Every entrepreneur, business owner or any professional of any kind should read this book. As a companion to my own book, "The Expert's Edge," it will put the whole picture together.... success that is both professional and personal!

I have read many books that promised "The Holy Grail", and I had not expected all that much when I started this one. However, I was surprised to see that I really liked the approach. The suggestions were creative, sound, without any pressure to purchase more from the author to be successful.

I particularly liked his notion that we don't have to subscribe to the idea that we need to do the same thing over and over again for the rest of our lives. We can get involved in one activity, get good at it, make money with it, take a mini-retirement, and then look for something else to do. I personally have done just that for the last 10 years, have learned lots of new stuff, got involved in lots of new things, and every time I mention my own path to others, the reaction is always: oh, a jack/jill of all trades! I find such reactions an insult to my effort of being good at what I do, and the author of this book did a fine job encouraging and motivating me that this is a great way to live, make a living, and turn it into a lifestyle.

I am not quite at the 4 hour work week yet by any means, but I got lots of ideas on how to get there. I had already been thinking along those lines, and the suggestions this book offers are helping me tremendously along the way to speed up the process. It's just a different way of thinking, and I love how he demonstrates what is possible. As they say in neuro-linguistic programming: when one person is able to do something, it means the rest of us will eventually be able to do the same if they put their mind to it. The book definitely encourages and helps me to put my mind to this way of carving out a lifestyle.

Tim ferris rocks. I wanta life like his and this bok wiill deliver it. Good bye 9-5 come onn life sustainability.

There sure are a lot of complainers who are slamming this book. It is impossible for some people to think differently they cannot help it they are programmed to only believe one way. If this sounds like you then you should not buy this book.

This book encourages us to think differently. I read the book with an open mind. The book in a winner. Ok the author has a ego but you can choose to ignore it.

The suggestion to avoid all news is a sound idea. It has helped me get into an innovative groove. I must admit that I have come up with several viable ideas.

I have a friend who is disabled and she needed to find a job. After reading this book it dawned on me on how she could make a living that equaled or exceeded her corporate job. She is thrilled with my idea and so his her family.

I recommend that you read this book with an open mind and take what you can use. My husband and I are grateful to the author because this book has helped us expand our horizons and we are not waiting for retirement to savor life. More important is that my friend has a good future.

I liked it so much I bought both the audio and print versions. I have already begun putting it to use and have gotten tremendous value for a very small investment. I tell everyone they have to read this book!

The book's title is provocative on purpose, but Ferriss delivers excellent ideas about life and work. You don't have to agree with everything he says, and you don't have to implement all his suggestions to benefit. For me, the point of the book is to look at your work differently. When you do that, you can make different decisions that will benefit you, as opposed to the instinctive "work, get promoted, retire" plan.

Examples: 1. I was trying to get a management job, to get more money and more power in my company. Now I realize that job would decrease my hourly pay and limit my ability to enjoy life. 2. I want to move to a different city, but fear moving my family, cutting roots, only to get to the new place and realize it was a mistake. Now I'm planning to rent a house in the new city and go live for two weeks or more, doing my job as I normally do. My family will know if they like living there, and my boss's experience of my services will not change.

Is this book for everyone? No book is for everyone. However, most of us have to work and most of us would rather be doing something else. If Ferriss's ideas sound good to you, but you can't implement them now, you can move toward a position where you can implement them. He's realistic about this. He lays out methods for training yourself to work remotely, as well as a detailed plan for negotiating with your boss.

I can't validate all of Tim Ferriss's claims, but I can confirm that some of what he recommends in this book IS POSSIBLE. I'm doing it, and I'm not an internet millionaire or an ivy-league graduate.

I recommend the print version, rather than the audiobook, because of all the URLs he includes for further study. You may want to check out Ferriss's talk at Google, on YouTube. He addresses some of the ethical and moral objections people bring up in the negative reviews here.

This is an amazing book where I rediscovered the fact that life is short and not doing what you love is a waste of precious time. That being said not all jobs are rewarding or satisfying, but the energy and your self expression you bring to that job makes all the difference in the world. The ideas presented in this book are definitely not your traditional ones around the work place. Here Tim Ferris presents a whole new reality of what the work place can and has become for many people. One of discovering ways to work less hours, make more money and spent more time in activities outside of your workplace you like to do, ie traveling. You could say it's all about how you spend your time...quality vs quantity.

In reading Tim's book I was reminded of 2 brilliant authors named Ariel and Shya Kane who also present a non traditional approach to achieving and maintaining enlightenment without the previously conceived approach or need for years of working on yourself. Where you live life with a centeredness and ease no matter what life circumstances arise. The Kane's book titles include "Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: A Book About Instantaneous Transformation,"Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment" and "How to Create a Magical Relationship." I highly recommend all these books. Life is way too short to not be living it as your heart desires.

I have almost nothing but praise for this book. My copy is wearing out. This book is excellent and well written, but very easy reading. Tim has led an exciting life and has a ton of passion to see others buy into his way of life. Many of the tips are not just practical and time-honored, but Tim gives step-by-step details of how to achieve what he has achieved. Good stuff, solid "self-help" type of material.

Now the criticism. The section on Automation, which is key to the whole New Rich lifestyle, may lead some people to become disillusioned because it is not as easy as it seems from the book. That said, Tim is the only person out there that gives step-by-step product testing which has been quite effective in helping to narrow some product/service ideas. I have also used them in my 9-5 job to help narrow my marketing focus.

The key takeaway is about living life to the fullest & having mini retirements early on, instead of leaving it all for the end - something that several books talk about. There are some good insights into outsourcing your life. However, I didn't find the book very practical.

This is a book that you'll either love or hate. Timothy has a good writing style, and has plenty of great ideas, however some are quite controversial and I'd expect some people would dismiss them quickly.

I didn't agree with all of them (hey, it'd be hard to agree completely to any book), yet they were well presented, and it certainly makes you think about how you spend your life.

I really enjoyed this book. While I would love to quit my job and move closer towards a four-hour work week, I was really just looking for information about trying to get a product to market in the easiest way possible, which is what the author has provided.

While I don't necessarily agree with all of the advice given in this book (I'm too much of a control freak to check emails only twice a day, and I'm fine with that), I often find myself coming up with ideas that I think are great, only to let them drift off into the ether because the task of creating and marketing them seemed too daunting. What I've gotten from this book more than anything else is a new hobby: a way to turn my ideas into product for between $1200-2000 on average. Considering the costs of some other hobbies (travel, golf, etc.), this doesn't seem that bad, and at least there's a slim chance that any one of my ideas could be life changing, so there's always excitement too.

People reading this book and hoping that it is some sort panacea may be a little disappointed. The author does spell out for you how to make a life like his. However, it will take a huge leap of faith (not to mention a successful product/idea) to start. He does his best to ease you into his way of thinking, and an intelligent person is going to process his advice and make their own decisions. The author is also not promising riches beyond your wildest dreams. He's selling a way for you to enrich your life experiences, and the purpose of your business is to finance these experiences.

Overall, lots of good information, and very motivational. If you've ever had an idea that you thought could change the world, or you wanted to turn the ratio of work to living that you do upside down, you should at least take a cursory glance at this book.

Disappointment is hardly the word I would use when describing this book. Sad that people think this way - - all I can think is that the book was written for saps. And, I feel like a sap for buying it. Stay away from this. It's a complete and total waste of your valuable time. Swindle is a great word to describe this author, the book and everything about it.

Good concepet, good ideas, little bit of bragging by the author, sometimes little unrealistic. In summary, you will enjoy reading this book and will make you think of broader prospective.

Tim Ferriss has extrapolated a huge success with one product into a thesis that anyone can do what he has done. He is a wily sort who is not above prevaricating to gain what he wants.

There are some good points in the book rgarding use of the Inernet, taming the e-mail, use of out-sourcing, etc. And the technique of using the Pareto principle is just good advice, although hardly new here. Also, the notion of taking mini-retirements throughout one's life instead of working continuously and then retiring is fine unless one wants to provide stability and security for a spouse and family.

I suppose the lack of loyalty shown by modern companies to their employees with their "reduction in force" moves and outsourcing of jobs leads naturally to the employee attitudes espoused here. Too bad!

I was disappointed toward the end of the book when a person has finally thrown off the shackles of corporate and suburban life that there was no ultimate use of free time and money -- at least this book is "value free" and offered no higher purpose than enjoying self.

I'm from Brazil and I received the book before the estimated delivery date.

I'm still reading the book but I already have a nice impression of it.

Thanks
Gustavo

Tim's book was recommended by a friend. He has a real unique way of looking at the world and the world of work. As a financial advisor, I find his tips and suggestions helpful when counseling pre-retirees and retirees.

Wow. Over 700 reviews. What more could I possibly add? Well, I'll be honest. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I actually feel that a lot of the techniques (for stamping out needless time-wasters, removing yourself as an information bottleneck, etc.) are quite easy to put into practice. Now for the more daring suggestions, such as proposing to your boss that you work off-site, I simply feel that those are things that can be considered part of the process.

I've read reviews from people who believe that much of the book is unrealistic, but in my experience so far (and I've had the book for a year) a lot of it really is doable. I just think much of it has to do with timing- knowing when to jump and when to pull the cord. Not everyone has it in them to make the kind of big changes that would save them from being wage slaves. This book truly is for those who dare. If you already have it in you to do things a different way and you're open to taking an off-ramp, you can absolutely take an off-ramp to a life that is less of a traffic jam.

I LOVED this book and I can't stop talking about it. It's a fantastic guide for breaking free of the corporate treadmill and making better use of your life. This book is my new bible.

That said, I realize that I am squarely in the target demographic for the message of this book. Many of the principles in the book would be nearly impossible to implement if you're a blue collar worker. This is a game changer for white collar, internet-savvy folks but will fall somewhere between mildly interesting and totally useless to people outside that demo.

More poor morons I know recommend this book. It can't be any good if it inspires the mediocre to dream of living rich without working. Low rent people unit.

It speaks of networking...it should be titled "networking for nitwits."

It started off good but it seems that he "outsourced" his own book about halfway through. What I really want to know is how did he get so rich selling brain "vitamins?"

I found myself not being able to put it down....I enjoyed the anecdotes and style of Tim's writing as well as some of his easy-to-digest lessons and principles by which to live. This book is totally worth the investment and time to check it out.

Great book for the new Rich this book made me start my home base business
thanks to Tim I'm in control of my financial future

Dennis j.

This book inspired me. It planted the seed for me to eventually create my own "deliverable product," a book (Lipstick Ghetto: The Girls' Guide to Escaping the 9-to-5 Rat Race). The 4-hour Workweek not only offers practical advice...but it also offers motivational tips on finally leaving corporate America behind. If you are serious about changing your work life, this book is a great resource. I highly recommend it.

The premise of the book is that basically he was a screw-up that started a company and spent two years putting in 14-hour days to build the company. Then one day he had enough and decided to spend time in Europe. To his surprise his company flourished in his absence and now he can live the life of luxury needing only to spend 4-ish hours a week working.

Now Tim wants to share with us how we can follow in his footsteps. The only problem is that other than some history at the beginning of the book he seems to all to easily forget that he spent TWO YEARS working 14-hour days to build the foundation (a company) that supports his lifestyle.

Umm.. Tim, that's not exactly a unique idea. Building a company that provides automated wealth on a daily/weekly/monthly basis is pretty much what most entrepreneurs are attempting to do. And without those 14-hour days you would have never been able to only work 4-hour weeks. Again, not all that enlightening.

Sorry, I can't recommend this book.

After reading the book, I was eager to start using some of the ideas to create some additional income streams, to rev up my leisure time/travel plans. As a small business owner, I was already familiar with breaking out and starting up a business - all be it at 50-60 hours per week. But I wanted to outsource some of the day-to-day activities to free up some time.

Brickwork India: Contacted these guy about some web development work first. Their bid was high and timeline too long to be practical. Suspect they now have more work than they need since being mentioned in the book and have since jacked up their prices and are being selective on projects. Found much better pricing and faster turnaround with an outfit called Daffodil Software. [...]

SF Video: We used these guys to produce a "how-to" DVD we had developed last year. Although they were pleasant to work with, we later found better pricing and service with PacificDisc [...]

18 months later, I'm only working 20 hours a week and am trying to reduce that further by the end of the year. The book is very useful for someone already self-employed. As someone who still works in a cubicle in corporate America, this book is a scary read. Make sure you have a parachute before you jump!

Good luck out there

The most important thing about this book is its relationship to the twenty-first century longevity revolution. As people increasingly live centenarian lifespans, and work past eighty years of age, the entire complex of ideas regarding retirement and education needs to be re-examined. Mini-retirements, which can also serve the purpose of retooling, education, and a replacement for permanent retirement, can help keep older workers happy and in the workforce productively for much longer. I know Ferris never deals with this topic, but it is germane.

His book is furthermore a powerful case for applying the lessons of globalism to your personal life. There is no reason that only big multinationals and governments should profit from globalization - everyday normal Joes and Joannes can too. Globalization is one of the most powerful profit engines on the planet right now, and anyone who does not take advantage of it is a fool, in my opinion. Wealth will, as always, come to those with daring and initiative. The majority who lack the strength to come out from under their sedentary, suburban rocks will become an impoverished commodity class.

Whether or not you can in fact achieve a 4 hour work week, there is great value in hypermobility and global nomadism, for people with the imagination, intelligence and flexibility to make it happen. The author perhaps overestimates the imagination of his audience at points in the book. It has always been clear to me that nomads are special people, and it takes a renegade mentality to make much of this work. Whether or not the specific entrepreneurial wealth engine that he details will work for you is irrelevant. There are ways, and this book should be viewed as a crack in the ice of sedentary convention. It is up to you to come up with your own technique.

I strongly recommend a career in IT contracting for people who want to possess unique control over their time. Every contract typically lasts from three months to a year. Every time your contract ends, is a good opportunity to take a break and explore the world. If you have a home with a mortgage you might not be able to do it. But if you live without mortgage and a high fixed monthly cost of living, as I do, you could. Explore the ways that conventional ways of living might not be helping you.

I understand reservations about this book, but I think it makes a powerful case for applying the lessons of globalism to your personal life. There is no reason that only big multinationals and governments should profit from globalization - everyday normal Joes and Joannes can too. Globalization is one of the most powerful profit engines on the planet right now, and anyone who does not take advantage of it is a fool, in my opinion. Wealth will, as always, come to those with daring and initiative. The majority who lack the strength to come out from under their sedentary, suburban rocks will become an impoverished commodity class.

Whether or not you can in fact achieve a 4 hour work week, there is great value in hypermobility and global nomadism, for people with the imagination, intelligence and flexibility to make it happen. The author perhaps overestimates the imagination of his audience at points in the book. It has always been clear to me that nomads are special people, and it takes a renegade mentality to make much of this work. Whether or not the specific entrepreneurial wealth engine that he details will work for you is irrelevant. There are ways, and this book should be viewed as a crack in the ice of sedentary convention. It is up to you to come up with your own technique.

I strongly recommend a career in IT contracting for people who want to possess unique control over their time. Every contract typically lasts from three months to a year. Every time your contract ends, is a good opportunity to take a break and explore the world. If you have a home with a mortgage you might not be able to do it. But if you live without mortgage and a high fixed monthly cost of living, as I do, you could. Explore the ways that conventional ways of living might not be helping you.

That pretty much sums up what this book should have been called. I just can't fathom how so many people have been duped into drinking the kool-aid that young Mr Ferriss expounds so carelessy in his book.

For those of you looking for the 'Cliff Note' version, I'll summarize in 3 points what this book is basically about:

1 - Look for ways to generate passive income (ie, make $$ with little or no work). In Mr. Ferriss' case, it's selling vitamin supplements online...yeah you heard it right.

2 - Make it your life's goal to become a slacker by outsourcing everyday tasks(eg, checking email, paying bills, online shopping, etc). Yes, everyone is as busy and important as Mr Ferris that they need to manage a team of personal assistants in India to check their email, pay bills and shopping online.

3 - Once you become a slacker, look for activities that will give you meaning in life. Young Mr. Ferris has some real gems of wisdom for you ;-)

The 4-Hour Work Week is complete utter waste of time and not worth the paper it's printed on. Check out at the library if you must waste 2-3 hours of your life skimming through the drivel.

Interesting, but I think many of the concepts are difficult to apply in corporate America.

Well-written and actionable, the "Four Hour Workweek" book delivers a step by step process combining a variety of techniques designed to help people make outstanding use of their time.

For fellow 'serial entrepreneurs' like myself, the outsourcing and 'boundary management' tips were particularly useful, including must-read tips for avoiding outsourcing pitfalls (eg time caps on projects and how to select assistants), plus more.

His model is a sound one, on page 185, for developing an info-business plan; though there's much more to it than is covered, it's a great overview and outline of key productivity concepts. I found it impressive that the author was able to articulate many effective productivity-boosting strategies so clearly.

For more, be sure to study Brian Tracy and Dan Kennedy as well. I recommend Brian's "Eat That Frog", and Dan's "No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs" books (along with all their other products, which are essential for success).

Overall, highly recommended; it got me thinking about outsourcing more effectively, plus other actionable ideas, so that alone is well worth reading this for.

-Ken Calhoun

This book is yet another motivational 'Rich Dad Poor Dad' ploy, only this time being applied to on-line products. Mr. Ferris strongly advocates outsourcing work overseas. Great! More potential USA work lost to third world countries. And the pay rate for that overseas work really isn't that much different than it is here (has Mr. Ferris checked the current US minimum wage?). And his web-site? Just a big advertisement to buy his book. Just what the US needs, more Wal-Mart capitalism.

This is an excellent book which includes many, many details and suggested exercises. My suggestion is to read the book all the way through once, then start working on the exercises, slowly, otherwise it can be a bit too much to really get a handle on. Awesome, so worth the money spent to purchase it.

This book, and the stellar, author-generated reviews that it has inspired, is misleading. The book itself is a basic sham, get-rich scheme from an Aleksey Vayner-style self promoter. This type of pretentious, vacuous writing should not be encouraged by buying this book.

Great read, inspirational.

But in a sea of to-do's--many reasonable and beneficial tweaks in lifestyle and thought--I found myself feeling like I was trying to be "sold" something.

So in brainstorming/researching my "muse"--we all found ours because it's that easy, right guys?--I came to the conclusion I'd need to find a drop-shipping service as to remotely conduct my business.

Mr. Ferriss offers several recommendations in sourcing one's muse (e-business for those who haven't read this). "Finding Manufacturing or Products to Resell", which an everyday reader may be most partial to because it requires the least effort and you never see the goodies, lists several websites as resources.

Under this heading, Thomasnet is listed and seems interesting as a good start. Following that is dropshipsource (Worldwide Brands?), which seems vaguely fishy and charges approximately $500 for a lifetime membership--whatever that means. Who owns these websites? I used to do reporting and immediately feel suspicious when I just spent 19.99 on the book and am already getting more sales pitches.

But as this is the reviews section, I must be fair in my evaluation of the book overall: The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich is worth reading as a motivator. No one deserves to spend their life in a cubicle (yep, I'm still in mine). I also like how Mr. Ferriss stresses that one's time and energy are sacred, and to be treated as such.

Thanks for reading!

As someone who has worked toward and basicially succeeded at living the life promoted by this book, I can say that the book is largely nonsense. The problem is that we live in a competitive world, and any business with margins sufficient to let the owner work a few hours a week will compete with another company that charges less and the owner works half a week, and that company will compete with another company that charges even less and the owner works a full week. Yes, for those of us whose work involves sitting in front of a computer, the Internet can let us work from about anywhere--but we still have to work.

This is a very great book for those that are trying to find freedom and a lifestyle, that normally would have to wait until you retire.

Hi Everyone,

Yes, the book is not perfect, it has flaws. But as a role model Timothy shows us that positive aggression, awareness and assertiveness can get us our needs met.

The main needs this book addresses is being liberated from a desk job so you can travel if you want, and being liberating from working like a slave. I have already been on a track of working for myself but this book was still helpful. I learned some good marketing techniques, and got to see insight on how to get a small online business up and running. I wouldn't hang on too tightly to the examples given of online businesses the concept of creating income creatively is what is more important.

Timothy is open to many possibilities for success and he teaches readers that you can live life according to a new set of rules. Why sit around and have a boring, unfulfilling life and waste time working. Rather, work effectively, take control, and live your dreams. What is great about this message is that Timothy shows us a method for doing this. Find a way to make money that doesn't require you. Be the boss. Probably the best tip from the book is to not waste time. Timothy emphasizes spending our time on where we are most effective, and not wasting our time wandering through life without intention.

I think this is a great book that will help many people switch to more pleasurable careers.

Ramiel Nagel author of Cure Tooth Decay: Heal and Prevent Cavities with Nutrition

This book is actually a course in time-management and e-commerce entrepreneurship. Tim Ferris is brilliant!

In this book, Timothy Ferriss gives us step by step process for reducing the amount of time we actually spend working. He makes a strong case for not waiting until retirement to travel and do the things you want to do, by promoting the idea of mini-retirements. He endorses the concept of outsourcing by giving simple instructions, including company names for outsourcing. His thoughts on lifestyle design changed the way I was viewing what is possible in my life.

Though this book is edgy and has caused many people to poke holes in his theory, it was well worth the time it took to read it. As a business coach, I am assigning this book to my clients and we are extracting the concepts that make individual sense, and creating execution strategies to implement them.

Even if you don't agree with every part of Tim's philosophy (and I didn't), you can gain by reading this book because it makes you re-consider what you thought to be true, and promotes uncommon thinking. This kind of thinking is what causes positive transformation in your life and your business.

Tim writes an amazing boook and provides great website links to at least get you started on your path to the "New Rich". This is a must read for anyone with aspirations to make a little bit more of their life.

Major word of caution... Be careful who you give this book to. If the wrong person (IE: Your Boss) gets their hands on the book, some tactics will become much less useful.

"Selling a dream" books usually sell well and I am not surprised this book sold well. Everyone wants to work less and earn more. Lose weight and look better.. etc.

But let's get real by just examining the title. You will NOT work for 4 hours only, if you work for someone else. Unless you want to get paid for 4 hours worth of work only. This alone will eliminate most of the working force.

You will NOT work for 4 hours if you just started a new business. You will pour sweat and blood getting the business started. Many of the ideas in the book are based on outsourcing daily tasks. You can't outsource anything until you learn how your business runs first and then get other people working for you. For the simple fact that you have to tell what and how to do it and you need to learn yourself first.

So eventually this leaves a tiny tiny percentage of the population who can pull this off. Really.. we need to be realistic first. Do you know any Billionaire or multimillionaire who works for 4 hours a week only?

The book has some good ideas which one can use. However I feel the author is going to extremes to outsource too many daily activities. The author mentions that he doesn't read the daily papers but instead learns about current events by hanging with people who would tell him. I don't know about you but if I meet with people and I know nothing about current events, I would feel stupid near them. I enjoy reading from physical paper. How long does it take to scan a paper?

I feel that the author is trying to squeeze every minute of his life to be more productive by mostly having other people do the work. This is not living like a normal human being. So the author now has all this free time.. to do what? To dance in Argentina?

Having fun is nice but a good balance between work and fun is what a human should be seeking and not concentrating on "how can I get someone else do this for me". It's OK to this but the author is overdoing it. The newspaper example I quoted is an absurd example of "outsourcing". The author should already have enough time to read the paper from all the outsourcing he has done already!

Just read the book not only will it help you it will help you help others. I hope I can reach his status or maybe even his type of life.

This order made 6/5/08 and has yet to be received one month later. I have sent emails to seller twice to request update and later to cancel order. No response and/or action taken to date. Very disappointed with failure to communicate and would highly discourage use by others.

Tim Ferriss hits the nail on the head with his ideas and approach to living life. We all get into the habit of thinking we should work 8 hours a day and sleep 8 hours a day, folks.............thats two thirds or 66% of your life, sleeping and banging away at a computer in a tiny cramped little cubicle, its disgusting. Break the habit, break free and live the life you are supposed to be living, the life you can live. Find a niche business, start a little online company, follow Tims advice and start building an automated life. Working is the WORST way to make money. If you want free, and to earn a living, and possibly become independently wealthy, STOP what you are doing, figure out a way. It may take time to build up a side business and get it automated, but at some point you can stop working, have money coming in, be doing hardly anything, and have 35% of your life back to do with what you want. Read his book, over and over it, take notes, visit all the websites. Take 3 months and put all other books away, study his material 2-3 hours a day, and you will get there. Peace and good luck.

This book is great if you have no morals and no qualms over using others to achieve your ends. The article on outsourcing is sickening, especially if one is from that country. He's a con artist and is probably using his skills to sell this book as well.

I think I could write chapters about this book but I'll keep it short and to the point (Tim would like that); it has profoundly changed my life and lifestyle. I am deeply grateful for Ferris's work. Wow!

The author creates an awareness within you and makes you reach out for creating and working on your goals in an approach which feels very achievable. I would recommend everyone to read this book. If not anything else, it at least helps to motivate you!

Once again, it is a must read!

Never before have I been so compelled to write a review--not just because of the overwhelming amount of cynicism that has been spewed about the number of 5-star reviews on this book, but because it is actually a REALLY good read. I listened to the 7-CD audio version of this book in my mobile library aka my car and I was enlightened on my 2 hour daily commute to and from work. As young as Tim is, he seems to have grasped the concept of accomplishing everything that you could ever want to do. There is a certain fearlessness and sense of urgency that arrives after reading this book that the reader will either have to embrace or reject. Embracing will lead to inevitable success; while rejection will lead to more of the same--50 hour weeks, information overload, and retirement at 65. There are a few of things that I picked up from this book that make it worth its weight in gold.

-Dreamlining: This was something that I did my own way before reading the book, but done Tim's way has had a huge impact on the way I view things in life. Figuring out how much your dream life costs and making it happen one peice at a time.

-Mini-retirement: The idea of working until you are old, tired, and rich is beyond played out. Living for the now, and better planning so that you can have everything and do everything that you want is much more upbeat and even (dare I say) logical.

-Time Management: The basis of this premise in the book is simple. Stop letting other people waste your time. it belongs to you and you should protect it at all costs, and free it whenever possible.

Without giving away any of the book in detail, I can not say anything more helpful than BUY this book. It has changed my world, and the world of others that i have recommended it to. There is nothing superficial about it. It is an honest and detailed account of a young person that has capitalized on the understanding of time management and where our businesses are headed. The principles can be applied to those that work for others and those that work for themselves. That is my review. I definitely recommend the audio version for iPodders, and heavy commuters. This review was not paid for by Tim Ferris.

Many people will read this book, think it's great, maybe give it some afterthought and go back to their lives. Others will scoff at it and say it's trash. Well, I'm writing this review strictly to set the record straight. Ferriss gives us tools. Tools that we can use to create a different, more interesting life. I bought this book in June of 2007, and I'm writing this review, now July, 2008, from Oaxaca, Mexico, where I'm renting a villa with a spectacular mountain view for an entire month. No, I'm not rich. The trip cost $1200 for the rental, plus about $2400 for the airfare. I'm working full time while I am here (except for the odd day off or so)so as not to waste my PTO. What is technologically making this possible for me is my laptop, a good IP phone (a commercial one), and most importantly, a solid internet connection, which is available in most third world countries these days.

A year ago, when I first read this book, this trip would not have been possible. I was able to follow some of his thoughts and virtualize my job. Of course, not everyone will be able to do this...I get that...but it's more than just a fleeting possibility for most than many seem to think.

If nothing else, it's a quick, easy read, and can show you what is possible. The rest, if you have the imagination and will to make it happen, are up to you.

Trust me, I wouldn't have any trouble letting a money machine run on autopilot, as the bulk of this book is dedicated to explaining.