4-Hour Workweek?

I just finished a book called, The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. My dad actually sent it as a gift to my husband and me - I had to laugh when I opened up the Amazon package. His message said it made him think of us... hmmm, what are you trying to tell us there, Dad? ;)

But, to be honest, it could quite possibly be the most interesting book I've ever read. Ferriss' philosophy is that by taking simple steps to increase your productivity, simplifying your life, and outsourcing as much as possible, you can maximize your non-work life experiences while still making quite a tidy income.

I agree with a lot of his philosophy of taking control of your own destiny, and not becoming a slave to a corporate job which requires you to postpone living the life you really want to live until you are too old to enjoy it. Instead, Ferris proposes planning "mini-retirements" of six months or so throughout your working life so that you can do the type of things you have always dreamed, all while maintaining your business and/or job remotely with minimum time yet maximum productivity. He even gives tips for employees to propose a flexible work schedule that allows them to travel to China for a vacay without the boss even knowing. Well, not quite sure I buy that bit (or at least my company wouldn't), but the part about working for yourself, if you can establish the right kind of business (recommended: products, not services, generally online, and only focus on the types of customers - if this is possible - who spend the most money with the least amount of hassle - in other words, the 20% that generate 80% of your business and require the least work possible), was very intriguing. He has a lot of quizzes, activities, etc. that I want to go through now that I've read it, and see if any great ideas start to flow for me.

I'll keep you posted, but in the meantime, this book is worth checking out. Who knows? If you do, maybe we'll bump into each other on a 6-month "mini-retirement" through Southeast Asia!