Why Tim Ferriss Is Wrong

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Tim Ferriss and his book, The 4 Hour Work-Week, were a significant force in inspiring me to quit my job. I must have read the book cover to cover at least 10 times over the last three months I was at my “real world” job and spent countless hours perusing his blog absorbing all the tricks, tips, and methods he had for surviving without the ball and chain of a 9-5. I began to refer to him with the reverence of a brain-washed cult member (“Tim says,” “Tim believes,” “Tim thinks,”). He is one of my mentors for the Life Uncommon and I owe so much of my bravery for quitting my job to his philosophy.

But he is completely wrong.

Those of you out there in Uncommon land who are not familiar with the philosophy of The 4 Hour Work-Week should definitely check out the book – it is a quick, amusing, and in many ways inspiring read. I found it to be a particular comfort when I was in the stage of wanting desperately to quit my corporate job but feeling like there simply were no other options.

The basic overview of The 4 Hour Work-Week philosophy is that smart entrepreneurs build a company/product/service that will create a financially successful revenue stream without their constant, day-to-day involvement. Through a system of hired help, outsourced responsibilities, and carefully filtered email inboxes, the entrepreneur, thus freed from the chains of “busy-work” and daily minutiae, has the time and resources to pursue what they are really interested in (like tango lessons, rock climbing, or traveling the world). The idea is to get your involvement in your business down to the absolute bare minimum, and delegate the rest of the responsibility to other people, so you could literally only do four hours of work a week.

I remember when I read this book for the first time, trapped in a job that sucked up 12 hours of my precious day including commute, that the thought of working only 4 hours a week was intoxicating. I hated my job so much and had such a desire to work on my writing projects that the idea that I could make a living each week in a fraction of the time I was doing was so inspiring that it started the wheels turning about quitting my job. Who would want to work more than 4 hours a week, anyway?

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But herein is the big problem with The 4 Hour Work-Week and Tim’s entire philosophy: people fundamentally need to feel that they meaningfully contribute to the world through their work in order to truly feel fulfilled, happy and satisfied. A sense of a life’s pursuit that is valuable and worthwhile is an essential component to basic human happiness. Why then, would you aspire to have a job that you care about only enough to do 4 hours of work for a week instead of finding and working at your true calling?

It is true that when you dissatisfied with working you see a life free from work as the only type of lifestyle where you can be happy. However, almost any retiree will tell you that though they dreamed of the end of their working lives for 40 years, when it actually came they missed the sense of purpose, satisfaction, and fulfillment that working gave them – hence why so many of them volunteer, run charity organizations, or (gasp!) find new jobs.

Think of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, or even those kids from Cruel Intentions – they have time, money, and leisure with little to no responsibility. What do they do? They go out and party, buy things, relax and do nothing…and then eventually self destruct through damaging behavior, substance abuse, or acting out since they don’t have a sense of purpose.

The answer to our troubles is not to work as little as possible, but to find work that provides us with joy, satisfaction, and financial rewards. While I will admit that the book has some splendid points on the need for efficiency, proper time management, delegation, and calculated action, the main philosophy is simply nonsensical to me.

The 4 Hour Work-Week does bring into light the concept of work/life balance, something most of us Uncommoners have a challenging time with since work and life are so intertwined (and since we love our work it doesn’t always feel like work). We will explore this balance more thoroughly in upcoming posts, but for now suffice it to say that while the philosophy of Tim Ferriss is attractive, glamorous, and inspiring it is inherently flawed.

Thanks to globalization, niche markets, and the internet it is entirely possible to do work you love, is fulfilling and meaningful to you. There is no need to drag your feet when you sit down to do your email, or go into the office, or participate in any work related activity – it is entirely possible to be able to craft a work and a work lifestyle that makes you wake up in the morning bursting with energy and shouting, “Let’s get started!” And the fact that Mr. Ferriss thinks that you need to have a work that only requires minimum effort tells me that he thinks work can’t be meaningful, so it is better to get it done quick like ripping off a Band-Aid.

Wrong, wrong, and wrong.

Tagged as: inspiring, job, methods, real world, significant force, surviving, Tim Ferriss