Reviews
The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss
lucarighetti's review
4.0
This book is annoyingly brilliant. There are three things to keep in mind before reading:
(1) Tim Ferris is not a nice person (his douchey writing style is testament to that) and a lot of his advice will make you less of a nice person too, especially wrt work relationships;
(2) A lot of his tips are limited and bad. They are intended for people with privilege and based on exploiting others, most obvious being the chapter on virtual assistants;
(3) Tim Ferris admits his career is based on personal branding, and this book is very much an attempt to sell himself and this "lifestyle". There is a huge difference between giving advice that is "good" advice and advice that "sells".
Really think about if you want what Tim Ferris is selling. I am sure some people but I hope most people don't. Do I want to be New Rich or do I actually get some fulfilment from having meaningful relationships with co-workers? Do I want to "become a top expert in 4 weeks" where I bullsh*t and only care about the news outlets that interview me or do I actually want to engage with topics and give people good advice?
I think my fundamental problem is that Tim Ferris relies on the assumption that there is a complete separation between work and happiness. His mantra is that work is inherently sh*t and thus something to be ruthlessly optimized to make time for the good life. But it's not that easy. If you are an a**hole in the office, that will taint your personal relationships too. If you lie and cheat in your career, this can backfire and ruin your life. If you set up your own company with the intention of having a "4-Hour Work Week", remember that even Tim Ferris only achieved this after YEARS of hard work and unhappiness (and many people never see that pay-off).
With all that said, why on earth the four stars then?
Many of the ideas are really good, especially compared to many other productivity books that I often find say very little. Set up your business to be happy not "successful", generate passive income, and (yes sometimes) use social discomfort to your advantage. Even if I don't end up agreeing with all of Tim Ferris's arguments, they are certainly interesting. Lastly, the book is very well written: It is readable (douchey but readable), information-dense, and contains excellent lists of resources.
I find myself unsure if to give this book one or five stars, so a 'fair' judgement might be three. But this book is anything from 'average' and thus I'll tip the weights in its favour for being provoking.
(1) Tim Ferris is not a nice person (his douchey writing style is testament to that) and a lot of his advice will make you less of a nice person too, especially wrt work relationships;
(2) A lot of his tips are limited and bad. They are intended for people with privilege and based on exploiting others, most obvious being the chapter on virtual assistants;
(3) Tim Ferris admits his career is based on personal branding, and this book is very much an attempt to sell himself and this "lifestyle". There is a huge difference between giving advice that is "good" advice and advice that "sells".
Really think about if you want what Tim Ferris is selling. I am sure some people but I hope most people don't. Do I want to be New Rich or do I actually get some fulfilment from having meaningful relationships with co-workers? Do I want to "become a top expert in 4 weeks" where I bullsh*t and only care about the news outlets that interview me or do I actually want to engage with topics and give people good advice?
I think my fundamental problem is that Tim Ferris relies on the assumption that there is a complete separation between work and happiness. His mantra is that work is inherently sh*t and thus something to be ruthlessly optimized to make time for the good life. But it's not that easy. If you are an a**hole in the office, that will taint your personal relationships too. If you lie and cheat in your career, this can backfire and ruin your life. If you set up your own company with the intention of having a "4-Hour Work Week", remember that even Tim Ferris only achieved this after YEARS of hard work and unhappiness (and many people never see that pay-off).
With all that said, why on earth the four stars then?
Many of the ideas are really good, especially compared to many other productivity books that I often find say very little. Set up your business to be happy not "successful", generate passive income, and (yes sometimes) use social discomfort to your advantage. Even if I don't end up agreeing with all of Tim Ferris's arguments, they are certainly interesting. Lastly, the book is very well written: It is readable (douchey but readable), information-dense, and contains excellent lists of resources.
I find myself unsure if to give this book one or five stars, so a 'fair' judgement might be three. But this book is anything from 'average' and thus I'll tip the weights in its favour for being provoking.
milkshakevoid's review against another edition
1.0
DNF I've tried to read this book twice and both times couldn't get past the 25% mark.
If you'd like a lesson in Douchbaggery read it. Otherwise go to life hack for your productivity tips, or better yet read The Art of Non-conformity by Chris Guillebeau. Much more useful, same concept, and on the plus side that author isn't offensively self centered.
If you'd like a lesson in Douchbaggery read it. Otherwise go to life hack for your productivity tips, or better yet read The Art of Non-conformity by Chris Guillebeau. Much more useful, same concept, and on the plus side that author isn't offensively self centered.
peetah's review against another edition
fast-paced
1.0
I hated this book and the author's philosophy. He is dishonest, a liar, and a cheater. He "wins" by technicalities and lives by the letter of the law and not the spirit of it.
matt_gwynn's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
ranahabib's review against another edition
3.0
7.5/10
I reeeeeeally wanted this book to be a 10/10 but I won't lie, it wasn't that great.
There were some good parts like the discussion of being effective and efficient, the 80/20 rule, the process of eliminating and automating, and some of the end chapter Q & A's (some were better than others)
However, this is why I gave the book such a low rating:
1) The links included were a waste of space. He should've just directed people to his website where they can access all the links there, depending on what extra knowledge that they're seeking. Realistically, no one is typing in an HTML word for word like that.
2) During his discussion of hiring VA's, he talked a lot about hiring overseas because they tend to be cheaper. I get the point of a business is to make a profit and I agree in outsourcing talent...HOWEVER, reading that chapter made me angry. It felt like Ferriss was implying that we should take advantage of foreigners overseas because English might not be their first language (as opposed to giving someone an opportunity because they're talented and deserve it).
3) Not all the chapters were relevant. I felt like he tried to capture too broad of a target market. I thought the sole purpose of the book was for business owners/aspiring business owners who wanted to travel and work. There were some chapters in there for people who still want to work at their current job, but remote. I get that might be the case for some, but that should've been a completely separate book (or even article).
I reeeeeeally wanted this book to be a 10/10 but I won't lie, it wasn't that great.
There were some good parts like the discussion of being effective and efficient, the 80/20 rule, the process of eliminating and automating, and some of the end chapter Q & A's (some were better than others)
However, this is why I gave the book such a low rating:
1) The links included were a waste of space. He should've just directed people to his website where they can access all the links there, depending on what extra knowledge that they're seeking. Realistically, no one is typing in an HTML word for word like that.
2) During his discussion of hiring VA's, he talked a lot about hiring overseas because they tend to be cheaper. I get the point of a business is to make a profit and I agree in outsourcing talent...HOWEVER, reading that chapter made me angry. It felt like Ferriss was implying that we should take advantage of foreigners overseas because English might not be their first language (as opposed to giving someone an opportunity because they're talented and deserve it).
3) Not all the chapters were relevant. I felt like he tried to capture too broad of a target market. I thought the sole purpose of the book was for business owners/aspiring business owners who wanted to travel and work. There were some chapters in there for people who still want to work at their current job, but remote. I get that might be the case for some, but that should've been a completely separate book (or even article).
diannebaruch's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Ferris will have you asking yourself if you want to be a 9-5er most of your life or join the New Rich with unrestricted mobility.