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The 4-Hour Workweek? Try the 40-Hour Workweek
Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends | July 14th, 2008 - 04:15 PM
(17) found this useful. Do you? 
First of all, let me say that I have a lot of respect for Tim Ferriss’s book, The 4 Hour Workweek. After hearing the 6th or 7th person recommend the book, I recently sat down and read it. I found it to be motivating and also thought-provoking. I even picked up a few good tips from it that I am putting to use in my own business.
But I have to say that you should never take the title of this book literally.
The book explains, more or less, how to create a virtual business — one that you can run from anywhere. And one that takes as little as 4 hours a week by the owner. Or at least, 4 hours a week is the goal.
The author makes some great points in it about managing your time, especially email. In fact, a large chunk of the book is about time management. He also provides actionable how-tos on how to find the help to outsource so you have more free time (Lou Dobbs, close your ears — he suggests … gasp! … offshore labor).
Tim’s ideas aren’t new. Other books and management philosophies have touched on some of the same concepts for a couple of decades now. Book shelves are bursting with time management books. And enterprising entrepreneurs have been structuring virtual businesses they can run from anywhere for some time now. In 1998 I sat next to someone on a flight from London to Chicago (on a first class upgrade) who ran several global businesses from the Cayman Islands, and who regaled me nonstop for 6 hours with his philosophies about creating virtual businesses run almost exclusively on outsourced labor.
Still, no knock against The 4-Hour Workweek. Ferriss brings an up-to-date take on things and scales it to the individual entrepreneur who is starting out with very little money. It’s McKinsey for the solo entrepreneur.
Plus, Tim Ferriss is a master at Internet marketing and has managed to develop word-of-mouth buzz for his book that others would kill for. You’ve got to admire that ability. For instance, at Amazon.com as of this writing, there are over 700 reviews of his book, most of them 4 or 5 stars (the highest possible rating). And he’s able to convey his thoughts in an engaging way in the book, backed by some case studies.
So, you’re thinking, the book is thought provoking and motivating. It’s up to date for today’s world. It is scaled to “speak” to the solo entrepreneur, its intended audience. And it’s backed by great marketing.
What’s the problem, then?
What worries me is an entire generation — or so it seems — of aspiring entrepreneurs really believes that in 90 days they will be rich working just 4 hours a week. I’ve had people say to me in utter seriousness that they intend to work just 4 hours a week.
While I think there are many things to be learned from Tim’s book, I just wouldn’t take it literally as resulting in a 4-hour work week.
Is a 4-hour work week possible? Certainly.
Is it likely, for 99% of entrepreneurs? Hardly.
The fact is, even billionaires spend more than 4 hours a week on their businesses. People like Richard Branson and Bill Gates and Sergey Brin didn’t get that way working 4 hours a week — trust me. And once they achieved billions, I am quite sure they still work grueling schedules.
In fact this article by another young entrepreneur that I stumbled on a few days ago, is actually much more realistic. In it, the author, Nate Whitehill, talks about a 16-hour workday being more realistic for young entrepreneurs, and suggests focusing on the satisfaction you get from the hours you spend working in the early years, instead of trying to avoid work:
“With all this talk lately about the dream of a shorter workweek, it just convinces me how much spin dominates consensus. One only gets to the 4-hour workweek after years of insanely difficult work.
Even though everyone has dreams of the 4-hour workweek, the fact is that 99.95% of those who have been successful have had to (at least, initially) endure much more than even a 40-hour workweek. That being said, why would someone want to work less if they enjoy what they do? Perhaps an even better and more useful question is, ‘How does one get to the place of enjoying work?’ One answer to that lies in learning how to create opportunities.”
All that said, would I recommend the book and the ideas in it? Of course — it’s worth the price of a few lattes and a few hours of your time. But I would do so with a strong caveat: use the idea of working 4 hours a week as a metaphor for having a clear focus and managing your time intelligently and well, and creating a lifestyle you can enjoy. Do not use it as a goal you truly expect to achieve.
More likely, you can get rich working just 40 hours a week (instead of 80 or 100 hours), by following Tim’s advice. And perhaps you can find your way to enjoy those 40 hours as you are working them, instead of hating them. But, heck, even such a goal would be well worth it to most of us.
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Discussion Boards
Martin Lindeskog | July 14th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
As a regular employee in Sweden I worked at least 40 hours a week. In America I worked 40+ hours without extra overtime pay. As one of the founders of a start-up company with generous opening hours (7 AM - 9 PM weekdays, 10 AM - 4 PM weekends), I worked at least 60 hours per week. I could relate to Nate Whitehill’s situation, working around the clock. I enjoyed it, but I must admit that after a couple of years, I was a bit burned and stressed out.
My goal is not per se to decrease the working hours, but I want to be free to designate my time more in the future. Here is an example of a day: 8 hours if I become an employee again, 2 hours for my other business projects and home based business, 2 hours for searching new opportunities, prospects, business partners, etc., 4 hours of personal development, e.g. studying, exercising, and then a combination of 8 hours of meals, power naps, relaxation and sleep.
I think that you could use the time in a more efficient way and become more effective if you apply a proper work method, e.g. Getting Things Done (D. Allen). I guess that many of the top leaders and performers in the network marketing industry don’t have to work more than a couple of hours per day, due to the fact that the residual income is coming into play. I wouldn’t mind to have the kind of lifestyle described by Timothy Ferriss, including a mini-retirement (travel and vacation) now and then. Does the author promises that you should be able to achieve this limited workweek in a period of 90 days?
All the Best,
Martin Lindeskog - American in Spirit.
Gothenburg, Sweden.
http://Martin.Lindeskog.name/CV
Nate Whitehill | July 15th, 2008 at 3:52 am
Excellent article - sums up my thoughts exactly. 4-hours is a great metaphor for managing time efficiently. Thanks for the link, as well.
Amanda | July 15th, 2008 at 8:44 am
I also think that a 4 hour work week is a little bit of a stretch. One of the benefits of owning your own business should be working less hours per week but something around 20 hours is more realistic. That is only possible if you manage your time well. I am curious to read Tim Ferriss’s book for his time management ideas.
Noah | July 15th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
I think your missing the point - the book isn’t for entrepreneurs trying to get rich in the sense you’re thinking of it - its a lower bar. Perhaps just 3thousand a month
The Myth of the 4-Hour Workweek | Small Business Trends | July 16th, 2008 at 1:27 am
[…] That’s the topic of this week’s column over at the OPEN Forum, where I suggest a more realistic target: A 4-Hour Workweek? Try a 40-Hour Workweek. […]
Ivana Taylor | July 16th, 2008 at 6:02 am
I loved SOME of the ideas and exercises in the book. But you really have to take it with a grain of salt.
Scott makes the assumption that work is a chore and that we all seek to work less and play more.
What about the entrepreneurs who LOVE their work and see it as a calling?
I had this impression from the tone of the book that created this shallow set of experiences for the sake of the experience. For example, he talks about using what I would call a “loophole” technique to become a world champion of a martial art. If I were one of the people who had dedicated decades to the correct mental and physical principles of a martial art - only to be “bested” by a loophole practiced by a novice — I would have a FIT.
What Scott hasn’t experienced yet is that life is a journey - to be savored. Some entrepreneurs have careers that are a calling. There are many entrepreneurs who are passionate about what they do — they don’t just do it for the money - so it’s a JOY to work 40 hours a week.
Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends | July 16th, 2008 at 7:17 am
Hi Ivana,
Yes, I don’t agree with everything in the book, especially the part that implies getting ahead by exploiting loopholes.
There’s an older book out called “Flow” that isn’t nearly as engaging to read, but the message is one that every entrepreneur might take to heart. It’s about getting so deeply involved in your work that you lose all sense of time. It’s the equivalent of what athletes call “being in the zone.” That’s the state that I like to be in. Then I don’t even think about the number of hours I’m putting in.
– Anita
Craig | July 16th, 2008 at 10:54 am
The “4 Hour Work Week” is a dream for many overworked employees, managers and entrepreneurs. Tim was a brilliant marketer to use such a compelling title as it resonates with every person who looks at their rather short life and says “What if I could be freed up more to pursue my passions?” - that I am no longer just doing the status quo, but living my dreams. In that respect, I think the book has helped people to dream again, consider passions they may not be realizing and possibly even make some key changes to their work and life.
I would agree that 2-4 hours/day could be very realistic, but not 4 hours a week. For example; I know of 6 figure bloggers who invest roughly 10-20 hours a work researching content, writing posts and managing their blogs. Of course, the reality is that many are being recruited to write for other publications and are working on their own books:)
I think what Tim does is help us think outside the “conventional box” that has been ingrained in us. Who said you need to work a 40-50 hour work week? I know my Baby Boomer parents believe that everyone needs to work 40 hour a week until their 65, but maybe that not everone’s reality.
Kudos to the 4 Hour Work Week for providing a fresh perspective on work and life!
Alan Brown | July 16th, 2008 at 11:41 am
I think this book is another one that is dangerous for people who are not already “in the zone”. They may be ’setting themselves up’ for another fall as these goals may simply be unrealistic in a chosen field.
Chris | July 16th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I, too, think a 4 hour work week is unrealistic for entrepreneurs as many of them are chained to their computers morning, noon and night. However, I believe it may be possible to cut down administrative duties or one particular aspect of your business to 4 hours per week with some self discipline, organization and prioritizing.
Brent Leary | July 18th, 2008 at 7:08 am
I like what Chris said about finding ways to cut administrative tasks, and other tasks not core to your business. If we can limit the time we spend on these kinds of things it will allow us to focus our time on building our businesses and cultivating meaninful business relationships - which I think will take a lot longer than 4 hours a week to do.