Photo by Bhernandez
It’s been 20 months since Tim Ferriss released his world-renowned best seller The 4-Hour Workweek. He gave us his secrets for liberating ourselves from the “deferred life plan.” We’ve had time to put it into practice. So why haven’t we?
This is the question I explore in my new free ebook, “Why We’re Failing the 4-Hour Workweek (or, Reflections of a Pro Blogger).” For the last two and a half months, I’ve been happily jobless as a full time blogger, and free to work on creating a permanent alternative to the 9-5. But how has it worked out?
We’ll skip right past the flashy pictures of lavish parties and six-figure AdSense checks, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the world of pro blogging. You’ll get a glimpse of the harsh realities of entrepreneurship, and the tough choices a blogger is forced to make. Perhaps most importantly, you’ll see what’s wrong with the system, and how to deal with it. Oh yeah, and it’s really entertaining too.
To claim your free copy, just sign up for my newsletter here, and you’ll receive it instantly.
When you’re done reading it, leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Do you have trouble keeping up with all the demands on your time? Have you attempted a 4-hour workweek before?
Hunter, I arrived at work today feeling the normal Monday morning blues. As I was early I managed to concentrate on reading your entire eBook cover to cover in one go (I rarely have such a concentration span) – brilliant stuff (and free to boot). You are a great writer, I think that’ll your Blogging ‘Mini-Retirement’ will extend and I wish you the best of luck! I’ll promote your Newsletter (and therefore eBook) to my readers this week. Cheers Chris (no need to reply!)
Chris (from Lifestyle Project)´s last blog post..10 Ways to Maximise YOUR Time
I can’t wait to read it. I’ve resisted the 4-Hour Work Week because I can’t really see that happening for me – I spend more time working as an entrepreneur than I did before.
Not having read the 4HWW, I’ve always wondered if Tim comes from a certain level of privilege that gave him the start or whether it’s something that anyone from any social-economic background can achieve…
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome´s last blog post..I Got Off My Ass and Did It
Hi Hunter – I’m looking forward to reading your book. I’m betting a lot of folk are disillusioned with the 4 hour work week.
Somewhere in the book, Tim did mention having to do a lot of hard work before you were able to achieve the four hour work week. But I’m guessing a lot of folk underestimated how long that would take.
Cath Lawson´s last blog post..I’m Not A Bloody Fortune Teller But….
I love the terminology you use in the ebook to describe Tim’s methodology! BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN!!! Your ebook is a MUST READ for anyone who thinks a 4 hour work week is appealing!
Kathy – Virtual Impax´s last blog post..Does your small business need to invest in yellow page advertising?
Hi Hunter: You’re so right, a lot of work is required before we can aspire to a 4-hour work week, and that’s what a lot of people don’t get. I’m sending a tweet about your e-book (even though we’re not supposed to spend too much on twitter because every interruption means 4 to 5 minutes trying to re-focus on what we were doing before we were interrupted
).
Your ebook is a must-read for every blogger, “pro” or not. I have been agonizing over the same things, and your conclusions are wise and thought-provoking.
I am retired officially, and although I don’t have to depend on blogging for my income, still I face the same time constraints as you describe: This article says to spend more time on social media, that one says commenting, the other one says content. There’s not enough time in the day to do it all. I think I have made myself a slave to the advice I sought from probloggers!
Thank you for the ebook.
Mike Nichols´s last blog post..The Evil Trick Anxiety Plays on You and How to Turn the Tables
Good observation, Hunter, it seems like people really got into the idea of 4HWW, but when it came time to implement, I think it just challenged our ingrained habits and beliefs a bit too much.
Looking forward to reading your ebook!
Conrad Hees´s last blog post..How Willing Are You to Invest in Yourself?
@ Chris, I don’t know what time zone you’re in, but it seems like you got to work very early. I’m impressed you read it so fast – I probably wouldn’t have had the necessary concentration span myself! I saw your tweet, thanks for helping get the word out.
@ Alex, I don’t think Tim came from a rich family or anything, but I don’t think his system is very duplicatable at all. His book is great, but I wonder how many people actually manage to create the system he describes. I couldn’t even understand that part of the book.
@ Cath, I actually haven’t seen anyone say they were disillusioned with the 4HWW, but I figure lots of people must be, unless they’re all working 4 hours a week and I’m just doing something wrong!
@ Kathy, now you’ve got me curious. I’m going to have to go back and remind myself of what terminology I used! Thanks for your compliment.
@ Marelisa, I’ve actually come to like Twitter a whole lot more than I once did. Stay tuned for a guest post from me on a blog you know. But I guess doing non-Twitter activities could be seen as interruptions when you’re trying to tweet!
@ Mike, not needing the income should take some pressure off, but I can understand that you’ve still got a lot more things on your plate than you can handle. I’ve seen those posts you mention, and if you want to do what they all say, you’d need to clone yourself. And I saw your tweet too, thanks.
@ Conrad, I think Tim Ferriss makes a lot of good points in his book, but I’m sure a lot of people get stuck with the implementation. We can all apply some of his lessons, but creating a passive system for generating income isn’t so easy.
Regarding the passive income and outsourcing – again not having read the book, I could be speaking from total ignorance – but for Tim to work 4 hours a week, doesn’t that mean a whole lot of other people need to work a full day? Can you imagine factories operating with people working only 4 hours a week? Convenience stores?
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome´s last blog post..Are You Working Hard or Hardly Working?
I’m about half-way through the eBook now Hunter, I must say that you’ve done an excellent job. I’ll be pro-blogging within 2 months so a lot of what you say really relates to me.
I look forward to the rest of your ‘mission’
Cheers,
Glen
Glen Allsopp´s last blog post..Open Discussion: The Law of Attraction
@ Alex, that’s right. A lot of work is being done in his business, just not by him. He uses virtual assistants and call centers and such, and these people do most of the work. He just makes sure the system stays intact. He likes to use workers in countries where wages are really low, and he pays them a wage that seems cheap to us, but is actually good for them.
@ Glen, thanks, I’m glad it’s especially applicable to you. You’ve said you were leaving South Africa, but I didn’t realize you’d be a pro blogger. Best of luck!
Hi Hunter – What a fabulous book. As I was reading it, I envisioned you in your mini retirement, enjoying that which you love to do. When I hear about the four hour work week, it sounds glamorous, however, I’m thinking it would bore me to death. Even if I was a problogger, I would want to be totally involved in blogging activities as they give me so much enjoyment.
Finding balance is key, as is doing what you love. It appears you’ve found the latter and now it’s just a matter of fine tuning the balance part.
P.S. Thank you for including my review of your first book. You’ll go far Hunter!
Barbara Swafford´s last blog post..BTW Your BFF Is ROTFL @ Your SERPs
@ Barbara, Tim says in 4HWW that boredom is a common problem of the “new rich” (people who only have to work 4 hours a week). They don’t know what to do with the time, so they’re terribly bored. He says the goal isn’t to do nothing, but to fill your time with whatever excites you. I don’t think I’d ever have the problem of not being able to think of something to do!
I am going to be traveling starting tomorrow and will have plenty of time to read your eBook.
I also think people give up because it takes a lot of work to not to work as much. For me, (and a lot of other people) my challenge is my full-time job, but I think with planning and being more organized, it can happen.
Carla´s last blog post..Where’s the Beef? | Healthy bodies and Earth
@ Carla, good, I’m glad you’ll have some reading material to keep you busy! It’s ironic, isn’t it? In order to not work so much, we first have to work very hard to put something in place. It’s hard, but yes, it can happen.
[...] the writer: Hunter Nuttall is an eclectic personal development blogger and author of the free ebook Why We’re Failing the 4-Hour Workweek. (No Ratings Yet) Loading … If you enjoyed this article, subscribe via RSS feed [...]
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Thanks for the article at Ittybiz, and for pointing me to this e-book. I have been a “pro-blogger” since 1 Nov 2008, and I haven’t seen any 6-figure checks either.But my lovely bride and I had a very nice trip from Maine to Wisconsin, down to Nashville and back over to Hilton Head, SC. 7,000 miles in 4 months on the road.
You can get away from the 9-to-5, but now my life is more like a series of split-shifts from 6(am)-to-8(pm), six days a week. And I love it.
@Stephen´s last blog post..Social Media Strategy – Increased Relevant Visitor Traffic
@ Stephen, that sounds like a great situation. I don’t think the goal should be to do nothing, but to be free to do what you want. So even if you work a lot of hours, what matters is that you love it.
[...] There are a lot of free personal development ebooks out there, and thanks to Peter Clemens at The Change blog, they can now all be found in one handy list (which includes my own Clutter 101 ebook). Highlight’s include Leo Babauta’s look at how to simplify in the tough economy, and another on how to apply the Four Hour Work Week principles to blogging. [...]