I’m about half way through a book called, “The 4-hour Work Week” by Tim Ferriss. I had heard quite a bit about this book. I also read a ton of reviews on Amazon.com and decided not to buy the book based on the reviews. Most people seem to hate the book for a few reasons.
I asked about the book on a photography internet forum I frequent, and got mixed reviews about it. The main concern is that much of what the author has to say doesn’t really apply to our business, since we are a service-oriented business. However, a very nice guy on that internet forum, Joe Hegyi, sent it to me for free to read. Thanks Joe.
Anyway, I am very impressed by what the author has to say about working. Mainly, the distaste people seem to have with the author is his bragging. But, I didn’t pick that up at all (well, maybe a little). What I learned from him is how to spend my time in the most efficient way possible. He advocates, for instance, only checking email twice a day. Then, moving to once a day. And, ultimately, once per week or once per month, whatever your business allows. He also provides some techniques for getting there, and reasons why you should. He claims that email is a time waster, and typically non-urgent. If someone has an urgent message, they should call your cell phone. I think he has an excellent point. I value all of my customers, but I can’t think of a single email that was so urgent that it couldn’t wait a few hours. Additionally, it is more efficient for me to do all my email twice per day, because I can dedicate 1 hour (or whatever is needed) to simply concentrating on getting that task completed and move on with my day, rather than being interrupted constantly with emails throughout the day.
Throughout the book, the author talks about spending your time where it is most valued, and that email and phone calls are simply interruptions from your current task. We should let voice mail and email do their jobs. Of course, I work in a customer-centric business, so while the idea is neat, it’s not entirely possible for me. I’ll probably always pick up the phone if I am in the office and it rings. That’s just me. But, I do think he has a good point. And, it does give me pause.
He also advocates not watching or reading the news. If anything important happens, someone will tell you. I’ve actually been doing this for a few years, and it’s very refreshing. The news is so depressing anyway. And besides news being depressing, it is a time waster. Instead of reading the paper in the morning, spend a little extra time with your family, or go for a walk on the beach. The same thing goes for the internet too. Get in, get the pertinent information you need, and get out and on with your life.
There are some other similar ideas that I might look into how I can implement them into my business. The entire idea is to work very efficiently, and stop doing busy work, or stop making more work for yourself than is necessary.
Often I find that if I give myself two weeks to accomplish something, I take two weeks. If I give myself a day for the same thing, I usually get it done in that day. So, just do what you need to do quickly and efficiently and be done with it.
I’m not even finished reading yet, and I already love this book. I give it a 10 out of 10.
Enjoy!