Wrong Book - Right Lessons
How a misread title changed my perspective on work
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I thought I was ordering a book about four days a week. Turns out, it was about four hours a week. Close enough, right?
Hey, it’s Zoli! A few years ago, I made a slight mistake, which became one of the most important mindset shifts I’ve had in a long time.
So, here’s what I learned about The 4-Hour Workweek, written by Tim Ferriss.
How I Found the Book (Fun Fact)
I bought the book about 2 years ago. At that time, I heard about how working just 4 days a week improves performance. I’m not joking, when searching for books to read, I misread the title, thinking it was about this topic1.
Once I started reading, I realized: I completely misunderstood what this book was about. I started reading it, but didn’t get far, and put it on a shelf. Two months ago, I picked it up again. This time, I went all in: I read it properly and took detailed notes.
The deeper I got, the more I realized: I’m holding a true goldmine in my hands, but not for money, nor 4-day workweeks. For freedom.
The Book, Summarized
Tim starts with a bold claim: you don’t need to be a millionaire to experience true freedom. The “new rich” embrace a different perspective, believing that freedom in time and space is worth more than income, challenging norms.
He outlines the DEAL framework: the 4-step process of setting yourself free.
Step 1: Define the basics. Tim begins by setting clear rules:
Often, our fears are less risky than we believe. Identifying them can immediately decrease their scariness.
Unrealistic goals are easy to achieve once you break them down into concrete steps. Clarity on what you truly want is essential to avoid grinding forever.
This is something I subconsciously did since the start: I dreamed big, not thinking about realism. I broke my goals down into steps I can take today. This is also a source of motivation: I know why I’m doing all these, I know the final destination.
Step 2: Eliminate obstacles. To reduce your working time, apply these methods:
The 80/20 rule: 80% of results come from 20% of your efforts. Focus on what matters most to optimize your life.
Parkinson’s law: tasks expand to fill the time allowed. Shorten deadlines to prioritize essential tasks and improve efficiency.
Selective ignorance: cut out unnecessary information. Stop watching the news; you’ll still hear about what’s important.
Eliminate distractions: limit access to you by only checking emails once a day and turning off notifications. Batch repetitive tasks and establish autonomy rules to streamline decision-making.
I love these because of how practical they are. I’ll sit down and ruthlessly filter my plans: which tasks I’ll batch, or cut completely2.
Step 3: Automate your life. It’s often cheaper to do tasks yourself, but there’s a point from where it’s not worth it. Invest in a virtual assistant and outsource repetitive tasks to focus on what truly matters.
Then, start a low-investment, high-reward business to create an automatic income system. These are the steps Tim details:
Identify a market gap.
Develop a product in your area of expertise.
Use micro testing to validate your idea.
Scale by empowering others to manage problems.
I’m not yet at this point, but I can already see difficulties here. I’m a big control freak, and it’s hard for me to give any work out of my hands. My mind denies, but deep down, I know this is the best way.
Step 4: Liberate yourself from constraints. Make yourself more valuable while demonstrating the benefits of remote work. Gradually transition into working remotely more often, as life is too short to spend most of it in an office.
Some jobs are unsavable. Quitting isn’t permanent, so don’t fear it.
Once you have more free time, the next challenge is filling that void. In chapter 14, you get guidance on how to travel affordably for weeks without anyone noticing. Use this time to discover your passions (Tim primarily talks about learning and service) and start pursuing them.
Once you break free…your life truly begins.
I love this last part, because I learned “follow your dreams“ at just the right time: I can work towards them without being limited by work or family. It’s the biggest gift I've received in recent years.
3 Lessons I Won’t Forget
1. Being busy ≠ being productive: many people flex with how much time they spend working. The truth is, you should focus on what you achieve.
2. Income means nothing without freedom: as long as you can’t go wherever you want, whenever you want, and do whatever you want, you’ll always be poorer than the ones who can, no matter your paycheck.
3. Automation isn’t laziness, it’s leverage: just because you’re good at something, doesn’t mean you should do it. Learn to become a leader, and learn to work as a team.
These might sound simple, but accepting and applying them takes time.
I still catch myself trying to fill out my whole day with “productive“ noise. I still don’t think about letting any work out of my hands. That’s the next task: implementation.
What’s Next
I loved writing this one. Not only because it was requested, but because it’s one of the few books that actually change you once you read it.
Have you read The 4-Hour Workweek? What was your biggest lesson?
Should I turn this into a book summary series? I already started reading Atomic Habits, and I can already feel: this one’s about to get explosive as well.
If you learned something new, join The First 100, the foundation of the community:
Zoli
Don’t ask me why I was interested in 4-day workweeks at 15. I have absolutely no idea.
This is where I currently am in the DEAL framework. Only thinking about increasing my efficiency: not thinking about automation yet.