For English subtitles, choose “Danish” from the “Choose Language…” drop-down.
There is a misconception that lifestyle design is just for entrepreneurs or CEOs.
In reality, the principles — borrowed from economics and behavioral psychology — can be applied within organizations and groups with even more dramatic effects.
Just watch the 25-minute segment above from the Danish equivalent of the BBC (DR1), where lifestyle design is tested by both an employee at insurance giant Codan and by the CEO of a fast-growing microbrewery. For English subtitles, choose “Danish” from the “Choose Language…” drop-down.
Who made more progress? The boss or the person with a boss? The results might surprise you…
Group Dynamics: Leverage for Good or Evil
Whether you’re a three-person start-up or Google (I’ve spoken there twice), whether you’re a receptionist or the President, Bill Gates’ following observation applies to implementing behavioral change in groups. The brackets are mine and what I feel can be removed:
The first rule of any [technology used in a] business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.
Even if you are a low-level employee, it’s important to your personal life and future to understand what this means.
From Chapter 8 of 4HWW:
Principle number one: refine rules and processes before adding people. Using people to leverage a refined process multiplies production; using people as a solution to a poor process multiplies problems.
This applies as much to excessive CC’ing people on personal e-mail as it does to large-scale operations.
If the processes are wasteful (inefficient), performance will decrease when you attempt to scale. The more people involved, the more severe the decrease. If the processes–including prioritization and workflow optimization–are lean (efficient), performance will increase. Combined with other people following the same lean processes, performance can increase in an exponential vs. linear fashion (For any exponentially growing quantity, the larger the quantity gets, the faster it grows).
Most important, just as with Best Buy, where 24-year old Cali Ressler started the ROWE (Results-Only Work Environment) experiment, huge changes can be initiated from the bottom up.
It just takes some lateral thinking and a willingness to test small.
Inside one brand-name public company in Silicon Valley: the new rules in one engineering group.
Case Studies
The Gazette in Colorado Springs published a great overview of several local companies that have implemented 4HWW training for all employees. I encourage those interested to read the entire 2-page article, but here are a few excerpts from one of the case studies:
The changes at Sandoval’s office are evident. A few months ago, Sandoval [the CEO of an advertising and design firm] said he would not have had time to sit down and talk about a book.
Now, three months after restructuring his daily routine and asking his nine employees to buy into the same process, piles of files and papers have disappeared from Sandoval’s desk because the work is done. His four computers, along with his BlackBerry, no longer demand immediate attention. He trusts employees to do their jobs without constant monitoring.
Moreover, Sandoval and other local business owners who are following some of the book’s advice claim it’s helped them improve relationships with clients, increase business and streamline operations.
…
“We added up what it cost us to have weekly meetings, roughly $50,000 a year in salaries, so we combined them into twice a month. We also have an agenda, and we get more done,” Neubacher [owner of a 12-person SMB tech support firm] said. “We’re working smarter versus harder.”
DublinBlue’s Shinn has had similar success. “We’ve removed many of the normally accepted distractions that detract from productivity,” he said. “It’s not so easy to just pop your head into someone’s office for a ‘quick’ question. You start to see the true cost of those little interruptions, and you modify your approach. Our efficiency has increased, so we have been able to take on more work without adding employees.”
The Checklist and a Call to Experimentation
CEO Bernard Sandoval developed a 5-page 4HWW guide as required reading for his employees called “Being More Productive” that you can download here.
I encourage you to share it with friends and those you work with. It’s a great starter kit for a few of the concepts in the book and it’s all presented in an easy-to-digest checklist that anyone can review each morning.
One CEO added the following in an e-mail to me:
As a result, I can now pull in 35% more work and not have to add staff. Think of what that could do nationally.
Lifestyle design is a portfolio of lateral approaches for producing precise results and measuring outputs instead of hours. Experiment with implementing the principles — as temporary experiments to improve workflow — within groups and larger organizations, as that is where the most dramatic results can be seen.
###
Odds and Ends: Seeking mothers, and thanks to reader Christian Bang Marxen!
Seeking mothers for major TV and media: Are you a mother who’s used the principles in the 4HWW somehow in your life? If you’re interested in being featured on major TV programs and other media, please put a 1-3 minute video on YouTube that describes some of the changes in your life. Be sure to put “4hww mother” in the “tags” field so producers can find it! Deadline: Sept 3, but earlier is better.
Thanks to Christian Marxen: Special huge thanks to Danish reader Christian Bang Marxen for translating the above DR1 video into English subtitles. Christian, you rock! Please keep an eye on your e-mail, as I have a special gift for you.
The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.
Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That’s how we’re gonna be — cool. Critical is fine, but if you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation! (Thanks to Brian Oberkirch for the inspiration.)
I think it is great that CEOs are taking on board your excellent tips. As an employee (for the moment) I try and indirectly influence others in to ROWE and 4HWW.
Whilst I recommend 4HWW book to all my friends, colleagues are different. Having successfully negotiated more home working (prior to the book) I’m not sure I want to lend my boss a copy of 4HWW as he will figure out my plans 😉
I love the diversity of your blog Tim, one post swimming, next post productivity – magic.
Cheers,
Chris
Excellent clip Tim, very practical.
Along with my very tight knit circle of entrepreneur friends, I’ve managed to apply 4HWW principles paired with another system, DAIS (Design, Activate, Improve, Sustain) in order to create an incredible business incubation process. In the past few months I’ve managed to launch two of my own start-ups and become involved with two other start-ups. Using principles from the 4HWW my fiance and I have managed to do all of this on JUST the weekends. My fiance works for an architecture firm full time and I’m an active duty Marine so if we can do it I think anyone can.
As far as these start-ups go, the very essence of their being was derived from principles we learned in the 4HWW. Any entrepreneur knows how insane it can be to start ONE company and I personally would never have been involved with more than one, MAYBE two start-ups at one time until after reading and applying these principles. We’re actually building businesses around the 4HWW concept and implementing the principles from the beginning. So bravo to Mr. Sandoval for creating that guide and I encourage more to do the same!
Cheers!
Farrell Hudgins
Imagineer
[…] Tim Ferris | The Fortune 500 4-Hour Workweek: Multiplying Output in Groups (Plus: Downloadable Check… […]
So does this mean these corps will let those employees now work 35% shorter weeks? Ha ha just kidding I think I know the answer.
Hopefully some of the workers bees will read the book to and quit!
People should be looking at the 4HWW from different angles.
Being a nutritionist in the City of London I am constantly trying to get people to think of other facts of their life in terms of a ROWE and using principles to improve not only their working life but other facets as well, specifically health.
This sounds like putting 4HWW principles to work for evil. For an employee, greater efficiency means more work for the same pay, not fewer hours for the same pay. But you’re talking as if a company’s adding 35% more work without adding any staff is a good thing. Am I missing something? (I haven’t followed any of the links yet and I’m only halfway through the book, so maybe I am.)
Tim, thank for this nice video.
Do you think it may be worth putting case studies of all people implementing 4HWW routing in one place on the website?
Another question is would it be worth putting errata on the website? I found one misquotation in the book shall I post it as a comment on the blog?
It’s not surprise that the employee was able to delegate more and the entrepreneur felt the need to control everything despite Tim’s advice. People tend to become entrepreneurs precisely because they are control freaks!
Still, it seems like the experiment got him thinking about how he can do some things differently, so maybe it will help him over time.
At one point I think I was a bit disappointed that the book got so popular because I felt that it would make this type of lifestyle (which I had been living for some time after selling off my start-up) more competitive. It is now clear though that when something becomes a “bestseller,” people begin giving credit to ideas that would have been completely dismissed before. In certain sectors, especially amongst the young and male and tech-y as you have targeted so well, there is instant alignment to my modus whereas before there was often a bit of resistance. I’m very glad some of this is becoming formalized, but often it is formalizing a process that destroys it. Catch-22; the people who most need this will usually not benefit from it.
Great newscoverage from our national broadcasting system. Danes love the work life balance, so let me suggest it being an epidemic now…and a good one, this means we can free up time for non urgent but important stuff, and hopefully spend more time on things that truly matter…like drinking the fantastic beer from Gourmet Bryggeriet 🙂
[…] Some productivity resources (cut the crap style) from Tim […]
You know.. I’d love to apply the 15 point short version from Sandia to my daily work.. But I keep getting notification from my 4HWW RSS feed which like crack, I have to read.
Same with lifehacker
Cool coverage. . .just being able to see receptiveness to the book in other cultures is great. It’s great to see we’re not the only ones overworking ourselves out here. Thanks for the 4HWW booklet link as well, you just saved me the time of having to create one of my own for my own colleagues!
Hey, Tim, do you have any plans to hit Chicago this year? I’m sure there are a lot of folks out here who would like the chance to catch up with you in person. I’m also involved with an event that you might have some interest in attending if you’re available, should I shoot Amy an email with the details?
Good luck with the dome, Bucky Fuller taught at Southern Illinois University where I went to school. . .his original dome home is there! Sweet.
http://www.buckysdome.org/events/index.html
Tim,
I can definitely relate to the application of 4HWW within a 9-5 within an organization. While I am working on my own entrepreneurial project with the hopes of freeing myself from the 9-5 (or 8-6, or 7-7 as it used to be), I do find plenty of applications of the 4HWW in my life today.
Unfortunately, the higher ups do not see it this way. Due to the culture of our company, there is NO WAY our CEO will allow us to work from home, even given the fact that I consider the office place a huge distration. As such, I usually only have about 2 hours of work (I am an analyst at an investment banking company) to do max, and the rest of my day consists of personal blog reading, writing, and commenting. Although I enjoy blogging, I hate the sloth of sitting at my desk all day even though I make very good money to “work” very little. I feel like I am acheiving far less than my full potential. So I am working hard on entrepreneurship so I can escape the insanity of this prison (cubicle) to which I am confined.
From your book, I feel that you reached a point in your life similar to this before your muse took off. My questions (1) how did you get through this mentally and (2) do you have any ideas about productively wasting time in an office environment besides blogging and working on my soon-to-be-company?
Cool video, what struck me as interesting: Information Worker jobs seem to lend themselves more to 4HWW principles. The poor brewery guy!
also, what the heck are you building a geodesic dome for?? 🙂
Great video, Tim. I’m hoping to see similar coverage on one (or more) of America’s TV news magazines. It’ll take a lot of ammunition like that to get the set-in-their-ways dinosaurs running most organizations to truly evolve. But thanks to your tireless efforts, there’s hope!
BTW, have you read “Brain Rules” by John Medina? Fascinating info about how we function, much of which backs up your 4HWW lifestyle!
Thanks for the comments and conversation, all!
@Jen and Joe,
LOL… smart question. Knowing a bit more about the situation, what is meant is “we are able to produce 35% more output in the same time, and therefore we can take on 35% more clients without adding to headcount.” No salt mine required 🙂
@TuiBlue,
I’d start a company in all the spare time. That’s exactly what I did with all that slack and boredom. Just view it as a more interesting path for spending that extra time.
@Alexander,
I agree that a central location for video would be excellent. I’m working on it. In the meantime, tagging a video with “4hww success” on YouTube will enable media to search for you when they’re looking for case studies.
For the errata, more to come on this, but most have been covered in a recent wiki experiment. Thanks!
Back to cutting and drilling PVC for Burning Man 🙂 I’ll explain why I actually like some manual labor another time…
Pura vida,
Tim
Very useful post with actionable downloads.
One concept I find interesting is that as companies use this approach, they are discovering that they can do more work and not hire more staff.
At the same time, staff who are using this approach without the business being on board are trying to spend less time but get more done.
It seems quite possible that businesses taking on this approach will want to take on more work to fill out the 40 hours efficiently. Workers are not going to save time, unless they were putting in overtime.
Satisfaction will increase. But overtime compensation, which some workers rely on, will decrease.
Just exactly where you are in the “chain” and what your motivations are affect just who will really benefit from these processes. Workers may well not get a freer life, and they may lose overtime. I’ll bet this could be a resistance point, so the compensation will need to refigured.
These things have surely have been discussed, so I will go read the materials to see how they are addressed.
Sarah
[…] The Fortune 500 4-Hour Workweek: Multiplying Output in Groups (Plus: Downloadable Checklists): Tim Ferriss applies his lifestyle design rules to corporations. You have to love a guy who hates busywork this much. BYW Tim, your diet just has me packing on muscles instead of actually losing weight. PoeWar SMASH! […]
Tim, thank you for quick reply for the comment. If you will need a hand to help with any IT or internet project (like wiki) I would be happy to do so. Following advice in your book I started my own company – Media Den Ltd. Contrary to you book advice I started services business – because it’s what I do best. It would be interesting to design something scalable, like website capable of holding 3000 hits per minute 🙂
I want to outsource the reading of this book, is it available on iTunes so I can listen on my “wonderful” 2 hour round trip commute.
Tim- another great video. I love how your streamlining and batching can really apply to any field. The laundry is a perfect analogy! This advice has really helped me in the manufacturing of my products- all of which are customized.
I’d love to see your 4HWW concept expand into downloadable “Cliff Notes” ebook versions relating to specific fields with help from “experts” in specific fields to guide you. Much like Mark VIctor Hansen did with the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series- he tweaked it a hundred ways “CS for the Mother’s Soul” ” CS for the Nurse’s Soul” and so on….worked MARVELOUSLY for him!
You could have downloadable e-Books “4HWW tips/tricks/ideas for Moms and family management” “4HWW tips for lawyers” “4HWW for teachers” “4HWW ideas for Dentists”
Find out who wants/needs this, create these specific, actionable guides ONCE with experts who know the pitfalls and time vampires in their niche, sell the eBooks online with instant download, as in…MAKE IT ONCE- SELL IT REPEATEDLY in a neat, totally hands-off 4HWW way.
Low cost, low overhead, info-products geared towards well defined niches who are already sold on YOU and your system. Word would spread, and you could reach people who never thought your book was “for them” in the first place.
Just an idea. Thanks for all the inspiring info on the blog. You are THE BOMB!
With gratitude,
Electra
“CEO Bernard Sandoval developed a 5-page 4HWW guide as required reading for his employees called “Being More Productive” that you can download here…”
wow.. what a set of guidelines.. if I worked there I would be doing MY BEST to get the hell out of that office.. welcome to the borg..
First of all I know U don’t want to hear this…. But all the good stuff in the book doens’t work 4 all of us. If U do the right things at the right time, something might change and get better. But most people cannot see, when the right time has come to go for a change.
How can U change, when your surrounding will not let u change? It will never happen.
The good old Pessimist 🙂
Funny how they keep saying “the american”…
I agree with Joe, this sounds like putting 4HWW principles to work for evil. I’d hate to see managers grab onto this and use it as an excuse to demand more work from their employees.
I don’t want to get more work done in 8 hours, I want to get the same amount done in 1 hour 😉
My favorite blog to read. I actually learn something each time. The download is fantastic. I’m going to adapt it for my team. The video was inspiring to everyone that has a day job, I going to share it with my Mom. And I’m blogging about this wonderful blog post on my blog on Monday. – Chris
That photo essentially says it all. I could print that out and frame it above my desk…just following that short list will dramatically improve results and free up time.
Tim, now that you’ve been both an entrepreneur and a widely-read blogger, how do you think a small-businessperson should use a blog to market him or herself (and their business)?…Or should they use one at all?
What do you think is the most effective and time-efficient approach to blogging for someone trying to enhance their visibility in a particular field, an approach that will draw customers not just more readers?
Do you think blogging can really increase one’s customer base (and thus income)? Growing the customer base is the goal, not simply growing the subscriber count, for a business.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
[…] 22, 2008 · No Comments In 2007, Tim Ferriss published The 4-Hour Workweek, an immediate best-seller outlining simple ways to be more productive and the secret to how he […]
Hi All,
Thx for chiming in and sharing your thoughts!
@Danielle W.,
Agreed 100%. 4HWW is intended as a menu of options for people to choose from, then test and customize based on their circumstances. Just like almost no one would order everything on a restaurant menu, I don’t expect anyone to use all of it.
@Jesse,
Much more to come on blogging soon, the next two months. I’ll be writing a post on everything I’ve learned about blogging, top 10 tips, warnings, dangers, etc.
All the best,
Tim
Great post Tim, I love the blog and the book. I just finished the book and it’s become my new bible, very practical and inspirational!
I’d like to push a little more on the points Jen and Joe made. I read the Sandoval “Being More Productive” guide and even if he’s able to take on 35% more work in the same amount of time, where’s the incentive for employees?
It’s obviously a great deal for the employer and the employees don’t have to work MORE hours. But they don’t get to work any FEWER hours either and I doubt they all got a pay raise, so where is the incentive? Plus I suspect that implementing all those rules would result in a company culture that was no fun at all, a salt mine environment if not the hours…
I think one thing that’s missing from the “rules” (and the PDF) is stressing the point (or perhaps Sandoval doesn’t have this policy).. that once your work is done, go home!
It may come off as ‘evil’ the way the rules were written, almost like cracking the whip, but it should also balance it with getting your work done, so you can go home [possibly early] and have a life.
As a consultant, I’m often onsite at large companies (or government agencies). Altho many of the social messaging services and websites are blocked, I often see workers surfing and ‘putting their time in’ until 5pm. If more companies adopted the ROWE attitude, then people would be incentivized to get their work done and go home.
Unfortunately, the prevailing attitude is, since I have to work/check email at home, I should have the right to check sports scores and shop online at work.
For Outlook 2007 w/ Exchange users out there, Office Labs just released an add-in – Email Prioritizer – that includes a Do Not Disturb feature that lets you suppresses incoming mail for a set time (10 minutes to 4 hours) or until your current meeting ends. Schedule some time for yourself, set DND and Outlook will take care of the rest.
It’s technically a prototype, so YMMV, but it might be worth a look if closing Outlook altogether isn’t an option: http://www.officelabs.com/projects/emailprioritizer/
Tim,
I’m very interested in more 4HWW case studies, specifically service based businesses. Having just heard the audio book only two months ago (during my commutes to the club…sorry about admitted bi-tasking)…I implemented several tips within minutes.
For example, I’m a golf instructor/sports fitness/instructor, and I used to allow my clients and players to schedule within their time. Now I’ve begun to batch clients one after the other–essentially on my time. Since I’m providing a service, it’s more efficient for me to schedule 4 players on Friday, 4 players on Saturday, rather than having them scattered throughout the week. This provides me more time to work on the business during specific times of the week.
Big fan and thank you for all that you do,
RC
great post Tim.
Thanks for posting (and to Sandoval for sharing) the PDF. Love the image of the UX process whiteboard as well.
Common sense can be such genius. Simple {applied} solutions are delicious.
Enjoy Burning Man…hope you’ll post an image or two from your experience.
Tim – is there a deadline for the “4hww mother” ? Forgive me, I don’t think I can get my sh*t together until Monday 🙂 😛
@Marcie,
No problem. Sept 1st is the deadline, but sooner is much better. Mid next week is great.
All the best,
Tim
Just a quick note–completely off-topic here, but the link to your home you just posted on Twitter just goes to the basic empty MLS search, with no way to find your property. As a realtor I know this is a major deal, especially with all the hits you get! BTW–I also alerted you to an issue with your supplement site a while back–my dad was the one who benched 550 drug-free, featured on the cover of Powerlifting USA. Just thought I’d let you know he’s broken his own world record and is now the first 65 year old to have ever benched 573 in competition–he’s still “the man” and will likely go for 600 by the end of the year or beginning of next! Have a great weekend -J
[…] more clarity on the results that are expected for each task, deliverable. Work smarter – not harder!read more | digg […]
While I’m all for personal productivity.. it seems like a lot of the businesses pushing it simply want to extract more work from people without rewarding them. To me, this is kind of opposite of Tim’s theme of *less* work and more play.
ie: instead of 4-hour work week, it’s 40-hour work week, with doubled productivity. Great for the business owner. But the worker is still tied to the office.
Hi Tim,
a little bit off topic.
I would like to make a german blog, its called “1000 Euro am Tag” where i present my experiences with your Book, especially the Muse, testing part and liberation.
The purpose of my blog is to discuss with other german Musemaker and of course i will promote my Musewebsite also.
Naturally i promote your great book, too. I would like to use the palms and beach scenery from your bookcover for my Header-image with your permission?
thank you in advance 😉
ciao Marco
“Much more to come on blogging soon, the next two months. I’ll be writing a post on everything I’ve learned about blogging, top 10 tips, warnings, dangers, etc.”
Really looking forward to it, Tim.
Should be interesting.
Great post, Tim.
How do you deal with sub-cultures that are particularly disrespectful of your time, assuming that you’ve committed to staying in them for a long time period?
For example, how might you deal with an environment like medical school, which seems hell-bent on wasting as much of individuals’ time as possible?
I’d be grateful for any insights.
Jordan
Tim, you’re link on Twitter doesn’t go to your house. I suggest you fix that.
For those that think there’s nothing “in it” for the workers, consider this basic premise: “An honest days pay for an honest days work.” Personal emails, web browsing, and cell calls during work are putting companies at risk. It could be your job at risk if the company is not healthy. Companies are not getting rich because you happen to put in an honest days work—we’re just getting back to what was expected when personal emails, cell phones, and web browsing were not robbing us of our time.
Our professionals are thankful that they can actually do good work without constant interruption.
Bernard Sandoval
President
Sandia Inc.
Im speechless.
Mini-retirements…
Something i have cultivated in my life according to the 9-5, 2 week vacation regime and have declared imperative in the survival of the fittest world we live in…but to make it so accessible for everyone, brilliant.
what does it take to be a breakdancer in taiwan? do they do the worm or any other moves americans would know or is it an obscure form of breakdancing?
What is one word that most accurately describes chinese television? How are emotions expressed differently, if they are? i would think it would be easier to act in Hong Kong based on the culture – is this true?
Thank you for the inspiration and the wonderful tool box you provided in 4HWW.
Ciao,
CV
Hey Tim,
The article was a very good balance. I know there is always a ‘halo glow ‘effect upon the ‘guru’ of a movement / company. This article showed me a bit of a glimpse behind the ‘halo’ to know just how much you really put into your life / business (4HWW). Makes you more human and makes me not feel more happy with my success so far as I don’t have the same obsessive drive you seem to poses (if that part of the article was a fair representation of you).
Though it does make me think I am a bit slothful and cleared up some misconceptions about working and time. So far I work about 2-3 hours a day, pay my bills fine. But realize I need to work on lifestyle as watching movies, working out and playing with toys is boring to me. It is making me question what I do with my free time and what I want my lifestyle to be. So re looking at the exercises. As for the second half of the book on new business ventures, I am starting to delve into that as I work for myself, so I am free to pursue.
Take care and have a better than good day.
I guess the real point of the case study was that Mr. Sandoval’s company was able to extract 35% more productivity out of a work day. It just makes the point that a lot of waste exists. I think what people are reacting to (myself included) is that it would have been more consistent with the premise of the book if the employees were then able to work 35% fewer hours as a result.
Reply to Bruce from Scandia:
Well, that may be the case for a “normal” 8-5 worker, over the years my job has transformed into one that’s continually encroaching on my “personal time”, outside the normal working hours, due to expanded off-hours work, travel, etc. And it’s not due to my personal productivity, rather the demands of the management. You, in a technology field, should most particularly realize that. And since there really aren’t many tech jobs available (at least ones that hire Americans) my short-term option is to hold on and hope for the best.
I don’t want to argue with you Bruce.. but I’m sure glad I don’t work for your company. It seems like it would be a great step backwards in my personal empowerment.
Cheers.
ps: I LOVE the whiteboard at that SV company. *THAT* is the kind of place I’d love to work for. Focused on the whole picture..
Unrelated to this specific post, Tim, but I was wondering about how useful the feedback you usually get is. I’ve hesitated to mention this but I figured now was as good a time as any.
I see a good number of posts here that say, “nice video” and “great post” and all the rest. It’s a common theme among many of your blog pages, and rightfully so.
But while positive feedback is good to have – if nothing else, it shows you what resonates with your readership and helps stroke the ego – I’m wondering how useful it actually is.
There’s an acquaintance of mine who’s a professional musician, and he grows very weary of fans and hangers-on saying things like, “Wow! Great show! You’re the best!” and so forth. He says that, while it’s nice to hear such accolades, he’d much rather hear feedback like, “You skipped a beat on ,” or, “Next time, try a different phrasing during the middle 8 of .” That, he says, is how he can make improvements in his performance.
(Note: I’ve use the term to maintain my friend’s privacy, which is something he guards closely, and I respect his wishes to keep his name private.)
I imagine that I don’t have to spell out the parallel between he and you.
I’m sure you’re aware, Tim, that you’ve been very successful at cultivating a status approaching ‘guru,’ rightfully so again, and my hat’s off to you for that. But with that, don’t you run the risk of missing out on constructive feedback?
Just curious to what your thoughts were.
Re above… the page deleted a short phrase so the forth paragraph about my musician friend might not make much sense.
It’s meant to say, “You skipped a beat on [song title],” or, “Next time, try a different phrasing during the middle 8 of [song title]” and “I’ve use the term [song title] to maintain my friend’s privacy…”
(Note to self: Next time, don’t use the greater than/less than symbols as brackets in a blog page.)
I’ve read the 4HWW and this page about Sandoval’s company.
Worker productivity has increased dramatically in the past 20 years, and yet the profits resulting from doing more in less time are not passed on to the worker. CEOs get $12M a year in salaries while their workers are paid $12 an hour. People earn less in todays dollars than they did 20 years ago.
I was impressed that company-level productivity improved enough that the company could “do 35% more work and not have to add staff.”
The questions I have are:
Is he still requiring 40 hour work-weeks, or do his employees work 4 hours a week?
Has he given his employees a 35% increase in pay or provided some other form of compensation for the increased productivity?
On a Fortune 500 level–What incentives are there for employees to work all-out productive 40 hours a day, 50 weeks a year, when the profits from their productivity go to provide outrageous compensation to just a few members of the company?
Hi All,
@All,
Before crucifying Sandoval and moving towards a Marxist-like theory of capitalism, consider this: workers are never paid what they’re worth.
If someone produces $30 in sales per hour and you pay them $30 (what they’re “worth” to the company), then you cancel out the value they add. Employees of any type are always paid less than what they provide to the company. The economics can’t function otherwise, and capitalism would collapse.
If you are paying someone for their time, and you teach them — or manage them — to be more effective in that time, then you don’t necessarily need to pay them more. For the cost-containing CEO, if employees want to paid per hour and not based on output, it is smart and strategic to increase output as much as possible for the same per-hour/per-year price.
Now, if the employees (like those at Best Buy using ROWE) can propose a results-based evaluation system that 1) increases results and output, and 2) results in a less expensive employee even with higher salary-per-hour (due to less voluntary turnover, etc.), then all the better. I’m 100% for it, as you would imagine.
Most employees won’t take the initiative or do the planning required.
As such, they are entitled to nothing more than a normal salary. If the CEO or manager develops a plan for increasing output, employees are not entitled to demand an increase in pay, IMHO. They didn’t add value — they are following instructions. The person who adds measurable value to the system should be rewarded.
That, in my mind, is fair.
@Marvin,
This is a great point. To be honest, I have never wanted to be a ‘guru’ because some percentage of readers will then look to you for answers rather than doing the thinking and testing for themselves. The latter is my goal.
The comments are provided for exactly that: comments. I get some positive, which is nice, but there are also quite a few criticisms and suggestions in most. If you look at this post (see above note to all) or any of the “most popular”, you will see this. For true ego-readjusting reality checks, I also rely on my close friends.
All the best 🙂
Tim
Hiring specialist technical freelancers.
Tim,
How do you go about hiring specialist technical freelancers? Hiring webmonkeys, editors, assistances etc is easy. But what about
things that require more advanced skills like
mathematics analysis, (basic) medical research,
architectural work, etc.
elance and friends doesn’t seem to be much of a help. I’m still looking, but not finding much.
I think too many of you are getting worked up about the “company” working people to death and keeping the profits. All I’m trying to do is eliminate the time wasted due to personal surfing, email, cell calls, and other interruptions. Every time you take that time from a company you might as well walk out the back door with physical items such as computers, supplies, etc. The 35% we are getting back is time that we lost when workers choose to waste time at work. Wasted time=wasted revenue=less profit for everyone.
I’m in the service business. If we make our clients successful then we’re successful. You can’t do that unless you are committed to putting in the time needed. For example, how would you like your lawyer to spend the least amount of time on your case because he/she is too busy shopping, surfing, sending YouTube videos and generally goofing off. Would you pay your attorney the full $250 @$250/hr if only half an hour is worked and he/she infilled with half an hour of personal time-wasting?
My guess is you won’t get it unless you have a company some day and your workers are wasting 25-40% every single day because they feel they are entitled to conduct personal tasks at work.
You should adapt the tips from 4HWW to your career or business that best fits your situation and benefit from either more time off, more productivity, or making yourself the best employee in the company.
– Bernard Sandoval
I hope lots of Danes can learn from the 4HWW approach. I’m living in Copenhagen for a semester of study, and I can tell already that much inefficiency exists here. The Copenhagen Business School, where I’m studying, definitely has some organizational problems, because I and the other American students with me have one hell of a hard time getting useful information (like an accurate class schedule) out of them.
Another example: last week I worked on a case study of Vestas, Denmark’s big-time wind turbine manufacturer. A few things about the company struck me as troubling:
A) A lot of their US business (and probably elsewhere too) is very dependent on continued tax breaks for wind energy
B) They have a backlog of about 15 months right now–they aren’t coming close to meeting their orders on time
C) They are very hiring-centric; that is, they are focused on hiring more and more employees, seemingly without concern for whether more workers will help
D) They continue to face quality issues with their turbines
Many people look at Vestas as the wave of the future in energy production, but I see it as a ticking time-bomb of a company. Most of their present success is thanks to government aid, not actual productive capacity. I think they might stand to learn a lot from 4HWW practices. Simply tossing more workers into the mix won’t necessarily solve anything; they’re magnifying the existing inefficiency. I’m not at all against the idea of wind energy, but any company to provide it should have the capacity to do so without my tax dollars propping it up.
@Tim;
Thanks. Despite the fact that you never aspired to attain guru status, it seems that, like it or not, you’ve earned that mantle. Good thing, too, because world of self-styled business leaders is bloated with enough writers saying pretty much the same thing. Your pick-and-choose approach is a refreshing change from the standard “my way or the wrong way” ethos that’s so common on the business book shelves.
@Bernard;
I sense your frustration, and there was a time that I shared it. But to draw a parallel between brain-breaks during time at work and stealing an office computer, for instance, is disingenuous.
What you’re describing is a classic failure of leadership, a 1950’s management style reaction in a 21st century paradigm. (It’s very common, by the way.)
Employees are not plug-and-play pieces of equipment. They require, and work better with, inspiration and guidance and genuine buy-in to the vision that the leader provides.
So before a boss starts blaming others for wasted time at work, it might be worth the effort to determine why his/her leadership style isn’t working. Time wasted at work is the symptom, not the disease.
Tim, I’ve read your book and undertand how the basic productivity tips eliminate busy-work. As a CEO of a small-mid size firm, I was intrigued with the condensed tips that were posted. However, I do agree with most of the comments here, the benefit is truly for the CEO. We tread a fine line preaching to employees about being productive, about how we’re doing more work in less time, under the assumption that the revenues are increasing at steady clip. From the worker’s perspective, If they are helping us make this happen, they will be expecting 35% more salary. It’s a natural compensation assumption. However, being a CEO myself, I know that is unrealistic. The company must retain its fair share of profit to remain healthy. I would be interested in what some of the other CEO’s employees have to say about the strict guidelines. I’ve owned my business for more than 20 years and I can’t remember the last time I worked less than 40 hours per week. I’ve never had employee retention issues. I am considering implementing some of the tips, but I’m concerned about the employee burn rate. I would hate to lose good people based on such a drastic change.
@ Marvin/Bernard
I agree with Marvin. An employee walking out the door with a piece of equipment is much different than if he were to take a 5-10 minute break between tasks for a refresh and regroup. The only correlation between the two is poor management. The more you tell people what they “can’t” do at work or otherwise; the more they want to do it. It’s human nature. Although I would not want to work at a company such as the one Sandoval describes, I am sure there are benefits to the rules of engagement. The money must be rewarding, especially if you’re required to be confined to your work station for 8 hours a day AND still be 30% more productive. More power to the companies and CEO’s who see a return on this style. Tim, have you considered writing a book on employee burn out? Having been in marketing and human resources for a number of years, I think many of your principles would translate well to the worker’s perspective.
Tim,
I would like to share a thought about another area of application of your book and I haven’t seen someone mentioning it – academic or applied research.
When I was reading your book, the idea of dream-lining looked very familiar to me. Then I realise that it is what actually happened when you do research! Quite often, researcher have a vague idea about what he would like to do, he possibly can picture it well enough in order to write grant proposal, and then split it into several initial steps. That’s dreamlining isn’t it? Sometimes things go wrong and he will arrive to the conclusion that there is no answer to the problem, but this is an answer itself.
I was lucky enough to work with very inspiring people and I think we are not far from NR, we just need a push. I found a lot of academics or researchers like what they are doing – for example, today half of the lab was full and it is Bank Holiday. We travel to the conferences: you choose where you would like to go and then make an effort to get to the conference. We just need some additional steps in order to optimize our time and money. Being educated as an expert in automatic systems I should be able to figure out, how to automate income and you book was mind blowing message for me.
I would like to organize a visiting lecture for you, but I can’t see it happening on our campus (we are a bit strange and not a place where you can just walk in, so I will have to think about it, the idea just came to my mind). When you will be in England next time, would you be interesting to give a lecture on productivity to academics and researchers?
@ Steven.
IMHO, for hiring high qualifying people you should find someone like me or my college mates. We were specifically trained as IT directors or automatic system designers, although I haven’t put my skills in practice until I read 4HWW book. And the reason why I made my own company as service, because I became really irritated with low quality service, provided with high premium from modern IT companies.
In brief, I think a way to go if you have a project which requires a high skilled labor, find a mediator (a man who knows the answer as in 4HWW), a person whom you can trust and speaks a proper language for technical geeks as well. Then let him sort things out for you. As example, few years ago we were doing an IT project, connecting two buildings and their phone systems. Average quote for the package was about £10000. Possibly we were lucky, but we managed to split package into several steps with a different companies and completed it in about 6000.
If we weren’t aware of the separate costs, possible suppliers and screw ups, I would have gone for the package and pay 10000. That’s what I usually do with my house and I feel quite bad – recent repair suddenly grew from 5000 to 10000 and I don’t know how it happened. As you can imagine I am good at IT but absolutely useless in housing related matters.
@Tim,
When you were working on your book did you use 4 hour work week? How did you organized your time? Would you mind sharing some thoughts about book writing process?
I just wanted to say – “off the grid” – what a wonderful term. That simplifes it all down to three words 🙂 We all need to spend more time off the grid! Enjoy!
[…] blog di Evolving Excellence un articolo che riprende un articolo di blog di Tim Ferriss “The Four Hour Workweek” e dove sono riportati alcuni dei passaggi fondamentali nella […]
A little off-topic but I just got his from Amazon.co.uk
Greetings from Amazon.co.uk,
We’ve noticed that customers who have purchased or rated The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss have also purchased How to Pass the Police Recruitment Tests (How to) (How to) by Kenneth D. Ricketts. For this reason, you might like to know that How to Pass the Police Recruitment Tests (How to) (How to) will be released on 29 August 2008. You can pre-order yours for just £6.59 (40% off the RRP) by following the link below.
Hey Tim, I’ll look forward to seeing you in the UK next month.
Wyt tin mynd i ddysgu ychydig o gymraeg? (Are you going to learn a little Welsh?) Interesting language.
@Fanelli;
I appreciate the feedback and I’m happy this topic is spurring conversation and questions.
Here’s a few benefits our employees enjoy from our “Being more productive” system:
1. Out the door close to 5:00 p.m. In the past we were all here till 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
2. Low stress levels. No more frantic deadlines. We can deal with emergencies better on rare occasions.
3. No weekend work.
4. More time for real collaboration.
5. Time for strategic thinking.
6. One of our professionals signed up for a college class.
7. Occasional marg parties at 4:00 p.m.
8. We do actually interact during work periods. We just don’t waste much time.
Hope this helps.
I am not sure where to post this to get a response, so if there is a moderator or someone on TIm’s staff that know’s please let me know.
I am moving forward with creating my own niche sports supplement. I need recommendations on formulators, manufactures and fufilment companies. I know exactly what i need the product to do, now I need help with formulation and getting it manufactured.
I thought Tim would have some excellent recommendations, as he has his own supplement company and is involved in sports and sports nutrition.
Thank you in advance for your help!
Hey Tim Me llemo yoli:)
Thank you for your book
.I am now studying at shanghai Institute of Physical Education majoring in sports news and shall graduate this year.
I have one dream That is.I’m hoping to travel around the world.But i was disappointed to find if i work as a report,it’s seems hard to make my dream come true in the best time of my life.I am rather disappointed.
I crazy about reading,eating and smilng,hope to do what I like.Could you give some suggestion about my career life?Is there any new one I can do in your fashionable and rich mind ?I will be deeply appreciate .
[…] a special for Danish television (embedded in this post), Tim Ferriss consulted with a pair of entrepreneurs and an employee to reduce their workweek. Most […]
@ Glenn – hey – hop on over to the reader message board and we’ll try to help! Go to Reader-Only Resources in the Resources section of http://fourhourworkweek.com and log in!
I’m very excited to read the 4 hour work week, as I too have just begun a journey that will incorporate more time for me to enjoy me and the world and less time in an office. I think your book will be an great instructional guide for me.
Once I’ve read it, I’ll definitely keep you posted on my attempts to accoplish a 4 hour work week.
Regards,
Deanna
Hey Tim, es ist Wahnsinn, es kommt mir vor, als wärst du mein seelenverwandter 🙂 ich hab instinktiv vor einiger zeit angefangen, mich zu befreien und es klappt, ich arbeite von jedem ort der welt aus 🙂 dann ist mir dein buch in die hände gefallen und endlich weiß ich, dass ich nicht die einzige verrückte bin 🙂 respekt tim! liebe grüße aus österreich.. jasmin
Hey Tim –
Obviously, great book. I’m inspired. Seriously. Once I graduate law school in a year, I’ll have to figure out some way to make this work in that field, or do something else entirely (I’m thinking I might go with the latter – law really isn’t that much fun).
My question is – do you have any other information regarding “how to learn any language in 3 months” in addition to that one article, and 3 related articles on your website? It seems like more of a general overview than the guide I had anticipated, and seems a bit more incomplete than your book and website made it seem it would be.
Otherwise, great stuff! keep it up.
Trying to pull together a video for you from the mom’s perspective that would ideally help other moms trying to do-it-all! This post says 3rd and 1st for deadline though – and tomorrow is a holiday.
There are MANY ways moms could apply your ideas.
@Liebe Jasmin,
You’re not the only crazy one out there! Thank you for the kind words und Viel Spass! Remember: alles mit Mass und Ziel…
@Pete/
For sure. Search “How to Learn Any Language” on this blog. It’s probably in the “most popular” somewhere as well. More to come soon on languages…
All the best,
Tim
I think you’ll be in the UK, Tim, but for those of us in the Bay Area who didn’t attend Burning Man, the Asian Art Museum offers us this:
“Still dusty from its annual trek to Burning Man, Tealchemy’s Tea Temple will be erected inside the Asian Art Museum for MATCHA. Everyone can sip earthy tea inside this mammoth atmospheric, communal space, which celebrates the centuries-old nomadic trade and travel of the Silk Routes. Elsewhere in the museum, taste teas from India, Persia, and Tibet (courtesy Samovar) or those along China’s Tea and Horse Roads (courtesy Teance).”
http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/1048695/
Hello Tim.
Congratulations on your book and thank you for the titles you recommend at the end of your excellent work. I would like also to give you a recommedation to you and to other people who enjoy your book: “Viaje al éxito”, Luis María Cano (Editorial Sirio). The book is in Spanish, but I am sure that is not a problem for you. It is an incredible powerful story full of surprises and useful principles. When you read it, you will enjoy your 4 hour working week even more.
I own a hard copy of your book. it gives this website for downloading forms and calculators but no where on the site is it shown as a link. where is it?
Please help!
thanks, love the book so far!
Lisa
Hi Tim!
I’ve been spreading the word for you over on xanga.com, and I found someone I think you’d be interested in. She lost her job a year ago and took the opportunity to travel the world. She uses several of your techniques, such as traveling to many places on 1 trip to save $, living for experiences instead of material accumulations, and she’s a fast learner. I hope you enjoy her blog, I think shes worthy of an interview or profile of how she did it.
Her entry on going a year w/o a job, traveling the world:
http://weblog.xanga.com/girl_smileyy/672881539/when-one-door-closes-.html
Her blog homepage:
http://weblog.xanga.com/girl_smileyy
Have a great day, hope your 3day/Burning Man was memorable!
Jeffrey
Tim, I’m using this post to ask you a question about a cool Fonzie idea I’m having. I’m corporate refugee who is learning, through you, how to break the 9-5 mindset. I’m most motivated by Chapter 5 and at that point.
IDEA: I want to start a virtual book clubl and facilitate people’s implementation and action by helping them shift their mindset and overcome or re-write obstacles.
I’m a business coach and using your concepts, just today, to inspire a client who is dragging her feet in a long-term job search to set some unrealitic goals, strive for a 2-hour work day and achieve a new job in the next 27 days.
Any thoughts, reactions, or guidelines or requests at your end for me to act on this idea? I would love to share your inspiration combined with my great ability to help people shift perspectives, create accountability and firmly love them into action!
Thanks for leading, teaching and inspiring me and the world.
I’m just trying to keep up, Ferriss … just trying to keep up. ;]
You’re the man. Now go buy my book. ;]
That’s a great video. Really awesome to see what the Danes think of your techniques.
I have to say though, that Sandoval guy’s PDF is a bit scary. If he’s going to micromanage people’s work styles so insistently, he should at least make a few concessions for his employees, like a shorter work day.
Hi Tim,
I was glad to read your statement that, “there is a misconception that lifestyle design is just for entrepreneurs or CEOs.” I’m a TEACHER and working part-time – 60% – by choice. I’m enjoying the adventure of working less and living creatively. I have reduced my hours of actual classroom teaching but still spend a lot of time on tasks outside of class. — I’m going to try some of your tips, like checking email only at certain points during the day…but would welcome any other tips suited to teachers.
Cheers, Kat
@Lisa,
See “resources” on this blog for the tools you’re looking for. Good luck!
@Jeffrey,
Thanks much! I’ll check her out.
@All,
Thanks for the great comments and conversation!
Best from London,
Tim
I am a full time student taking applications for a business mentor. I plan to put the principals of 4DWW into effect. My goal… $50,000 to pay for cutting edge medical treatment insurance will not cover for my Mom. So the stakes are high and I am motivated to jump thru hoops. Post back to me with suggestions, comments, and applications.
Thanks so much,
Maraat – integrativedra@gmail.com
A 4DWW Success Story in Progress
Self-help gurus and the like may be very good at making a living for themselves, but are almost always far less successful at helping others help themselves. I have seen a plethora of them come and go without society changing appreciably. What will the Indian who was hired as a virtual assistant do? Outsource his/her “boring” work to someone else? If everyone in the world outsources his/her work, then who is going to do all the work? Monkeys?
Your Dreamline shows $5 per hour for an assistant! Try a reality check in Australia – I’m taxed 60%, Mortgage more than an average salary (thats everyone, not just me) and you can’t hire someone for less than $20-30 per hour and you gotta pay pension and insurance for them. And a Croation holiday for 800 bucks! Try a minimum of 6 grand from here. Your ideas sound great for a single guy with no ties or debts. Try a one income person supporting two families and obeying tax and employment law…sheesh! And I’m one of the lucky ones, many families are far worse than me. Your ‘Dream’ income wouldn’t support you in lower middle class in Australia
Tim & all:
Back in the mid ’90’s I worked for a Fortune 500, fast paced company, MCI. Fortunately for me, I also worked for a boss who possessed a similar philosophy to yours: “I don’t care what you do everyday” he’d say. “You can play golf, own a company, or whatever. I want you to think of your job as your own business and act accordingly. In the end, I only care about the results. The most important thing: have fun and enjoy your job. Live a balanced life”. With this philosophy and a knack for hiring people with an entrepreneurial spirit, he took his branch in Salt Lake City from the bottom to the top in one year, and was the first branch manager to stay up there for multiple years.
For me personally, my monthly income quadrupled in 18 months. Funny thing was, I was spending less time at work than I had at any previous job. To me, this was astounding. As I tried to analyze this, I came to the conclusion that much of my success came from the unleashing of my imagination and creativity. Because of this I simply out maneuvered the competition. I credit the philosophy of a forward thinking manager and the work structure I’ve described for that ability and the resounding success it brought, all in a time-frame of 8-10 hours per week.
Thanks for writing this book and espousing a more balanced life. You’ve fine tuned and expanded greatly the methods and philosophy I experienced, almost accidentally, 20 years ago, and have made it available to the general population. In the end, I believe it will be a great blessing to many individuals and families who have the chance to spend more time together on the most important things in life.
All the best!
Randy Steadman
@Randy,
Thanks so much for your comment and kind words. What a great background example! The quote alone is worth copy and pasting into a text file for anyone who sees self-employment or managing people in their future.
All the best from Wales 🙂
Tim
Hey Tim,
You book has really inspired me. I have been out of the country 4 different times this year, as well as traveling all over the US. I have also started working smarter not harder. I have top in sales territory for my company and have been promoted to a Regional Management position.
I would like to know about this “How I beat the Ivy League” tape that you made in College. I would definetly buy it.
Have fun in the UK. If you have not been to Gilgamesh Restaurant and Bar in Camden, you should check it out.
My sister is in Germany right now and I am headed to Paris on Saturday. If you happen to go that direction, let me know.
Tengo 57 años y he leido el libro La semana laboral de 4 horas. Me he quedado muy sorprendido de las verdades que dice y quiero ahora resumirlo para sacar las cosas mas importantes y pasos que puedo hacer para empezar. En la fabrica donde llevo 38 años travajando nos obligan ahora a estudiar Ingles y aunque he visto la dirección en el libro de conseguir aprender Ingles en 6 meses no logro meterme. Con toda seguridad el problema soy yo, ya que mis conocimientos de informatica son muy limitados, pues lo poco que se lo he aprendido viendo a otras personas. Me gustaria estar en Vanguardia en todo lo relacionado con Timothy Ferriss y aprender de el para conseguir mis sueños. Aunque lo he intentado con el ordenador he tenido obstaculos por el idioma.Saludos, javier Menéndez Farres.
Hey Tim,
Cool book. An enjoyable read, with cool ideas and suggestions.
Glad to see your forward thinking in this new era!
Thanks tim. Great and very instructive book. another way to change our life. I shall follow your example.
Great video. I really enjoyed that. Too bad the brewery owner didn’t see the value in your advice. Great work Tim. Very inspiring.
Tim , a blog idea?
The Danish clip is great because it shows lifestyle design in action- for real people in real companies. Also, as you say that its not just for CEOs and Entrepeneurs – but for 60-80 hour employees too. But theres another big trap out there – the home office. Id like to read a blog on how to structure work/life at home – the 4 hour home office perhaps… Heres why –
Im just back from Berlin, where my girlfriend lives, to my home in Sydney. By the way I ran into a female boxing instructor in Prenzlauer Berg, who you spoke German with – she says your German was amazing. (I found it amazingly difficult).
3 months in Germany was a ‘mini retirement’ for me i guess – before I left I laboured over whether to laptop or not – but I decided to leave it in oz. That was tough at first – as I write – i sent you a book a few months back via your p.a.
Lap top free was definately the way to go. I just wrote notes. I got down to twice (ok 3 times) a week in the net cafe. But now Im back in oz moving into a dream flat this week on the cliff at manly beach – and now I have to get some work done. But after 3 months being free of technology and clutter, I dont want to “infect” the cruisy surf pad with too much technology, paperwork and things that go beep in the night. Id rather hear the ocean. Its harder to keep the separation- physically and mentally- in the home office. But a lot of people are trying – like me – and they need some guidelines. Im working on an internet product – a home boxing workout – which is going to take a couple months of solid work atleast – and Im considering whether I should do it all under the one roof.
Id love to see a blog and some ruthless Tim Ferris principles on how to integrate the work and life in a home office – and some thoughts whether it is a good idea at all, and some low cost, low stress alternatives. Thanks for the kind words via Amy – If you are in Sydney for (our) summer the offer of some mitt work on the beach still stands ! Unfortunately I missed your launch here in May – but the 4HWW word is getting around – Australians need it !
I think the key to truly creating effective efficient teams is by de-centralizing management. If one person is in control of progress, they will inevitably “clog” the system. Team members need to work closely together to solve and manage issues. These teams will then present their results to a manager that can integrate them into the bigger picture or long-term result.
I am working to adopt this methodology into my management practices every day. I have also developed a 100% online web application that is built around team management. [no comment spam, please]
We have just opened up the app to public beta users. It is completely free to sign up. All I ask is that you let me know how effective it is in helping you re-define the way you work with people worldwide.
Tim:
Can you pass along examples of people who you feel are “independent” validations” of the 4 hour work week?
I would like to try to become more familiar with a set of “case studies” or examples/validations of other people who have successfully implemented your suggestions for how to build web-based businesses a/c to 4hWW approach.
Thanks,
Mark S.
Principle number one: refine rules and processes before adding people. Using people to leverage a refined process multiplies production; using people as a solution to a poor process multiplies problems.
This hits home with me. When I hire an assistent I don’t even know what their full responsibilities are. I just hope for the best and hope that they know what I am thinking and what I expect them to do. “that’s why I hired them right?” to know exactly what I want. Well, it has caused me mulitple problems and wasted money. Delegation is good as long as it is productive and not because you are lazy and the production costs you more than you are paying.
thanks again.
Tim, I’ve got to thank you!
After graduating university with a business degree and getting a job as an accountant, I figured that was it, but your book has taken the blinders off my eyes!
I took a trip to S.E. Asia and that’s where I got the idea for my online business. Traveling opened my eyes and allowed me to clear my head. Like you discussed; there is way too much fun to be had in life to waste my time sitting in an office cubicle!
Consequently, I’ve been trying to get out by using my online business to support me, but I can’t seem to generate enough traffic to the site for sales. I was hoping for a little inspiration or advice from those who have made it happen.
Thanks!
Paul