Mar 25 2009
The 4-hour workweek
I just finished reading another book – The 4-hour workweek. My friend Costy recommended this one.
It’s basically about the ‘New-Rich’ – these guys are not rich in money, but rich in time. The author tells us that we should not work 40 years to enjoy a retirement – but rather have mini-retirements all the time, try to ’save’ as much time as possible (efficiency at work, personal outsourcing, automating stuff, etc.), and to enjoy life – mainly through travel (hah! as if I didn’t know). He also thinks we should not ‘accumulate’ a lot of stuff (wise), and having 10 million $ in the bank should not be our goal (I agree on that one). You should have enough money and cashflow to support yourself and than you’re set to go (right, but how Do I *really* do that?).
So first of all, it’s a fun book! This guy (Tomothy Ferriss) is rather funny, and the writing is good and I enjoyed reading the book – it’s also not lengthy which is good. The tips are sometimes interesting (the thing I liked best, and will try to do from now on, is to NOT check your e-mail all the time. So now I only check my mail in the morning, and then again in the evening. I have to say it makes me work better – but it’s not an easy thing to do).
The advice he gives sounds good on paper, but it’s usually very basic and ’simple’ – like the 80/20 law, or the passive-income thing or ‘what to pack for your vacation’. Reminds me a bit of the Rich-Dad / Poor-dad sort of advice (buy a stock when it’s cheap, and sell when it’s expensive. Why didn’t I think of that??). Although I really disliked rich-dad so please don’t think these books are similar…
So the verdict – a fun book, can be quite an inspiration, but I can’t see it really helping you become a ‘new rich’ guy as he calls them. But it’s a good book to get you started… If you’re stuck in a job with long hours thinking that it’ll be better in the future because you are making loads of money – please do read this book and rethink your life 
My main issue with the book is that Timothy himself is rather annoying. I don’t think I’d like him as a friend. He wins a kick-boxing championship, but uses dirty tricks that are legal. He feels fine using people and lying and pretending to be someone he’s not – all for the sake of having a good time… which might be right for him, but if everybody behaved like he suggests – it’ll not be fun at all.