The 4-Hour Workweek- Escape 9-5, live anywhere, and join the new rich. Expanded and updated edition.
Summary of the book:
The 4-Hour Workweek challenges the axiom of holding a steady job until you’re old enough to retire in order to enjoy life. Ferriss wants us to enjoy life right now. The goal of this book is to serve as a blueprint for anyone that wants to ditch the rat race, travel the world, passively earn 5 figures a month, and just live life.
Who should read this book?
Anyone in their 20s that’s not satisfied with their career/job hunt. If you hate your current job or can’t seem to find the “perfect” job then maybe you can test out some of the unconventional methods mentioned in this book. Some of the ideas are out there, but many of them are easy to apply. If you don’t feel the urge to follow a path of entrepreneurship, at the very least you’ll learn lots about traveling the world and focusing on what matters.
Every college graduate. I’m not just trying to hype up this book. All college graduates need to read: 1. Relevant career advice & 2. Unconventional advice. Some of the older folks may think that this book is out there. The reality is that we should read about as many different perspectives as possible to see what sticks with us.
What I loved about the 4-Hour Workweek:
As with my last book review, I’ll share my favorite direct quotes/paraphrase a bit and throw out some thoughts.
Life experiences.
People want to experience what they think only millions can buy.
So true. Some of the most amazing experiences in life can cost less than a weekend getaway in our hometown. There are many tips in this book about traveling on a tight budget and getting the most bang for your buck, without compromising quality.
Productivity.
Put a post-it on your computer screen or set an Outlook reminder to alert you at least three times daily with the question: Are you inventing things to do to avoid the important?
and
Do not multitask… Trying to brush your teeth, talk on the phone, and answer email at the same time just doesn’t work.
Okay so I feel like an idiot. I read this book two months ago and my time management skills have already deteriorated. These two tips alone, can totally shift your thoughts on time management and help you get stuff done asap so that you can get back to doing what you love.
On the low-information diet.
Most information is time-consuming, negative, irrelevant to your goals, and outside of your influence.
How much time do we spend on reading random stuff? For me it’s too much to even want to admit to. The chapter on the low-information diet really hit me. It helped me realize where my priorities lay and how I should cut certain activities from my life.
On solving complex problems.
If you can’t define it or act upon it, forget it. If you take just this point form this book, it will put you in the top 1% of performers in the world and keep most philosophical distress out of your life.
This is all I can think of when I hear people arguing about stuff that we simply have no control over. There’s no point to dwell on thoughts and problems that will get you more confused.
Okay I’ll stop there. The book is filled with plenty of practical and easy-to apply tips on income automation, outsourcing, worldwide travel, mini-retirements, etc.
What I didn’t care for:
The arrogance. I find that most books about entrepreneurship have a hint of arrogance behind them. Whether it’s intentional or not, I’m not sure. I don’t hate jobs and I certainly don’t look down at anyone with a job. It just bothers me when there’s a negative connotation towards “holding a job.”
I can’t put my figure on it but there’s something about Tim Ferriss. I understand his message and overall strategy. There’s just something about him. I think that Tim’s one of those people that you have to meet in real life to be sure that he’s not a scam.
Next book reviews: I Will Teach You To Be Rich, Career Renegade, and Never Eat Alone. If you want me to review a book, please suggest it in the comments sections.
Previous book review: Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk.
Note: Most of my reviews will be fairly positive. Why? If I don’t like a book, I’ll either not read it or stop reading it!
I'm a 24 year old dude that studied finance in school and now wants to make it fun. Over the past three years I've been helping readers like YOU make more money and keep more cash in your pocket. I've appeared live on Fox Business News and I've been mentioned in the NY Times.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
I usually don’t enjoy reading book reviews, but this was awesome. It gave me enough detail to determine whether I want to read this book (nope) and it was written in a straight-forward way. I read every word (which is hard for me to do sometimes since I’m a skimmer…). Thanks!
Thanks. I personally loved the book but I do realize that it’s not for everyone. What books have you enjoyed lately?
Honestly, I’ve only read a few personal finance books and only really enjoyed The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach. My parents taught me about finances starting when I was 6, and I get everything else from online articles.
That’s cool. You’re making me FEEL like a greedy jerk lol. All I read is personal finance/career stuff. I do enjoy reading biographies of interesting people though. The only fiction I read is my school textbooks =P
I’ve been avoiding this book because the Gen Y blog community seems to collectively be trying to shove it down my throat. While I’m sure there might be a couple worthwhile points in there, overall I don’t buy what Ferriss is selling. I don’t want to quit my job, work less, and travel around the world on a whim. I just finished an 8 month bout of unemployment and having that much free time just sucks. I would much rather work 40 or even 60 hours doing something I enjoy (not necessarily passionate about – don’t quit buy the Gary V message either), than work 4-10 hours and have so much free time that I would probably just sqander playing solitaire anyway…
Yes Edward I was really skeptical about this book myself. To tell you the truth, some parts I just couldn’t handle. I just felt that some of the ideas and concepts were really eye-opening. I’m the kind of guy that likes to read different perspectives. I filter out what’s not for me and look for little gems that could help me out in life. I could never leave my family for 6 months at a time. In fact I find that to be very selfish.
What books would you recommend for the readers of this blog?
There’s a bit of discussion on books at untemplater.com right now, actually.
A couple books that I would recommend include How to Think like Leonardo Da Vinci by Michael Gelb. In the book, he distills the essence of Da Vinci into seven core elements and shows how we can utilize them to maximize our own potential.
Another good book to read is The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman. In it, he looks at some of the technologies that have changed how the world does business and provides advice for how we can best adapt (hint, it involves returning to a Renaissance era approach of trying to learn about everything).
I love reading biographies of successful people. Especially the ones where they don’t hold back at all. It’s an interesting look into the life of a hero (see where they conquered and where they completely failed).
I’ve already had a few people tell me about the world is flat book. Apparently it’s a long and often confusing read– is that true?
It is a little long. The 2.0 hardcover copy was about 600 pages. But I didn’t find it confusing at all. I found it well written with plenty of anecdotes as examples for all he was trying to explain.
I tend to enjoy autobiographies more than biographies. Especially the really honest ones, because they will give you an insight not just on what they did, but why they did it- what their motivation was, what kept them up at night with worry.
Biographies/autobiographies about heroes can also be painful because there are always parts where you feel let down. Franklin disdained the Quakers and devoted a couple pages to why he felt they were wrong-headed. The only problem is, my family was Quaker in the 18th century… living near Philadelphia!
I personally love autobiographies as well. I don’t know if you can relate to this, but I prefer to read one of someone that is a bit more older and has nothing to lose. I find that when someone writes an autobiography early on in life they have too much to lose and they hold back.
A person in their 50s or 60s, usually is more open and has less to lose. I don’t know about you but I love to hear the person get in-depth about EVERYTHING. I don’t want to hear the sugar coated version of the story. I want to read the whole story and not just the media-friendly version. What do you think?
Yeah, this review reminds me of when I read ” I Will Teach You to Be Rich.” There’s a lot of good information and quotes, but there’s also a chapter where he says that budgeting NEVER works and that tracking every penny is a waste of time. Because of my small checking account, not only is tracking every dollar needed, I work better that way right now.
It’s good to try out new things but sometimes what serves best for one person, might be disastrous for another, or be alright to a third person. Some advice, no matter how good, just doesn’t work for everyone.
That’s the thing with a best seller Hanna. A book that reaches out to the masses will not be perfect from start to finish. Some of the information will resonate with you, while some of it will make no sense. That’s okay. Just skip that chapter and read what applies to you.
I don’t plan on taking a mini-retirement in my early 20s, so I briefly went over that chapter. I do however wish to be more productive. This is why I read that chapter meticulously and highlighted all of the points that really hit home.
I actually haven’t read this book, but I just met Timothy Ferriss at South by Southwest. He was at the Elance booth giving out free copies of his book and signing them. I have been meaning to read this book for years, so it was a pretty awesome opportunity to both nab a free copy and meet him. He was very friendly, and seemed laid-back and cool. I have heard the same consensus — that his book has great points but is a little bit far-fetched. I really need to force myself to read it ASAP!
What’d you think about Rich Dad, Poor Dad? I’m personally not a fan at all. Wondering what your perspective is.
If you want to read a solid book on personal finance I would check out “I Will Teach You To Be Rich” by Ramit Sethi. As much as I love finance, I find myself reading mostly about the earning more/alternative career options aspect.
I think Rich Dad, Poor Dad is a basic book for anyone who wants to start reading about personal finance. The book states some basic principles to help you exit the rat race. One thing that I don’t like that much is that they don’t give education the credit it deserves. Yes, many millionaires are drop-outs or maybe are educated but in other career paths different from finance. But the truth is that education will help you reach your financial goals at a much faster rate.
Thank you for your recommendation. But before I read it, I want to ask you something. Have these “alternative career” lectures really thought you something? Is there such thing as “How to be rich?” Or is it better to actually educate yourself about financing in the traditional way?
With the disclaimer that I have not actually read the entire book, I’m not a fan. Before I moved, I participated in a Toastmaster’s group and one person gave a speech based on one passage. It was about specialization vs flexibility. I just found it very biased, coming down very heavily against finding something you enjoy and getting good at it.
The book is good, however you really need balls and little responsibility to put the advice into action.
I’m more than sure many people would be able to do what ever they wanted if they have there own company giving them 40k USD a month.
Fact of the matter is, not everyone has the brains to make this kind of money whilst others have kids, husband/wife, old parents, mortgages and other things that cannot be escaped.
I wouldnt agree with this article saying the book is for people in their 20′s mainly. Its for people who have zero responsibility, zero ties and a safe place to fall if the shit should hit the fan.
Mr Rickus, I love this line: “Its for people who have zero responsibility, zero ties and a safe place to fall if the shit should hit the fan.” The reality is that a rare few people are in this situation.