The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss

Ferriss, Timothy. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich. New York: Crown, 2007.

The 4-Hour Workweek sounds like a dream only the independently wealthy and part-time retirees can enjoy. Timothy Ferriss has written about how the new rich enjoy independence now, without spending decades saving up for it.

Ferris describes four steps the new rich follow to achieve their lifestyle. They make a handy acronym: DEAL.

The deal starts with definition. You cannot live the lifestyle you want until you clearly define it. The dream-lining method he describes will encourage you to reach out for those big goals now and not wait.

The next step is elimination. The currency of the new rich is time. They ruthlessly cut out anything that wastes time. If it is not what they want to do, or contributing significantly to their income, they drop it. Ferriss applies the Pareto principle that 80 percent of the results come from 20 percent of the effort. The daring step taken by the new rich is actually cutting out the 80 percent of unproductive activity.

Automation is about freeing up time and making money. The new rich are not interested in accumulating wealth. The idea is to have a stream of income that supports your lifestyle without taking up a lot of your time. Ferriss calls these income sources “muses.” They amount to automatic business that run with very little of your direct involvement.



This part of the book focuses on how to lead the lifestyle you want, especially if it involves travel. Ferriss likes to travel and found it is inexpensive to spend extended periods in other countries. There are many temptations to go back to working for works sake and waste time on things that do no contribute to your lifestyle. The new rich do not allow that stuff to draw them away from the liberation they have won.

The bottom line of the new rich is that it is not about having it all. It is about enjoying what you want most.