Outsourcing & The Four-Hour Workweek – Tim Ferriss
All too often you come across inspirational and motivational books not just from well-known authors but also from somebody new and unheard of. Timothy Ferriss made his debut a few years ago with “The 4-Hour Workweek”—the title alone suggests something new and challenging. Whoever heard of such a thing? Unless you are working part-time, you will indeed be working only a few hours a week but you will also be getting less income. The 4-hour work week Ferriss is referring to is one where you earn bigger bucks, but with more time for things other than work. It’s time to learn how to outsource your life and business. Tim Ferriss suggests you can achieve it by hiring a virtual assistant offshore.
Lifestyle Design
Everyone is expected to work 9 to 5 every day and save their money so as to enjoy their retirement when they reach 60. However, when you are at that age, you cannot really enjoy your retirement. You are faced with physical limitations that prevent you from doing things you can only enjoy while you are young.
Ferriss coined the phrase lifestyle design for the belief he relates in his book. He tells readers to check their current lifestyle and see whether they need to change their current situation. He urges people to take mini retirements now while they can and come up with effective ways to work for less of the time. While some people cannot wait to have a change of lifestyle, others are comfortable with their current day-to-day lives. Of course, it is up to the reader to decide if a lifestyle design will work for them.
Liberty and Delegation
The book suggests breaking down the walls of the status quo. The new rich are those who are free from the shackles of the workplace yet are still making money. They are those who are not bound by space or time because they have other people to whom they have delegated tasks. Ferriss advocates the use of outsourcing in order to achieve this lifestyle. This is exactly what A.J. Jacobs did as he followed the advice.
Outsourced Work
In the case of Jacobs who is a writer and editor, he has come to a decision to outsource some of his low-end tasks. He employed the services of an executive assistant halfway around the world for his business affairs. With an outsourced employee, he can pay a relatively affordable price while he spends time working, spending time with family, traveling or learning a language. He admits feeling strange about someone working for him as he sleeps, which actually means no time is wasted.
Outsourced Life
As for personal life, you can also outsource a few tasks whenever needed, just like how Jacobs did. He came across an outsourcing company specializing in personal services which he used for paying bills, buying gifts and even dealing with some arguments. With an outsourced employee to handle personal transactions, you can have groceries delivered to your parents while you and your wife are on vacation. You can also have them buy and deliver surprise gifts for your child.
Trusting Relationship
With virtual assistants or remote executive secretaries often outsourced, the possibilities on living your life freely are endless. Just remember though: if you intend on outsourcing, you are depending on and trusting the people who will be working for you. Outsourcing your life entails having to trust the assistants even if you have not seen them. Whether they live in a different state or a different continent, having a trusting relationship with the outsourced employee is necessary.
The Four-Hour Workweek suggests that outsourcing is a great way for you to live your life to the fullest. If living a life bound by the walls of work and overtime is not for you, all you need to do is take a break. You can try for yourself whether a lifestyle design and outsourcing tasks will work for you. Remember: not every method put out on the market works for every individual. The important thing is to spend time on the things that matter in life.
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