Welcome to another episode of The Tim Ferriss Show. This time around, we have a bit of a different format, featuring the book that started it all, The 4-Hour Workweek, which was published in 2007. It’s crazy to think that the 20th anniversary is around the corner.

Readers and listeners often ask me what I would change or update, but in my mind, an equally interesting question is: what wouldn’t I change? What stands the test of time and hasn’t lost any potency? 

This episode features three chapters from the audiobook of The 4-Hour Workweek that are time-tested. They represent tools and frameworks that have changed my life and that I still use today. The chapters are narrated by the great voice actor Ray Porter. 

The 4-Hour Workweek is written in four sections, each corresponding to a letter in the acronym DEAL, which stands for Definition, Elimination, Automation, and Liberation. The chapters you’ll hear are from the section “D is for Definition.” If you want to craft your best life and your ideal lifestyle, these chapters should help. If you want to maximize your per-hour output, whether it’s four, 40, or 100 hours per week, Definition is the also the most important first step.

If you are interested in checking out the rest of the audiobook, 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 audiobooks.

Please enjoy!

This episode is brought to you by Seed’s DS-01® Daily Synbiotic broad spectrum 24-strain probiotic + prebiotic, Helix Sleep premium mattresses, and AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, or on your favorite podcast platform.

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Want to hear another podcast episode that features The 4-Hour Workweek? Check out this episode, in which Cal Newport interviews me for an article he ended up writing for The New Yorker titled “Revisiting ‘The 4-Hour Workweek’: How Tim Ferriss’s 2007 manifesto anticipated our current moment of professional upheaval.”

What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

SHOW NOTES

• [00:00] Intro (D is for definition).
• [00:05:43] Beating the game, not playing the game.
• [00:10:11] Challenging the status quo vs. being stupid.
• [00:11:48] Retirement is worst-case-scenario insurance.
• [00:13:40] Interest and energy are cyclical.
• [00:15:06] Less is not laziness.
• [00:16:24] The timing is never right.
• [00:17:24] Ask for forgiveness, not permission.
• [00:18:01] Emphasize strengths, don’t fix weaknesses.
• [00:18:57] Things in excess become their opposite.
• [00:20:02] Money alone is not the solution.
• [00:21:24] Relative income is more important than absolute income.
• [00:24:13] Distress is bad, eustress is good.
• [00:25:59] Questions and actions.
• [00:27:45] Dodging bullets: fear-setting and escaping paralysis.
• [00:32:51] The power of pessimism: defining the nightmare.
• [00:36:59] Conquering fear = defining fear.
• [00:39:55] Uncovering fear disguised as optimism.
• [00:42:00] Someone call the Maître d’.
• [00:45:02] Questions and actions.
• [00:49:45] System reset: Being unreasonable and unambiguous.
• [00:53:13] Doing the unrealistic is easier than doing the realistic.
• [00:55:41] What do you want? A better question, first of all.
• [00:57:41] Adult-onset ADD: adventure deficit disorder.
• [00:59:44] The fat man in the red BMW convertible.
• [01:01:21] Correcting course: get unrealistic.
• [01:02:28] How to get George Bush or the CEO of Google on the phone.
• [01:08:41] Questions and actions and dreamlining calculations.

PEOPLE MENTIONED

The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.