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Whistle Stopper - The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
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List Price: $19.95
Our Price: $10.99
Your Save: $ 8.96 ( 45% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Crown
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 650.1
EAN: 9780307353139
ISBN: 0307353133
Label: Crown
Manufacturer: Crown
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 320
Publication Date: 2007-04-24
Publisher: Crown
Release Date: 2007-04-24
Studio: Crown
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Work smarter not harder
Comment: Not sure that I will ever be so lucky as to have only a 4 hour work week but using the suggestions in this book can certainly improve the way I work/play. Great ideas that I believe can really be put to use to improve the quality of your life.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Shouldnt this be an internet scam?
Comment: The title of this book is the subjects I get in my spam folder daily. I got this book for career advice, which thankfully arrived the same day as Mr Instability which was an excellent read. But anyway I guess the internet get rich scams are going mainstream.
Customer Rating:
Summary: shameful work of an intelligent huckster
Comment: Ferriss made his money as essentially a snake-oil salesmen...peddling yr typical bogus nutritional supplement. He was intelligent enough to be very successful, and then had the foresight to peddle this bogus book.
He's anything but stupid...but this book is relatively useless...unless you'd like to know how he took advantage of rule technicalities to become "a national champion in Chinese kickboxing". (He intensely dehydrated himself to drop weightclasses, and realized he could win simply by pushing he opponents outside of the ring.)
Anyway, the book is chock-full of useless filler, bizarre claims, and shockingly links to the companies who's heads praise this book.
Anyway, in summary, it's rubbish.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Thinking outside the box
Comment: Although this is an outstanding book and presents an exciting concept, it may not be for everyone. Basically, the author discusses the value of work and time. There are numerous realistic and practical recommendations for managing time and commitments that can be applied to your life right now. These simple suggestions can turn into a considerable saving of time and an increase in productivity.
Without a doubt, there is a high level of excitement and encouragement in these pages. There is also a sense of urgency as the obvious point about life being short is brought home in a significant way. The principles of Thoreau are mentioned and applauded, showing how the author was influenced in his own mind. Like Thoreau, there is a call to minimalism, a getting back to basics to go steadily forward. This is all sound advice but isn't earth-shaking. However, put within the context of the rest of the book, these suggestions can make a big difference in a person's business outlook and chance of success.
The title is a bit misleading and doesn't seem to include the average blue-collar worker. This book is really for white-collar workers who want to escape their jobs but who already have some type of financial backing behind them. Even though the author's concepts and principles are easy to grasp, not all of them will be easy to implement.
Thinking outside the box is a must for any reader to appreciate this book. That's not a bad thing; it only tells you that these pages may not be practical for everyone. But there is a lot of really terrific stuff in here. The author has some genuine and exciting ideas about how to eliminate unproductive efforts from the workplace, thereby shortening the workweek. There are some excellent ways to define and achieve personal goals. Also, the reader will find some solid plans for starting a business. There are lists of resources to check out and that definitely increases the value of this book.
Outsourcing is a big strategy mentioned. Using overseas (and cheap) labor can free up the daily workings of a business while generating a steady profit. In theory, this is a good idea, but outsourcing is really counterproductive to our nation's economy. There is a feeling of getting ahead at whatever the cost and that idea might not sit well with many people. Also the idea of outsourcing, and paying other people a pittance, really undermines the principle of getting paid what you're worth. There seems to be an inconsistency here. It's like saying that it's fine to use cheap labor to get ahead, but what about those people who are doing the work at below cost? Is it because they haven't read this book yet and don't know they are being used as a stepping stone to someone else's success?
Overall, the book has a lot of insights and enthusiasm. Readers who are looking for motivation and a jumpstart can learn from these pages. As with any book, take what you can use and ignore the rest.
Raymond Le Blanc. psychologist & economist
Author.Achieving Objectives Made Easy! Practical goal setting tools & proven time management techniques
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not the most practical advice, but great motivation value...
Comment: I was impressed with this book initially, but soon found it to be shallow. Ferriss tells some fantastic stories of his worldly experiences and business exploits. I found myself amazed by all he has done so far in his life, and he is still in his 20's.
It almost seems too good to be true. In college I had a friend called Big Dave who was infamous for telling tall tales. Every time Big Dave told a story, it would become more outlandish until he was racing a Ferrari in the streets of San Fransisco or taking out a street gang by himself in a brawl. Ferriss seems to stretch the truth in his stories in the same manner, so be sure to read them with a grain of salt.
I speculate that Ferriss wrote this book primarily to add it to his list of vague accomplishments such as "motorcycle racer" and "Taiwanese television host". This is true for the following reasons:
1. The scope of this book is wide and shallow. Instead of focusing on one subject, Ferriss randomly jumps from subject to subject in areas such as time management, business strategy, travel tips, and even speed reading. I feel that he didn't want to take the time or doesn't have the expertise to take the time to write a substantive book in any one of these subjects. He simply made a list of subjects he knew something about and hammered out quick blurbs on each. He then combined these random subjects, added some transitions between them, and called it a book.
2. He alluded several times in his examples about wanting to write a book.
I did find many useful tips. In addition, I enjoyed how Ferriss addresses the flaws associated with the common concept that "If I work hard now, when I retire I will get to enjoy life".
All and all I enjoyed the book, but I believe the author was more interested in becoming a best selling author than to write a book that enlightens its readers.
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Editorial Reviews:
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What do you do? Tim Ferriss has trouble answering the question. Depending on when you ask this
controversial Princeton University guest lecturer, he might answer:
“I race motorcycles in Europe.”
“I ski in the Andes.”
“I scuba dive in Panama.”
“I dance tango in Buenos Aires.”
He has spent more than five years learning the secrets of the New Rich, a fast-growing subculture who has abandoned the “deferred-life plan” and instead mastered the new currencies—time and mobility—to create luxury lifestyles in the here and now.
Whether you are an overworked employee or an entrepreneur trapped in your own business, this book is the compass for a new and revolutionary world. Join Tim Ferriss as he teaches you:
• 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 freuent "mini-retirements"
• What the crucial difference is between absolute and relative income
• How to train your boss to value performance over presence, or kill your job (or company) if it’s beyond repair
• What automated cash-flow “muses” are and how to create one in 2 to 4 weeks
• How to cultivate selective ignorance—and create time—with a low-information diet
• What the management secrets of Remote Control CEOs are
• How to get free housing worldwide and airfare at 50–80% off
• How to fill the void and create a meaningful life after removing work and the office
You can have it all—really.
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