Why does 4 Hour Workweek get no love around here

[MJ DeMarco]

I didn't know that RDPD wasn't appreciated here.

RDPD, the book, is appreciated here.

But the author lost all credibility when years ago he insulted pretty much anyone associated with the internet. Now all those people who he insulted are worth 10X, 100X or more than he is. Today he finally climbed aboard the internet bandwagon, about 12 years late. LOL.

Follow that up with his bullshit seminars that asked people to raise their credit card limits and then run to the back of the room and pay $10K now!

Should have been cleared. Sorry. Of the book.

I read a few chapters and stopped reading it. My take (based on what I read and heard on the web) is it encourages money-chasing and bro-marketing for the sake of a "lifestyle business". The two books both have the same end goals -- FREEDOM -- but one seems to be selfishly centered on what YOU want, and not on what the market wants. I want my readers to build something sustainable and life changing -- not something that gets you 6 months of "freedom" at a $10/day hostel in Thailand.

Why does 4 Hour Workweek get no love around here

I've been here 10+ years. Not sure how you come to the conclusion that 4HWW DOES NOT get love around here, it does. Many Fastlaners have read it, and probably most of them enjoyed it. There are a lot of OLDER threads on it, like SUPER-OLD back when this forum started in 2007.

 

[Rawseed]

I love Tim Ferriss. I've read the all five books. I listen to the podcast.

But, a Productocracy trumps a Muse.

All Productocracies are Muses, but not all Muses are Productocracies.

4HWW seems to attract a lot of Infopreneurs selling hope and abusing persuasion techniques. TMF is actually focused on providing and presenting true value.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Actually going back now and reading my post, I do see how it can be interpreted as a little crass. But it wasn’t meant that way, especially considering this was the review I just left on the Amazon page two days ago.

Thank you for the review. Just a little tip: If you compliment someone, it's best not to include a passive aggressive DIG with the compliment... it invalidates the compliment.

Just a little analogy ...

"Wow, Maria you look awesome! That dress really makes you look fit!"

Translation: Maria is a fat pig.

Anyhow, I appreciate the "feedback" and I've heard much of it -- "too verbose, a 400 page rant, etc. etc." -- some of it is valid, some of it isn't. I can afford to write a 400 page rant and not have anyone like it. That's the point of being Unscripted .

My goal isn't to write best-sellers, it's to become the best author I can, help the most, and just maybe, the best-seller title will happen by focusing on the process versus the title.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Maybe even cowritten with a professional author.

Yea, because I'm not a professional author, just some bloke in his underwear.

Likewise, your posts would be much, much better if they didn't have an avatar attached to it that looked like a serial killer lurking in an alley.

 

[lowtek]

I generally wonder this as well, though I think it has to do more with the title than anything else. It would seem to imply you can build an empire in just 4 hours a week.

Certainly, the book doesn't state that or imply it. The whole point was to apply the paretto principle and automate/delegate repetitive low value tasks. This can only be done after the grind has revealed what works and what doesn't.

They also deal with different types of businesses. T4HWW seems to focus on the lifestyle business, the thousandaire fastlane as some others have said. Obviously, TMF is focused on a different set of problems.

 

[Vigilante]

I like it and have read it twice over the years.

 

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[Fox]

I literally gonna stop posting on this board because there’s always some dumb sh*t or people trying to start arguments with me.

Cause your tone is quite condescending and argumentative.

Instead of “what’s your thoughts on the four hour work week?” you have “why does the four hour work week get no love around here”. You are setting a tone of conflict by framing it that way.

Another example - you suggest MJ change the name of BOTH his best selling, self published, books cause you have a friend who is a “super serious businessman” and it might take an extra few seconds to explain they are worth reading. Do you see why that might have people (on the forum popular from those books) arguing with you?

People are arguing cause that’s the exact reaction your threads and posts look like they are asking for. I’d reflect a little on the way you post if you want something else to happen.

 

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[Rawseed]

There have been many successful muses created from people who have read 4HWW.

There's a whole book about them:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y4V1L9D/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

But, there are likely many more failures. It's probably because 4HWW addresses the NTS of CENTS, but neglects the CE.

 

[Vigilante]

I think that writing can be difficult. People spend their whole lives perfecting the craft. For instance Malcolm Gladwell. He really doesn’t create the story, he presents it in an interesting way.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0RDJ9tYw6A

Malcolm Gladwell wrote David and Goliath. I threw it in the garbage after two chapters. Perhaps he could have used your recommendation for a title change to "Landfill."

Which books do you have that are NYT best sellers? Humble me as to your credentials to tell a best selling author how to sell more, but make sure it includes your own personal experience.

Go.

 

[Fotis]

OP, if you have a hard time making people read your book recommendations, start by telling them what X book did for you.

Simply saying "you gotta read it because its awesome" is the equivalent of hype and we're full of it.

Back in January a "friend" blocked me and stopped talking to me.

Why? He suggested a book and I explained that due to information overload, I'd like him to tell me more about the book, in order to sell me on reading it. He couldn't. His only argument was "well I like it" and I explained that it wasn't strong enough. After what seemed like an innocent back and forth, he flipped out, called me bipolar and blocked me.

Am I at fault? Who knows.

Anyway, here's what I tell people anytime I suggest they read The Millionaire Fastlane :

"This is the book that turned my life around.

Yeah, it sounds corny when I say it, but here's what happened:

I was working at a gym in 2014 and was spending 3,5-4 hours each day commuting. My diet was shit, I had zero energy for working out and I developed sleep problems. There were even times that I woke up at 5 am and would cry.

I picked up TMF during Easter.

I read it in two days.

And, a week later, I informed my bosses that I'd quit in summer.

After that, I began working for myself, had a few nice things going and I never have to worry about getting a job ever again."

And that's how you suggest books.

 

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[AFMKelvin]

I'm new here. I didn't know that RDPD wasn't appreciated here.

I love that book. I'll have to do a search of the old posts to better understand why.

The guy that wrote those books did not get rich from the advice he gives people in the books. He got rich from selling the books.

Also this board was founded by former members of the rich Dad poor Dad board. The man who wrote rich Dad poor Dad told some members here in one of his conferences that they would never make it by selling stuff online back in 2006. Turns out he was wrong about that .

 

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[Maxboost]

But for example I wanted to recommend it to my uncle, who is a very serious businessman. I had a hard time doing so due to the crass language and the fact that is sometimes seems like a rant.

Ghostwriters are the worse because at times it does not feel genuine.

Not to kiss MJ's a$$ but I liked the writing because I felt as though it was a mentor talking DIRECTLY to me. It felt personal which a lot of books fail to do.

It's not a book written by PHDs for PHDs but for regular people who pondered if there was more to life than going to work and paying bills waiting for Saturday.

The words "bullshit, F*ck this event, rat race, the matrix" speaks to me more than any professional language out there to start taking action and to start building my dream.

 

[Vigilante]

We both know that’s not what the Ugh meant.

I didn’t recommend going back and changing the title. When you have an established book with a reputation, why the hell would you change it lol.

I’m sorry... like when I’m having a serious conversation with someone and I’m like ‘you gotta check out this book ‘the Millionaire Fastlane ’' ... i mean it makes it hard to convince them it’s not a get rich quick book

Do you disagree? Am I wrong here?

I think it sold copies despite the title, not because of.

When I do recommend it, i usually have to add a long disclaimer on the end. “You gotta check out this book The Millionaire Fastlane ... now i know that sounds like some get rich quick book, but i swear it’s not.. it’s totally legit”

I’m confused as to why this is so feather-ruffling

I gave it to a friend in finance the other day. He read it and among the presumably dozens of books on business and finance he's read, he said it was the best one he had read. I didn't feel like I had to apologize. When I teach someone to fish I don't start by apologizing for the length of the pole. To each his own. I've learned as the years have passed to reserve criticism mostly for my own shortcomings. I'd rather not criticize the efforts of those infinitely more successful for me lest I reveal my own ignorance. However, the internet is full of pizza drivers turned armchair experts. That's what filters are for, I guess.

 

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[ChrisV]

Not that it was my favorite book ever, but the message is totally in line with Fastlane thinking. I notice no one talks about it. No one recommends it. But it’s almost exactly the same message as TMF . It’s all about building a self-sustaining business that lives and breathes on it’s own with very little input from the owner. It’s about simply building a cash machine. Imo it’s literally TMF ’s twin brother. So why no love for it around here?

 

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[ChrisV]

I would say there’s truth to what MJ said, but like anything it depends on how you use it.

The book is really centered around building a self-sustaining automatic business. What you do with that knowledge is up to the user. You can sell useless placebo weight loss supplements, or you can build something of value. As most of the posters in here pointed out, I definitely think it’s worth a read. He really points out the exact steps too which have changed over the years but can easily be reverse engineered.

I do like the fact that Fastlane has such a huge focus on honestly, value and long term relationships. Not that I think that 4HWW was dishonest one bit, it just doesn’t emphasize it as much.

 

[ChrisV]

Thats what I thought.

We both know that’s not what the Ugh meant.

I didn’t recommend going back and changing the title. When you have an established book with a reputation, why the hell would you change it lol.

I’m sorry... like when I’m having a serious conversation with someone and I’m like ‘you gotta check out this book ‘the Millionaire Fastlane ’' ... i mean it makes it hard to convince them it’s not a get rich quick book

Do you disagree? Am I wrong here?

I think it sold copies despite the title, not because of.

When I do recommend it, i usually have to add a long disclaimer on the end. “You gotta check out this book The Millionaire Fastlane ... now i know that sounds like some get rich quick book, but i swear it’s not.. it’s totally legit”

I’m confused as to why this is so feather-ruffling

I literally gonna stop posting on this board because there’s always some dumb shit or people trying to start arguments with me.

 

[Vigilante]

This is one single opinion. My opinion may be an outlier, or there it may reflect a hole in the market. Either way, wouldn’t you want to know? As entrepreneurs we should always want unbiased opinions of our work, whether good or bad. Whether that person has ‘sold a NYT best seller or not.”

Let’s say you ran a restaurant. Someone didnt like the noodles. Are you donna say “HOW MANY YEARS DID YOU SPEND IN CULINARY SCHOOL?”.. or are you gonna say ‘okay that’s feedback… maybe that’s one blip on the radar, or maybe it’s a pattern’

If I was the king of noodles, and some "dumbshit" didn't like the noodles, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it... especially when the guy came back to my restaurant for seconds. I'd smile and take his money and change nothing.

 

[AFMKelvin]

Nobody really has a problem with that book here. It's Rich Dad poor dad that gets shit on here. Also that one guy with the lambo and books in his garage.

 

[ChrisV]

Bye. Do you want us to delete your user name?

No thank you.

Malcolm Gladwell wrote David and Goliath. I threw it in the garbage after two chapters. Perhaps he could have used your recommendation for a title change to "Landfill."

Which books do you have that are NYT best sellers? Humble me as to your credentials to tell a best selling author how to sell more, but make sure it includes your own personal experience.

Go.

This is one single opinion. My opinion may be an outlier, or there it may reflect a hole in the market. Either way, wouldn’t you want to know? As entrepreneurs we should always want unbiased opinions of our work, whether good or bad. Whether that person has ‘sold a NYT best seller or not.”

Let’s say you ran a restaurant. Someone didnt like the noodles. Are you donna say “HOW MANY YEARS DID YOU SPEND IN CULINARY SCHOOL?”.. or are you gonna say ‘okay that’s feedback… maybe that’s one blip on the radar, or maybe it’s a pattern’

 

[MTEE1985]

Well you could argue the same of TMF, no?

I mean, you can argue whatever you want in this world. My personal opinion is that the majority of people who read 4HWW think entrepreneurship is:

1. Buy laptop
2. Open Shopify store
3. Download Oberlo
4. Quit day job as money rolls in

The majority who read MFL think entrepreneurship is:

NOTABLE! - "Tell me the exact steps" (OK, here are all 67 of them.)

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the book or think he’s some kind of “guru”. I like a lot of what he does.

Again, all my opinion, as is every response in this thread...an opinion.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Curious to know @MJ DeMarco position/opinion on this.

My opinion of what? The book? Or the OP's thread?

 

[DennisD]

I've seen it mentioned quite often.

To me it's "old hat".
It's like recommending Outliers, or Win Friends and Influence People, or Think and Grow Rich, or 48 Laws of Power.

It's so prolific and so talked about, why recommend it? I assume everybody already has already read it.

 

[Jimmyy]

I wouldn't have read MJ's book if I hadn't been inspired by the 4HWW. It clicked something in my brain and from then on I was hunting down good books in the entrepreneurial category until I got to the Fastlane.

 

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[ChrisV]

Yea, because I'm not a professional author, just some bloke in his underwear.

Likewise, your posts would be much, much better if they didn't have an avatar attached to it that looked like a serial killer lurking in an alley.

Lol, my post wasn’t meant to be an insult. You literally pushed aside the mountains of compliments to focus on that sentence.

It’s meant to be a constructive observation that could help you reach a wider audience. Like you could have a book that sits next to Outliers or 7 Habits of Highly Effective People with a little polish.

Like it’s a book that could be timeless, bound in leather and passed down from generation to generation. There are different levels of authorship. There’s Malcolm Gladwell. There’s William Shakespeare. None of us are going to be as good as that, most likely and it’s not an insult to say so.

You’re a smart enough guy to not take a comment as offensive when it’s not meant that way.

 

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[Vigilante]

Yea even to this day, I have a hard time recommending it to people.

It’s possible to change the title of a book though. I have author friends who actually had to when she moved from self publishing to corporate publishing.

But yea, I have a hard time recommending the book due to the title.

Even Unscripted . In my opinion, it’s a brilliant masterpiece. One of my top 3 all times books. But for example I wanted to recommend it to my uncle, who is a very serious businessman. I had a hard time doing so due to the crass language and the fact that is sometimes seems like a rant.

I think the books would reach a much wider audience if they were polished a little. Maybe even cowritten with a professional author. Remember how Steve Jobs told the story of his life? He could have sat down and written an autobiography. Instead he hired Walter Isaacson, one of the world’s greatest writers/biographers to do the task for him. Steve knows that while he may be a brilliant businessman, in terms of writing, there are Better. As a result the book sold millions

Unscripted ... the message does have the potential to really deep into popular culture and change the world, but again there are some aspects that I think could use polish in order to reach more people. I honestly think it could outsell Think and Grow Rich and other classics if done right.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You'd have to be a moron to change the title of a NYT best seller

 

[ChrisV]

@Vigilante @MJ DeMarco

Actually going back now and reading my post, I do see how it can be interpreted as a little crass. But it wasn’t meant that way, especially considering this was the review I just left on the Amazon page two days ago.




But anyway, back on topic

 

[MTEE1985]

Looks like it’s already getting some love around here. I have no problem with 4HWW, I just found it to be more about dropshipping and out sourcing and think it created an army of lazy people who think entrepreneurship is found on a beach with a laptop being a middle man and working more than 4 hours a week is for idiots.

MFL is about problem solving, grinding, and at the end having the option to work 0 hours a week.

My biggest issue of contention with 4HWW is the catchy title which led so many as @lowtek pointed out to ignore the process behind the results and attempt to jump straight to the end.

 

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[SEBASTlAN]

4HWW is great and I enjoyed the read, but I find it suits a "lifestyle" business, and I want to build an actual business. For that reason, I don't see it as my favorite book, but still a great read/starting point.

 

[SEBASTlAN]

A business is a business.

“Lifestyle” business is just a label people put on certain types of businesses, typically due to smaller size in operations and revenues.

However, that does not make it Not an ‘Actual’ business

Fair point. I guess I would rephrase and say I have bigger goals and see TMF as the book that will guide you in that direction better than 4HWW would.

 

[ChrisV]

My opinion of what? The book? Or the OP's thread?

i don’t know if i should be insulted at that lol

 

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