The 4-Hour Workweek

Infobox Book
name = The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = Cover
author = Tim Ferriss
illustrator =
cover_artist = Barbara Sturman
country = United States
language = English
series =
subject = Self-actualization, Self-employment, Self-improvement
genre = Non-fiction,
publisher = Crown Publishing Group
release_date = April 2007
english_release_date =
media_type =
pages = 308 pp
isbn = ISBN 9780307353139
oclc =
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich" (2007) is a semi-autobiographical self-help book by Timothy Ferriss, an American writer, educational activist, and entrepreneur [cite book |last=Ferriss |first=Timothy |title=The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich |publisher=Crown Publishing Group |date=2007 |isbn=9780307353139 ] . In the book's dedication, Ferriss announced that he would be donating "10% of all author royalties" to educational charities such as Donorschoose.org. [Ferriss, Timothy "The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich' Crown (2007) pg 'dedication' ]

ynopsis

In the book Ferriss uses the mnemonic DEAL for the four main chapters. [Ferriss, Timothy "The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich' Crown (2007) pg Index] It stands for: Definition, Elimination, Automation, and Liberation.

Definition means to figure out what a person wants, get over fears, see past society's "expectations", and figure out what it will really cost to get where a person wants to go.

Elimination is about time management, or rather about not managing time. This is achieved applying the 80/20 rule to focus only on those tasks that contribute the majority of benefit. There's a difference, Ferriss says, between efficiency and effectiveness. The book's emphasis is on effectiveness.

Automation is about building a sustainable, automatic source of income. This includes techniques such as drop-shipping, automation, Google Adwords and Adsense, and outsourcing.

Liberation is dedicated to the successful automation of one's lifestyle and the liberation from a geographical location and job. Incidentally, Ferriss notes that if somebody has a regular job, the order of steps will be DELA, not DEAL.

The book asserts that technology such as email, instant messaging, and Internet-enabled PDAs complicate life rather than simplify it.cite news
last = Ferriss
first = Tim
title = I receive 500 to 1,000 emails per day
publisher = The Economist
date = March 4th, 2008
url = http://www.economist.com/debate/index.cfm?action=article&debate_id=5&story_id=10795313
accessdate = 2008-04-04] [cite news
last = Williams
first = Alex
title = Meet the Press
publisher = The New York Times
date =November 11, 2007
url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/fashion/11guru.html?ex=1352610000&en=c84216adfad48b9c&ei=5124&partner=digg&exprod=digg
accessdate = 2008-04-04 "Most fundamentally, Mr. Ferriss turned ruthless against e-mail. "] It advocates hiring virtual assistants from developing countries such as India to free up personal time. [Ferriss, Timothy "The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich' Crown (2007)]

Reviews

The book featured pre-release blurbs from Jack Canfield the creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Esquire editor AJ Jacobs and bestselling author Phil Town. [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0307353133 Amazon:] Editorial Reviews] The 4HWW was also profiled in The New York Times along with Netscape founder Marc Andreessen who stated that he was a personal fan of the book. [cite news
last = Williams
first = Alex
title = Too Much Information? Ignore It
publisher = New York Times
date = November 11, 2007
url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/fashion/11guru.html
accessdate = 2008-04-29"In Silicon Valley, Mr. Andreessen is not alone in his enthusiasm for Mr. Ferriss."]

Ferriss makes some claims in his book that have been challenged.These have been verified:
*He holds a Guinness World Record in tango for most spins in one minute [ [http://www.princeton.edu/~paw/web_exclusives/alumni_spotlight/as_112206ferriss.html PAW: Alumni Spotlight] ] [ [http://tangocherie.blogspot.com/2007/06/most-tango-spins-in-one-minute-tim.html tangocherie>] ]
*That he is a Princeton University guest lecturer [ [http://fourhourworkweek.com/blog/about/ About | The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss] ] [ [http://youtube.com/watch?v=2pu172VHCjM&feature=related YouTube: Tim Ferriss Guest Lecture at Princeton Q&A] Added: March 06, 2007 ]

* He is adviser to "30 world record holders in professional and Olympic sports" [ [http://www.cnbc.com/id/22401151/ CNBC Profile of Timothy Ferriss] ] [ [http://fourhourworkweek.com/blog/about/ About | The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss] "Advisor to more than 30 world record holders in professional and Olympic sports"]

Ferris claims to be a National Chinese Kickboxing champion, [ [http://fourhourworkweek.com/blog/about/ About | The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss] "National Chinese kickboxing champion (video)"] although in the book he admits to becoming champion by taking advantage of what he refers to as 'loopholes'. He explains his process of dehydrating to be classified as a fighter two weight classes below his normal weight, rehydrating before the fights, and shoving his opponents out of the ring to win rather than kickbox. On his blog, Ferriss explains that this tactic earned him the nickname "sumo" by attendants of the competition. [ [http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/08/08/the-7-commandments-of-blogosphere-and-life-self-defense/ The 7 Commandments of Blogosphere (and Life) Self-Defense | The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss ] ]

ee also

* Pareto Principle
* Parkinson's Law
* GTD
* Lifehacker.com

References

External links

* [http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/ Tim Ferris Blog]