|
Review: The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich |
|
|
|
|
Written by V.C. Hire
|
The author, Timothy Ferriss, has done some amazing things in his life, and it is fascinating to read exactly how he has accomplished so much in such a short period of time. Just one example of his accomplishments is that he became a world-record holder in tango with five months of practice.
This is one of few books that actually give you specific details. Not the same stuff you always read like, ‘start your own business’ but details as specific as, ‘so-and-so can help write your business plan’ or ‘ - that’s the kind of advice I can actually use to get from where I am now (the office) to where I want to be (more time of my own). And that business won’t be just any business – it will have specific qualities that free you from cubicle dwelling.
This book came at a good time for me – I really needed to see that people can be successful without conforming to stupidity. For example, in the author’s first job as a teenager he did 8 hours of work in one hour through his own process improvement, spent the other 7 hours doing what he wanted, and was fired soon after. He didn’t let that warp him – he kept working smarter and not harder but without burning yourself out. What a relief, this really gives me hope.
On the other hand – eeek – it is one thing to know what you could do to escape the daily grind, it’s another to actually take that step forward and let go of the constraints we have accepted in our daily routines. One of the tough questions asked is “Am I inventing things to do to avoid the important?” (p. 77) Hmmmm.
There is so much to think about in each chapter, and I actually set the book down midway through to take some time to absorb it all. And, I must admit, since I work in a library I almost never ‘buy’ a book – I borrow it – but this is one that I want to keep!
|
