How does a 4 hour work week sound?
by Ron Pereira on June 27th, 2007
There is a new book out called ”The 4-Hour Workweek.” It’s author is an interesting fellow by the name of Timothy Ferriss. They guy is like an ultimate fighter (yeah, cage style) so I need to be careful what I say… lest he kicks my teeth in. In any event, I haven’t read the book yet but intend to.
I’ll admit to reading most of the Robert Kiyosaki books about good old Rich Dad and they were OK. I mean assets generating cash sounds great and I do have some rental property and even some vending machines that make a nice consistent income every month. And while the extra cash is nice, I am not replacing my salary anytime soon. Plus having renters abandon and trash your old house is not what I would call a fun way to earn a living. Rich Dad never told me that would happen. Hmm.
Is there a lean or six sigma relationship?
But I am intrigued to learn more about Mr. Ferriss’ ideas as I wonder if there is something we, as lean and six sigma practitioners, can learn. I am hesistant to say there is as Mr. Ferris spends a lot of time talking about “outsourcing” things and we know how well that works in most cases.
Who does the work?
A question I have, and hope the book answers, is if we all work 4 hours per week who will man the restaurants and coffee shops we will all want to hang out in? What about school teachers? Do our kids only get to learn 4 hours per week? Of course then there are the pilots and flight attendants. If they get onto this 4 hour work week then traveling to all the luxurious vacation spots may be harder than it already is. And Lord knows, the airline industry needs all the help they can get. And while Toyota is good, real good in fact, I doubt even they can manage to meet customer demand in just 4 hours per week. Gosh, their takt time is 55 seconds now as it is!
I want to write a book
I have been thinking of writing a book myself. I’m going to call it, “Get a Job and Be Thankful for What You Have.” But somehow I doubt this would interest as many people. Not sexy enough I suppose.
Perhaps I am missing the point of “The 4-Hour Workweek” so will stop now since I haven’t read the book. But stay tuned as I will share my thoughts once I read this best seller. Seriously, it’s like #1 I think.
Update: OK, I just watched this video and decided I may like this guy. Watch how he stays calm when the other dude goes nuts on him. Some of the things Ferriss says do sound a bit lean in nature. We shall see.
Want to give it a read?
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (Hardcover)
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I might be too uptight on this, but his claims on fighting in mixed martial arts haven’t been verified. So I am bit hesitant to believe or take seriously anything said by a guy who needs to make false claims in his resume.
He claims to have beaten 4 MMA world champions, but no one has been able to access any records of him ever even fighting professionally.
And, in Japan cage is used very rarely in MMA competition, traditional boxing ring is way more popular. To my knowledge only one organization uses cage in Japan and results of their events are readily available online.
Very interesting Panu. I don’t follow mixed martial arts so had no clue he could be a fake. Thanks for sharing this.
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wake up ye gullible sheep, open ye eyes so that the claims of the devil not fool ye. readeth wikipedia to learn the truth behind timothy ferriss. does not his fishy resume and dubious claims ringeth alarm bells in ye head?
take care, john
Thanks for the, um, interesting comment John!
I have not (yet) read Timothy’s book, but my understanding from multiple reviews I’ve read, indicate it is more eliminating waste and inefficiencies, than only working 4 hours. “Work” in his definition is the non-value-adding work that is drudgery and, perhaps, a waste of your time.
The MSN interview is very funny - I saw that live, and although I’m a fan of Donny’s show, why can’t he just let Tim explain himself a bit more?
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves”. (Matthew 7:15)
take care, john