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Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
Paula Jagemann, Kauffman Foundation blogger and founder of eCommerce Industries, Inc., interviews Tim Ferriss (author of "The 4-hour Workweek") in this two-part podcast.
Details on the interview can be found at the Kauffman Foundation website:
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
A post from Ty and Mari's blog that documents their 4-hour workweek personal journey:
Last month we sold our beach house in San Diego, CA along with ALL our furniture (within 48 hours flat thanks to Craigslist.com!)… went out and bought a beautiful 34′ motorhome (shopped like crazy for two weeks solid and found an amazing deal on a pre-owned Class A for under $30k total). We now live full time in the RV and are gearing up to start traveling the US/Canada.
It’s an incredible feeling to own our own home free and clear, to have practically NO bills - just campground fees, internet connection & cell phones. Oh yeh, and fuel!
What do we do for income? I already have several e-products that sell online, plus I do consulting and coaching via email and phone. My hubby is a real estate investor and we have a couple properties, more on the way.
We could quite comfortably live on less than $1000/mo if we wanted to. There are tons of campground deals to be had and of course dry-docking is free.
Truth is, we really do not *need* much at all to be happy and enjoy life. Making ourselves downsize from a 2600 square feet, 3bed/4bath home to approx a 275 square feet mobile living space was the best thing we’ve done together… ever! Our marriage is the strongest it’s been, we have tons of energy, and have way more fun every day.
Can't wait to catch up with them in a couple of months and see how they are doing. One more role model that says we can do it too. After all, we have a 1200 square foot house on an acre on a lake calling us. Already bought and paid for. What are we waiting for?
Gillian Parrillo
Our 4-Hour Workweek
Another disciple of Tim Ferriss? I think so. Check out his story - The 4-Hour Sleepnight at Monday Morning Revolution.
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
Tim Ferriss meet Bloggrrl. Bloggrrl tried to hire a virtual assistant to test out the 4-Hour Workweek concept of outsourcing.
Bloggrrl encountered a few difficulties. Read the entire episode here.
Maybe Tim's infamous language skills are better than Bloggrrl's?
Have fun with this one!
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
Not exactly. Tim Ferriss did not quite say that, however, he did say stop complaining. Take the Tim Ferriss challenge - try not to complain for 21 days. His premise - if you don't complain you will be more effective.
Constructive criticism is not complaining. A complaint does provide a solution to fixing a problem, which is usually the basis for complaining.
Read Tim's complete article at Arianna Huffington's blog, the Huffington Post. Click here for the
This is an irresistible title and an absolute must read - "10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job". Steve Pavlina wrote this over a year ago - July, 2006. It seems he was ahead of his time. The predecessor to Tim Ferriss? Perhaps.
I found several great musings on Steve's "Personal Development For Smart People" blog at www.StevePavlina.com.
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
Today we started beta testing the Amazon.com widget. The product is a part of the Amazon affiliate program and offers: an easy to use interface; custom design and colors; and, tailorable comments.
We placed it in the right-hand column immediately below the recommended podcast section.
I am impressed with the widget. Time will tell if it increases revenue.
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
The Top Five Uncommon Timesavers For Bloggers, by Tim Ferriss, guest blogger for Darren Rowse at Problogger.net.
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
Anne Fisher, senior writer at Fortune Magazine, spotlights Brenda Cannon (and her company FamilyLobby.com) as the Internet Entrepreneur.
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
A great quote from Working Smart, Not Long, The Importance of Time Management, by Steve Aranoff & Robert FitzPatrick:
.. a recent article by Stever Robbins, a Harvard Business School graduate, suggests that the time has come to change American work ethos towards working smarter, not longer.Many have wondered why other western countries seem to get along just fine, even though they work far less than we do. Having worked with many European companies in this industry for years, we are forever amazed that in most of Western Europe there are mandatory rules for four to six weeks of vacation and more public holidays than we have here in the States. And yet, The Economist, a well-respected world economic magazine, suggests that when it comes to productivity, "France wins, working only forty hours with lots of vacation."
Gillian Parrillo
Our 4-Hour Workweek
"Joe Photo" at Cup of Joe Photo, offers his review of Tim Ferriss's "4-Hour Workweek":
"Wow, this is a revolutionary book. A lot of people may say "No Way!", it's not possble to only work 4 hours a week and travel the world, living your dreams at the same time. This book replies loud and clear "Why the heck not?!". Tim's ideas will blow your mind. I'm beginning to implement a few of them right away. It is said that "knowledge is power". The information in this book is powerful for transforming your mind, however, you must take action for the transformation to effect your life. Who's up for the challenge? Enjoy!"continue reading
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
"The number one reason I love my business is time...having time." - Patsi Krakoff, co-partner of The Blog Squad
Read more about why Patsi loves her job.
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
Another Tim Ferriss inspired couple!
Tim you have started a national craze. At this rate, soon there will be nobody working for corporate America. And there will be a run on old VW vans!
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
During our many retirements, we want to save time on the preparations to leave more time for the actual retirement. Using Stumble Upon today, I found a nifty tool - the Universal Packing List.
Plug in a few details of your trip and out comes a very complete list of what you need to pack, what documents you need, what shots you need, and even what you need to do before you leave home.
Wow, this is the list I usually spend many sleepless nights putting together in my head and then, without fail, I forget half of it.
You can even make your list more personalized by using the map based version.
Definitely a keeper for our retirement toolkit.
Gillian Parrillo
Our 4-Hour Workweek
Tim Ferriss, meet Ashely Qualls - internet phenom and millionaire at age 17:
Read how she's doing it in an interview with FastCompany.com... click here.
Visit her website www.WhateverLife.com.
And look who Ashley supports for president:
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
Maria Gajewski took Tim Ferriss to task and tried Tim's recommended virtual assistant outsourcing technique. Read the results on her blog Never The Same River Twice. Be sure to start with part one first.
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
Ben, at Culann.com, is not so enamored with Tim Ferriss. Read his post, "My Problem With Tim Ferriss".
I disagree with Ben. Tim Ferriss is a marketing genius. And he also offers great practical advice.
Skeptics like Ben & Mark Laswell keep me motivated. I intend to prove it can be done the Tim Ferriss way.
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
Pierre, remember to research and implement StumbleUpon. Get it done by the weekend! About StumbleUpon:
StumbleUpon helps you discover and share great websites. As you clickPierre CutlerStumble!, we deliver high-quality pages matched to your personal preferences. These pages have been explicitly recommended by your friends or one of 3,378,356 other websurfers with interests similar to you. Rating these sites you like
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automatically shares them with like-minded people – and helps you discover great sites your friends recommend.
This is such a good idea that it does not need a description.
Thanks to Lisa Mills at Work At Home Mom Revolution for pointing out the idea.
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
How to build traffic on our blogs - that's the 64 thousand dollar question! This weekend, I invested in Aaron Wall's best selling search engine e-book, "SEO Book". It's time to learn about search engine optimization. According to Darren Rowse of Problogger.net, Aaron's book has made Darren thousands of dollars. Well, I made the $79 investment.
I am off on a 5-day business trip this morning for my day job. This is like a broken record ... I swear, my day job is getting in the way of my passion. Tim Ferriss, give me the courage and strength to do the right thing! While on the road, I intend to dig into the "SEO Book", learn and develop new winning blogging strategies.
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
Bob Calise, at Everything Except Ordinary, offers his thoughts on Tim Ferriss:
"Those of you who know me well know I’m a big fan of Tim Ferriss, his book "The 4-Hour Work Week" and its companion blog. Since reading the book, I’ve been hooked on Tim’s concept of a low-information diet and I actively implemented it over the summer."continue reading
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
Being one of three daughters of a father who literally left a ladder leaning on the wall of our house outside our bedroom windows just in case he would be lucky enough to have one of us (or more than one) elope and save him the expense of a wedding (or more than one), this excerpt from a post entitled The 4-Daughter Workweek struck a chord with me.
...I fear some people miss the real point of the book. It’s not really about the number of hours you work, although that’s part of the appeal of the title, it’s about what you do when you work them.If I were to read the book literally I’d be in big trouble. See, I’ve got four daughters and somebody convinced them that they should get world-class educations, travel the planet and work to accomplish anything they want. (Some have also suggested that there would weddings, lots of weddings - I’m pushing for the whole equal treatment (payment) plan but my wife rolls her eyes every time I mention it.)
So my take on Tim’s work is this - it’s ok to work some multiplier of 4-hours every week if you love what you do. The message deep inside all the how to get free stuff is that you do so in order to enjoy the journey. If you love your work, the journey of your work, and that gets you where you want to go, gets you the things you want to share with your kids, then go for it. I know I’m a total geek about this but I look forward to turning my computer on every single day and that passion is my 4-hour workweek.
So, don’t worry about how much work, worry about how much joy you get from your work - all the rest is just math.
I should absolve my father from child endangerment charges by adding that this was years ago when life was simpler and safer! But, again, the theme of being passionate about what you do - it's all about the passion. Or as Tim Ferris calls it, excitement!
Gillian Parrllo
Our 4-Hour Workweek
J.D. Roth at Get Rich Slowly, offers his review of Tim Ferriss's "4-Hour Workweek":
"...When I read a book, I use small sticky notes to mark interesting passages. After the first 100 pages of The 4-Hour Workweek, the book was thick with stickies. By the time I was finished, I had used an entire pad!"continue
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
I was browsing through some blogs and got stopped in my tracks by this quote from Alister Cameron
If what you do with the best hours of your day is not also the thing you’re passionate about, stop right now!Stop right now and confront the cold hard facts for what they are: no amount of effectiveness training, time management skills, productivity tips and tricks or goal setting know-how will replace the critical missing ingredient of your life: passion.
Until you discover your “fire within” you will remain condemned to a life only endured, not lived; to delicacies only tasted, not devoured; to joys only imagined, not experienced. And in old age you will lament the days of your youth, when fears about money and security kept you from taking the leaps of faith and courage in the direction of your dreams.
A life lived in moderation is not the stuff of stories told to grandchildren with a twinkle in your eye.
I got my new wind a couple of weeks ago when I launched my new site SacWomen. Women's issues have been a grand passion of mine for all of my adult life and it is such a joy to have a 'job' that allows me to experience my passion all day long. And with three daughters and two grandaughters, there is no time for moderation to make this world a better place for them!
Gillian Parrillo
Our 4-Hour Workweek
Labor Day is behind us. Summer vacation is done. Most Americans are returning to work or school. But I bet Tim Ferriss is not. Tim is probably getting on an airplane right now to begin one of his many vacations (or as he describes them "mini-retirement").
And to Tim's point, Greg Gerber at RV Trade Digest had this to say about Americans and their vacations:
When it comes to vacation days per employee, America compares poorly to the rest of the world. According to the World Tourism Organization, here are the average vacation days per worker by major industrialized countries:Italy = 42 days
France = 37 days
Germany = 35 days
Brazil = 34 days
Britain = 28 days
Canada = 26 days
Japan = 25 days
USA = 13 days
As noted small business author Timothy Ferriss recently pointed out, “Is it any wonder the US Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks just about everything but worker satisfaction?”
Today, I too am getting on an airplane, but not for a vacation or mini-retirement. I am going to Boston on business for my corporate job.
Next year, the day after Labor Day, I will break the rules and begin a mini-retirement the Tim Ferriss way!
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
Congrats to Gillian for getting SacWomen.com in the Sacramento Bee just days after launching!
How did she do it? By participating in her first triathlon...what Gillian will do to get her new site some press!
Visit SacWomen.com for the complete story.
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
According to a press release on August 23 by The Canadian Press, The 4-Hour Workweek is number 4 on the non-fiction list for Amazon Canada.
Congrats Tim Ferriss!
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
Michael Cleverly at blog.cleverly.com, offers his review of Tim Ferriss's "4-Hour Workweek":
"Reads, especially at first, somewhat like an infomercial, which was a bit off putting. But the chapters on working more efficiently by changing your email habits are potentially worth the price of the book alone. The basic ideas of coming up with a product, testing the response with inexpensive online advertising, and then outsourcing fulfillment seems reasonable. Now if I only had a good idea... :-)"Michael you have a lot of good ideas. What excites you? What motivates you? What are you a guru at? What is your subject matter expertise?
Think. And good ideas will come.
It seems to me most people just don't do it. Take action.
NFL football starts this week. Don't watch it. Take Tim's words to heart.
I am.
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
Our first monthly financial report -
Revenue = $515.80
Expenses = $142,31
Net Cashflow = $373.49
Analysis: sources of revenue included sponsorship fees, advertising, and affiliate programs; expenses included server hosting and software licenses ($25.98), bank fees ($41.00), GoDaddy ($50.33), and graphics ($25.00).
We purchased 7 domain names from GoDaddy.com. We outsourced the creation of the SacWomen.com banner. The bank fees include our monthly merchant fee for our credit card account (we accept AMEX, Mastercard, and Visa for our quarterly networking events) and service fee for our bank.
We should see improved revenue in October, as Gillian is planning to hold her first networking event for SacWomen.com
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
We are taught from the very beginning to fall in line and do what is expected. The essence of our learned behaivors is to conform. The net - we follow the rules and we become mediocre.
Well, if we embrace these teachings, what happens? People work for companies. They work hard, live day to day, and retire. And the results? 98% of all Americans fail to achieve financial independence.
So why conform if it produces these results? According to Tim Ferriss -
"Retirement is worst-case-scenario insurance. Retirement planning is like insurance. It should be viewed as nothing more than a hedge against the absolute worst-case scenario: in this case, becoming physically incapable of working and needing a reservoir of capital to survive.Our 4-Hour Workweek is about breaking the rules we are taught and embracing new rules. It's a lifestyle change. How so? Quite simply - work smartly to build a business. Delegate and outsource. Set up the organization and stay off the critical path. Empower the staff to make decisions. Allow them the freedom to make mistakes. Force them to have skin in the game. And reward them. Once these rules are in place, execute and execute well. Change when things don't work. Focus on things that work well.Retirement as a goal or final redemption is flawed for at least three solid reasons:
a. It is predicated on the assumption that you dislike what you are doing during the most physically capable years of your life. This is a non-starter - nothing can justify that sacrifice.
b. Most people will never be able to retire and maintain even a hotdogs-for-dinner standard of living. Even one million is chump change in a world where traditional retirement could span 30 years and inflation lowers your purchasing power 2- 4 % per year. The math doesn't work. The golden years become lower-middle-class life revisited. That's a bittersweet ending.
c. If the math does work, it means that you are one ambitious, hardworking machine. If that's the case, guess what? One week into retirement, you'll be so damn bored that you'll want to stick bicycle spokes in your eyes. You'll probably opt to look for a new job or start another company. Kinda defeats the purpose of waiting, doesn't it?"
Page 31 of “The 4-Hour Workweek”
And stay out of the way. Take time off and play. Take a lot of time off. Put excitement back in life. Remove the yoke of the office. Make the world the office. Live anywhere, travel anywhere, and work from anywhere. But the key - work less. Let the organization work on its own.
New rules. Skeptics? Of course. But don't worry about the skeptics. Take advantage of skeptics. Use them as motivators.
Work smart. Play hard. Forget about retirement. Retire is not a part of the new rules. Throw this rule out.
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek.
The comment function in the blogoshere is a great tool to prompt dialog. Sometimes comments become lost in the minutia of a website and need to be elevated to get their proper due. This past week Christine found our website and left us the following message and we are convinced it needs elevating:
Hello,Christine, welcome. We agree with you. We are constantly bombarded with marketing messages calling on us to take action - to wit the Nike mantra - "Just do it."I've bookmarked your site, but I can't remember where I found it from...perhaps the 4-hourWW site?
Anyway, looking forward to being able to track your progress. It does seem SO easy when you read the book, but obviously, if it was, everyone would be doing it.
You have gone so much farther than the majority so far, so you're to be commended for that. Most people just "think" about it but never "act" on it.
I was a very successful marketing/pr executive for a large restaurant group, but quit my job in February when I realized that I was extremely miserable, bitter, and deadly-overworked. Shocked everyone around me (including maybe myself!!!).
I traveled to Florida for several months, rented a condo on the beach and enjoyed the vacation that I hadn't had in 4 years.
I've been back since July and have picked up a few freelance jobs, but nothing has really excited me so far.
I don't mean to philosophize too deeply here, but I think books like 4hr WW, The Secret, and such are so popular right now because we are all searching for some greater meaning to our lives. Our world is a mess, no matter where you live and it's books like this that gives us hope in living the enjoyable life that we should be living since we all know how short it truly is. I read the other day, the often stated phrase...'this is not a dress rehearsal', and yet we all wait so long to put our dreams into action. Why do we do that?
I myself sometimes feel paralyzed. I've got some great ideas, but I just can't move on them. What's my problem? I have no idea. Perhaps fear of success, perhaps fear of failure.
I think the key is to have a good support system of like-minded people. Alot of my friends/colleagues can't fathom the 4hr WW, or don't understand it. They think it's just a cool pipe dream. Perhaps it is. Or, perhaps
I'm just a great optimist and can see the potential down the road.
Again, maybe the power in The Secret and Tim's book, is that millions will read them, but only a few will implement. It takes discipline, belief, and courage.
Sorry for being so long-winded, but your site has struck a cord with me. It all seems very real.
I will keep coming back to get the motivation, insight and inspiration into this new way of living, and perhaps it will be a little easier knowing that someone IS rooting for your success!
cheers.
And so we are.
Pierre Cutler
Our 4-Hour Workweek
