The 4 Hour Work Week Vs. Millionaire Fastlane

[RHL]

So, I've read both of MJ's books and most/all of his posts on here. I also recently read 4HWW and have tooled around on the 4-Hour Blog a bit.

Takeaways:

Although Ferriss never says it outright, it's pretty obvious that his FTE, supplement brand, and subsequent liquidation event were the real mojo behind his 4-Hour life. While people who still work can enjoy a pale imitation of what he has as a result of a fastlane enterprise that has matured and been liquidated, their retirements are "mini," and when it comes to freedom and autonomy, they're worshiping a false idol. What comes as an optional goal in the middle of the book, to start your own time independent business, should really be the heart and soul of the book. That's where his freedom came from.

4HWW is a mass-market book (hence the huge sales figures) for working stiffs that want to get a bit more freedom in life. It succeeds in that goal. But it doesn't hit all the right notes.

Some major drawbacks:

If you want to be really free, 4HWW is inimical to your lifestyle. Nobody launching a successful first business works only 4 hours a week on it. If you do, your competition is either going to crush you now or carve you up and devour you later.

4HWW is probably inimical to your advancement in the working world. You'll get more freedom if you're never in the office and always expensing crazy trips, but you're unlikely to move up in the ranks. You have to decide whether it's worth it. It will be for some. It won't be for others.

Ultimately, it sells the dream of full time retirement with part time work. But full time retirement can only happen after super-human effort, both on the part of the creator, and then on the part of the productocracy/fastlane.


That said, it is absolutely a must-read for Fastlaners for the following:

Most of us hire slow. A lot of us should be outsourcing/hiring much sooner to grow faster and not die after the initial burst of popularity. He hits that note hard.

He gives straight talk about meetings and emails. Most of them are useless.

He sets up liquidation as the goal of business ownership, which is spot-on.

Ultimately I wouldn't class him as a normal "Do-As-I-Say-Not-As-I-Do" guru because he mentions his business and advocates that readers start their own, but it isn't the sort of life-changing reading that TMF is/was.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

I'm actually astounded by the # of people who claim FHWW is their favorite book, as if they're recommending some piece of literature that no one knows about. But it is proof that people will always gravitate to "least effort, most results" type of trope. The truth is, people want to get rich in maximum comfort and with minimal effort, and what better title than T4HWW?

When it comes to books in self-development/business, Think and Grow Rich used to be the default recommendation. Then Rich Dad. And now it's FHWW. So it is in esteemed company.

Oddly, a book I always recommend isn't even in print any longer and is nearly impossible to find.

The best books typically don't get to the mainstream consciousness, if they do, it's usually a combination of marketing and network effects through the influencer's reach. Then the bandwagon effect takes over.

Again, I couldn't get through 4HWW and quit after a few chapters. That's not to impugn Tim's body of work which is of a freakish nature and downright impressive, especially if creating a personal brand is your thing.

However at this point, the book feels too much a part of the "in crowd", the guru "Ill scratch your back if you scratch mine" circle-jerk. And I don't trust that circle.

[GALLERY=media, 97]Recommends by MJ DeMarco posted Dec 8, 2017 at 9:55 AM[/GALLERY]

 

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[Kung Fu Steve]

Not to be a fuddy duddy here but did anyone actually READ these books?

The 4 Hour Work Week was not about working 4 hours per week... it's silly to take it's title and say that's the whole book. It was about maximizing per-hour work capacity (getting more done in an hour) with tools like automation, delegation, and elimination.

The goal was not to work 4 hours per week but was to eliminate "work for work's sake" and learning to redistribute the enjoyment of life (i.e. retirement) over the course of it instead of waiting until the end.

Think and Grow Rich was not about only about "visualizing success" -- it was the culmination of interviews with some of the wealthiest people in American history. How did they become so successful? It dealt with the basics of goal setting and visualization, sure. But there were so many valuable concepts within that book to boil it down to these what the assholes who created "the secret" says it is is ludicrous.

But before ANYTHING why is anyone comparing 4 Hour Work Week to Fastlane? Apples to Oranges? 2 different books about COMPLETELY different subjects?

C'mon guys -- everyone on here is brighter than this. I can't believe I'm saying this but stop judging a book by it's cover. I'm curious to see how many of you actually read MJ's book. What do you think it's about?

 

[MJ DeMarco]

How do you decide whether to spend your time reading a book verses working on your business/website?

IMO, you shouldn't be reading any books unless it helps you tackle the problem in front of you.

Notable! - The absolute BEST book you MUST read!

 

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[CPisHere]

Most people read the 4HWW the wrong way.

The point of the book is NOT to tell you to only work 4 Hours a Week, the point is that you spend so much of your time on pointless stuff that you could generate the same income with only 4 hours/week.

It's really a time management book. In fact, many of the people who read the book regularly work 60+ hours/week, and use the material from the book to MAXIMIZE that time, so that it is spent generating revenue, rather than e-mailing and doing other worthless tasks that don't add to the bottom line.

I'm a big fan of Tim Ferris, but I never really liked his first book until I realized this.

You can't compare Millionaire Fastlane to it. Millionaire Fastlane teaches you how to build a successful company, while 4HWW teaches how to maximize your time within that business.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Quit making excuses. Kick a$$. Solve a problem and the money will follow. Do something, today. Think big and scale it up. Eat ramen and kick a$$. Short term misery for long term gain. Don't follow, lead. How'd I do on this MJ?

Not to good. You've covered about 20 pages ... There are over 300 more.

 

[lightning]

Quit making excuses. Kick a$$. Solve a problem and the money will follow. Do something, today. Think big and scale it up. Eat ramen and kick a$$. Short term misery for long term gain. Don't follow, lead.
(how'd I do on this MJ?)

Youre missing out on a lot if thats all you took from MJ's book. The Milllionaire Fastlanes most valuable concept is that it involves COMPLETELY revamping everything youve learned about how to become rich, or more specifically, an enlightenment of how "the dream" of becoming wealthy can become a reality. It is a wake-up call to everyone who has ever read a millionaire success story and found themselves wishfully thinking it could happen to them, instead of becoming EMPOWERED and motivated to write one of their own.

As for The 4HWW vs. MJ's book, there is ABSOLUTELY no comparison. They are completely different styles and mindsets, both written from 2 entirely different perspectives. Being someone that has read them both, I did enjoy *PARTS of the 4HWW, and it is a book that after hearing about it for so long, am happy I finally got around to reading. The Millionaire Fastlane on the other hand is a book that I WISH everyday I had had access to when I was a teenager, as it might have put me on a completely different track in life at a much earlier age.

The 4HWW is a book that I read once, and will now sit on my bookshelf along with dozens of other business/entrepreneur/investment/mindset books I have read in the past few years. The Millionaire Fastlane has been on my coffee table for months now, surrounded by pens, highlighters and post-it notes since the day I bought it.

All the best,

Mike

 

[Jill]

Jeez. Why all the haters?! I love both books and both authors. Their premises are not in conflict. Several other posters (including MJ) have articulated the primary differences in philosophies. But seriously!?

If you like Tim Ferrriss, your bullshit detector is very weak.

What exactly do you perceive as BS? His successes are verifiable; and from my experience, his advice is useful.

A summary of my two very favorite books in my lifetime of reading (hundreds of) self-help/business books:

4HWW - A view into a lifestyle never imagined by most whereby one has TIME to have experiences he enjoys almost immediately by eliminating a lot of THINGS and being more resourceful with his time (using time management principles, outsourcing, telecommuting and passive income creation).

Millionaire Fastlane - A detailed formula with which to build a business that will yield a lifestyle of TIME and THINGS after a few years of building a business that can either be sold or that will provide passive income, with minimal time required.

To my mind, these concepts are not contradictory. At a high level, Tim's advice results in a faster lifestyle change (even tho I don't think even Tim would suggest that a 4 hour workweek is going to happen next week!); MJ's results in a more permanent lifestyle change including both time and things. Although, either method could produce the same results. Whichever book you prefer largely depends on your life's goals. But for me, all these books are like a big ol buffet table. Take what works for you.

In my own life, I have been able to utilize a lot of 4HWW's principles to buy back more of my time so that I can put into place the formula put forth in MF. For one of many examples:

Right now I work from home (4HWW). I subcontract out menial tasks (Excel, ppt, etc) to VAs for $7/hr, netting me 95% of my contracted rate, AND buying back 10ish hours/wk. (4HWW) This is 10 extra hours I have available to analyze opportunities and projects for CENTS, to build brands, etc. (MF).

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Likewise... care to share

Actually looks like a new edition, the first time I read it was 25+ years ago.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0761535403/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

 

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[Robert Francis]

Preface: As part of this post, I was dying to include the video of Donny Deutsch (MSNBC, "The Big Idea") interviewing Tim Ferriss. I'm not sure if I saw it live on television or on the web, but if anyone can find it and post it, I'd really appreciate it; it's kind of hilarious how Deutsch, basically, tells Ferriss that he's full of shit.

One of the things that I most appreciated in MJ's book was that it seemed to be the first business/motivation book I've read in the past few years that had the balls to be 100% completely honest.

It was willing to put out there that "get rich quick" is possible, yet, at the same time, was willing to say it's not going to "just happen" because you are "thinking about it" or "manifesting it" (The Secret) and it's probably not going to happen if you are attempting to accomplish it in 4 hours a week.

It's the first book I can remember reading and thinking, "this guy is more concerned about helping/telling the truth than he is worried about spinning this in a way that will attract cult like followers." It really seemed like the sort of advice an ACTUAL successful business person would give to his/her children.

Now, I have never had the the luxury (yet) of pulling off a "4 hour work week," but, after reading it, I do think it saddled me with some additional guilt baggage that I didn't have before reading it.

Now...not only was I not exactly where I wanted to be yet, financially, but I was also working my a$$ off.

IMHO, this is one of the horrible negative side effects of the whole 4 hour work week thing."

Whereas MJ is saying, "Sure, you can achieve your goals and (eventually) freedom," Tim Ferriss seems to be saying, "You're a dummy if you have to apply the same sort of blood, sweat, tears and time that virtually every successful businessperson in history has had to invest."

On the other hand, there seem to be some areas where the books/concepts intersect, I'd be curious what others think.

And, as a side note...

What if you really like your work as much/more than most anything else?

What if working seems more attractive than dancing the tango in Prague?

Isn't one of the "indicators" of many successful businessmen that they "love their work?"

 

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[Robert Francis]

Whether the 4HWW has merit or not, author Tim Ferriss seems to be an exceptional entrepreneur.

Except... the topic of my post was the merit of the 4HWW, not the real or (possibly) exaggerated claims of TF.

I was well aware of TF's "claims" as well as the non sycophantic chatter on the other side when I started the thread, but didn't mention it because I didn't see it as relevant.

The questions were...

1) Did others find the 4HWW valuable/helpful?

2) What did others think of the interesting/apparent places where 4HWW and Fastlane intersect?

In my opinion, problems arise when individuals who are not great entrepreneurs believe that they are, and spend years spinning their wheels. Best regards.

But now that you've gotten my attention...

The REAL reason I would not compare the 4HWW favorably to MJs book has NOTHING to do with the real/fake success of their respective authors.

The 4-Hour Body: 60 Percent of The Time it Works Every Time! | Beyond Growth

(Just one of hundreds of similar thoughtful and rational deconstructions of TF's persona/marketing campaign as it relates to the content of his books.)

It has EVERYTHING to do with, "Does it rise above just motivational 'rah rah' and provide actionable, valuable information to readers that AREN'T Tim Ferris?"

I'm guessing that your comment is based on my sharing that I am constantly re-evaluating and "checking course" to ensure that I'm moving towards my still unmet goals?

If so, this, in my opinion, is a perfect example of the difference between TF and MJ and the difference in consequences of following their advice.

In the 4HWW world, work, struggle and failure are for "losers."

If you haven't EFFORTLESSLY become a multi-millionaire, mixed martial arts dancing queen by the time you are 25...all in a straight line...on your first try...in just four hours per week...something must be wrong.

BULLSHIT.

Based on the link in your signature, you are a young millionaire?

Congratulations.

I am sure that I could learn much from you.

But, as one of the "older guys" in this forum, someone that's studied success (and life) for my entire life, I'd be able to pretty confidently predict that, if you haven't yet, you will find yourself faced with struggles/situations that challenge you in ways that make you (slightly more) humble... If not financial, in some area... it's no reflection on you... just "a universe thing."

There are many pieces to the "living life successfully" puzzle and one of the more significant ones happens to be "What do you do when you're down?" and "How do you deal with missteps and failure and those (inevitable) challenges the universe throws your way?"

If you truly believe that "spinning wheels," by definition, makes you a loser... I sincerely hope that your future remains as simple and problem free as it appears to have been thus far. More likely, you'll find that these times of "wheel spinning" and struggle will make you an even smarter, stronger and, ultimately, happier person (because you've faced a real challenge and risen to it).

Part of the reason for my original post was that I do know what it's like to face struggle and the need to persevere and to invest LOTS of time and energy and WORK to overcome those challenges and I felt as if the 4HWW "might" have some negative consequences for people in that particular stage of their success journey because it (seems) to imply that work, by definition, is a bad thing and that if you aren't able to "ruthlessly" KNOW (magically?) in any given situation which of the thousand options in front of you happen to be the "20" part of the "80/20" equation...something's wrong...BECAUSE...it's so SIMPLE....and OBVIOUS...

Happily, I found that link to the TF interview in with Donnie Deutsch:

4-Hour workweek: How to escape your 9-5 job - Books - money - TODAYshow.com

After re-watching it, I can certainly understand TF's attractiveness as a "guru." He's undeniably smooth and well-spoken.

I just, personally, don't believe that he's much more than the latest incarnation of "smooth," "well spoken" gurus that are pitching dreams instead of process.

Donnie is no slouch. He's built one of the most successful advertising companies and he's had an avocation of interviewing many of the world's most successful business people about HOW THEY DID IT and he is evaluating the REALISTIC value of TF's advice to people OTHER THAN TF and he (like me) isn't buying it.

TF:

"I have nothing wrong with work ethic...only when it's applied to the wrong things."

What if it takes work (mental and physical) to get to the point where you finally figure out what the "right things" are?

TF:

"One hour of critical hard thinking can be worth a month of hard work."

Work smart, instead of hard? Wow, that's amazing advice.

What if your first five (or ten) plans developed by "critical hard thinking" are wrong and the market rejects them?

Was all of that time and energy wasted (because I wasn't in Thailand winning a dancing competition)?

Or was it valuable on it's own (hard work and facing challenges are a big part of what makes us fulfilled)?

One of the more persistent criticisms of TF is related: he focuses on "winning," per se, and shortcuts... not the deeper, more substantial needs/aspects of human nature...such as "hard work" and challenging one's self to overcome obstacles.

He (proudly) gives examples in his book, like where he "gamed the rules" to win an MMA battle by drastically dropping to a weight class far below his normal fighting weight, as if it is more important to "win" than it is to experience the "real stuff"...pushing yourself to your limits and going beyond them through HONEST competition(and, maybe, still losing).

My son is on the HS wrestling team.

TF's approach doesn't pass "the smell test" for me because I would never (out of love for my son) have him follow the TF approach to his wrestling career.

I can't hear myself saying to him, "Son, it doesn't matter how you get that trophy...it's just about the trophy. All that early morning/late evening training and pain that your wrestling coach is proposing is for 'losers.' Just do whatever it takes to win while you have tons of time to play 'Call of Duty.'"

Last year, his first year of wrestling (as a Sophomore this put him YEARS behind most of his team mates), he won a sum total of 0 matches. It was a steady and horrific stream of loss after loss.

My advice to him was, "Stick it out. Work Harder. Live in the gym and on the road. Study the technical stuff you're doing wrong...and get back on the F***ng mat."

All of which he did. He's gained 20 lbs of muscle in a year, an immense amount of additional endurance and technical knowledge and is now consistently winning in a weight class 20 lbs higher than last year (a significantly tougher class).

Whether he was winning this year or not, I'd feel pretty good about my advice and the results on him. He now has more confidence that he can overcome failure and difficulty and he's a stronger, better person, in general.

Was this bad advice for him?

Should he have just done more "critical hard thinking" (about ways to game the weight classes) so that he had more time for Xbox?

I doubt it.

And, if I wouldn't give that sort of advice to my son, it's probably not advice I'd be following myself.

Respectfully,

Robert

 

[Vigilante]

+1 4HWW

Like everything else, take the good and discard the bad

 

[andviv]

Intelligence - Wikiquote

The test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.

* F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Handle With Care", Esquire Magazine (March 1936).

 

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[amp0193]

Most of us hire slow. A lot of us should be outsourcing/hiring much sooner to grow faster and not die after the initial burst of popularity. He hits that note hard.

Learning this now. My first business was time-independent soloprenuer stuff. Paid the bills.

Now I want to scale a new business and am quickly hitting the barrier of time. Not enough time. I'm nervous to take the plunge of paying someone a salary, but it's something I'm thinking about now.

He gives straight talk about meetings and emails. Most of them are useless.

This was a big takeaway for me too. After that part of the book, I told my sister (my customer service person) to "never email me with a customer question, unless it costs more than $50 to solve their problem, or they have gone "nuclear" and have potential to deface and end my business. She went from asking me about multiple customers a week, to like 10 total in the last year.

I only check my email once, maybe twice a day.

He sets up liquidation as the goal of business ownership, which is spot-on.

Yes. While I don't have the plan mapped out 100%, I really liked this as well, and it's always in my mind. I make choices that are aligned with the goal of an eventual exit event.

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

C'mon Steve, straw-man argument.

I bought it, read multiple chapters (and scanned the later ones as well) and then stopped reading it when I had enough. If I judged by cover/title, I would have never have picked it up to being with.

If someone reads several chapters of TMF and they toss it, I respect that.

They tried. I tried. No harm done.

They gave me an opportunity to speak into their world and rejected it. I did the same for 4HWW.

Sounds like the detractors here actually did read 4HWW, or started to read it and couldn't finish.

So this goes beyond judging by a cover and/or a title.

I'm of the opinion if I want to debate something I actually take the time to learn the other side but maybe I'm alone here.

I still think 4HWW was an incredible read and deserves a spot right up there with Fastlane AND Rich Dad (even though he's a douche)

 

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[ZCP]

+1 on 4HWW
Helped me automate parts of my business.

 

[million$$$smile]

Ya know, maybe its just me, but I have bought quite a few self help books and I start to read them and many of them remind me of a MLM meeting.

A lot of RAH RAH RAH but little meat. I get bored quickly if it doesn't help me to APPLY some form of application in developing into a better entrepreneur or individual. Maybe it's just me, and where I am at in my journey, but most of these books have only one or two, at most mediocre points to deliver and the rest of the book is FILLER.

So my dilemma is do I waste my precious time reading through all of the filler to gain 1 or 2 possibly valuable points? I'm beginning to think not. I have nearly discontinued reading altogether as it seems most are too generalized for me to waste the time to pick the gems from the dross.

I do listen to audible books as I'm working out only because I am able to learn as I burn so to speak, but taking the time to sit down and READ, it just seems mathematically (regarding time) to not be beneficial because there just isn't enough to APPLY within the pages, at least for me.

Perhaps if I needed a kick in the butt to start something, ya maybe. But how about when one is already down the road and looking for that 'process' to develop better in their endeavors?

I have found very few books that I have a kinship to rereading for the information found therein.

I utilize the core of TMF (CENTS) nearly daily in my evaluation of my time and efforts, and I'm not saying this to laud MJ, but it did help me immensely. Another book that helped me exponentially for the time involved in reading it was E-Myth Revisited by Micheal Gerber. These are nuts and bolts books for the entrepreneur in the trenches. Perhaps Good to Great, but I still haven't finished the hard copy yet.

Where are all the self help books that are APPLICABLE to our journey??? Not something that feels good but is forgotten 10 days after reading? Give me application that can stay with me and continue in my endeavors, that is all I want.

rant over

 

[DaveC]

Most of the tactics and references in 4hww are pretty outdated now...and its clear that he is way more willing to promote himself than MJ and that can rub people the wrong way. His writing has gotten better though and he is still the guy you think about when you talk about lifestyle design, lifehacking, etc.... He is one of those guys that is good to see how he works, vs what he says. Its clear that he has high discipline and fanatical attention to detail (logs every workout, blood tests weekly, etc...) and a way of breaking down and solving problems "outside of the box" that all lends itself well to entreprenuership.

 

[Gonzosan]

I think everyone here who bashes 4HWW completely misses the point. I loved that book, and love his other book (4 hour body). I also love The Millionaire fastlane , but to compare the two is completely beyond me. 4HWW is NOT about building a business nor being rich. I think you should re-read it if that's what you got out of it. 4HWW is about living the life you want. He preaches the 80/20 rule and provides many resources on how to make your life simpler. He does preach a little on being an entrepreneur, but the whole point he's trying to get at is that a lot of people don't want to be millionaires, they just want the freedom that those people have. He talks about wanting to be free to travel the world often, do things you never thought possible with a little research on how to effectively find what you want for cheap or even find some loophole to get it. He mentions his business, how he was working so much he went crazy. Eventually he learned to leverage his business by hiring people to work the issues he was having problems with. I'm pretty sure both books cover "leverage" fairly well, but Tim covers it on all aspects. From being able to work remotely with specialized programs and technology, to finding dates, to having people plan your vacations. The Millionaire fastlane preaches the long hard road to getting a business going and how to get there, no gimmicks or anything. 4 hour work week is hardly about becoming rich, but enjoying your life more. Plenty of people in that book talk about how they love their job, but they just wanted time to see travel more often, spend more time with their family and enjoy the nice things they didn't think they could have. I love Tim Ferris, I think he did a great job with both his books, but please don't make it out to seem like a "Business" book. I follow his blog pretty often and he has a lot of great info to pass along and he's definitely great at marketing. He's more about being more carefree with your life than anything.

 

[Shuffle]

I agree that the 2 books should not be compared. They both represent different notions and ends of a spectrum.

It seems as if Mr. Ferris has many accomplishments in many different areas, each of which have the winning end result. He may be implying that we need to take action where we stand, in whatever we may do.

Mr. DeMarco on the other hand, had a large winning result. IMO, this is the main difference. Many accomplishments with the end result in mind, or one big accomplishment with execution and procedure in mind.

Would you prefer to be a Jack of all trades, or an Ace.

I could be totally incorrect though...To each his own.

 

[Maxboost]

You can use martial arts to compare both books.

4 hour work week=Taekwondo

Fastlane=Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Both martial arts bring something to the table. One provides fitness, confidence, looks flashy and improves flexibility. The other shows you how to F*cken fight.

 

[Knugs]

RANT

I have absolutely no respect for Tim Ferris. Not because of the 4HWW but because of the 4 hour body. Hence I cant read something from an author who claims this in another book:

• How to prevent fat gain while bingeing (X-mas, holidays, weekends)
• How to increase fat-loss 300% with a few bags of ice
• How Tim gained 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days, without steroids, and in four hours of total gym time
• How to sleep 2 hours per day and feel fully rested
• How to produce 15-minute female orgasms
• How to triple testosterone and double sperm count
• How to go from running 5 kilometers to 50 kilometers in 12 weeks
• How to reverse “permanent” injuries
• How to add 150+ pounds to your lifts in 6 months

How can you take somebody like that serious?

 

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[Arthur Redline]

4 hours of workweek. Yeah right. That is only possible AFTER you are a fastlane millionaire. A friend of mine was talking about that book not too long ago. He said why not let other people work on things so you can have more time. And while he is saying that he makes just enough money with his business to get by. He has 30 employees doing everything for him but in the end he does not make any money and his business does not grow. But he does have free time. It is like being unemployed and broke. Nothing special there. Everybody can do that.

Meanwhile I work 50 hours a week and make 30times more than him. While he will be nowhere in 5 years, I will have a million bucks to invest and only then work 4 hours a week. After I sold the company for big bucks.

The road is logical, yet people seem to like dreaming things that seem easy. It is just action faking and your mind screwing with you.

 

[Andrzej Sotnik]

I've read 4HWW maybe 5 times or so. And I find it's extremely valuable!

Of course, it did not make me a millionaire or have the ability to work for 4 hours per week (no book can do that). 4HWW is about efficiency, not "working less". The title itself was just a marketing trick, not a promise or book description (Tim talked about this in one of his videos).

Before embarking on my entrepreneurship journey I was a web developer and many ideas from 4HWW really helped me. On my last job, I was making more money than ever, while working fewer hours than ever. Tim Ferriss is all about fast learning and efficiency (which are crucial skills for me as a programmer).

The 4HWW was my favorite book up until I read UNSCRIPTED (which I found accidentally in suggestions on Amazon Kindle). Now the UNSCRIPTED is my favorite book and I'm on my second reading right now (while implementing its ideas in my small software-related business).

My point is: these books are for different people! Not everyone will hustle and work long hours. Not everyone ready to pay the price of huge success (I'm not even sure that I am ready for that)! But everybody can increase efficiency in any activity he's doing!

For me, UNSCRIPTED is like 10X improvement of the 4HWW way (but it does not make 4HWW useless).

Recently, I bought 2 more copies of UNSCRIPTED and 4HWW as gifts for 2 of my best friends (UNSCRIPTED for the friend that shows more potential for hard work, while 4HWW for the friend that stuck in the "mediocre existence" and need new options in life). I even asked my mother (53 years old) to read the 4HWW to become more efficient in her daily stuff (and I already see some improvements in her mindset and attitude).

That's why I think BOTH books are very good sources of new ideas and approaches, just for DIFFERENT kind of people! And I'm a bit sad that just because UNSCRIPTED is so much better, people can't see any value in 4HWW.

 

[SeePetey]

I got on the 4HWW hating fan-boy bus awhile back, but after reading it again (it serves its regular rotation by the toilet along with my other favorite books), I've decided that it's a good book that I will hang on to and keep reading.

I like Scott Adams' "Two-Movie" reality theory. Two people can see/read/hear the exact same thing, and get wildly different conclusions from it.

Some people read a religious text and are inspired to serve their fellow men, others read the same and are inspired to kill their fellow men...and others never really read it but quote from or slander it because they think it makes them sound smart or they want to impress someone.

I can see someone like MJ not enjoying 4HWW because he's already been-there-done-that, and he did it his way. It's not relevant to him.

But it has been very relevant and valuable to me. I credit 4HWW with figuratively getting me out of "first gear" career-wise and opening my eyes to the possibilities that are out there. Do I dream of lounging on the beach in a hammock managing a business? Sure, who doesn't? But honestly, only an unrealistic moron would think that this book will literally make this a reality for them.

Personal witness follows: I know a former USMC grunt who became an aircraft mechanic and FAA certified inspector. He found a copy of 4HWW somewhere, read just the part about outsourcing work, Googled "Freelancing", found Elance, then spent 6 months working with couple of freelancers to program an aircraft maintenance record management system and associated apps which he sold for enough to pay off his house in Denver and his car.

So is 4HWW the best thing ever? Should it be compared to Unscripted or TMF ? No, and...sort of no. All are tools in your entrepreneurial toolbox, along with the other gems that we all discuss on these forums. Just be careful not to trash too harshly what could be a valuable resource to someone else lest you deprive them of something they might learn or need.

 

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[Neon]

"4 Hour Work Week" is another masterful example of "Sell the Results, Not the Process".

Everyone wants to work 4 hours per week but it takes a lot of work to get to the point where you can do that.

I read the first edition of the book and it basically glossed over exactly WHAT you could do to make the kind of money that would allow you to live the lifestyle he proposes.

It was completely patronizing how he kept referring to having a business that let you work 4 hours per week as a "muse".

As if the idea of actually providing value to create an income was almost an afterthought to traveling around the world.

His points on time management had value but I think the average 40hr-per-weeker is just going to end up frustrated imaging it's much easier than it really is. Those who are already in a position to work that little are probably just smirking a little at how easy it ISN'T to create that kind of lifestyle.

 

[ZCP]

To me, the beauty of 4HWW was the completely alternate viewpoint that you don't have to work 16 hr days to have the life you want. Hell, you don't have to do anything that this 'Matrix' world tells you that you have to do.

Live your life and make it count. Take action and take control of your life and do things because YOU think it is best (based on work and research) instead of what someone tells you or someone you know. Quit making excuses!!!!! Your life is yours and you are responsible for it.

Always wanted to travel? Travel. It isn't that hard. Can't travel because of work? Find a way to work differently or not work. Quit limiting yourself because you think it is hard. You CAN pull it off easier than you think.

That, to me, was what I got out of Tim. Very powerful stuff.

(how'd I do on this, Tim?)....think I'll send the link to Tim

------
As for MJ, bought the book but haven't made time to read it (yet). Too busy working on the business and not quite ready for it in details. Over the years at this forum (and before), I've taken the gist of MJ to be......

Quit making excuses. Kick a$$. Solve a problem and the money will follow. Do something, today. Think big and scale it up. Eat ramen and kick a$$. Short term misery for long term gain. Don't follow, lead.

(how'd I do on this MJ?)

 

[FDJustin]

I haven't read the millionaire fastlane yet. Was told I was getting it for my birthday, but it looks like I may have to go ahead and get it on my own. In due time.

But I read the four hour work week... And I liked it. It's introduced me to nearly every concept I've seen praised on these forums in it's own way (Leveraging, outsourcing, valuing time, building assets, covering liabilities with assets, strong and effective goal setting, taking action, building systems so you aren't being fruitlessly busy, possibly more.) and presented them in a way that quite frankly resonated well with me.

Because an idea, tool, or philosophy isn't restricted to the context it was delivered with, the book provides ample opportunity for doorway thinking. To you starting a business to cover the cost of a vacation or car might seem stupid... To me, that means developing the quickest and most easily profitable businesses can be used to fund bigger venues. If only it was that easy though, hmm?

 

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[nuwav]

I dont understand, why theres always a need to compare things , both books are different , just apply what you can from each book.

 

[Grills]

(This is my first comment so go easy on me.)

I have read the 4HWW several times and think it's a great book. But I would because I have spent the last couple of months making the 4HWW possible for me. I have literally scaled down my business and lifestyle to the point where I can literally live off the income of a couple of my websites, using many of the method that TF describes and promotes. I haven't actually looked at the numbers in terms of time yet but, I think I can maintain the sites and traffic with about 2 hours of actual work hours a week.

I say that in the context of, on a personal level I have no opinion of TF as an individual. But I have a huge amount of respect for him because while he links to tools and has "entertaining" stories (and headlines) to suck people in, in my opinion his content is actually about getting you to ask yourself: "Are you living the quality of life that you actually want for yourself?" If not, he tries to offer you alternative things you might find interesting based on his experience and those of others he has come across. Thats not to say many of the things he promote are his own or owned by his friends - much like MJ promoting his book.

When I read the book he didn't seem to say it was going to be an overnight process to follow and you will make easy money. I am pretty sure he says you need to be prepared to fail fast so you don't loose too much time or capital. So, I don't understand why a number of the people who have commented earlier take the view that "...TF being successful on a 4HWW but, I haven't yet, and I can't see it happening so he is lying." seems like an odd way to look at things.

Also, TF's book is not just about making money - it's about working out what your goal is and then trying to be objective and asking yourself: "Am I being efficient in what I am doing to get there". Some people are happy in their jobs so they don't need to build a muse, some people would rather be at home with the family and traveling, if you are the latter, his book sets off the spark and points you towards the path, that is up to you to start exploring and commit to it.

I am not out of the woods yet, I still want to grow my business to the point where I feel comfortable and then some, but I thank god, I found this book and have been able to leave the grip of having to work 8 hours a day for 260 days a year. I say that knowing that I took the action, only 1 other person out of the (at least) 10 other people I know to have read the book, have followed though on any of the ideas and he has had better results than me.

In short - I found the book to be very useful. Maybe it just clicks with the way I think about things and the knowledge/ experience/ mindset I bring to the table...

 

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