I think you do have some good points, and I liked to see someone talking about it since I’ve just read the book. I guess his 4 hours are symbolic for what he means. Just doing what you like and are passionate about, and if you need some money for that, not spending too much time on it.

I really like your comment - our bodies and minds are strengthened through exercise!

I think it’s that we have labeled work a bad word - but the real goal is to find work that is fulfilling and exciting so that it seems exciting.

Thanks for sharing.
Liz

The key is to allow our passion and talents to drive our work styles. This way our work is fulfilling, not a clock-watching exercise.

You’re right - all the free time in the world won’t make you happy if you are not spending it doing something fulfilling. Since most people have to work the ideal would be to work at something that you feel passionate about. Many of today’s retirees (baby boomers) are planning to continue to work both out of necessity and out of a desire to fulfill their passions.

Is that what you have in mind?

Liz

I agree with many of the things you say - I do agree that that was the vision that Tim Ferris was trying to get across - in as eye-catching a manner as possible.

I get worried by the people who are taking it too literally and think they should be able to support themselves on 4 hours per week - not a realistic goal for most people. And not a life-enriching goal in my mind.

Liz

Best,

Tejvan

I’ve gone back and forth on the idea of Tim Ferriss’ “Four hour work week” and one of the things that is consistently overlooked is that his book is about Doing What You Find Passion In Doing. After reading it, a more appropriate title would be “Earning your Income in 4 hours a week”. Not quite as sexy.

The real intent as I see it, is that most of the people do not find passion in going to their job day in and day out. They might enjoy 4 hours of it a week, so why not find a way to pare it down and enjoy those 4 hours and still earn enough money to do all those other things we are passionate about doing.

It’s not really about building a business in which you only work 4 hours a week, unless you want to, it’s about Working in ways which suit the life you want to live, IF you must work.

We are all too guilty of postponing dreams we’ve held onto, until we finally reach a stage when we believe they can’t come true because…

It really boils down to finding the things in life that will truly empower ourselves and then following through with them. If we are married or have children, there are more things to consider, but again, it’s not about building a business in 4 hours a week, it’s about building a life in which we have the knowledge, will and means of: writing that book,
visiting exotic cultures,
learning to dance,
immersing our children in other cultures,
cultivating ideas and accomplishing all those things we might have (but seriously never even consider doing because…)on a “bucket list”. It’s an experiential culture and mindset and is not for everyone.

Sometimes it really is just about the tool of money, so we can do all the other things that make up our lives. He’s really talking about being creative and using what is in front of us and not making assumptions about what can or cannot be done. As a new entrepreneur, that is what I am building. I think he was trying to get us to again focus on the WHY and his particular HOW was to pare down his business working hours to 4.

He works much more than that, and like you say, “life will be truly integrated because you won’t know when you are working and when you are playing - it will all feel the same inside.”

He has integrated all that into his life and he only wants to play at earning a substantial income, for 4 hours, yet he loves working at so many other things using the remaining 164 hours a week.

That’s what I’m aiming for.