Is Tim Ferriss's "The 4-Hour Workweek," still relevant almost 20 years later? Discover the classic's timeless principles and how they apply to modern freelance work and life.
Show Notes:
In this inaugural episode, we dive into Tim Ferriss’s classic book, The 4-Hour Workweek.
Jacqueline and Michelle both re-read this book on our own and then came together to share our biggest takeaways and what still resonates with us today as two freelance entrepreneurs.
We share our initial experience with the book when we discovered it in 2008-2009 — before either of us had begun our freelance journeys.
The book's premise of remote work was revolutionary then, and now, post 2020, it's the norm. Jacqueline shares how she tested out some of the recommendations in her corporate life—some unsuccessfully. And Michelle shares her experience of discovering the book later in her career, after leaving medicine, and how some of its automation principles were already something she and her husband had implemented in their medical practice years ago.
In short, this book is still mostly relevant in 2025.
Here's what we cover:
- Top takeaways, including the powerful truism, "Doing something unimportant well does not make it important."
- How the concept of a "low-information diet" and the benefits of being selective about the information we consume makes for more efficient work and a happier life.
- The effectiveness of batching tasks, especially emails and content creation, as a time and energy-saving strategy that we both practice in our current work.
- The enduring message that you don't need millions to live the life you want, and how the book encourages a "new rich" lifestyle that prioritizes freedom and experiences over traditional retirement.
- Why we'll both keep this book in our respective libraries (and share it with our high schoolers and college age kids)
Key Links:
- Business Book Exchange Website
- Buy 4-Hour Work Week (and see more from Tim Ferriss)
- Tim Ferriss's blog post about "The No Book"
What We're Reading Next:
Derek Sivers's Anything You Want (This is NOT an affiliate link.)
Meet your hosts:
Jacqueline Fisch is a 3-time author, intuitive writing coach, and the founder of The Intuitive Writing School.
Jacqueline Fisch Website
Michelle Guiliano is a podiatrist-turned-indexer and founder of Indexer Index, a directory website for working with freelance book indexers.
Michelle Guiliano Website
