Book Review: The 4-Hour Workweek
Posted on August 10th, 2009 by Joshua Oakes – No CommentsIf the thought of working 9-5 until you’re over 60 scares you even a little, then don’t panic because Timothy Ferris presents in “The 4-hour Workweek” an alternative lifestyle option. Using both himself and friends as examples, Ferris explains how to create your ideal lifestyle and become a member of the so called ‘New Rich’ – where your currency is not gold, but time and mobility.
| Book: | The 4-hour Workweek |
| Author: | Timothy Ferris |
| Binary Review: | 1 |
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
Full Disclosure – yes, that’s a tracked link to Amazon shown above.
We buy quite a large number of books on a wide range of topics, all relevant to our business in some way. If you did happen to purchase the book from Amazon, they’d throw a few shekels our way, which would help us to buy (and hence publish reviews of) even more books. Hence, Karma would return the benefits to you…
The book is divided into four sections, one for each letter of the DEAL acronym. The DEAL explains the process of becoming a member of the New Rich.
Definition – This section describes what it means to be a member of the new rich. It replaces common self-defeating assumptions with a new perspective on life. You define your goals and what you really want out of life.
Elimination – The concept of time management is destroyed. Topics such as selective ignorance, low information diets, and the art of refusal are discussed. Also introduced is Pareto’s Law or the 80/20 rule. This application of this principle is discussed throughout the rest of the book.
Automation – This section describes how to automate your cash flow and run a business on autopilot. Ferris recommends outsourcing your life to virtual assistants that can take care of all the menial tasks.
Liberation – Liberate yourself from the physical location of your job. Take mini retirements by redistributing your retirement years throughout your life. In this last section, Ferris introduces the concept of mobility and explains how to pick up your life and relocate to anywhere in the world.
Scattered throughout the book are handy little hints and tips such as, how to read twice as fast in 10 minutes, how to start making your dreams a reality, an effective way to manage email and phone calls, how to reduce the clutter in your life, the art of non-finishing and how to make the most effective use of virtual assistants.
I also enjoyed the “comfort challenges” placed throughout the book where you are instructed to go out into the world and perform some activity to increase your level of comfort in awkward situations. For example, would you lay face up in the middle of a train station for two minutes?
How can Global-Roam benefit from the lessons taught in this book? These are my top three suggestions for improving the performance of the business.
1. Hire a web design company to re-design the online ordering system (includes comprehensive FAQ)
2. Hire a web design company to re-design the Global-Roam website (includes comprehensive FAQ)
3. Explore the possibility of outsourcing the most time consuming and no-brainer tasks to a remote assistant
Whether the thought of redesigning your life appeals to you or not, this book is still an interesting read that offers an alternative to the 9 to 5 drudgery and a new perspective on life.