I’m reading “The 4-Hour Workweek” by Timothy Ferriss and it’s so good I have to post about it before I’m done. Why are my free offers (see below) always around book reviews? I have no idea.
Bad News First (In deference to The Toyota Way )

• Yes there is an element of luck. Just like Ferriss, I’m also a Remote-Control-CEO and I know it can’t work to this extreme with every business – although it does for me. I truly believe every business can benefit tremendously from the things he shares.
• And of course there is a bit of hype, but it’s well written just the same. And the concept of a 4 hour work week is actual reality for him. Not just fluff.
• No it won’t work for everyone, but the main reason for that is most people won’t believe it (so they won’t even try) or won’t be as honest with themselves as you need to be to make it work.

Now the Good News

• There are a lot of great concepts in the book that can be useful to all entrepreneurs.
• It’s well written and enjoyable (if a bit too long)
• It requires a massive attitude change for most people. But Ferriss is grounded enough to know you have to change your actions as well. He gives a lot of detailed, step-by-step actions you can take.
• He’s a bend the rules type of guy which should resonate with most entrepreneurs. He says the concepts will work for employees too and gives some adaptations to use if you’re one of them. Never having been a employee, I can only guess how well they’d work. As a boss, I can tell you I’d love it if an employee wanted to do this.

Best Practical Concept: (so far – I’m only half way done) Mini-retirement
Why work for 40 years at something you hate trying to amass enough money and retain enough health in order to finally have a life you hope to enjoy? Instead, Ferriss aims to distribute “mini-retirements” throughout life instead of hoarding the recovery and enjoyment for the fool’s gold of retirement. By working only when you are most effective, life is both more productive and more enjoyable, It’s the perfect example of having your cake and eating it too.

He does give a lot of practical advice on how to actually do this.

Best Philosophical Concept: Happiness = Excitement
Obviously if you’re going to make such a drastic change as to only work 4 hours a week, you’ll have a lot of time to fill with other things. You’d better know what you want from the other 36, 56, or is it 96 hours you’ll free up. Ferriss gives a lot of practical tips on how to do it, but if you don’t know why you’re doing it you probably won’t even try.

But asking people what they really want or what their ultimate goals are is often too vague in a context like this. Most people will say their ultimate goal is to be happy. That’s where Ferriss’ insight about happiness is so powerful. I’ll use his words and his italics.

Bear with me. What is the opposite of happiness? Sadness? No. Just as love and hate are two sides of the same coin, so are happiness and sadness. Crying out of happiness is a perfect example of this. The opposite of love is indifference, and the opposite of happiness is – here’s the clincher – boredom.

Excitement is the more practical synonym for happiness, and it is precisely what you should strive to chase. It is the cure-all. When people suggest you follow your ‘passion’ or your ‘bliss’, I propose that they, in fact, referring to the same singular concept: excitement.

This brings us full circle. The question you should be asking is not, “What do I want?” or “What are my goals?” but “What would excite me?”

Takeaway – Free Offer

• If you’d like to get your work week down to 4 hours, and need a boost, I’ll give you a free hour of phone coaching to help. Here’s what to do.
• Email me: john [at] sbcoach [dot] com and tell me your situation and how I might help. Tell me you’re writing about this free offer since I do get other requests as well. Please give me enough details to go on – what do you do, what excites you, have you read the book etc.
• If I don’t’ think I can help I’ll let you know by email. If I do think I can help we’ll schedule a call. If I can’t tell, I’ll email you back with more questions.
• When I’m ready to rescind this offer, I’ll post a note here to that effect.

[tags] CEO, small business, Entrepreneur, time management, work week, happiness [/tags]