Dear Valued colleagues’
Just got done reading ‘The 4 hour Work week’ by Tim Ferris.
About the Author
A former graduate & lecturer from Princeton University, Tim has morphed into a serial entrepreneur and ultra-traveler. He speaks six languages and runs a multinational firm from wireless locations worldwide, and has been a world record holder in tango, a national champion in Chinese kickboxing, and an actor on a hit television series in Hong Kong…… All by the age of twenty-nine.
About the book:
The book is about how to radically change your lifestyle and go from ‘living to work’ to working effectively (and as little as possible) and making life as BIG as possible. Tim routinely migrates to a new country every 3 to 6 months, all while maintaining his businesses, pursuing whatever interests him and writing best sellers. His follow up book ‘The 4 Hour body’ is currently enjoying the number 1 position on the New York Times Bestseller list.
I would recommend this book to EVERYONE and it’s available at Kinokuniya for RM65. The following are some key philosophies form the book.
Interest and Energy Are Cyclical
Alternating periods of activity and rest is necessary to survive. Let alone thrive.
Less Is Not Laziness.
Focus on being productive instead of busy. Doing less meaningless work, so that you can focus on things of greater personal importance, is NOT laziness. This is hard for most to accept, because our culture tends to reward personal sacrifice instead of personal productivity.
The Timing Is Never Right.
For all of the most important things, the timing always sucks! Conditions are never perfect. If it’s important to you and you want to do it…. just do it and correct course along the way.
Distress
Refers to harmful stimuli that make you weaker, less confident, and less able. Destructive criticism, abusive bosses are examples of this. Role models who push us to exceed our limits, physical training that removes our spare tires, and risks that expand our sphere of comfortable action are all examples of Eustress. stress that is healthful and the stimulus for growth.
Even if you work 10 hours a week and produce twice the results of people working 40, the collective request will be, “Work 40 hours a week and produce 8 times the results.” This is an endless game and one you want to avoid. The entrepreneur’s goals are to decrease the amount of work you perform while increasing revenue.
Being Effective vs. Being Efficient
Effectiveness is doing the things that get you closer to your goals. Efficiency is performing a given task (whether important or not) in the most economical manner possible. Being efficient without regard to effectiveness is the default mode of the universe.
Do not multi-task!
There should be no more than two mission-critical items to complete each day. Learn to ask, ‘If this is the only thing I accomplish today, will I be satisfied with my day?’ Do not multi-task! You should have, at most, two primary goals or tasks per day. Do them separately from start to finish without distraction. Don’t ever arrive at the office or in front of your computer without a clear list of priorities. Compile your ‘to do’ list for tomorrow no later than this evening.
Limit e-mail consumption and production
This is the greatest single interruption in the modern world!
- Severely limit e-mail consumption and production
- Check e-mail only twice per day
- Never check e-mail first thing in the morning, instead, complete your most important task before 11:00 am to avoid using lunch or reading e-mail as a postponement excuse
- Suggested e mail auto responder:
“Due to high workload, I am currently checking and responding to e-mail twice daily at 12:00 noon and 4:00 pm.
If you require urgent assistance that cannot wait until either 12:00 or 4:00, please contact me via mobile: 0138666852.
Thank you for understanding this move to more efficiency and effectiveness. It helps me to accomplish more and serve you better.”
If you are a micro-managing entrepreneur
Realize that even if you can something better than the rest of the world, it doesn’t mean that’s what you should be doing if it’s part of the minutiae. Empower others to act without interrupting you. Do not let people interrupt you. Find your focus and you’ll find your lifestyle. Learn to recognize and fight the interruption impulse
If you are a micromanaged employee
Have a heart-to-heart with your boss and explain that you want to be more productive and interrupt them less. “I hate that I have to interrupt you so much and pull you away from more important things”.
The following picture is an example of how some major corporations are implementing this new philosophy:
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