The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
My notes are informal and often contain quotes, key nuggets, and personalized thoughts from the book. When I come across an interesting idea or concept while reading, I save it in my notes for future reference and reflection. If you find a book’s notes appealing, I highly recommend reading the whole book to get much more context and insight. My notes are not meant to substitute the book.
“Timing is never right: Conditions are never perfect, someday is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you. “
“If it is important to you and you want to do it eventually just do it and correct course along the way.”
“The opposite of happiness is boredom.”
Ask for forgiveness, not permission.
What would you do if there was no way you could fail?
Realistic goals are lifeless.
Doing the unrealistic is easier than doing the realistic.
It’s lonely at the top.
99% of people in this the world are convinced they are incapable of achieving the impossible, so they aim for mediocre.
So, competition is fiercest for “realistic” goals.
Easier to raise $10M than $1M and easier to pick up the one “perfect 10” at the bar, than the 5 “8”s.
“There’s no difference between a pessimist who says — Oh it’s hopeless don’t bother doing anything — and an optimist who says — Everything’s fine – don’t bother doing anything. Either way, nothing happens.”
Don’t lose sight of your goals and fall into work for work’s sake.
“Fun things happen when you earn dollars, live on pesos, and compensate in rupees”
Speak slowly, makes you look dependable
Never check email first thing in the morning.
There are tons of things of which a man might wish to be ignorant.
“Am I inventing things to do, to avoid the important?”
Practice saying no to interruptions that don’t further your cause. Do not lie or make up excuses. Say, “I can’t, sorry, I have too much on my plate right now.”
Define a to-do list and a not-to-do list. Ask two major questions related to the 80/20 rule: What 20% of sources are triggering 80% of my problems? What 20% of sources are eliciting 80% of my happiness?
Compose your to-do list for the day the night before.
“If you wait until the last minute, it only takes a minute to do.”
“A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.”
Learning to ignore things is the key to inner harmony.
“Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.”
“Wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”
“Perfection is not when there is no more to add, but no more to take away.”
“People will choose unhappiness over uncertainty.”
Focus on results, not dedication.
“One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase, but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity.” – Bruce Lee
What 3 activities do you use to occupy time and create the feeling as though you have been productive?
Efficient – performing task, whether important or unimportant in the most thrifty way possible.
Effective – doing the things that matter and get you closer to your goals
Never automate something that can be eliminated and never delegate something that can be automated.
The 4-Hour Workweek — elimination first, automation second, delegation third.
Remote management and communication are the most critical skills.
If someone else can do it 80% as well as you, outsource it.
You can always do something cheaper yourself – that doesn’t mean you want to spend your time doing it.
“I am not a tollbooth through which anything needs to pass. I am more like a police officer on the side of the road, who can step in if need be, and I use detailed reports from outsourcers to ensure the cogs are moving as intended. I check bank accounts online twice a month to look for odd deductions.”
Tell your virtual employees: “Keep the customer happy. If it’s a problem that takes less than $100 to fix, use your judgment and fix it yourself. Fix these problems without contacting me. I am no longer your customer; my customers are your customer. Don’t ask me for permission. Do what you think is right, and we’ll make adjustments as we go along.”
“Things to outsource: cooking, cleaning, sending flowers or cards to wife, web research, all business time consuming tasks, travel & hotel options & cheap flights, weather forecast and analysis, stock market research, bookkeeping, accounting, website maintenance, updating database, analytics, seo, recruiting, invoices, payments, niche and industry analysis, new trends, news, online purchases, ordering groceries, monitoring or editing or publishing comments, scheduling, proofreading, editing, social media management, (design, content writing are few things that might be hard for a VA)”
“People can’t believe that most of the ultra-successful companies in the world do not manufacture their own products, answer their own phones, ship their own products, or service their own customers.”
Break the rules but don’t break the law.
When you completely define your fears, you’ll frequently find that they’re not nearly as bad as you thought. Rather, the likely “bad” outcomes would have a small effect on your life, but the “good” outcomes could massively benefit you (see Antifragile).
“The rest of the world is just as insecure as you are.”
People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
Being busy is a form of laziness. Busyness does not equal Business.
“Being overwhelmed is as unproductive as doing nothing, and far more unpleasant.”
Don’t work where you live, relax, or sleep. Separate your environments.
If you can’t govern, then confuse.
Create your ventures alone if you must, but don’t live your life alone. We are social creatures.
Surround yourself with positive people who have nothing to do with your work.
Many problems eventually disappear when ignored.
To make your life easier, charge a premium. You’ll end up attracting hassle-free clients.
Always validate your business ideas. Presell using A/B testing.