lessons-from-4-hour-work-week

One of the most well known authors in the world is Tim Ferriss. He is a regarded as one of the most innovative people in business by Fast Company. The acclaimed Forbes Magazine describes him as one of the people that you need to know today. Moreover, Newsweek identified him as the 7th most powerful individual of the year 2012. Timothy is an author, advisor and author of bestselling books. Some of his titles include the 4 Hour Body, the 4 Hour Chef and the 4 Hour Workweek. A graduate of Princeton University, the acclaimed author is also regarded as being the world's top guinea pig. This is because he truly enjoys experimenting new lifestyle methods. Tim teaches people how to run their lives more efficiently and the 4 Hour Workweek accomplishes exactly that. Read on to discover some lessons we learned from this book.

Avoid being overloaded with information

Today, we live our lives surrounded by information. There is data coming to us from literally everywhere. We get information from the Internet through our computers, smartphones, tablets and televisions. Moreover, we get data sent to us through email, RSS feeds and podcasts. With this much information flowing through our lives, it is easy not to notice the important events occurring all around us too. For example, a parent who is too focused on information about their job may not be able to notice their child's first word or the day they take their first step. The overload of information flowing into our lives causes us to lose focus of what is important. Tim Ferriss teaches us that we need to take an information fast every once in a while. This means that we shut off our connection to television, the Internet, emails and RSS feeds. This gives us time to focus on our family, friends and even engage in activities that relax us such as hobbies or talents.

Suggested Reading : 20 Must Read Books on Personal Productivity and Focus

Boost your effectiveness by outsourcing menial tasks in your schedule

The goal of many professionals today is to constantly increase one's effectiveness in day to day tasks. Tim says that you can achieve this by delegating small responsibilities in your life to other people. This will allow you to focus your energy on the more important activities. Outsourcing these activities in this way helps you to strategically apply your focus on areas where they will make maximum impact. Thanks to modern technology, you can outsource some of your office activities to virtual assistants located all over the world. Moreover, Ferriss indicates that we should get used to letting small mistakes happen for the greater good. For example, if you had to choose between making it to an investors' presentation for your firm or going to return a movie you had rented to avoid a fine, of course you will go to the presentation. This method of prioritization is the lesson in this tip from the 4 Hour Workweek.

Suggested Reading : 10 Effective and Efficient Ways to Work Smarter Not Harder

Make your income automatic

Many only dream of receiving maximum income from just a little effort of work. According to Tim Ferriss, it is possible to structure your life such that you get automatic income from your enterprises. Tim Ferriss recommends a work system where your product sale business can easily run with as little involvement from you as possible. To illustrate this system, he uses a number of examples where you can put up a product or service for sale to the masses. After this, you can set up your enterprise such that the marketing and delivery processes occur automatically. He calls this low maintenance entrepreneurship. It is a method to create a stream of income by ensuring demand, marketing and delivery occur on autopilot. Once you achieve this, you are able to live a life that is less work related and more enjoyable.

Suggested Reading : 9 Easy and Legal Ways to Create Passive Income Online

Live your ideal life today

Many people today live their lives slaving away at a 9 to 5 job with the hope of saving enough money to their 401k retirement plan to go for a holiday in their sunset years. They spend up to 50 years of their lives working behind a desk in a company for someone else. What they don't realize is that their efforts may not even create the retirement amount that the desire. Moreover, they may not even live long enough to enjoy it because anything can happen. Tim Ferriss advises us to avoid this type of life by rewarding ourselves with an experience of the life that we want every once in a while. For example, you can take a vacation to a dream destination using your income from the low maintenance business that you have set up. Moreover, you can decide to go and live abroad for a year while working on your regular job over the Internet. This increases the quality of your life and allows you to enjoy the fruit of your labor. In addition to being relaxing, it is highly motivating.

Suggested Reading : 15 Key Elements of a Healthier and Happier Lifestyle

Live a proactive lifestyle instead of a reactive one

Majority of us today normally sit at our desks all day with the email inbox open. The moment a new email comes in, we sit up and immediately respond to it. If there is work to be done as a result of that email, we immediately stop all that we were doing and begin working on the new task. In this way, the correspondence coming through the email is literally controlling our actions on a daily basis. Email is not even the only source of this information. Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have become our new sources of information. We feel guilty and stressed when we don't respond to these emails and do what is required of us. We become reactive instead of purposing to do what we desire. Tim encourages us to take control by limiting our time on social media and the email inbox. After responding to all important emails, we should sign out of our inbox and proceed to our tasks for the day. This boosts our productivity and gives us control over our lives.

Suggested Reading : The 9 Best Podcast Episodes From the Tim Ferriss Show (Updated)

The Important Take Away

Tim Ferriss is one of the most respected life coaches today and with good reason. His books have grossed millions of copies and it is all due to their uplifting and helpful content. The 4 Hour Workweek can assist you to get more out of your days. It helps you to become more efficient. The tips indicated above are just a taste of what it is about. They are helpful and can assist you to achieve your goals and achieve a fully satisfying life.

You can get the Four Hour Workweek here.



BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS