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  • The 4-Hour Work Week

  • By: Timothy Ferriss
  • Narrated by: Ray Porter
  • Length: 13 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (3,445 ratings)
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The 4-Hour Work Week cover art

The 4-Hour Work Week

By: Timothy Ferriss
Narrated by: Ray Porter
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Do you dream of escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, or just living more and working less?

This audiobook is the blueprint to make that possible.

In this fascinating audiobook, read by Ray Porter, Timothy Ferriss details his road to financial success and the steps he took along the way. His plan is simple to follow, easy to apply and relevant for anyone looking to make a change.

Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan - there is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. Whether your dream is.

This step-by step guide to luxury lifestyle design teaches:

  • How Tim went from $40,000 dollars per year and 80 hours per week to $40,000 per month and 4 hours per week 
  • How to outsource your life to overseas virtual assistants for $5 per hour and do whatever you want
  • How blue-chip escape artists travel the world without quitting their jobs
  • How to eliminate 50% of your work in 48 hours using the principles of a forgotten Italian economist
  • How to trade a long-haul career for short work bursts and frequent 'mini-retirements'.

This new updated and expanded edition includes:

  • More than 50 practical tips and case studies from readers (including families) who have doubled their income, overcome common sticking points, and reinvented themselves using the original book as a starting point
  • Real-world templates you can copy for eliminating email, negotiating with bosses and clients, or getting a private chef for less than £5 a meal
  • How lifestyle design principles can be suited to unpredictable economic times
  • The latest tools and tricks, as well as high-tech shortcuts, for living like a diplomat or millionaire without being either.

Please Note: The audio references accompanying material that is not included with this audiobook.

©2011 Timothy Ferriss (P)2011 Random House Audiobooks

What listeners say about The 4-Hour Work Week

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not what you might expect

This a fascinating book, no other words for it. It approaches an interesting topic (making money in a digital age) with new insights and ideas, all told with great energy by the narrator Ray Porter. Right at the outset Tim Ferriss makes it clear that his book is not about becoming a millionaire overnight or any 'Get Rich Quick' schemes, but is simply his own experiences of how he managed to reduce his work-hours and yet still earn enough to enjoy a lavish lifestyle. This is whet he means by 'New Rich'.

But there's the rub; many people reading this will be looking for ideas to help them break away from their 9-5 and, for me, the whole premise fell down when you realise that Ferriss already had an established successful online sales business when he came up with radical new ways to use technology and the digital market to minimise the time he needed to spend operating his business.

A keystone is the use of Virtual Assistants, and Ferriss is very positive about the services you can buy cheaply from India. Now I don't know when this book was written, but at the time of writing this review (Jan 2016) many companies are moving away from outsourcing to India due to the general poor quality of the services and goods provided, making the implied cost savngs unachievable as everything has to done 2-3 times (if you're lucky)

Some of Ferriss' ideas are interesting whereas others I just didn't follow. In one chapter he mentions how, if one of your dreams is a supercar, then these can be bought on credit at very good rates. This is true; as a former Aston-Martin owner I will agree ownership is indeed within most people's grasp. But as any 'supercar' owner will tell you, buying the car is the easy bit; keeping it is the challenge. A service on my DB7 started at £1000, throw in an oil change or a new part and you're well into the £2K mark. Plus, wouldn't having such a financial commitment make you more reliant on your 9-5, not less?

If you're looking for a change of direction work-wise this book is not for you; if you already have a successful business and are frustrated with the time it chews up then this book is definitely aimed at you

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290 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Don't bother if you already understand the principles

Essentially it's a simple principle - technology has made doing business easier so use it to be more efficient and cut working hours. You can even work where you want.... who knew?

Ironically the principles of the book apply directly to itself.

80% of the good content is found in 20% of the book.
The book is an automated income generator.
The book spends most of the chapters promoting Tims blog to drive advertising.

What 3 YouTube videos on the book and save 12 hours of your life.

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116 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

charlatan

absolute rubbish by a charlatan. made as the writer (don't know if he even merits this title) says to make more money.
he even boasts about churning out books. i was duped to buy it i know now by fake reviewers no doubt. do not waste your time or money. i rarely write reviews but this was such utter nonsense i just had to say something.

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46 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars

Snake Oil Salesman

Possibly the worst thing I have ever consumed. Author is a complete snake. There's too many problems with this book to list - no new concepts
- hours of listing websites of which he is an affiliate - even giving discount codes sometimes
- hours of listening to tales travels around the world
- weird interludes telling you to lie on the pavement
etc...

The list goes on, but if you need one reason not to listen to this
HE KEEPS SAYING "NEW RICH" OR "NR" AND REFERRING TO HIMSELF AS "NR". It's honestly like a parody of the kind of person you avoid talking to at a party.

It's too late for me, but don't let Tim Ferriss steal 13 hours of your life.

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36 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly inspiring

I started listening to this without any expectation and, at first, found it a bit condescending. However, once past the initial barrage of criticism of 'ordinary' people who go to work every day and look forward to retirement as their reward for all their hard graft, I found it really inspiring. He is right of course; sacrificing your happiness now in the hope that you can do / be all of the things you want to when you retire is pretty stupid. This book isn't so much a self help book in the common psychological sense, but real practical tips and advice on how to actually free up your time to do the things you want to do, with a sprinkling of inspiration just to whet your appetite. Turns out, I really enjoyed it and have started listening to it again :)

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • M
  • 29-12-11

A dull lecture in the obvious

This book is mainly a list of web sites to buy "stuff" and a lecture on the bleeding obvious. Unless you want to start a web site selling "stuff" and then travel this book is not for you.

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20 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Good book but I wish Tim Ferriss was reading it

I like audiobooks that are narrated by the author. They are read in the same energy as how they were wrote; you begin to understand and keep track of the text when you feel someone is genuine about reading it to you. I'll still listen to it but I feel it'd have been more engaging if it was read by the source. But I guess that's what the 4 hour work week is all about :)

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17 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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A Little Disappointed

I jumped right into this book, full of expectation and anticipation that it contained some insightful perspectives to help me break out of the 9-5 routine.

Unfortunately not - certainly an interesting book but it lacked the WOW factor for me - I didn't feel I learned much new from this book.

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13 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars

Irritating book for useless people who want to continue being useless.

This feels regurgitated and self righteous, and the author comes across as egotistical, arrogant and lazy. It’s an Americanised golden ticket to riches book. But I really disagree with the behaviours that the author champions. Fundamentally - get someone else to do it. If we all did that, no one would get anywhere. It’s quite a selfish message overall and doesn’t promote qualities I consider admirable.
There are some quality messages in it, but nothing unique. There are much better books by better authors that offer similar advice but better wrapped.

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11 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Six month review.

Would you try another book written by Timothy Ferriss or narrated by Ray Porter?

Not one written by Ferris. Porter narrates well.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I wanted to go out there and try everything, set up a business etc. I followed some of the advice and a lot of it is really good but the idea that all of us can work only 4 hours a week using these ideas is ridiculous. Even the writer works 80-100 hours each week!

Any additional comments?

This should be called the "80-100 Hours Work Week" because that is what the writer does and that is what he is really suggesting. If you want to be self-employed then you will need to work more hours than you do in normal employment. That is just a fact of life. This book gives you some good ideas of how to cut those 80-100 hours a week but definitely not to 4! That is a fallacy in the title.

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9 people found this helpful