The 4 Hour Workweek
4 hour workweek review
Every once in a while I run across a book or tool having such an impact on my life that I feel the need to shout about it. The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss is one of those books you could call a game changer. I read the first version back in 2007 and while it made a huge impact on me, I didn’t implement anything out of the book. This past December the updated and revised version was released… this time I was ready!
The 4-Hour Workweek
The basic premise in both versions of The 4-Hour Workweek is to answer the question, “Is it possible to go from where you’re at to a four hour workweek, and if so… HOW?” To answer this question, Tim takes you through a 4 step process…
4 Hour Workweek Review | Step 1: Definition
The mere idea of a four hour workweek sound ludicrous, so only makes sense that Tim starts off by redefining beliefs he thinks most people hold falsely. Be prepared for some boat rocking information here. Some of what he says was beyond what I was able to accept at first, but even those topics he won me over on.
“Retirement as a goal or final redemption is flawed [because it is] predicated on the assumption that you dislike what you are doing during the most physically capable years of your life. This is a nonstarter – nothing can justify that sacrifice.”
4 Hour Workweek Review | Step 2: Elimination
How to take your productivity through the roof by eliminating low priority time wasters that have no bearing on your goals, in this section Tim Ferriss takes the notion of time management and turns it upside down.
“If you’re running around like a chicken with your head cut off and assign your virtual assistant to do that for you, it doesn’t improve the order of the universe.”
4 Hour Workweek Review | Step 3: Automation
This is where the book really gets good in my opinion. It is also the section that has caused the most dramatic changes in my life. In this section Tim details how to outsource and automate not just your income generation, but also those everyday meaningless tasks. If you are or want to be a business owner, he takes you through the process of finding, testing and automating a “muse”, which is his term for an automated income.
“There are a million and one ways to make a million dollars. From franchising to freelance consulting, the list is endless. Fortunately, most of them are unsuited to our purpose. This chapter is not for people who want to run businesses but for those who want to own businesses and spend no time on them.”
4 Hour Workweek Review | Step 4: Liberation
How to maintain your job or business on four hours a week, then what to do with the 36 hours you used to spend working.
“Being bound to one place will be the new defining feature of middle class. The New Rich are defined by a more elusive power than simple cash – unrestricted mobility.”
Game Changing Concepts in the 4 Hour Workweek Review that Will Rock Your World!
Having read both the original and now the updated version of The 4-Hour Workweek, there are some standout concepts I call game changers which have really stuck with me.
4 Hour Workweek Review | Game Changer #1 - Outsourcing
Manage your inbox. You no longer have to despise researching, writing and proofing reports, emails and web content. Manage your calendar, right down to scheduling and confirming appointments. Pay your bills. Do your shopping. How would you like to eliminate tedious legal, financial and market research? Never again spend time on repetitive database and spreadsheet crunching. These are just a few of the hundreds of things you can outsource.
Who knew that that outsourcing was something any average Joe Blow could do? Of course big corporations outsource, but you… and me? This concept is something that I loved from the first book but not until reading the revised version did I implement. One thing I can tell you from experience is that it will be an absolute pain in the ass at first, but it gets easier and in the end is so very well worth it!
4 Hour Workweek Review | Game Changer #2 – Renegade approach to time management.
It took me some time but eventually I was won over to the fact that I could increase my efficiency at least 100% through the simple elimination of useless daily and habitual time wasters that I don’t even notice. This section initially had me feeling like a complete moron for not being able to identify things that should have been so obvious but now I gotta tell you it sure does feel good getting 2x as much done without changing much of anything.
The most lasting impact I have from the 4 Hour Workweek Review is a new ability to think and approach life in a different manner. Tim has a very myth busting contrarian attitude that is contagious. On certain topics I would start off thinking that he was full of crap then as I continued to read, his ideas became more believable. Here are just few such situations…
- How to increase personal productivity between 100% and 500% within weeks
- How to read 200% faster in 10 minutes
- How to reach (or double) profitability in 3 months
One of the nicest parts of the updated version is the extensive list of case studies from readers of the first book that have been able to implement the 4-Hour Workweek. The ideas you get from these case studies alone are worth the price of the book.
There is no other book that has caused such a radical paradigm shift in my life like The 4-Hour Workweek. This book will challenge you to rethink so many things you thought to be givens. In many ways this book is a challenging read because it will expose you for the time wasting, tail chasing and outdated thinker that you are. The best part of this book is that it cuts to the chase on everything. Tim is not one to mince or waste words. Expect to both love and to hate this book. Once reading it, you can never go back.
Yours in Success,
Shawn Cornett