“The 4-Hour Workweek” Put to Action
I’ve been putting off reading Tim Ferriss’s The 4-Hour Workweek for a while now. At first, I had the impression that it was geared more towards nine-to-fivers, giving them the extra push they needed to quit their jobs and go freelance.
Since I’ve already been freelancing for almost two years, I felt this book didn’t apply to me.
Boy was I wrong!
It’s a fantastic read. For anyone, in any industry and any lifestyle. Yes, Ferriss encourages breaking out on your own and engaging in “lifestyle design”, but this is far from a “how to quit your job” book.
It’s about increasing your level of enjoyment in whatever you do – whether that’s freelancing, running your own business, or working for the man. This book is packed to the brim with tips and immediate actions you can take to implement the necessary changes to improve your lifestyle.
Here are a few takeway actions I have put to the test:
Limit checking email.
OK, I admit, I haven’t gone as far as Tim suggests (check it once a week). But considering I used to keep my two email accounts open on my desktop roughly 9 hours a day plus my iPhone access, I can definitely say I cut down my gmail frenzy significantly.
I no longer leave my email accounts open. I check email roughly twice a day (OK, occasionally a third time). I turned off the Google notifier and I put the iPhone out of sight when I’m relaxing at home.
The biggest tip here is to avoid checking email first thing in the morning. Set today’s list of tasks, and knock out the most important task first. Then do your first email check in the late morning. I shoot for 11:00am. Otherwise, you’ll get caught up in the “urgent” requests for your attention, leaving your priorities unattended to.
Value your time. All of it.
In a previous post, I wrote about how to deal with work overload. Being chronically “busy” is still something I’m dealing with, but since reading The 4-Hour Workweek, I have come to value my time more than ever.
Ferriss defines “the new rich” as those who are rich in terms of financial comfort but also rich in terms of time. You could make six figures a year, but if you devote all your time to working a job you hate, then you’re not rich. You have to find a balance of financial and personal freedom. I couldn’t agree more.
So the action I’ve taken on this front is I have hired an assistant to help out with some of my web design work. This has helped significantly as I’m now able to focus more on my larger projects and work more on the big picture stuff.
That’s really just a taste
There’s so much more to take away from this book. Travel tips, credit card mastery, online business tools, remote working, and more. I highly recommend it to literally anyone who’s interested in making changes in their life (who isn’t?) – both large and small.
Have you read it?
Share the actions you have implemented since reading The 4-Hour Workweek. It’s interesting to hear how many different directions people can take after reading this book.
Great post Brian, thanks. I had the pleasure of meeting Tim Ferriss at SXSW in Austin when he bolted onto the scene in 2007 just before the book came out. He gave an amazing presentation that really resonated with everyone there. Since then I’ve implemented the following:
1) Two assistants – one in the real world for bookkeeping/errands and another virtual one for everyday stuff like scheduling Dr. appts, filling prescriptions and internet research. I delegate whenever I can, but only if it makes sense after I’ve eliminated unnecessary tasks.
2) Fierce time protection. Email is the biggest time suck on the planet, and I’m working hard to train myself to only check it at 11am and 4pm. I limit conference calls and in person meetings to once in a blue moon.
3) 80/20 everything. This is in reference to Pareto’s law, which states that 80 percent of your results come from 20 percent of your inputs. For example, I’m no longer interested in getting dozens of clients for my freelance business. I would rather have a few that I really enjoy working with and get repeat business from them. So far so good. It’s really amazing how much time freedom you can create by doing this simple exercise with everything on your to-do list.
Great post Brian, thanks. I had the pleasure of meeting Tim Ferriss at SXSW in Austin when he bolted onto the scene in 2007 just before the book came out. He gave an amazing presentation that really resonated with everyone there. Since then I’ve implemented the following:
1) Two assistants – one in the real world for bookkeeping/errands and another virtual one for everyday stuff like scheduling Dr. appts, filling prescriptions and internet research. I delegate whenever I can, but only if it makes sense after I’ve eliminated unnecessary tasks.
2) Fierce time protection. Email is the biggest time suck on the planet, and I’m working hard to train myself to only check it at 11am and 4pm. I limit conference calls and in person meetings to once in a blue moon.
3) 80/20 everything. This is in reference to Pareto’s law, which states that 80 percent of your results come from 20 percent of your inputs. For example, I’m no longer interested in getting dozens of clients for my freelance business. I would rather have a few that I really enjoy working with and get repeat business from them. So far so good. It’s really amazing how much time freedom you can create by doing this simple exercise with everything on your to-do list.
Thx for the comments Mary!
I haven’t outsourced the grocery shopping yet (although with FreshDirect I may do so sooner than I think).
80/20 – totally agreed! I’m beginning to get bogged down with work managing many clients at once – especially for minor ongoing maintenance tasks. I’m now in the process of trimming down the client roster, which is proving to be very hard and in some cases quite stressful. But in the end, I truly believe the in the 80/20 principal.
Thx for the comments Mary!
I haven’t outsourced the grocery shopping yet (although with FreshDirect I may do so sooner than I think).
80/20 – totally agreed! I’m beginning to get bogged down with work managing many clients at once – especially for minor ongoing maintenance tasks. I’m now in the process of trimming down the client roster, which is proving to be very hard and in some cases quite stressful. But in the end, I truly believe the in the 80/20 principal.
Hey Brian. Good read. I too read this book and fell in trance with the message. I have been a freelance web designer for nearly 2 years now and been successful.
This book has the opportunity to make life altering changes, but the process can be difficult if you offer a service (A topic I wished the book talked about more). A service is not typically automated, so in order to achieve success as described in this book, you need to turn a service into a product. This is what I am now working on and I am very excited to launch!
I have to say honestly, that I would not be on this path to success had I not read Tim Ferris’ book. I have read several similar books but never acted. For the first time I am doing something ambitious.
Good luck with your goals! i will check back often.
@Jacques – I think we’re in the same spot. I came away from the book with the exact same dilemma. How can you automate / pull back from a service-based business such as web design when clients require your personal attention?
I’m now also involved starting up a product-based business which will hopefully help in that regard.
Hey Brian. Good read. I too read this book and fell in trance with the message. I have been a freelance web designer for nearly 2 years now and been successful.
This book has the opportunity to make life altering changes, but the process can be difficult if you offer a service (A topic I wished the book talked about more). A service is not typically automated, so in order to achieve success as described in this book, you need to turn a service into a product. This is what I am now working on and I am very excited to launch!
I have to say honestly, that I would not be on this path to success had I not read Tim Ferris’ book. I have read several similar books but never acted. For the first time I am doing something ambitious.
Good luck with your goals! i will check back often.
@Jacques – I think we’re in the same spot. I came away from the book with the exact same dilemma. How can you automate / pull back from a service-based business such as web design when clients require your personal attention?
I’m now also involved starting up a product-based business which will hopefully help in that regard.
Thanks for the review/recommendation. I had never heard of it, but it certainly seems like a good book to check out. I currently still work for “the man”, but I am always looking for ways to improve myself.
@Bryan – Pick it up today! You won’t be disappointed.
The book also includes a big section about convincing your boss to work from a remote location every day.
Thanks for the review/recommendation. I had never heard of it, but it certainly seems like a good book to check out. I currently still work for “the man”, but I am always looking for ways to improve myself.
@Bryan – Pick it up today! You won’t be disappointed.
The book also includes a big section about convincing your boss to work from a remote location every day.
I had to read the book twice to fully understand its message. I already had plans in motion to quit the 9to5 so that wasn’t what I was looking for. What resonated with me was breaking the stereotypes of “work” (cubicle, large company, jobs until you’re 65) and embracing the mobile lifestyle.
I now enjoy working from home and taking coffee breaks to play with my kids, read or nap (things that weren’t possible when working in cube land), but the hidden gem is that I can do my work from anywhere on the planet. That’s a very liberating reality.
@Daniel, ya know- I find it very surprising that most of clients feel more comfortable knowing that I’m local (New York), when in reality, I very rarely (if ever) meet them in person. It’s often a lot easier for us web workers to embrace working remotely from anywhere, but harder for web clients to really “get it” when it comes to having a totally email / phone / skype relationship.
I had to read the book twice to fully understand its message. I already had plans in motion to quit the 9to5 so that wasn’t what I was looking for. What resonated with me was breaking the stereotypes of “work” (cubicle, large company, jobs until you’re 65) and embracing the mobile lifestyle.
I now enjoy working from home and taking coffee breaks to play with my kids, read or nap (things that weren’t possible when working in cube land), but the hidden gem is that I can do my work from anywhere on the planet. That’s a very liberating reality.
@Daniel, ya know- I find it very surprising that most of clients feel more comfortable knowing that I’m local (New York), when in reality, I very rarely (if ever) meet them in person. It’s often a lot easier for us web workers to embrace working remotely from anywhere, but harder for web clients to really “get it” when it comes to having a totally email / phone / skype relationship.
Good post Brian.
My friend and I bought books a while ago. We had plans to switch when we were done with each of ours, but it never happened. He purchased “The 4-hour Workweek.” After reading your post and the comments, I think I’m going to ask to borrow it.
I always talk to other people on this subject, and they always have the same reaction. I hate how everyone thinks that working 9-5, 40 hrs a week is “just the way it is.” I never have moral support from my peers when I try and say that there has to be a better lifestyle. Life shouldn’t be work, life should be life, in my opinion.
Maybe I need this book to push me over the edge and make “work” revolve around my schedule rather than my schedule revolve around “work.”
I too am a web designer that would like to go out on my own, but don’t have the courage to. Any words of encouragement? Thanks for your thoughts and your story.
@Jake – I couldn’t agree more, and I think most freelancers would agree with that philosophy – if work is your life, then you better love what you do.
As for taking the plunge into freelancing… I can tell you that being a web designer is a huge plus in itself. The web design industry is one that lends itself quite well to freelancing. There are definitely clients to be had, and if you can’t find clients, then you there many web agencies that hire freelancers. As a freelancer, I’ve done both with success.
Check out freelanceswitch.com, great resource.
Good post Brian.
My friend and I bought books a while ago. We had plans to switch when we were done with each of ours, but it never happened. He purchased “The 4-hour Workweek.” After reading your post and the comments, I think I’m going to ask to borrow it.
I always talk to other people on this subject, and they always have the same reaction. I hate how everyone thinks that working 9-5, 40 hrs a week is “just the way it is.” I never have moral support from my peers when I try and say that there has to be a better lifestyle. Life shouldn’t be work, life should be life, in my opinion.
Maybe I need this book to push me over the edge and make “work” revolve around my schedule rather than my schedule revolve around “work.”
I too am a web designer that would like to go out on my own, but don’t have the courage to. Any words of encouragement? Thanks for your thoughts and your story.
@Jake – I couldn’t agree more, and I think most freelancers would agree with that philosophy – if work is your life, then you better love what you do.
As for taking the plunge into freelancing… I can tell you that being a web designer is a huge plus in itself. The web design industry is one that lends itself quite well to freelancing. There are definitely clients to be had, and if you can’t find clients, then you there many web agencies that hire freelancers. As a freelancer, I’ve done both with success.
Check out freelanceswitch.com, great resource.
I finished the book today. Was a great read. My wife and I spoke about the book a good deal. We’d like to get some dropship sites online with an ecommerce plugin to WordPress. Perhaps WooThemes has something I can run with instead of me spending my precious time building a custom theme.
I liked the clever ways he haggled down costs and got budget market research to determine which products to sell. That’s the thing my wife and I are wondering right now — which products to sell. We just want to stay clear of Amway, Quixtar, and junk like that, though. I also hear the T-shirts business is flooded, so that rules that out.
His book also encouraged me to use a little outsource help from time to time from a country where my dollars go further. So far this is working out a little as long as I stay in control a little bit.
Unfortunately my wife and I are tied to our part of the USA right now and cannot live 6 months at a time in another country like Nicaragua, Panama, Brazil, or Costa Rica. It would be great if we could because then we could pay down debts faster and still live like royalty because our dollars would go further. Still, it’s something to think about for our future as she and I approach 50 in a few years.
@Volomike – Yes, Ferriss goes into great detail with tips on running an e-commerce business. I definitely would advise against using wordpress (alone) for an ecommerce site. I’ve tried plugins such as wp ecommerce, but the platform just isn’t suited for it. You’re much better off going with Magento or another dedicated E-Commerce solution.
Agreed- I don’t think I’ll be moving to another country anytime soon, however the book did fire up my obsession with traveling. I read it while on a plane to Asia. As soon as I returned home I booked another trip to Costa Rica. I can’t sit still!
I finished the book today. Was a great read. My wife and I spoke about the book a good deal. We’d like to get some dropship sites online with an ecommerce plugin to WordPress. Perhaps WooThemes has something I can run with instead of me spending my precious time building a custom theme.
I liked the clever ways he haggled down costs and got budget market research to determine which products to sell. That’s the thing my wife and I are wondering right now — which products to sell. We just want to stay clear of Amway, Quixtar, and junk like that, though. I also hear the T-shirts business is flooded, so that rules that out.
His book also encouraged me to use a little outsource help from time to time from a country where my dollars go further. So far this is working out a little as long as I stay in control a little bit.
Unfortunately my wife and I are tied to our part of the USA right now and cannot live 6 months at a time in another country like Nicaragua, Panama, Brazil, or Costa Rica. It would be great if we could because then we could pay down debts faster and still live like royalty because our dollars would go further. Still, it’s something to think about for our future as she and I approach 50 in a few years.
@Volomike – Yes, Ferriss goes into great detail with tips on running an e-commerce business. I definitely would advise against using wordpress (alone) for an ecommerce site. I’ve tried plugins such as wp ecommerce, but the platform just isn’t suited for it. You’re much better off going with Magento or another dedicated E-Commerce solution.
Agreed- I don’t think I’ll be moving to another country anytime soon, however the book did fire up my obsession with traveling. I read it while on a plane to Asia. As soon as I returned home I booked another trip to Costa Rica. I can’t sit still!
Hi @Brian,
Great blog, I really like the concept of checking your email after you have written out a priority list. It is easy to give the squeakiest wheel the most attention and this might not always be the best business decision for you and the rest of your clients.
It sounds like a good book, I’ll have to read it, thanks for giving us a little taste
@James – thanks for your comment.
I’ve actually fallen off the wagon recently. Back to checking email too often especially on the iPhone.
But I still keep a strict policy of not responding to client emails during the weekend. Once you do, they expect 24 hour service all the time. Not good.
@James – thanks for your comment.
I’ve actually fallen off the wagon recently. Back to checking email too often especially on the iPhone.
But I sti
Hi @Brian,
Great blog, I really like the concept of checking your email after you have written out a priority list. It is easy to give the squeakiest wheel the most attention and this might not always be the best business decision for you and the rest of your clients.
It sounds like a good book, I’ll have to read it, thanks for giving us a little taste
@James – thanks for your comment.
I’ve actually fallen off the wagon recently. Back to checking email too often especially on the iPhone.
But I still keep a strict policy of not responding to client emails during the weekend. Once you do, they expect 24 hour service all the time. Not good.
@James – thanks for your comment.
I’ve actually fallen off the wagon recently. Back to checking email too often especially on the iPhone.
But I sti
That was a fun comment. Thanks for reading and for taking the time to leave word that you were here and got something from it.
That was a fun comment. Thanks for reading and for taking the time to leave word that you were here and got something from it.