Ever read a book that felt so transformational that it completely changed your outlook on something?
The 4-Hour Workweek
For me, that book was The 4-Hour Workweek, by Tim Ferriss. [Disclaimer: that is an affiliate link; we receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase from it]. While it’s not really a new book (it recently celebrated 10 years of publication), it still has so much evergreen content that it’s highly relevant to families today.
I read it in January 2017, and to be honest, I’m not sure this blog would exist if it wasn’t for that book. The 4-Hour Workweek was able to brilliantly put into words many of the thoughts that I was having at that time. Was it really possible to leave the “9-to-5” and build a location-independent lifestyle? Can you really design a lifestyle that matches your values, goals, and ambitions?
As soon as I started reading The 4-Hour Workweek, I realized that the answers to all of those questions were an emphatic “YES!” Fast forward to March 2018, and now we’re selling everything we own, renting out our house, and building an online business prior to our full-time world travel departure in June 2018. Talk about transformational, right???
In The 4-Hour Workweek, Tim Ferriss introduces the DEAL process for “reinventing yourself”: Definition, Elimination, Automation, and Liberation. By peppering in his own experiences with relevant examples, he is able to weave a convincing narrative that not only is lifestyle design a real thing, once you get started and eliminate/automate processes, it could get easier the more you do it.
While this book has kind of become a sort of Bible for digital nomads worldwide, I haven’t seen much discussion on it in the family travel niche. Granted, “family nomads” are few and far between compared to individuals and couples. But, there are still actionable lessons that families looking to take their lives on the road can implement.
Ultimately, I’m grateful for having read The 4-Hour Workweek because it really started me on the path that led to The Jetsetting Family. Will reading the book lead you to only have to work 4 hours a week in the future? Maybe, but in my opinion, that’s not really the point of the book. I think the big lesson is that it’s okay to NOT conform to a traditional lifestyle. There are other ways to sustain a lifestyle that’s a better fit for you and your family. Yes, it might take time and a LOT MORE effort than your current situation, but the payoff that you get in freedom and flexibility far outweighs the “dream” of only working 4 hours a week.
If you’re even slightly considering an alternative to the traditional “9-to-5” lifestyle, you owe it to yourself to at least check out this book. It’ll definitely give you a different perspective on how you can live your life.
If you’ve already read this book, what did you think of it? What works and what doesn’t? Leave a comment below and we’re happy to discuss the themes in the book!
