The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

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."

Obviously when it comes to these books they can be somewhat vague and positive so it can be hard not be contrived. The average cliche's are certainly here and the youth of the writer at the time of its creation does present itself from time to time but overall this is a pretty good book and worth recommending. The key aspects are efficiency, planning, and staying on task. Of course everyone knows these are important. What is valuable about this book is it gives you actual advice, tasks, and worksheets to help you build these habits rather than just telling you how awesome you are and just how good it is to stay motivated. There are some pretty good quotes in here, both from the author as well as various snippets from famous thinkers and celebrities sprinkled throughout the book. This is important since it lets me pretend to know about more historical figures than I really do in passing conversation. Since this book was made in the early 2000s a lot of the links are for outdated platforms that have been replaced with better options with the passage of time, but that will always be the case with anything over a decade old. Much of the matter is timeless however, and it is important to remind ourselves to keep our minds on track. Ive finished about half of the book at the time of writing this review, and so far I feel like it has been worthy of my time. In terms of the seller the book came in excellent condition. Minor bump on the hardcover but for its price it was essentially a steal. I have certainly damaged and defaced it more since I purchased it. Book 4/5 Physical condition and shipment 5/5

If you're looking for a book full of resources on how Tim makes his living on 4 hours of work a week, this is a great read. Packed full of awesome ideas on how to eliminate wasteful activities and create more time in your life, because that's really what we're all looking for. He covers ideas like eliminating all the unnecessary emails, phone calls, and clutter from your life by creating scheduled checks and laying out priorities to other people. He also covers outsourcing activities to other countries (basically hiring your own secretary for $5 an hour who will work for you while you sleep). Automating the small details like sending flowers, to organizing and getting information on topics (something I see as an awesome idea for bloggers or anyone who needs to research and create content but doesn't have enough time in the day). He also covers drop shipping and product manufacturing for those who have products (info and physical) and how to automate those things with companies, leaving all the headaches of sales, customer service, and returns to those you "hire" to handle your product. He stresses leaving the headaches and other business operations to those who choose to do them, taking only the most important calls and emails when they arise if they're more expensive than the dollar amount you set for them. For example, you hire a company to produce, distribute and deal with customers for your product and leave the managing up to them, only dealing with issues personally if they cost (lets say) $400 or more. This book is filled with resources and ideas that anyone can really apply depending on the situation they are in. Much won't apply if you don't have something you're looking to sell, and it definitely won't apply to people without imagination and the drive to get out of the 9-5 mind set (hence many of the bad reviews I've read prior to and after reading this book). One really needs to eliminate the box to see what Tim's talking about with this book. One also needs to understand that we are in the 21st century now and it's the age of information. Freeing up a little time off the bat will give you an opportunity to start working on what you want to do. This isn't an overnight fix, but a little hard work and thinking on your part can definitely result in a 4 hour work week after a bit of time. Think about any famous musician or actor out there. They spend months working on a film or album, then leave the work up to others to distribute, promote, and get the product out to the public, as well as collect royalties and pay the person releasing the album/film. This musician or actor then reaps the financial benefits and the work to maintain is the hour or two shows they perform, or the movie release parties and award events they must attend. Even from the shows, more product is sold and others they hire are responsible for the business side of things. Grasp that concept, and this book will make perfect sense to you. As for the down side, there isn't much "How To" so to speak. It's more of a reference guide filled with the fluff of other people's stories (which isn't a bad thing), and it's left very open for the reader to just see the options out there. It's up to you to piece together your system, your product, your business... and then use the ideas presented in this book to automate your business and begin living the 4 hour work week. Imagination and some thinking will make this possible. Pick this up if you're looking to find ways to make your life easier and to automate what ever business you're involved in. It's not for the faint at heart or for the close-minded, but if you can break down the walls society has built up in our subconscious, you'll see a world of opportunity with this one!!

Interesting and enjoyable read!!!

Would really recommend this book, one of those you can read multiple times over your life

Good book

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.

Kitaba bugün başladım ve ilk 8 sayfasını okudum. Daha en başında bile bakış açımı sorgulattı. Bence yazarın dili samimi, akıcı ve motive edici. Fakat bazı insanlar için sıkıcı gelebilir. Özellikle ‘zamanı satın almak yerine daha verimli kullanmak’ fikri bana çok mantıklı geldi. Henüz yolun başındayım ama şimdiden devam etmek için sabırsızlanıyorum. Eğer iş ve kişisel hayatınızı daha üretken hale getirmek istiyorsanız kesinlikle göz atmanız gereken bir kitap.