Anyone here living the four hour work week?

by kumar

Posted: 18 years ago 32 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

Well between reading this book by Tim Ferriss and waiting for the Preseason videos of the 30 Day Challenge to download (I like Ed Dale's geeky specs!), I was wondering how many of us are living the four hour work week or something close to it? And how are you managing your work and life?

Cheers,
Kumar

PS: This book is how I was introduced to the IM world 2 months back

#hour #living #week #work

Sam Rodrigo

18 years ago

Originally Posted by kumar

Hi Kumar,

Last time I checked, those who are working 4 hours per week usually have 2 or 3 jobs where ONE of the jobs = 4 hours of work.

The bottom line to me in all this is that when you enjoy what you do, it's not work at all.

Success,
Sam

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MikeLantz

18 years ago

I do work about 4 hours per week to maintain my current internet businesses. My life is great and I spent a lot of time with my family.

I periodically work on new projects (like I am right now) that increase my hours, but my goal is always that when I complete the project, I can still only work about 4 hours per week maintaining everything.

I do think this is a common occurance with those who want to or profess to live the "4 hour work week", as more time is always required when you are getting a business/product going, but once it is done, then you can get back to your smaller time commitments.

As far as managing things, I generally work about 2 hours on 2 different days during the week. I use this time to write new content, update my sites, etc... The rest of the time I spend with my wife and kids doing the things that are most important.

Hope that is what you were looking for. This lifestyle is not impossible to achieve, you just need to work smart and not spend too much time on mundane, repetitive tasks. Also, I highly recommend creating businesses that do not require you to continually pump out content and new products, as that will always put a strain on your time.

Good luck!

Mike

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zach2393 18 years ago

I love working at IM.
It's all i do all day, and i wouldn't have it any other way
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kumar

18 years ago

Originally Posted by MikeLantz

I do think this is a common occurance with those who want to or profess to live the "4 hour work week", as more time is always required when you are getting a business/product going, but once it is done, then you can get back to your smaller time commitments.

As far as managing things, I generally work about 2 hours on 2 different days during the week. I use this time to write new content, update my sites, etc... The rest of the time I spend with my wife and kids doing the things that are most important.

Hope that is what you were looking for. This lifestyle is not impossible to achieve, you just need to work smart and not spend too much time on mundane, repetitive tasks. Also, I highly recommend creating businesses that do not require you to continually pump out content and new products, as that will always put a strain on your time.

Good luck!

Mike

Thanks Mike! This is what I dream to achieve some time down the line. To set up an online business and automate/outsource most of the activities so that I can do what I actually love. For me, work is just that..work and IT is important as it helps me pursue activities which I love doing/would do...travelling, spending time with family, learning martial arts, musical instruments, in a position to be always (monetarily!) generous to people. This is something which I realized (in my looong 5 year corporate career!) I could not achieve in a 9-5 job.

I somehow tend to disagree with Sam when he says when you enjoy what you do, it's not work at all. I always feel I cannot earn money from the things I MOST enjoy doing

PS: Right now, I am the opposite end of the spectrum, doing freelancing. Hope to see myself on the other side soon!

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Christie Love

18 years ago

At the moment, my work week is a far cry from 4 hours. Although, I have read the book and my intention is to create an IM business that will allow me to work as close to 4 weeks as possible.

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kumar

18 years ago

Originally Posted by Christie Love

At the moment, my work week is a far cry from 4 hours. Although, I have read the book and my intention is to create an IM business that will allow me to work as close to 4 weeks as possible.

or perhaps as close as 4 hours as possible

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lakshaybehl

18 years ago

Originally Posted by MikeLantz

Absolutely Mike!

I agree with you!

Always focus on how you can automate your business (4 hours per week is automation) and then whenever you increase your workload, that must be for some new project... so there would be more income for life once it is completed

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lakshaybehl 18 years ago

And i would spend the remaining time in the war room!
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Rod Cortez

18 years ago

The four hour work week is over rated.....I love this IM stuff way too much to only work fours a week!

Rod

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Michelle Strait 18 years ago

I'm reading the book now, so I haven't made it to the 4-hour work week. I'd settle for a 10-hour work week. LOL
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TimS 18 years ago

I'm working a 4 hour work week but I tend to do a week, once or twice per day.
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kumar

18 years ago

Originally Posted by Rod Cortez

The four hour work week is over rated.....I love this IM stuff way too much to only work fours a week!

Rod

Perhaps, if you take the title too literally. I have not finished the book but its essence in a nutshell is not to make as much as money as possible but to have as much time at your disposal while still making good money and enjoying a lifestyle better than what most people believe they can afford with the same earnings.

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valerieSONORA

18 years ago

I've had the book for a while, but never finished it. Guess I need to get it out and finish it.

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Daniel Molano

18 years ago

Who needs work when you can have fun. For me, seeing the numbers in my accounts go higher each month is the definition of fun. Well not really, but using that money is hehe

Of course there are boring parts and stressful parts, but I like to consider that training rather than "work". It's like a sport you are absolutely passionate about, the "grind" is training, not work

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Terry Hatfield

18 years ago

Isn't the goal to make enough money to retire and have a zero hour work week?

Terry

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Don Schenk

18 years ago

I'm thinking about Mike in SLC. With a real 4 hour work week, I'll bet he gets to spend a lot of time in Park City during the winter - skiing or riding.

Am I correct?

Don

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Dan Grossman

18 years ago

I read the book as well, and was disappointed that I had already achieved the goal!

I support myself entirely from my websites, no other job, and it takes 2-3 hours per week to manage everything. Once or twice a month I'll actually feel like working and make something new or look for new advertising venues.

A lot of things had to be automated to get here, which took a lot of custom programming... luckily I'm a programmer

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JonnyAndrews

18 years ago

I honestly think if I were to simply remove all the totally moronic things I spend my day futzing with and actually focused on real "work" it would be around 4 hours...

Then again if I were to remove all the empty space from my home and reduce it to only solid mater it would fit in my coffee mug.

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J. Barry Mandel 18 years ago

As for me, right now I'm working the 400 hour work week, but that should change REALLY soon
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- Sirius Lin 18 years ago
  
  I went and bought the book after it was mentioned on the WF. Interesting read. I believe the goal is not to cut down to a strict 4 hours-week, but rather, to maximise the amount of pleasure you get out of life for every dollar you earn.
  
  But hey, a 4-hour week always sounds nice on paper. Think of all the other things I can do with the spare time I have! Oh, wait... I'll just be spending them on the Internet. Darn.
  
  ~ Sirius
  
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derekwong28

18 years ago

I tried this out a couple of months ago and I would stongly recommend this as a challenge to anybody who is in a position to try. After the challenge I was able to identify bottlenecks that resulted in a substantial increase in productivity. Among the improvements made were

1. I redesigned my Excel worksheet contaning all my business data so that important information can be shown much faster and effectively.
2. I seeked out new online software tools that were able to reduce my workload.
3. I now read e-mails only twice a day, mainly to check that my sites and advertising codes are running properly
4. I found that most effective time to do my work, which was either morning or late evening, and the optimal time to do what type of work.
5. I stopped clicking into my adsense and other publisher accounts that often
6. I stopped updating my business statistics endlessly.
7. I reduced my time visiting forums and engage in non-productive chats.

Otherwise, my usual online work hours is usually 2-4 hours a day. I have no intention of reducing it further because I have got nothing else to do.

-Derek

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Tom Sheltraw

18 years ago

I would be happy with a 40 hr. work week. I would think that long hours would equal a decent income but not always. I know being busy is not the same as being productive. I tried working smarter not harder but I must be using the wrong text book.

I'm hoping that changes as I have taken a personal inventory on what in my life robs me of productivity. I'm cutting out as much as possible. Things will change!

Tom

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YasirYar

18 years ago

Great thread! I just started my IM business, so I am nowhere near the 4 hour work week.. I have read the book and I must admit it does make you think..

But one day I iwll be workin only 4 hours per week.. thats the goal

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Karen Keyes

18 years ago

I *wish* I was working only 4 hours a week. With a full time job (luckily from home) and IM in the evenings, I work 70+ hours a week. But I just recently purchased and devoured the 4 hour work week and really loved the book. I think I need to re-read it a few times though...

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jonparker83

18 years ago

I don't have a 4HWW in terms of the time I spend working but one of the main principles in the book is something Ferriss calls 'geoarbitrage' which is earning money in stronger currencies but living where you can spend weak ones. Hence saving a lot of money.

I had most of the ideas in the book floating around my head before I read it but the book definitely helped to solidify these all into a better overall picture. This is the best book I've ever read and I know some people even describe it as life-changing.

So that's why you see I'm living in Bali at the moment where the cost of living is LOW (and the beaches aren't bad either)

Doing some freelance web development to keep things ticking along but working hard to get something profitable in the IM world too

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mrmotivation

18 years ago

I will be living out the 4 hour work week once you all buy a few million copies of my book too.

HAHAHAHA!

I don't ever see me doing a 4 hour work week.

Aaron

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derekwong28

18 years ago

" one of the main principles in the book is something Ferriss calls 'geoarbitrage' which is earning money in stronger currencies but living where you can spend weak ones."

Yeah, for this reason a lot of successful IMers and warriors from Amercia, Europe and Australia lives in Thailand. I am certainly very hooked to that place.

However there was also something on Tim Ferris's website that I completely disagree. He said that you can live in a $2M and drives an Aston Martin on just around $6000 monthly income. I am sure nobody can do this now as the banks will not give out such loans. Anything, I can no longer find this on his site.

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JasonKing

18 years ago

Originally Posted by derekwong28

"

However there was also something on Tim Ferris's website that I completely disagree. He said that you can live in a $2M and drives an Aston Martin on just around $6000 monthly income. I am sure nobody can do this now as the banks will not give out such loans. Anything, I can no longer find this on his site.

He means you rent the doodads...

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jaenterpr 18 years ago

Originally Posted by Terry Hatfield

Isn't the goal to make enough money to retire and have a zero hour work week?

Terry

Terry,

That's certainly my goal. Once I have $1 million in investments, it means a $40,000 annual income at the accepted 4% safe withdrawal rate. Since I live on about $2k a month, that means I can retire totally.

I see a lot of other Internet marketers continue to work even though they're already millionaires. That's good for them if that's what they want, but I have other priorities in life.

John
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kumar 18 years ago

Originally Posted by Terry Hatfield

Isn't the goal to make enough money to retire and have a zero hour work week?

Terry

Terry,

Who knows who'll go that far (to live, that is)? Why not enjoy while you're still at it! And there are things which you can enjoy fully when you are 30 (or 40 or 50) than when you retire!
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jhongren

18 years ago

Originally Posted by kumar

I am slowly adapting to the 4 hour work week such as checking my emails twice a day - one time at 10am and the other time at 4pm.

It is not easy but I am doing my best.

Cheers,
John

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derekwong28 18 years ago

There are also other things you can do. Do you know how much time you wast opening a and closing important webpages, and also important files on your computer. If you leave these files and webpages open but suspend instead of shutting down your computer, you will be amazed at the time you save.

"He means you rent the doodads..."

Yeah I suppose so, but I would prefer to have my own property and leave it to my family.
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