Lowdown on the four hour week
My September read of the month has been the four hour week by Timothy Ferriss. Yes I am in a book club by myself and yes I am thoroughly enjoying it.
Our lives are getting busier, and the whole world is throwing more and more stuff at us. Everyone I know who is trying to achieve an impactful business or career is working 10 hours a day, and still wish they had just a few more hours to squeeze in that extra list of tasks that did not get completed through out the day.
All so we can eventually cash out as millionaires and live the life we always dreamt of. However Ferris argues that we do not have to wait until we are old an pruney to reap the rewards of our hard work. Teaching a clutter free life, Ferris explains that you do not work 9 – 5 pm, 5 days a week for the year, but rather can work 4 days a week, and if not better 4 hours a week clutter free minus the distractions to actually get more important work done. By checking in with yourself a few times a day to ask if you are being productive and achieving milestones you set out in the day, you keep shifting back your focus to the important work rather than the mindless tasks that get you no where.
By outsourcing his business, scaling down his business to the right people that he can trust and work with, and by outsourcing his email replies to virtual secretaries, Tim has without doubt cleared his schedule from the day to day nick nacks that can drive any entrepreneur or employee up the wall. And according to him he is free to travel, roam the world as a backpack traveler, and learn Japanese in minutes.
Frankly though I appreciate the old school approach to business, cutting out the noise, removing yourself from distraction, and focusing on the guts of your work rather than tasks, I do not see how one can realistically cover 5 days a week and 40 hours a week worth of work in 4. I also do not understand how the underambitious employee can take advantage of a 4-day work day and start becoming lazy and less focusing, having taking more time off work. I find I am my most productive when I have a routine, when I am around people with the same positive energy, and its those last few hours of the day where I feel the energy unwinds and there is plenty of room to be creative and play.
Can a workweek truly be taken from 40 to 4? Can one achieve anything during 4 hours a week? Do you have be conducting a specific business to do so? Can you truly outsource your whole business from secretary to workforce. Food for thought and plenty of homework to do to figure this formula out for me.