The Amazing Four Hour Work Week
Four hours really isn’t a long period of time. Most people spend more than four hours a week just commuting to and from work. But Timothy Ferris, a successful entrepreneur, has managed to cut down his entire work week to four hours. And in his book, The 4 Hour Work Week, he shares his insight with the rest of us.
The first question that arises when pondering the topic of this book is “How could one ever complete all their work in only four hours?” The suggestion Ferris makes are quite simply; eliminate non-essential tasks. Outsource as much as you and, and limit the amount of access people have to you. For instance, Ferris always lets his phone go to voice mail so that only the most urgent of calls will requires his attention. He also outsourced the reading of his e-mails to a company in India.
One of the most interesting ideas is the 80/20 principle. Eighty percent of a company’s profit generally comes from 20 percent of the customers. Ferris says you need to find this 20 percent and keep them. On the other hand, the smaller customers who complain often yet bring in very little revenue should be ignored. Sounds amazing, but for Ferris it has been a success, as his company should make over one million dollars this year.
With all the free time he now has. Ferris has managed to accomplish some great things. His activities are varied, from learning to surf in Brazil, to being a champion at Chinese kickboxing and a world-record holder in the Tango, not to mention the six languages he speaks! Instead of slaving away for 100 hours a week while hoping for retirement, he’s living the life he wants to live now, and he’s still making money.
Yet, the four hour work week is probably not achievable by a lot of people. Some careers will always require the person to be present for longer hours, for example: police officers, doctors, teachers, and others. This book however, is filled with tidbits that can help anyone cut down on their daily tasks. It also asks the reader to examine exactly what they want from their lives, and not to wait for retirement, but start doing it now. For that reason, this book can be a valuable step towards a new life for anyone.
Vocabulary
*Ponder[V] 仔細考慮;衡量
*Kickboxing [n.](體)自由搏擊,跆拳道
*Tidbit [n.] 趣聞,花絮 a small but interesting piece of information or news.
*slave away 埋頭苦幹 to work very hard with little time to rest.
*entrepreneur[n.]企業家
*insight[n.]洞察力clear understanding of something
*outsource[v.]to find support outside your company
Dictionary (2)
