who also get bonus episodes of Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! featuring exclusive games, behind-the-scenes content, and
A Holiday Special with the NFL's Gerald McCoy and the NPR's Peter Sagal
On this week's archive episode, Mike and Ian learn about a unique Catalonian Christmas tradition that celebrates nature's calling. And when a listener calls into question her boyfriend's family traditions, Peter Sagal steps in to give a final ruling. Plus, NFL defensive tackle Gerald McCoy on how to show someone that you care.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everythi
The Perfect Christmas Present with James Patterson and Gillian Flynn
On today's episode, Charlie needs help writing a children's book for his wife. So, Mike and Ian call up some of the greatest minds in modern literature, Gillian Flynn and James Patterson. Plus, a slippery way to stay warm on your run and a cool trick to avoid saying "you guys".You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for suppo
Hollywood's Mommy Problems
On today's archive episode, when one listener wonders how TV shows get a hold of actors' childhood photos, Mike and Ian ring up a Hollywood mom. Plus, one listener needs help keeping his Velcro bag quiet, so we call in the military.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me+, who also ge
The Friendliest Sound in the World, with Olympic medalist Molly Seidel
This week on How To Do Everything, a listener calls in asking how to avoid startling innocent pedestrians when she goes on runs. So Mike and Ian recruit the help of an Olympic marathoner and one of Hollywood's most iconic composers. Plus, an update from you (party people) on the "you guys" fast.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor
Fiddlin', Gruntin', Snorin', and Carlin' with David Axelrod
This week from the archives, how to instantly summon 40 worms from the ground. Plus, former Obama advisor David Axelrod addresses listener concerns about engaging with their despised family over the Thanksgiving table. And, when a listener asks how to make his name more memorable, the guys recruit an expert of musical mnemonics.Also! We've loved hearing from so many of you about joining our "You G
Yes We Pecan, with Martha Stewart
Two roommates disagree about how to pronounce "pecan," so Mike and Ian call up Martha Stewart–and others–to help. Plus, an Italian town in the shadow of the Alps spent three months of the year without sunlight, until Mayor Pierfranco Midali decided to make his own sun.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of
Bear Grylls stays (disgustingly) hydrated
This week from the archives, all things wilderness survival. Mike and Ian take a trip to Denali National Park in Alaska to learn how to survive a bear attack. And when a listener asks how to quench thirst if they're stranded in the desert, another kind of Bear (Grylls) walks them through it. Plus, how to discover a new species with the help of some bloodsuckers.You can email your burning questions
Josh Gad defeats earworms, and we make a pitch to Pete Buttigieg
This week on the show, when a mother can't get her four-year-old's favorite song out of her head, Mike and Ian call up Broadway's beloved Josh Gad to help. Plus, Ian has a formal request for the Secretary of Transportation, and the guys find a tip to quell those pesky election mailers.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages f
BONUS: Halloween with Amy Sedaris
On this Halloween bonus episode of How To Do Everything, comedian Amy Sedaris tells Mike and Ian how to terrify the neighborhood children, and they bring in Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Judge and Scorekeeper Bill Kurtis for help.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me+, who also get bon
Pumpkins, Spiders and Henry Winkler
This week from the archives, a teenage math wiz helps Mike and Ian optimize the Reese's chocolate pumpkin, and a tip on the spookiest (and most strategic) way to heal an open wound. Plus, when one listener wants to know how to look cool, the guys call up the Fonz himself.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters
Maury Povich and Sleeping Between the Pretties
This week Mike and Ian recruit television icon Maury Povich to help a listener reveal some hard truths, and we create some helpful (and unhelpful) reminders for when you should replace your household items. Plus, when a married couple calls in with a 29-year-old feud, the guys recruit some royal help. You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without s
Sir Patrick Stewart, Pricklouses and Root Beer
On today's episode, how to defoam your root beer and how to insult someone, medieval-style. Plus, one listener has a question about British cows, and Sir Patrick Stewart offers his services.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me+, who also get bonus episodes of Wait Wait...Don't Tell
Mascots, Cheerleaders and Beethoven
This week, Mike and Ian help a caller who's curious about mascot races – with the help of a talking sausage. A police inspector in Finland reveals his creative hack for keeping beaches safe. And a high school cheerleading squad saves the day.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me+, w
Nick Offerman, Trapper Keepers and Bee Stings
This week, we bring you the best of How To Do Everything's first life. Nick Offerman cures your hiccups, our intern downvotes our segments, and we learn the most painful place to get a bee sting. Plus, one listener wants help looking cool for school. You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait Don't Te
Tom Hanks, Hot Dogs and Chimp Butts
On today's episode, the great Tom Hanks teaches us the art of being adored, and Mike and Ian help a listener who's curious about world fame. Plus, a bottoms-up approach to recognizing your family members.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me+, who also get bonus episodes of Wait Wai
The Champ
Every other week on How To Do Everything, we're giving you the best stuff from our first life. Today, from the archives, how to make your friends cry and how to keep your fries warm.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me+, who also get bonus episodes of Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! fea
Haircuts in Space, Tutus, and the Nasal Ranger
Mike and Ian are back. On this episode: how to cut your hair in space, how to clean your tutu, and how to tell if you smell.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org. How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me+, who also get bonus episodes of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me featuring exclusive games, behind-the-scenes content, and more.
How To Do Everything: Kind of an advice show. Kind of.
On each episode of How To Do Everything, underqualified hosts Mike Danforth and Ian Chillag find overqualified experts to answer all your life questions. How do you survive quicksand? How do you plan the perfect first date? How do you count all the hairs on your head? They can't help you. But they will find someone who can.You can email your burning questions to howto@npr.org.How To Do Everything
