Frustration

If I were to show Tim Ferriss my time slips for the past year he would probably say that I’m a perfect example of who you do not want to become in the workplace. As a matter of fact he practically shouts it in his best selling book, The 4-Hour Workweek. You see, I’m a successful young professional, who works well over 40 hours a week, every week. I have done this for the past 5 years and have reaped the benefits along the way.

I am usually one of the first people in the office every morning or one of the last to leave in the evenings. When I finally get home from work, I sit down in front of my laptop and begin working again, sometimes into the early hours of the morning. Because of this schedule, my time for leisure activities is minimal at best; with my reading probably suffers the most.

Commuting with Audiobooks

About a month ago, I decided that the repetitively childish antics of Howard Stern had grown old on me and turned to the audiobooks selection within iTunes to relieve me of the monotony of my daily 3-hour commute. I’ll admit that I was incredibly hesitant in filling that time with an audiobook. The last audiobook to emit from my car’s speakers was of the “Learn a foreign language in X easy steps” variety, and, let me tell you, there is nothing more frustrating then trying to repeat German commands while shuffling in and out of gridlock traffic in a 6-speed automobile. That exercise ended in futility.

iTunes: 4 Hour Work Week

As I thumbed through the iTunes audiobooks library I came across a book entitled The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich. “Sounds good!” I thought, “I’d like to work less than I am. And if I became one of these New Rich in the process…” So with a few clicks of the mouse, Tim Ferriss’ book was loaded onto my iPod and would forever change my viewpoint on work and it’s role in my life.

Every day, over the past 2 weeks, the simple advice of a self-made man poured through the speakers on my way to and from work. There were several moments where I would hit the steering wheel with my palm and exclaim, “Why am I not doing some of this already?” or “This is obvious! Yet I still missed it.” This is what Tim’s book does to you. It makes your mind stop thinking about what is important to those in the rat race, and instead, it helps you to reflect upon yourself, thinking about what is most important to you, and how to achieve it.

Tim Ferriss: First Time Author

4 Hour Work Week

How can it be that Timothy Ferriss, a first time author, wrote a book that has made it to #1 on the New York Times Best Sellers List as well as the Wall Street Journal business best sellers list? It’s simply because he’s unconventional and he isn’t easily dissuaded from his end goal. In a world where 5% of all books written a year sell less than 5,000 copies, Tim Ferriss beat the odds. The odds were stacked even higher when Tim took his book to 14 different editors and all but one turned him down. One even sent him additional information telling him to “reset his expectations”.

The New Rich

In Tim’s book he coins a phrase “The New Rich (NR)”. They are those that are not focused on how many commas are in their bank statements or how many exotic cars are in their driveway; instead they enjoy a luxurious lifestyle through effective use time and mobility. He refers to this as “Lifestyle Design (LD)”. Those eager to participate need to become “dealmakers”, by understanding that reality is negotiable. Through his 4-step DEAL process he outlines the actions that each of us needs to take to free up more time in our days and pursue what we truly desire.

For Working Professionals and Entrepreneurs Alike

Tim Ferriss is an entrepreneur, but he wrote this book with the mindset that not all of us have the desire to start our own companies. It’s a scary thought for anyone, and most people do not want to take that leap. Because of this, his book sites different examples of working professionals who have taken his advice and turned it into a more productive and more liberating working environment. Such individuals have utilized outsourcing or technology to enable them to work remotely while relaxing on the shores of a foreign country.

Now I know that this sounds like it’s a guide on “how to get away with doing the bare minimum at work”, but in reality, it teaches effective time management and how to increase your productivity so that you are not working every hour of every day for the rest of your life. I have not read a book in quite some time that has inspired me as much as Tim’s does. It has completely changed my line of thinking and I can see it in most professional interactions that I find myself in.

Buy This Book

If anything, I hope that my review inspires you to go to Amazon.com and thumb through the first couple of pages of this book. If you value your time and want more of it, then this is a book that you should read from cover to cover. You will be glad that you did.

For more information on Tim Ferriss, visit his website at FourHourWorkWeek.com.