The 4 Hour Work Week teaches the readers how to escape 9-5, live anywhere, and join the growing army of “new rich” digital nomads.
- You don’t need to be rich to live like a rich
- Working a job you don’t like is a waste of life
- Time and freedom are equally important as money -and you can have
them all
If you are planning to do something big and if you are sceptical about it, write down what the worst that will happen if you do it. This will give you more clarity and will help you go a long way in your goal.
Most people will choose unhappiness over uncertainty
Do you have to work as a slave to live like a millionaire? No, being a millionaire and living like a millionaire are two different things. You don’t need to slave away at a desk on a gruelling, soul crashing 9 to 5. A millionaire without millions!
Money isn’t freedom
Lots of money and ownership are
not great, and that sometimes it ends up being enslaving and oppressing.
They have riches, but the riches actually have them.
Money Multipliers: WWW
Money is multiplied in life depending on the quantity of “W” you control in life,
such as:
- When you do it
- Where you do it
- With whom you do it
Top Commandments
Retirement is worst-case insurance– Working your entire life to enjoy the last few years is foolishness.
Less is not laziness– More sacrifice doesn’t mean more productivity. Unfortunately, our culture glorifies sacrifice over productivity.
The timing is never right– If you are waiting around for the right moment, it might never come.
Ask for forgiveness, not permission– If you are asking for permission for everything you do, you are giving away your power. Do it and if that didn’t work, ask for forgiveness.
Relative Income > Absolute Income– Your time is more valuable than money. Look at what you are earning per hour after excluding all your work-related expenses. Annual income is such a misleading metric.
It is crowded in the middle
Most people do not believe that they can achieve great things, so they settle for average.
There is a lot of competition in the middle but there is relatively less competition at the top.
The Busy Myth
We now live in a world where being ‘busy’ is more important than being ‘productive’. Being busy is a form of laziness.
Pareto and Parkinson’s law
Focus 80% of your time on the 20% that produces the most results. Prioritize your work and give your time to the tasks that will produce the most results. Don’t be busy; be productive.
Outsource
Free your time to focus on the things that matter.
Additional Tips
- Don’t finish what you start if it’s not worth it.
- Don’t worry to offend someone when requesting effective communication; hard feelings pass, foolish behaviour sticks.
- Learn to be difficult and assertive.
- Batch things together and address them all together. An example is to check emails only once a day.