“The 4-hour Workweek “ by Tim Ferris (2007) was given to me by my older brother over a decade ago. I loved the idea of “lifestyle design” and picked up the book for bits of inspiration over the years. This is the first time, however, that I have sat down and listened to the audiobook end-to-end. When I told my husband I was reading it, he asked me, “you mean 40-hour workweek, right?” Nope, Ferris really wrote 4. My husband made me show him the cover.
Overview: Tim Ferris shares his life story through the framework for the New Rich (aka those who want to live well in the moment, not those who work to death just to have a nice retirement). The audio book was 13 hours long and the physical book itself is 375 pages. His framework is DEAL – Definition, Elimination, Automation, and Liberation. His book provides a roadmap for creating sustainable income and ditching 9-5 work.
Key Message: The goal of the book is to get you to understand what is important to you, identify what you need to get rid of that which does not serve you, automate your processes for recurring revenue, and free up your time to do the things you love every day.
Supplemental Information:
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- Get the book on Amazon
- Tim Ferris Website (blog, podcast, freebies etc) linked here
Where it Falls Short: It’s almost too much information. The book becomes overwhelming and should be dialed down a notch for those who don’t think or move as fast as his brain works. It is a book you have to come back to several times because you can’t swallow it whole in one story tale.
Overall Assessment & Why: I rate it a 8 out of 10 in terms of a personal development book. It is not a how-to in terms of feeling better about yourself or diminishing the inner critic, but rather a how-to act and re-direct your actions to be more congruent with how you want to design your life in the present and in the future.