Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
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I was reluctant to read this book when I first saw its title on the bestseller list. I thought, "4-Hour Workweek! In what universe?" When the book stayed on the list for a couple of months, I began to think, "Hum. Perhaps there's something there." And there is something there. The author has done everything he advocates in the book. He really does live the life of what he calls the "new rich," enjoying lots of mini retirements along the way to his ultimate retirement. He takes off for 3 months at a time and lives in exotic places, running his businesses from internet cafes, only checking his email once a week.
He organizes his ideas into the acronym D-E-A-L. "D" is for definition. Ferriss talks about how much people will choose unhappiness over uncertainty. He encourages a leap of faith here in changing the rules we've been brought up to live by. "E" is for elimination. The number one thing he advocates here is getting rid of excess information and interruptions like email. He makes the interesting suggestion to limit email responses to twice a day. "A" is for automation. Ferriss thinks we should all have a virtual assistant. And "L" is for liberation. This is the life we will have after we subtract unnecessary and unimaginative work.
Some of the gory details on how to develop and market a product lost me, but overall - there were good thoughts and tempting suggestions for eliminating busy work and enjoying life now, instead of putting everything off to the elusive "someday." I recommend Timothy Ferriss' bestseller The 4-Hour Workweek.
