Tagged with productivity

Book Review: The 4-Hour Workweek – A Different Take (Part 2 of 3)

Riley Freeman from The BoondocksA Word to the Haters

Riley: “There he goes again! Hatin’!”

Granddad: “Boy! Stop Hatin’!”

Boondocks, Season 1 Episode 11 – Let’s Nab Oprah

 I am not sure what some of the people who read this book were expecting.  This is what some of the people on Amazon.com have to say in their reviews:

  • “A con artist with a motivational speech”
  • “His shameless self-promotion and braggadicious (sic) style is second only to the undisputed champion of the genre, Donald Trump.”
  • “The whole book is about how to become a sleazy snake-oil salesman in the modern internet era.”
  • “A con man who needs to be taken down”

Yes, the book is painful to read at times.  Ferriss mixes up his message sometimes, which makes him come across as a charlatan and brings his sincerity and integrity into question.  He is from the school of Dan S. Kennedy, which is all about tireless, persistent promotion.  But he is honest, to a fault, which is something that is missed by his harshest critics.  Timothy Ferriss isn’t perfect and sometimes his message is confusing.  Here are some of the problems the people who hate (yes hate) this book seem to have:

  • They had a hard time extracting anything useful from the book, which is unfortunate;
  • They did not approach his concepts with an open mind;
  • They confuse the meaning of ‘rich’, or to use Ferriss’ term ‘New Rich’, to mean monetary wealth;
  • They see only a common con-artist;
  • They believe that self-promotion is a bad thing.

The message is very much about living a richer life with less material wealth.  Timothy Ferriss is a hustler, not a con-artist.  So is Jay-Z and so am I, though they are both much better at it than I am. We are out there working, finding the opportunities, and seeing what works and what does not.   If Ferriss really wanted to, he could exploit this book much in the same way that Steven Covey and many others have with their successful books, holding seminars, giving lectures, etc. and charges thousands of dollars to do so.  I know I would.  He gave the public a manual and challenged people to apply it.

Book Review: The 4-Hour Workweek – A Different Take (Part 3 of 3)

Harrison DillardConclusion

Can the 4-Hour Workweek be done?  If you are an artist, a laborer, or assembly line worker, and you want to continue doing that, then the answer is “No”.  If you are a consultant and you want to continue doing that, the answer is “No”.  If you are a business owner, the answer is “Maybe”, depending on your business.  If you are an entrepreneur, you analyze it, break it into pieces, and say “Probably” or “Yes”.  Personally, I think it is completely achievable and in some respects I am already moving in that direction.

The problem with entrepreneurship, for most people, is the risk.  I am not referring to starting a business.  Starting a business is easy, but this is not the same thing as entrepreneurship.  As entrepreneurs, we expose our minds, bodies, and souls to the world at-large.  Accepting risk as a normal thing is difficult, as humans are biologically programmed, by way of the evolutionary process, to avoid risk.  Implementing a 4-hour workweek takes skill, daring, and a certain amount of fearlessness.

How has this book improved Matrice Consulting?

  • A measurable time savings of at least 5 hours per week since implementing some of the time saving tips and tricks;
  • Hiring of a phenomenal virtual assistant, Taby, who helps us with a variety of back office activities, which included rebuilding this website and blog;
  • Opened my mind to pursuing other opportunities;
  • Allowed us to produce more billable hours, which means more revenue and more opportunity for growth.

How has this book improved my personal life?

  • As mentioned earlier, I have more time with my wife and children;
  • I am able to relax at the end of the day;
  • My mind is generating all sorts of new ideas and concepts, as a result of the recommended media fast;
  • I no longer work on weekends.
My recommendation to you is this: ignore the haters and bad reviews, read the book with healthy skepticism, and try to implement what you can. Your life will be richer as a result.  If you feel that you should not give money to Timothy Ferriss or his publisher because you think he is a con artist, then borrow the book from your library, buy it used, or borrow a copy from a friend.  Once you cut away some of the fluff, there are some valuable gems in there.

The First Hour of the Day

Fast Company has a fairly good article on how successful people spend the first hour of their day: What Successful People Do With The First Hour Of Their Work Day.

I would change the word successful to effective, but it makes for a juicier headline. In any case, I have been following a similar regimen since January:

  1. I awaken between 5 and 5:30 every morning;
  2. I begin to organize my first tasks in my head before I enter my office;
  3. I have a small breakfast snack, usually a handful of nuts;
  4. I work on the first task or tasks of the day and get them out of my way, which gives me a sense of accomplishment;
  5. I only check and answer email later, between 8 and 9 am, unless I am waiting on overnight correspondence for my first tasks.

That is it.  This is a great way to start the day and has made me more productive and effective.  Successful?  Sure, why not?