Podcast · Comedy

How To Do Everything

Half advice show. Half survival guide. Half absurdity-fest. (Wait, how does this work again? We're not numbers people.) Each episode, we answer all your burning questions, from how to survive a public bathroom to how to get close to a panda. When we don't know the answer, which is roughly 92% of the

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 19 min
Latest: 29 Apr 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

29 Apr 2026 · 26 min

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 [email protected] . 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 game with Peter! Sign up and support NPR at plus.npr.org . How To Do Everything is hosted by Mike Danforth and Ian Chillag. It is produced by Schuyler Swenson. Technical direction from…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

15 Apr 2026 · 17 min
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 [email protected] . 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 game with Peter! Sign up and support NPR at plus.npr.org . How To Do Everything is hosted by Mike Danforth and Ian Chillag. It is produced by Schuyler Swenson. Technical direction from Lorna…
1 Apr 2026 · 26 min
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 [email protected] . 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 game with Peter! Sign up and support NPR at plus.npr.org . How To Do Everything is hosted by Mike Danforth and Ian Chillag. It is produced by Schuyler Swenson. Technical…
18 Mar 2026 · 17 min
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 [email protected] . 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 game with Peter! Sign up and support NPR at plus.npr.org . How To Do Everything is hosted by Mike Danforth and Ian Chillag. It is…
4 Mar 2026 · 23 min
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 [email protected] . 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 game with Peter! Sign up and support NPR at plus.npr.org . How To Do Everything is hosted by…
18 Feb 2026 · 19 min
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 [email protected] . 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 game with Peter! Sign up and support NPR at plus.npr.org .…
11 Feb 2026 · 18 min
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 [email protected] . 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 game with Peter! Sign up and support NPR at plus.npr.org . How To Do Everything is hosted by Mike Danforth and Ian…
4 Feb 2026 · 23 min
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 [email protected] . 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 game with Peter! Sign up and support NPR at plus.npr.org…
17 Dec 2025 · 20 min
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 [email protected] . 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 game with Peter! Sign up and support NPR at…
10 Dec 2025 · 27 min
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 [email protected] . 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 game with Peter! Sign up and support NPR at plus.npr.org . How To Do Everything is hosted by…
3 Dec 2025 · 18 min
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 [email protected] . 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 game with Peter! Sign up and support NPR at plus.npr.org . How To Do Everything is hosted by Mike Danforth and Ian Chillag. Technical…
26 Nov 2025 · 19 min
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 [email protected] . 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 game with Peter! Sign up and support NPR at plus.npr.org . How To Do Everything is hosted by Mike…
19 Nov 2025 · 17 min
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 [email protected] . The first-ever NPR Pod Club Awards are coming up, and YOU get to crown the winner of the People’s Choice Award. Vote for our show here ! 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!…
12 Nov 2025 · 18 min
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 [email protected] . 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 game with Peter! Sign up and support NPR at…
5 Nov 2025 · 19 min
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 [email protected] . 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 game with Peter! Sign up and support NPR at plus.npr.org . How To Do…
29 Oct 2025 · 18 min
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 [email protected] . 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…
22 Oct 2025 · 24 min
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 [email protected] . 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 game with Peter!…
15 Oct 2025 · 27 min
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 [email protected] . 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…
8 Oct 2025 · 20 min
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 [email protected] . 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 game with Peter! Sign…
1 Oct 2025 · 27 min
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 can email your burning questions to [email protected] . 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…
24 Sep 2025 · 16 min
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 [email protected] . 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 game with Peter! Sign up and support NPR at plus.npr.org . How To Do Everything is hosted by Mike Danforth and…
17 Sep 2025 · 25 min
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 [email protected] . 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…
10 Sep 2025 · 14 min
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 [email protected] . 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…
3 Sep 2025 · 21 min
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 fashion tip for your post-Labor Day needs. You can email your burning questions to [email protected] . How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me+ ,…
27 Aug 2025 · 2 min
"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 episode drops next week. You can email your burning questions to [email protected] . How To Do Everything is available without sponsor messages for supporters of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me+ , who also…
18 Jul 2025 · 2 min
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15 Jan 2025 · 27 min
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 of encouragement. You can email your burning questions to [email protected] . And not to fear, we will be returning for season two. Follow @waitwaitnpr on Instagram for updates on how to stay in touch…
8 Jan 2025 · 15 min
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 [email protected] . 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. Sign up and support NPR at plus.npr.org . How To Do…
1 Jan 2025 · 25 min
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 burning questions to [email protected] . 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!…
25 Dec 2024 · 10 min
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 [email protected] . 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. Sign up and support NPR at plus.npr.org . How To Do Everything is hosted by Mike Danforth and Ian Chillag. It is produced by Heena Srivastava. Technical direction from Lorna White. See…

About How To Do Everything

How To Do Everything is a English comedy podcast from NPR. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: NPR
Language: English
Category: Comedy
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 19 min
Latest episode: 29 Apr 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1764580691

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