There was such a huge buzz surrounding this book, I just had to check it out...
I hate business books, as a general rule. To me, they always seem to be filled with vague mantras like "work smarter, not harder", without giving examples of how to actually put the concept into practice. Plus, their hard-sell language on the back cover always puts me right off.
I made an exception for Tim Ferriss's book because, frankly, who can resist the lure of working 4 hours a week? Plus, everyone seemed to be raving about it, so there must be something to it, right?
Damn straight, there is! He challenges what we've all been trained to believe from a young age: that to be a good citizen, we should work 40 hours per week in a boring job until we're 65 or so and then retire. By retirement age we're often too old to really enjoy ourselves. Instead, why not take mini-retirements throughout your life and work as little as possible? Sounds good to me.
Before you go thinking Tim is one lazy SOB, here's a quick run-down of his achievements:
- Princeton University guest lecturer in high-tech entrepreneurship
- First American in history to hold a Guinness World Record in tango
- Advisor to more than 30 world-record holders in professional and Olympic sports
- Wired magazine's "Greatest Self-Promoter of 2008"
- National Chinese kickboxing champion
- Horseback archer (yabusame) in Nikko, Japan
- Political asylum researcher and activist
- MTV breakdancer in Taiwan
- Hurling competitor in Ireland
- Actor on hit TV series in mainland China and Hong Kong (Human Cargo)
Impressive, huh? Not only does he share how he's done all this, there's plenty of challenges, online resources, examples, worksheets and links to templates on his web site to help you emulate his success. If you even take away one of his tips in the book, you'd see your life improve, but even if you don't implement any of his suggestions, you'll definitely enjoy the plethora of cheeky anecdotes from Tim, his friends and previous readers.
The principles are certainly applicable to writers and freelancers -- how to "batch" your work tasks, not get distracted during the work day, and ease your way out of a 9-5 job and increasingly work from home. They have definitely helped me.
I borrowed this book from the library, read it, bought the expanded edition on Amazon and then reread it. This is one you'll want to return to again and again until you wear the words off the page.
Read it IMMEDIATELY. Thank me later.
Rating: 10/10.
Have you read The 4-hour Work Week? What did you think?
Wow this sounds like a great read! Thanks for sharing your review of it. I'll keep my eye out for it , next time I'm at the book store.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a fabulous week-end, xo HHL
What an amazing person!! I've heard of this book but I had no idea he'd done all this stuff. I really want to read it, thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteHey Sascha and High Heeled,
ReplyDeleteI definitely, definitely recommend this book. Borrow it from the library if you can. Trust me, you'll be transformed. I'd love to hear what you think afterwards if you do get around to it.
Have a great weekend, guys!
xx
Becks
I meant to read this books last year and didnt get round to it! Thanks for reminding me! and great blog xx
ReplyDeleteThanks, mysterious Girl in the Brown Boots! : )
ReplyDeleteI did the same thing -- had this book on my must-read list for quite a while before I got around to it, but so glad I did. It's got some great ideas for streamlining your life and fulfilling your dreams, and it's not just the same old drivel.
I'm sure you'll like it! I'd also recommend "Yes Man" by Danny Wallace, along a similar vein.
xx
Becks
Ha not so mysterious... but def fabulous! ;-D
ReplyDeleteWell, that's the main thing! ; )
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