Bitesize Book Review: 'The Four Hour Work Week' by Tim Ferris

Hi Reader 👋

Welcome to my first bite-size book review, starting off with 'The Four Hour Work Week' by Tim Ferris. My younger brother gifted this book to me at Christmas time

What is the 4 Hour Work Week? 📚

Let’s take a look at the back cover: 

‘Forget the 9-5 life and retirement plans: there is no need to wait to live a better life and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. Whether your dream is escaping the rat race, travelling around the world or simply working less and doing more of what you love, this #1 New York Times international bestseller is the blueprint to reconstructing your life. With practical tips, real-world templates, tools and tricks, this guide will give you everything you need to optimise your life.’

The First Line ✍️

“His friends, drunk to the point of speaking in tongues, were asleep”

My 5 Highlights ❤️

Accompanied by a green pastel highlighter, here were my 5 best highlights from the text: 

‘ “Someday” is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you’

Here the author details the fact that we are often told to wait until we can enjoy our lives - often until after we retire. He points out how detrimental this is, the risk of never realising those dreams or adventures that we put off. 

‘Since all of them overestimated the competition, no one even showed up’

Ferris shares an anecdote about how a group of students who were given the prospect of a massive prize, never got the opportunity to compete for the opportunity. This is because they all felt that the other students were far better than them. Here is a reminder, sometimes the best way to get ahead is just by showing up.

‘Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself’

This highlight speaks for itself. Although it is hard to do in practice, bet on yourself. 

‘Learn to be difficult where it counts’

Sometimes the fear of being seen as ‘pushy’ or impolite can limit ourselves unnecessarily. Don’t make it a habit, but learn to be difficult where it counts.  

‘It is far more lucrative and fun to leverage your strengths instead of attempting to fix all the chinks in your armor’

This reinforces the idea of honing in your competitive advantage, your individual talents, your you factor. Maybe everyone is doing and saying something different from what you’re saying or doing. As opposed to focusing on those areas where you may not fit in, focus on your strengths, make those strengths your superpowers. 

My Thoughts 

⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆

I rate this book a solid 3 out of 5 stars. I loved the first few chapters and was glued to them but as the book progressed, it focused a lot on the automated business aspect which did not seem that relevant to me. However, I would highly recommend the book (especially the first few chapters) to anybody who is interested in boosting their productivity skills, gain some motivation and wants to learn about maximising life beyond world. 

What Next? 

Next, I’m reading ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear. Want to read along with me? You can grab a paper copy here

Yours, 

Demi 

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