I’ve seen a lot of posts on the internet over the last six months regarding the 4 Hour Work Week and if it is possible. Most of these posts state that the 4 Hour Work Week is impossible and other people are stupid for trying to achieve this goal. Here are my thoughts on it.
The 4 Hour Workweek Exists But Most Will Not Do What It Takes To Get It
The 4 Hour Work Week definitely exists. I can if I feel the need only spend about an hour a week on my business (about 20 minutes Monday / Wednesday/ Friday) . So I could live the 1 Hour Workweek if I wanted to. The drawback with this is that life gets quite boring surprisingly quickly. I found myself lazing about round my apartment trying to think of something to do after a couple of weeks of living like this. I even started obsessively cleaning my apartment (I hate cleaning) just for something to do.
Unfortunately 99% of people will not do the work it takes upfront to be able to live like this. For example if I walked up to a guy in the street and asked him “How would you like to earn the same salary as you earn now but only have to work 4 hours a week to get it?” I bet he would say “Yes, Absolutely“. But if I walked up to the same guy and said “How would you like to earn the same salary as you earn now but only have to work 4 hours a week to get it? But you’ll have to work an extra 5 hours a week in your free time for 12-18 months to get that lifestyle?“. 99% of people will say “No Way! Game of Thrones is on tonight!“. Now I love Game Of Thrones (I also drink and know things) but I was still prepared to do what it took to get this lifestyle because it got to the point where I could no longer take working for my employer. The prospect of working for someone else and earning a fraction of what I should be earning for the work I was doing for the next 40 years spurred me into action.
You Have To Fill Up Your Free Time
The bottom line is if you want to live this sort of lifestyle you need to find a hobby, activity or pastime to fill up that spare time you have gained from creating a passive income business. I sat down and made a list of the things I would rather do than work for someone else 9-5 five days a week and this is what I came up with:
- Go to the gym for at least an hour Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
- Walk more.
- Learn to play guitar.
- Write posts for this blog.
- Spend more time with friends and family.
So that is what I do now instead of work. You need to ask yourself: If money wasn’t an issue what would I be doing now?
You Also Need To Figure Out Your Ideal Work – Life Balance
You also need to figure out what your ideal work / life balance is. For me it is working about 10-15 hours a week. That works out to be about 2-3 hours of work per day with two days off for Saturday and Sunday. Some people will prefer to work more. Some people will prefer to work less. It is entirely up to the individual
People that tend to want work more tend to be motivated more by money whereas those who work less tend to be motivated more by freedom. Tai Lopez has a really interesting video on motivation and what motivates us (Material / Mating / Momentum / Mastery).
I wouldn’t say I agree 100% with what he is saying. Personally while having money is great I’m more motivated by freedom and that doesn’t seem to fall into any of the 4 things that Tai says motivate us (Material / Mating / Momentum / Mastery). I’d rather only have to work 10 hours a week and earn £40,000 per year than work 80 hours a week and earn £1,000,000+.
Finally
Despite what others say the 4 Hour Workweek is possible. Most people who say that it isn’t have never even run a business never mind tried to run one in just 4 hours a week. They are just being haters because they are too scared to try it themselves. Be careful who you take advice from. You wouldn’t hire a morbidly obese personal trainer to get you into shape so why would you take business advice from someone who has never run a business?