Buy The Book

"Just because you're at work doesn't mean you can't be on vacation." For years, that was my mantra in Corporate America. I never meant it to sound disrespectful, but I was able to typically work very efficiently, completing my assignments ahead of schedule and being left with little else to do for the rest of the workday. Compatriots around me, however, would often procrastinate, create unnecessary busy work, and schmooze with the managers while basically contributing nothing to the company's progress. These were the types that were rewarded for their "hard work" and "dedication" to excellence. It just never made sense to me - one more reason I never really felt comfortable or fit into a structured business environment.

Then I came across a kindred spirit who has taken this point of view to a whole new level and is starting to turn the accepted notions of "productivity" in the workplace upside down. In his book, "The 4-Hour Workweek", Timothy Ferriss introduces revolutionary notions that question such topics as the 40-hour workweek - "The world has agreed to shuffle papers between 9:00 and 5:00 p.m., and since you are trapped in the office for that period of servitude, you are compelled to create activities to fill that time"; saving time - "The object is to create FREEDOM of time and use it how you want"; and effectiveness vs. efficiency - "Being efficient without regard to effectiveness is the defaul mode of the universe."

Ferriss outlines the parameters of what he defines as the "New Rich", a fast-growing subculture that has abandoned the traditional "deferred life plan" (slave-save-retire) and instead mastered the new currencies - time and mobility - to create luxury lifetsyles in the here in now. The thinking is that through technological mobility, opportunities abound to do more work in fewer hours, freeing yourself to escape the traditional office and enjoy the things in life you thought would have to wait until your retirement years.

In the free time he has created for himself, Ferriss has learned to speak six languages, 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, not to mention writing this book that is now the #1 "Wall Street Journal" Bestseller. He is 29 years old. Slacker!

This book is not only a great, humorous read, it explicitly outlines a plan that can be used to start doing the things you want to do in life, instead of just robotically doing the things you THINK you are supposed to do.

Roberts On The Run™ says BUY THE BOOK!

Talk to you soon. Until then, pick up the pace and run your own race.

- Jeff