#836: The 4-Hour Workweek Principles — 13 Mistakes to Avoid, The Art of Mini-Retirements, and Navigating the Dizziness of Freedom

Tim Ferriss (0:00)

Hello, boys and girls, ladies and germs. This is Tim Ferris. Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferris Show. This time around, we have a different experimental format featuring the book that started it all for me, The 4-Hour Workweek. And even though it was published in 2007, it was one of Amazon's top 10 most highlighted books of all time last I checked around 2017 So this is a bit of a foreshadowing of a point I want to make.

A lot of people, readers and listeners ask me what I would change or update in The 4-Hour Workweek or in other books, but especially The 4-Hour Workweek. An equally interesting question, I think a very compelling question is what wouldn't I change? What stands the test of time and hasn't lost any potency? What would I absolutely not touch? And perhaps there are a few minor tweaks here and there, but by and large, what has stood the test of time for almost 20 years? This episode features three timeless chapters from the audio book of The 4-Hour Workweek, a chapter on taking mini-retirements, which challenges everything about the deferred life plan, the slave-save-retire approach, and shows you how to distribute adventure and retirement throughout life instead of saving it all for the end. The chapter titled Filling the Void, which addresses navigating the dizziness of freedom and handling unexpected emotional and philosophical challenges that you can run into not just after reading The 4-Hour Workweek, but if you are an entrepreneur of any type, really, but especially one following the tenets of lifestyle design. And last but not least, the 13 mistakes of The New Rich, where I outline the most common pitfalls I've seen in people encounter, stumble over when implementing the book's principles. These are all narrated by the great voice actor Ray Porter, and if you are interested in checking out the rest of the audio book, which is produced and copyrighted by Blackstone Publishing, you can find it on Audible, Apple, Google, Spotify, downpour.com, or wherever you find your favorite audio books. Until the next long-form interview, please enjoy.

SPEAKER_2 (2:08)

At this altitude, I can run flat out for a half-mile before my hands start shaking.

Tim Ferriss (2:13)

Can I ask you a personal question?

Ray Porter (2:31)

Fourteen, Mini Retirements, Embracing the Mobile Lifestyle. Before the development of tourism, travel was conceived to be like study, and its fruits were considered to be the adornment of the mind and the formation of the judgment. Paul Fussell, Abroad. The simple willingness to improvise is more vital in the long run than research. Rolf Potts, Vagabonding. If you've gone through the previous steps, eliminating, automating and severing the leashes that bind you to one location, it's time to indulge in some fantasies and explore the world. Even if you have no ache for extended travel or think it's impossible, whether due to marriage or mortgage or those little things known as children, this chapter is still the next step. There are fundamental changes I and most others put off until absence or preparation for it forces them. This chapter is your final exam in Mew's Design. The transformation begins in a small Mexican village, in a parable that's been shared in various forms around the world.

Fables and Fortune Hunters An American businessman took a vacation to a small coastal Mexican village on doctor's orders. Unable to sleep after an urgent phone call from the office the first morning, he walked out to the pier to clear his head. A small boat with just one fisherman had docked, and inside the boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish. How long did it take you to catch them? the American asked. Only a little while, the Mexican replied. Why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish? the American then asked. I have enough to support my family and give a few to friends, the Mexican said as he unloaded them into a basket. But what do you do with the rest of your time? The Mexican looked up and smiled. I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Julia, and stroll into the village each evening, where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, senor. The American laughed and stood tall. Sir, I'm a Harvard MBA and can help you. You should spend more time fishing, and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat. In no time you could buy several boats with the increased haul. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. He continued, Instead of selling your catch to a middle man, you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village, of course, and move to Mexico City, then to Los Angeles and eventually New York City, where you could run your expanding enterprise with proper management.