The Book That Changed My Life in 2 Hours - The 4 Hour Workweek

Reading "The 4 Hour Workweek" is like having Tim Ferriss grab you by the hair, shake you, and say WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?! Overcome your fears and join the "New Rich".

I absolutely loved this book. In fact, I read the entire book in about 2 hours, and it completely changed the way I think.

The book starts out asking you some very pointed questions:

Do I have to quit my job? Do I have to be a risk taker?

Do I have to be a single twenty-something?

Do I have to travel? I just want more time.

Do I need to be born rich?

Do I need to be an Ivy League graduate?

I think you can tell what the answer will be to these questions. In short NO! And thank goodness for that, because I am not rich, nor an Ivy League graduate, and I am quite a ways beyond "twenty something".

You will need to read the book to get the complete answers to all these questions.

One of the first things that caught my attention was this statement that Tim makes; "The commonsense rules of the 'real world' are a fragile collection of socially reinforced illusions".

This book will teach you how to see and seize the options others do not.

How is this book different from any other self-help type book?

First, Tim does not spend much time on the problem. Second, this book is not about saving. Third, this book is not about finding your "dream job". This book is really about freeing up time and automating your income stream.

Tim breaks this down into a 4 step process using the acronym DEAL.

D is for Definition: what are the rules and objectives of the new game.

E is for Elimination: kill the obsolete notion of time management once and for all.

A is for Automation: puts cashflow on autopilot.

L is for Liberation: the mobile manifesto.

Resolve now to test these concepts as an exercise in lateral thinking.

Lifestyle Design is thus not interested in creating an excess of idle time, which is poisonous, but the positive use of free time, defined simply as doing what you want as opposed to what you feel obligated to do.

"If only I had more money" is the easiest way to postpone the intense self-examination and decision-making necessary to create a life of enjoyment - now and not later.

To do or not to do? Most people will vote no, whether they consider themselves brave or not. Uncertainty and the prospect of failure can be very scary noises in the shadows. Most people will choose unhappiness over uncertainty.

Ninety-nine percent of people in the world are convinced they are incapable of achieving great things, so they aim for mediocre. The level of competition is thus fiercest for "realistic" goals, paradoxically making them the most time-and energy-consuming.

The most important actions are never comfortable.

Being busy is most often used as a guise for avoiding the few critically important but uncomfortable actions.

Effectiveness is doing the things that get you closer to your goals.