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The New York Times bestselling author of The 4-Hour Body shows readers how to live more and work less, now with more than 100 pages of new, cutting-edge content. Ever wonder, “How can I work smarter and not harder?” Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan–there is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, or earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, The 4-Hour Workweek is the blueprint. This step-by-step guide to luxury lifestyle design teaches: • How Tim went from $40,000 per year and 80 hours per week to $40,000 per month and 4 hours per week • How to outsource your life to overseas virtual assistants for $5 per hour and do whatever you want • How blue-chip escape artists travel the world without quitting their jobs • How to eliminate 50% of your work in 48 hours using the principles of a forgotten Italian economist • How to trade a long-haul career for short work bursts and frequent “mini-retirements” The new expanded edition of Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek includes: • More than 50 practical tips and case studies from readers (including families) who have doubled income, overcome common sticking points, and reinvented themselves using the original book as a starting point • Real-world templates you can copy for eliminating e-mail, negotiating with bosses and clients, or getting a private chef for less than $8 a meal • How Lifestyle Design principles can be suited to unpredictable economic times • The latest tools and tricks, as well as high-tech shortcuts, for living like a diplomat or millionaire without being either Review: Learn to live life now - I am a first time reviewer. I don't know Tim. I only know his book. That there are so many first time reviewers speaks volumes about the book. That said, here is my review: It took a kid to get the grown-ups to acknowledge what everyone knew to be true: the emperor was naked. Tim Ferriss is a kid relative to most other "self-help" authors but, like the young boy in the fable, his simple, uncluttered collection of "information we already know" more explicitly and successfully states the truth: our idea of achievement that requires a slavish obsession with working ourselves into the ground is a naked religion. Success is joy. Few books have the potential to inspire passion and fuel personal revolutions. The 4-Hour Workweek is one of them. This book speaks the common yearning to be liberated from the punishing work habits that our society has convinced us are compulsory for success. In simple, often humorous, terms, Tim Ferriss tells us how most of us lie to ourselves about why and how we work and shows us how we can become free. The modern age promised to bring freedom to humanity. Automation would liberate us from the drudgery of many common tasks, allowing us to complete our work with lightening speed, reserving the rest of our time for leisure. Like millionaires who can afford servants to do the drudgery, the common person would be able to forget the mundane and engage in the profound, to travel, to explore, and most importantly, to be free of worry. Unfortunately, we humans forgot about freedom and became slaves to our machines. Machines increased productivity and the availability of things. We reacted by convincing ourselves that we had to have them all to be satisfied and so became slaves to the jobs we believed necessary to obtain those things. More recently, email and cell phones, which were intended to increase productivity and communication, did so by making us instantly accessible and required us to be instantly responsive at any time of the day or night. Cable television and the Internet also increased communications and the flow of information, but also resulted in an information bombardment that left us catatonic, unable to disengage, yet unable to absorb it all. The result? At the end of our working lives - many times not by our own choice but because of downsizing and outsourcing -- exhausted and demoralized, we cannot enjoy the delayed gratification that has been our beacon of light, our holy grail, for so many years. Tim Ferris has the audacity to set the whole paradigm on fire in order to illuminate its true nature. Tim questions our assumptions about what progress is and what progress has done for us by highlighting the terrific costs we have imposed on ourselves. With gleeful delight Tim opens our eyes to the fact that we have become the cyborgs, less human rather than more. In a clear, step-by-step fashion, he presents elegant concepts and applies them to life in practical ways that have profound results. He reminds us that "the opposite of happiness is not sadness but boredom" and employs Pareto's 80/20 principle to demonstrate how we can identify those aspects of our lives that hold us back from being happy. He urges us to understand that life is not about the acquisition of things for later enjoyment, life is about happiness, fulfillment in the present, rather than in some un-promised future. Unfettered by useless jargon and overly academic presentation, Tim demonstrates how we can return to sanity and achieve happiness by finally becoming masters over the technology that was supposed to free us. He challenges us to give ourselves permission to quit the rat race and rejoin the human race. These ideas are not entirely new, but Tim's particular expression of them is like sparkling water to the parched souls of millions who now labor incessantly to achieve success yet yearn to quench their thirst for freedom. You don't have to be a millionaire to live a millionaire lifestyle, Tim says. Do you have a dream? Live it now. Review: A guidebook for escaping the rat race - This book provides a completely new way of looking at your job and potential residual income. It's a guide to help you shift your focus to your residual income which can set you free. Our school system teaches kids that, until they're in their late teens or early 20s, they're going to spend their days in school and college. These habits of showing up and punching the clock (via attendance) are so ingrained by this point in life that few question whether there's another realistic option. And adults go into jobs that perpetuate this cycle of clocking in early in the morning and checking out late in the evening. Timothy Ferris shows that it is indeed possible to escape this rat race. He shows a clear step-by-step plan to do so. And it's there for the taking if you're bold enough to grab the steering wheel of your life. This is quite a comprehensive book discussing everything from your job transition to your travel, and how to set up your company and manage it without taking too much financial risk. He talks about guarding your time, which I believe is one of the most valuable points in the book. He mentions throughout the book strategies to reduce getting caught up in time-wasting activities such as meetings, spending too much time on email at the wrong times, or wasting time on phone calls. He details out his techniques to keep distracting people on the sidelines while he's living his life and doing the things that his heart desires. This book is an instruction manual for escaping the rat race. It's somewhat of a memoir, and a work in progress, of how he's doing it. He has examples throughout the book of how different people have applied his principles and changed their lives. He included a few people who had kids, which is great because a lot of people will use that excuse as a reason to not be able to do what he's doing. He's so open in the book revealing how he takes care of many personal matters in his life, even down to giving his travel checklist and his preferred brand of underwear, relevant for people who want to travel light. He's probably one of the world's most eligible bachelors. That is, if he's willing to let someone get any time on his calendar? I like him. I'd love to run into him in a coffee shop in a foreign country and have some time to just chat with him. He warns that some people really don't know what to do if they aren't working. This is a vital component of the book. He's going full-force at experiencing life in different cultures and getting involved in many different activities that give him new life experiences and perpetuate more new ways of thinking. It's important to know what to do when you are free. Otherwise you just have a vacuum of time which can feel like a boring retirement, where you're available, but all your friends and family are at work. I'm a writer, so I wasn't interested in setting up another company, but he also addresses intellectual property and its intrinsic value. Despite the fact that I don't want to set up a product-based business, many of his strategies are completely applicable and I've begun to apply the techniques right away. Yesterday, I choose to schedule a quick phone call instead of an in-person meeting when the in-person meeting would have been much more time-consuming, for example. He reminded me that I really need to guard my writing time. I certainly can't spin out books on 4 hours a week, but I could if I were willing to farm out the writing activity. He gave me a whole new appreciation for time and what I do each day of my life. If you're not satisfied with your work, or if you're searching for more ways to expand your income and free up your time, this book will be well worth your time. It's urgent for parents to put their kids in a different situation if they don't want them to get caught up in the same rat race that hasn't been fulfilling for them. If they change their own happiness level, it will certainly inspire their family and everyone they know as well. I love the title--The 4-Hour Workweek. At first it seems so absurd, like how could anyone do that? Yet after I read the book, I have tremendous respect this man who is the architect of his own freedom. And he shares his path for others who want to follow.




| Best Sellers Rank | #10,947 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #13 in Time Management (Books) #187 in Success Self-Help #323 in Personal Transformation Self-Help |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 29,628 Reviews |
S**Y
Learn to live life now
I am a first time reviewer. I don't know Tim. I only know his book. That there are so many first time reviewers speaks volumes about the book. That said, here is my review: It took a kid to get the grown-ups to acknowledge what everyone knew to be true: the emperor was naked. Tim Ferriss is a kid relative to most other "self-help" authors but, like the young boy in the fable, his simple, uncluttered collection of "information we already know" more explicitly and successfully states the truth: our idea of achievement that requires a slavish obsession with working ourselves into the ground is a naked religion. Success is joy. Few books have the potential to inspire passion and fuel personal revolutions. The 4-Hour Workweek is one of them. This book speaks the common yearning to be liberated from the punishing work habits that our society has convinced us are compulsory for success. In simple, often humorous, terms, Tim Ferriss tells us how most of us lie to ourselves about why and how we work and shows us how we can become free. The modern age promised to bring freedom to humanity. Automation would liberate us from the drudgery of many common tasks, allowing us to complete our work with lightening speed, reserving the rest of our time for leisure. Like millionaires who can afford servants to do the drudgery, the common person would be able to forget the mundane and engage in the profound, to travel, to explore, and most importantly, to be free of worry. Unfortunately, we humans forgot about freedom and became slaves to our machines. Machines increased productivity and the availability of things. We reacted by convincing ourselves that we had to have them all to be satisfied and so became slaves to the jobs we believed necessary to obtain those things. More recently, email and cell phones, which were intended to increase productivity and communication, did so by making us instantly accessible and required us to be instantly responsive at any time of the day or night. Cable television and the Internet also increased communications and the flow of information, but also resulted in an information bombardment that left us catatonic, unable to disengage, yet unable to absorb it all. The result? At the end of our working lives - many times not by our own choice but because of downsizing and outsourcing -- exhausted and demoralized, we cannot enjoy the delayed gratification that has been our beacon of light, our holy grail, for so many years. Tim Ferris has the audacity to set the whole paradigm on fire in order to illuminate its true nature. Tim questions our assumptions about what progress is and what progress has done for us by highlighting the terrific costs we have imposed on ourselves. With gleeful delight Tim opens our eyes to the fact that we have become the cyborgs, less human rather than more. In a clear, step-by-step fashion, he presents elegant concepts and applies them to life in practical ways that have profound results. He reminds us that "the opposite of happiness is not sadness but boredom" and employs Pareto's 80/20 principle to demonstrate how we can identify those aspects of our lives that hold us back from being happy. He urges us to understand that life is not about the acquisition of things for later enjoyment, life is about happiness, fulfillment in the present, rather than in some un-promised future. Unfettered by useless jargon and overly academic presentation, Tim demonstrates how we can return to sanity and achieve happiness by finally becoming masters over the technology that was supposed to free us. He challenges us to give ourselves permission to quit the rat race and rejoin the human race. These ideas are not entirely new, but Tim's particular expression of them is like sparkling water to the parched souls of millions who now labor incessantly to achieve success yet yearn to quench their thirst for freedom. You don't have to be a millionaire to live a millionaire lifestyle, Tim says. Do you have a dream? Live it now.
L**D
A guidebook for escaping the rat race
This book provides a completely new way of looking at your job and potential residual income. It's a guide to help you shift your focus to your residual income which can set you free. Our school system teaches kids that, until they're in their late teens or early 20s, they're going to spend their days in school and college. These habits of showing up and punching the clock (via attendance) are so ingrained by this point in life that few question whether there's another realistic option. And adults go into jobs that perpetuate this cycle of clocking in early in the morning and checking out late in the evening. Timothy Ferris shows that it is indeed possible to escape this rat race. He shows a clear step-by-step plan to do so. And it's there for the taking if you're bold enough to grab the steering wheel of your life. This is quite a comprehensive book discussing everything from your job transition to your travel, and how to set up your company and manage it without taking too much financial risk. He talks about guarding your time, which I believe is one of the most valuable points in the book. He mentions throughout the book strategies to reduce getting caught up in time-wasting activities such as meetings, spending too much time on email at the wrong times, or wasting time on phone calls. He details out his techniques to keep distracting people on the sidelines while he's living his life and doing the things that his heart desires. This book is an instruction manual for escaping the rat race. It's somewhat of a memoir, and a work in progress, of how he's doing it. He has examples throughout the book of how different people have applied his principles and changed their lives. He included a few people who had kids, which is great because a lot of people will use that excuse as a reason to not be able to do what he's doing. He's so open in the book revealing how he takes care of many personal matters in his life, even down to giving his travel checklist and his preferred brand of underwear, relevant for people who want to travel light. He's probably one of the world's most eligible bachelors. That is, if he's willing to let someone get any time on his calendar? I like him. I'd love to run into him in a coffee shop in a foreign country and have some time to just chat with him. He warns that some people really don't know what to do if they aren't working. This is a vital component of the book. He's going full-force at experiencing life in different cultures and getting involved in many different activities that give him new life experiences and perpetuate more new ways of thinking. It's important to know what to do when you are free. Otherwise you just have a vacuum of time which can feel like a boring retirement, where you're available, but all your friends and family are at work. I'm a writer, so I wasn't interested in setting up another company, but he also addresses intellectual property and its intrinsic value. Despite the fact that I don't want to set up a product-based business, many of his strategies are completely applicable and I've begun to apply the techniques right away. Yesterday, I choose to schedule a quick phone call instead of an in-person meeting when the in-person meeting would have been much more time-consuming, for example. He reminded me that I really need to guard my writing time. I certainly can't spin out books on 4 hours a week, but I could if I were willing to farm out the writing activity. He gave me a whole new appreciation for time and what I do each day of my life. If you're not satisfied with your work, or if you're searching for more ways to expand your income and free up your time, this book will be well worth your time. It's urgent for parents to put their kids in a different situation if they don't want them to get caught up in the same rat race that hasn't been fulfilling for them. If they change their own happiness level, it will certainly inspire their family and everyone they know as well. I love the title--The 4-Hour Workweek. At first it seems so absurd, like how could anyone do that? Yet after I read the book, I have tremendous respect this man who is the architect of his own freedom. And he shares his path for others who want to follow.
M**E
Amazing book, unnecessary expansion
If you haven't read the original version - the 4-hour Workweek books is for many one of the most important books they've ever read, including me. For those who have read the original - the revised version is an improvement on the original, but not a big enough one to justify a second purchase if you've already read the book before. I've read this book and taken action on just a few of the principles and it has greatly improved my life, and you can easily do the same with the content from this book. Why? First, almost of the content in the book includes not only the general idea of doing something (like liberating yourself from an oppressive workplace), but also practical tips on how to actually do it. Even if only one section really relates to you that alone is enormously valuable and justifies the entire price. Second, the book espouses a 'lifestyle' philosophy which had many points that I had not really considered before reading the original edition. No, it isn't the idea of a 4 hour workweek. Tim Ferriss in makes it extremely clear that a 4 hour work week without anything to replace that fre time leaves you feeling empty inside. The point is to change your life or build systems that let you minimize the stuff you hate doing to only 4 hours a week. To free up your time up from doing things you hate he provides practical tips on: optimizing your work, setting up remote work agreements, automating it through designing systems, or outsourcing it to a Virtual Assistant. After that, he provides ideas of what to do once you've generated so much free time; because, most of us think we know what to do if we didn't work but it's only on an abstract level not a practical plan. Examples of replacement activities: traveling the world, creating 'charities' or other things that give back to the community, or simply setting up companies that earn money promoting the things you love. From a basic glance all of these ideas might sound trite or obvious, but the difference with the book is that he gives practical advice on how to actually make them all happen. I don't think I have yet read a better single book for changing your life into a fulfilling entrepreneurial lifestyle. If you were interested enough to even look at the reviews for the book just go buy the book already - at least something in the book will resonate enough to justify the purchase. As a side note: I notice a lot of recent reviews complaining about the author's writing style. Honestly, the book is easy to read and the content is amazing. Even if you completely hated the author's style (I think their complaints are hugely exaggerated) you can still learn plenty of things to adapt to your life. As for the honesty of his stories just check out his blog which has plenty of transparency and video proof of many of the things claimed.
S**H
Plus the title made it sound like it belonged on an infomercial and not in my ...
I had seen the uber-orange cover of The 4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss all over: Bookstores (duh!), backseats of cars, airplane terminals, frat houses and more. Yet despite its proliferation into the hands (and Kindles) of millions of people all over the world, and its catchy headline, I had yet to read it. In fact, I had no inclination to read it whatsoever. Quite frankly, I had no idea what it was about. Plus the title made it sound like it belonged on an infomercial and not in my book collection. Things changed when I started listening to the Tim Ferriss Show podcast just a few weeks ago. The podcast is fantastic and I haven’t been able to stop listening to it; I highly recommend it. From what I’ve noticed, if I enjoy reading someone’s articles or website, I generally enjoy their podcasts (the same holds true vice-versa). So when I saw that it was available for only $1.99 on Kindle I didn’t hesitate one bit. Can I really only work 4 hours? That’s what everyone wants to know. For the most part, no it is not feasible for most. In fact, Tim repeats in his podcasts and presumably other mediums that The 4 Hour Workweek is not to be taken literally. Rather, it drives the point home of what the book is really about: Optimizing your time, eliminating distractions, and finding passive streams of income to allow you to do minimal work while having maximum freedom. It’s a solid concept. In fact, there really is little basis for the traditional 9-5 schedule: How is it possible that all the people in the world need exactly 8 hours to accomplish their work? It isn’t. 9– 5 is arbitrary.” The idea behind this book is to essentially turn the idea of working hard on its head: Being busy is a form of laziness— lazy thinking and indiscriminate action. Being overwhelmed is often as unproductive as doing nothing, and is far more unpleasant. Being selective— doing less— is the path of the productive. Focus on the important few and ignore the rest.” Many books of this nature are simply filled with fluff, woo-woo, and other law of attraction platitudes, but The 4 Hour Workweek is absolutely filled to the brim with productivity tips. This makes the book worth the price of admission alone (that goes for the full price hardcover too!) There are a few concepts that he really stresses throughout the book and that will allow you to eliminate and optimize. The first of which is the 80/20 principle, also known as the Pareto Principle. This principle states that 80% of results (profit, happiness etc.) comes from 20% of output. Once Tim discovered this principle, he applied it to his nutritional supplement company so that he could focus on the select few clients that brought him the bulk of his income, and to eliminate the pesky customers who were nothing but trouble. Sure, it cost him some income, but it allowed him to reduce his stress exponentially and freed up a plethora of time. A second major principle is Parkinson’s law, which states: … that a task will swell in (perceived) importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted for its completion. It is the magic of the imminent deadline. If I give you 24 hours to complete a project, the time pressure forces you to focus on execution, and you have no choice but to do only the bare essentials. If I give you a week to complete the same task, it’s six days of making a mountain out of a molehill.” The best approach to Parkinson’s Law is to 1. Limit tasks to the important to shorten work time (80/ 20). 2. Shorten work time to limit tasks to the important (Parkinson’s Law). The best solution is to use both together: Identify the few critical tasks that contribute most to income and schedule them with very short and clear deadlines.” There are a plethora of other tidbits of wisdom throughout, such as: Check e-mail twice per day, once at 12: 00 noon or just prior to lunch, and again at 4: 00 P.M. At least three times per day at scheduled times [ask] the following question: Am I being productive or just active? More is not better, and stopping something is often 10 times better than finishing it. Getting Your Own Personal Assistant One of the most engaging and laughable topics in the book was the chapter on virtual assistants (VA). I say laughable because it’s actually incredibly feasible to have a 3rd world virtual assistant, and I couldn’t help myself from laughing at the idea of having a team of Indians heeding my every beck and call. Consider this: If you spend your time, worth $ 20-25 per hour, doing something that someone else will do for $ 10 per hour…” Makes sense. Plus there are other good reasons to consider getting a VA: Getting a remote personal assistant is a huge departure point and marks the moment that you learn how to give orders and be commander instead of the commanded. It is small-scale training wheels for the most critical of NR skills: remote management and communication.” The Original Internet Entrepeneur When I began to read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, I noticed something: I had read this before. But it wasn’t because Aurelius was plagiarizing content 2000 years in the future, rather it was the inverse. I’ve noticed this phenomena with The 4 Hour Workweek in that much of the content seemed all too familiar with the Digital Nomad and lifestyle design communities and advice of today. But seeing as it was written originally in 2007, one could say it was the first of its kind. In fact, the proliferation of internet entrepreneurs are likely a result of this book. On that note, look where Tim Ferris is today. He’s not lounging on a beach in Guatemala making money off his supplements. Rather, he’s busting his ass in Silicon Valley helping startups turn into massive success stories. This is no fault of his; I just think many readers of this book and these internet entrepreneurs lose sight of this. They get caught in finding ‘passive income’ and settling for 1-3K a month; just enough to make do in a foreign country of their choice. This is what I wanted for so long, but now this doesn’t seem like enough. I’d much rather be doing what Tim is doing now as opposed to what he recommend in his book. Don’t Follow This Book Like the Gospel Again, the 4 Hour Workweek isn’t designed to be taken literally. This is a pattern throughout the book. In fact, much of the information regarding internet marketing and asking a boss for a remote work agreement is completely useless for me and may be for you. Yet, overall I was really impressed with the book. There was plenty of solid, actionable advice throughout. In fact, I’ve already marked this book down as one I will have to read again to internalize the concepts that stood out to me. http://masculinebooks.com/2015/05/26/the-4-hour-workweek-by-tim-ferriss/
M**D
Life changing - if you want to change!
Follow your bliss, and doors will open", Joseph Campbell famously stated. In "The Four Hour Work Week" Tim Ferriss details how he has followed his bliss, and the doors have certainly opened for him. Rather generously, he then tells us how to do the same. I found this book to have much that is very worthwhile. There is an enormous amount of information here, and the reader is free to pick and choose what he/she wants to take or leave. It has changed my life for the better. Some reviewers commented that they found the first half of T4HWW fascinating, but then lost interest. Assuming they are not the very time-deficit folks Ferris talks about, this is probably because the first portion of the book is entertainingly anecdotal, while towards the middle it becomes heavy with lists of information sources - web sites, organisations, reference books and so on. I have personally found this later section to be incredibly useful. That's because I have read and re-read the book with an intention to actually use it. I get the sense that a lot of the critics have never really tried to apply the book's philosophy and specific tips, and quickly returned to re-testing the keypads on their Blackberries. I found many of the listed web sites very useful. I have always wanted to feel the rush of being a colonial master, so I have hired book editors, programmers, virtual assistants, and translators from sites mentioned in the book, and all at very inexpensive prices. If I hadn't read the book, I would not have been aware of that these people even existed; or at the very least, would never have thought that I, with my one-man writing/publishing business, could ever use them. One other philosophical positive, Ferris is scathing of the modern culture of work for work's sake, information overload, and time wasting with gadgets. I fully concur. People are wasting their lives tapping away on mobile phones, Blackberries and lap-tops, just like I am now. There's a whole world out there waiting for us when we unplug from the matrix of the money and machines society. I personally loved the stories Ferris relates about his experience with this. Some people have expressed concerns about the ethical side of this book, and someone compared Timothy Ferriss to a snake oil salesman. I don't share this view, but I understand it. A clear statement of ethics earlier in the book would go a long way - what is right and wrong. In one section detailing how to become an expert, Ferriss says that the idea of expertise is largely a myth. All one really needs to do is read the three leading books in the field and come up with a new angle, then sell it. It may well be true that you could pass yourself off as an expert doing this, but I don't see it as being ethical, because it is a deliberate deception. If you have a brilliant idea, a fair enough; but you shouldn't be telling people what to do or what to buy if you don't have significant experience and knowledge of the subject (go into politics instead, where you will find lots of friends). To be fair though, Ferriss much later states that he will not work with unethical or dishonest people. Nonetheless, I do agree that it is often great - and very freeing - the break the rules; but the golden rule is never do harm to others. Towards the end of T4HWW, Ferris encourages the reader to act upon what really moves us, what makes us happy; and he asks us to be of service to the world. "Take time to find something that calls to you, not just the fist acceptable form of surrogate work" (p. 297), he writes. Once we have decided this (or "permitted" might be a better word), the task is to find out how to help others, the future generations, to do the same. He then implores us to develop a habit of charity. This very closely approximates my own approach to life, as I've outlined in my books. One thing I would suggest though, is developing a set of specific tools to enable you to really follow your inner guidance system. I call it listening to the "Sage". Ferris doesn't address this issue specifically. I suspect T4HWW will work best for western audiences. Besides being a lot fatter and generally more annoying than just about everyone else, studies tend to show that westerners are more individualistic and free-thinking than other cultures. In comparison, Asian cultures have a low tolerance for ambiguity and change (Singapore has the lowest capacity in the world, Hong Kong, where I live, is fifth last - so don't come here trying to change anyone's mind). A central point Ferriss makes is that people develop life and work habits which drain their souls of vitality, spontaneity, and the adventurous spirit of the child (I am in complete agreement). To shift those habits one has to begin to jettison the conformist, conservative and restrictive culture of one's society. It is unfair to criticise Timothy Ferriss for not always having followed the formula outlined in T4HWW. He's a relatively young man in his early 30's who is finding his way through the world with active experimentation, by being adventurous. He is following his Bliss. So give the poor New Rich kid a break. I say, "Well done, Tim. Keep up the good work!" - and it is how to do good (fun, vitlising) work that he is teaching us. And as Ferriss points out on his web site, the title should not be taken too literally. The author doesn't work four hours a week. He merely does what he loves, when he wants to do it, where he wants to do it. That's what I call smart. That's living your Bliss. I give Timothy Ferriss' "The 4 Hour World Week" a 5-star rating. It is potentially life-changing. This is not a book you read just once for inspiration. It is hands on, and chock full of practical tips and know-how. T4HWW will work best for those who have an entrepreneurial and freedom-loving spirit, those who like to think outside the box, and preferably outside the country. It is highly recommended. Marcus T. Anthony, author of "Sage of Synchronicity" and "Integrated Intelligence."
B**S
Overpromises and underdelivers but has some good advice
The idea of this book is not necessarily to make someone rich overnight, but to help some get just rich enough to abandon full-time work and maximize profit over a shorter time so the individual can enjoy whatever he wants to do the rest of the time. In the author’s case, that seems to involve a lot of travel and beaches and that sort of thing. In my case, that involves…different work. I really don’t want to work just four hours, but I was hoping the book would have some good insights into methods of automation and streamlining that might help move me toward dedicating more time to DIFFERENT kinds of work than the mundane things that unfortunately seem to dominate too much of our lives. All in all, I’d call the book a mixed success. It’s a good mix of some ideas that ought to be self-evident to anyone with a working brain, some genuinely good insights I hadn’t necessarily considered before, and some motivational stories to “prove” the ideas really can work. Unfortunately, the motivational stories don’t really prove much of anything except that certain ideas worked for certain individuals in certain circumstances, and very few of those are applicable (or even interesting) to the vast majority of readers, so we can immediately dismiss a good chunk of the book as mere filler. But what about the rest? Is there really good information here? Well, yes and no. The book does commit the same sin just about every business book in the world (certainly all the popular ones) commit: it overpromises and underdelivers. If you’re working a nine-to-five, even perfect execution of 100% of this book’s ideas will never get you down to four hours per week unless you invent something that completely automates your job (but of course without your employer finding out about it) or generates plenty of passive income. The author’s selling a pipedream. That said, if you look past the exaggerated claims and put on an entrepreneurial hat, there actually is plenty of good advice in here about managing your time more effectively and plenty of resources to tools and services you can use to take some of the burden of the mundane off your own back and place it (sometimes at surprisingly low cost) somewhere else. At the end of the day, I found plenty of useful information in here. But for a book largely about liberating oneself from wastes of time, it really should’ve been half as long at the longest.
B**L
Which Life Changes are you Open to?
I was given a copy of Tim's book at a business conference I went to. I thought the title was catchy and the cover well designed. On top of that, several people in the room had recently read it and said it was a MUST READ. As an active business person and somebody who relies on distilled experience from people in the trenches (often in their books or courses) I wasn't resistant to this book. However, based on my already full schedule, I wasn't sure when I'd fit a thick book into my reading program. After ten day, the title kept nagging at me. I wanted to just get into this book if for nothing else to grab some ideas from the TOC. I told myself if I just got one idea I could put the book down and move on. What I found was more than one great idea. First, the book is a VERY good read. It flows well with a mix of Tim's personal experience and resources. It took me two extended reading sessions over a weekend to finish it.. and that led to some interesting results. I was able to immediately apply some of the ideas for outsourcing and virtual assistance to get ideas started that had been put on permanent hold. Tim's ideas gave me great content to share with others and I ended up giving my copy to a friend in my Toastmasters group - just requesting a book report in return. She read the book in about a day and a half and gave me a three-page email report. It was solid. She wasn't a total believer of 100% of the content or Tim's approach but really liked the possibilities the concepts made her think of. We discussed it over the weekend and it made for great conversation about outsourcing.. what "work" really means and why the career track is wrong in so many ways given the internet, a global economy, and a 24/7 way to get your products and services into people's lives. I realized after talking to another friend that I had indeed already met Tim. Of course, it was prior to his book's release and we only had a few conversations while at another conference, but Tim is the real deal. He's not as intimidating as the choke-holds on his web site pictures might intimate. He's clearly confident, fit, and well spoken. And now having read his book full of experiences, I can see why. How to read this book: Okay, if you've read this far, let me share a couple of ideas. 1. You don't need to make $40,000 per month and work only a few minutes each day to be successfuly and happy. (But, when you start doing what I like to call "Internet Math" you'll see why these numbers aren't really impossible. Tim's ideas work for him and many WILL work for you - making you more productive while increasing your income and your enjoyment. Even just thinking about what's possible puts me in an enjoyable frame of mind. 2. Get through the book and share it with a couple of friends who want more than their current job offers. You'll know these people because they can't seem to feel content building somebody else's dreams. The ideas lead to very stimulating conversations that will expand what you believe is possible. Don't dismiss the book because of the title. A four-hour work week is a very real possibility given an internet-based business. If you're not already part of this culture, you will need to invest (to speed up the process) and learn. But that's true if you want anything. 3. Realize that the 4-Hour work week does not mean don't work as much as it means work SMARTER. I'm sure Tim has lots of things he's working on that he absolutely loves.. and thus spends more than 4 hours each week in action. But it's likely not considered "work" in the labor definition. "If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life." Believe that.. let this book give you some ideas for that. Finally, I think the book is in the wrong place in the bookstores. I found it on the Self-Help shelves in Borders. It should definitely be in the Entrepreneur or Business section - the publisher might need to re-classify. At first, I wanted to keep this book a secret.. because some of the ideas seem so ... well.. valuable. Then I realized that if I shared the ideas with my friends, maybe we could all implement them and start some business projects that lead to us having more time to play. So far, I can say that it is happening. Thanks Tim for a brave title.
B**I
This Book Changed My Life: I QUIT MY JOB & Made A Lifestyle Change After Reading This...
This Book Changed My Life, helping me quit my 9–5, build freedom, and live a digital nomad lifestyle. I LOVE all the Tips, tools, and personal notes included. I want to give you a quick review of The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss and why I think everyone who wants freedom and flexibility should pick this up. Honestly, this book changed my life (it's a Must-Read for Digital Nomads). When I was preparing to quit my 9–5 job and give up my BIG PAYING CAREER, I stumbled upon this book. I had all the degrees, licenses, and a “career path” everyone told me to follow — but reading this book gave me the push I needed to leave it all behind. I literally wrote notes all over the pages, highlighting every tip I wanted to implement. I talk about this book all the time, even brought it up with someone I met at dinner the other night -- after they told me about their lifestyle and work situations, along with their goals in life. I simply thought OMG, you have to READ THIS BOOK, it will change your life and told them! (Needless to say, they immediately added it to their reading list.) This book was life-changing for me, and it will be for you too -- especially if you want to Escape the 9-5, Live & Work From Anywhere — Then The 4-Hour Workweek is a must-read BOOK FOR YOU! PS I bought this in hard copy and as an ebook, so I can read it on the go anytime! I like to refer back to it from time to time!
M**D
One of the most inspiring books I've read- practical & thought provoking
The title of this book was the first thing to grab my attention and it was recommended read on a podcast I was listening to. I'll be honest, Ferris' journey was extreme and I'm sure it is mush easier to take the steps he did when you have a few million dollars in your bank account as he did. That said, he does raise some really thought provoking questions of priorities and self-imposed limitations, it really did stop to make me think why, when I actually have the means, was I not doing at least some of the things I thought that I would do if I won the lottery? A thought that led to me booking a fabulous exotic holiday, moving house and starting yoga. There are plenty of examples in the book of people who were not millionaires who have managed to make this happen in their own lives. His thoughts and advice on automation of work and outsourcing are a useful tool for anyone looking to relieve workplace stress. The idea of asking for reduced hours or flexible working might seem really scary but, I suppose, if you don't ask you don't get. If you're still not sure on this principle I would recommend reading The Aladdin Factor as that covers this area in much more depth. I personally think everyone should read this book at least once a year, just to remind themselves not to get stuck in the humdrum of mundane living and it's a must read for anyone looking to work for themselves or retiring soon. I bought my parents a copy in the hope that it would entice them to spend their retirement doing fun, exhilarating things that they've always put off before... the idea of tango lessons in Argentina was definitely appealing to them.
B**S
Must read book
Must read book
P**E
Good book
Would really recommend this book, one of those you can read multiple times over your life
D**Y
Good reading
Good book
A**V
Un livre qui fait réfléchir positivement !
J'ai hésité longtemps avant de lire ce livre, pensant qu'il n'allait pas m'aider à me motiver au travail. Et bien, au contraire, voici un ouvrage qui m'a redonné l'envie de prendre en main ma vie professionnelle. L'anglais est très facile à lire, avec quelques termes techniques bien évidemment mais se lit essentiellement comme une lettre de conseil à un ami de l'auteur (pas un ouvrage théorique). La version française est certainement très bien aussi. Du coup je l'ai dévoré contrairement aux livres d'organisation personnelle que j'ai pu lire avant. Et si, comme beaucoup d'entre nous, nous ne nous destinons pas à appliquer les méthodes et astuces à 100%, ce livre reste parfaitement utile. Rien que les clefs de réflexion sur la façon d'envisager son rapport au travail valent largement le prix et le temps passé à lire The 4 hour workweek. J'ai personnellement mis en place un certain nombres de conseils avec succès pour me dégager du temps et surtout de la disponibilité d'esprit au quotidien, par exemple en ne regardant mes mails qu'une fois par jour maximum et en limitant strictement la quantité d'informations auxquelles je m'expose. Un livre chaudement recommandé pour tous.
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