The Four-Hour Work Week

by Timothy Ferriss

This is one of the most amazing and interesting books I’ve read in the last year. A perennial best-seller, this book contains a ton of ideas and suggestions for making more money, working less hours, doing what you want, traveling, and, well, living a “real” life. Everything the book suggests is, to some degree, reasonable and feasible. But I have to say, If you have a mortgage, kids in school, a decent job, and you volunteer at your church or local youth organization, you’re probably going to be highly reluctant to make the sacrifices necessary in order to execute many of the plans, such as taking a "mini-retirement" and moving to Thailand for six months. That is to say, you can’t have a “real” life without giving up your “normal” life. For many, that makes this book a deal breaker. If you are in your mid-twenties, between jobs, and looking for something better, however, this book is probably much more approachable and useful. I think initially, you’ll have to work a lot more than four hours a week, but I think if you use this book and apply yourself, a four hour work week does become possible, and sooner, rather than later in life. That said, I still think that any serious business person or self-help enthusiast will stand to gain a lot from this book. The expanded and updated version in particular is chock full of websites where one can go to get information about and help executing many of the book’s strategies. At the very least, Timothy Ferriss has succeeded in pulling off the strategies that he’s flogging here, proof positive that it can be done. For an average business person like myself, this book makes me think of things that move me closer to the better, outsourced, high producing, less demanding, more rewarding life that this book promises, and I feel that it can’t hurt and will probably help just about anyone’s life in some way or another, which is why I give it five out of five dollar signs.