4 Hour Workweek - Tim Ferriss

On the whole, it's a very entertaining book, and it certainly made me rethink about how I'm doing things in my life. Tim is a good writer - he made a compelling vision and easily convinces the reader that a 4 hour workweek life is easy to achieve. However, I think hard work ultimately is necessary to get one to one's destination, and I bet Tim worked real hard to get to where he is today.

Nonetheless, he paints a compelling picture that stirs something within me to want to ultimately get to the endpoint he has painted. And he has very good ideas/ principles that we should learn from:

1. Lifestyle design - We need to rethink about the current paradigm of "working till you are half dead before enjoying the fruits of retirement at 62". There are too many important moments and experiences along the way that should not be missed. We have to build "mini retirements" into each and every station in our lives.
2. Pareto principle - Or otherwise known as the 80-20 rule. One needs to be able to let go of the 80% that contributes little to one's final destination either in life or in career. Many times when we fret and get sidelined about the small things, we need to take a step back and refocus our energies on the 20% that matters most. E.g. as the middle manager in my branch, while vetting and picking up grammatical errors in submissions is important, the 20% that I should be doing is: (i) setting the vision and strategy and (ii) training my team to no longer need me to vet. Often I don't do this enough.
3. Managing processes - Eliminate and automate processes whenever possible. This should become second nature rather than a "do-it-once-a-year" kind of a review. For example, if I can eliminate myself from the decision process, do it. Understand the risks, apply the 80/20 rule, and manage the risks. The benefits often outweigh the risks.
   
4. Hobbies - The book awakened in me my memories of how much joy learning something new and becoming good at it is. Tim's "mini-retirements" are pretty much times when he takes 2-3 months off to immerse himself completely in learning and perfecting a new skill or simply immersing in a new experience.
   
5. Business as the way to go - Based on his story, it seems to validate the reality that owning a business is the only way to optimise the income-time tradeoff (after one's business is up and running, that is!). Other jobs all require one to invest more and more time as one moves higher in appointment or in wage.
6. Wealth, money and time - We should stop thinking of wealth in terms of money. Having an abundance of time to do the things one wants to do is a form of wealth. By being creative, one can actually find experiences that one can relish with one's time without too much cost. Once this is achieved, one realises that being a millionaire is really not necessary for one to have a good life. In fact, having loads of money and no time makes one really poor!

I must say that there are many other ideas in Tim's book that I did not feel are key to my life right now. And there is certainly alot of bashing going on online about how he is just a snake-oil salesman. But I really do think that the book has given me a hard shake-up, and my lenses a good wipe. I'm seeing my life in new light again.