rjb030's review against another edition

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informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

bmonkey's review against another edition

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2.0

Some good ideas here about [b:getting things done|1633|Getting Things Done The Art of Stress-Free Productivity|David Allen|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1158299716s/1633.jpg|5759] and minimizing what you have to do. But, there's a lot more on getting other people to get things done for you, which doesn't interest me as much.

greden's review against another edition

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4.0

The 4-Hour Work Week is a guide on how to design your lifestyle and how to achieve the freedom to do so. The book focuses on living richly instead of earning more, using as little time working as possible, primarily by outsourcing and delegating.

Ferris is fighting against the industrious spirit gone astray, namely that we tend to work not because it's necessary, but because we are addicted to it. How else are we going to spend our time and prevent an existential breakdown? The biggest challenge is that with the liberty of time we're overwhelmed by the number of choices, and if we're not used to it, crumble under the responsibility.

"Sundays kill more people than bombs." - Charles Bukowski.

The problem is that for the vast majority of people, free time is more harmful than good, and the typical default is drugs, parties, and video games.

Even if you were able to stay away from the drugs and distractions, and have a lifestyle where you write poetry, dance, and drink lemonade under a palm tree all day while reading Shakespeare, eventually existential dread will creep up.

I'm glad Ferris dedicated a large chunk of the book to the existential questions. It seems that one of the most pressing tasks of humanity these days is learning how to cope with freedom.

While the book is packed with practical information, from where to find virtual assistants, product development, how to negotiate remote work, etc... it was also an inspiring read. Tim Ferriss is a remarkable cat, and his positivity and love of life shine through his writing. Definitely a recommended read.

abigail_ada's review against another edition

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hopeful informative inspiring slow-paced

4.0

rhargrave's review against another edition

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informative inspiring medium-paced

4.25

danielaraujopt's review against another edition

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4.0

Plenty of good stuff and practical advice, plenty of advice to ignore - I'd recommend it, but use your judgement on every part of the book. Don't lay down on the floor of a night club for 10 seconds and then say "I just felt like it.", as Tim suggests :)

mindofaaronw's review against another edition

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4.0

In a past life I dreamt of doing everything in this book, but that was in the mid-2010s and I just don't find a lot of the information in this relevant/timely now. The high level points still are valid, but the way in which Tim achieved all this doesn't seem possible today.

It is worth the read, but in my view, solely because he shows you there are other ways to approach work.

sylvesterbarzey's review against another edition

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informative slow-paced

2.0

ladyaylesworth's review against another edition

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3.0

Insightful and interesting. Casual writing style made this fun to read. Good advice but not for me or my family's lifestyle. I am now following the author on other social media, though.

davechua's review against another edition

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3.0

A grab bag of ideas about outsourcing yourself and carving out time from work. Some points I have to agree; meetings are a pain and often a time waster, clear e-mails help, do stuff in batches and having loads of stuff/luxuries is often a burden. There's plenty of stuffing in the book; Ferriss hasn't met a quote he doesn't like and fills the pages using them with a vengeance, and each chapter is rounded up with links to website. There's a nagging suspicion that most of the writing of the has been outsourced but overall, Ferriss does make some valid points. Still a lot of the stuff here is for those in the US, and I'm not entirely convinced one can just pack up and go for mini-retirement vacations when you have kids in tow.