The 4-Hour Workweek Revisited – How to Get Uncommon Results by Doing the Opposite, Aiming with Precision, and Aiming for the Unrealistic (#783)

Hi Tim, Thanks for everything you've done for me. The 4 hour work week and early podcast episodes really changed my life. I own a carpentry company and over the course of about 5 years was able to drastically increase my income using some of the principals from the book. The most helpful content to me has been interviews and examples of other people building businesses based on the principles in the 4 hour work week. If you started a 4 hour work week podcast that came out once or twice a month that was an interview with someone who used the principles to build a business it would be extremely helpful to me. You wouldn't even need to host it yourself. Have a trusted friend host it and maybe just make some remarks at the end. Put ads on it and I'll listen to them all! I can't tall you how much you've helped me over the years. Keep up the great work. -Andrew

Thanks for the heads up on Abbie Callahan. Hopefully she will produce more work.

Your 4-Hour Workweek blueprint: I've been living it since 1966, intuitively following your principles before you wrote them. As a professional artist, author and visual historian, I created large-scale works for Disney, Hilton, and Hyatt—with Michael Eisner directly approving my work for Disneyland Paris and Orlando, for example. I’ve been a freelance Op-Ed art/essay contributor to the Sacramento Bee since 2011, and have co-authored three books. I designed my career around maximum creative freedom and lifestyle flexibility while raising three children. At 59, I earned a master's in sculpture. I continue making art and writing about California environmental issues, now focused on Substack and creating art/photo books. I’m happiest when I don’t know what I’m doing.   I'd love to share my story as a case study of your principles at work across six decades. At 77, I'm as curious and driven as ever, showing that your framework has universal, timeless application.

I found 4 Hour in 2007 and adopted the ideas. I shared it with my son, Tim, and it has served him well (plus he got an earlier start). But after hearing this podcast it's obvious that I need to go back and re-read. Thanks Tim for the work you do.

I thoroughly enjoyed this format. It gave a chance to engage with the 4-hour work week, with which I was only casually acquainted. I’d love to hear a similarly targeted excerpt of the 4-hour body, your reflections/revisions of that. Much has changed in the science of fitness and supplements since that was written. What still works for you? What doesn’t? I’ve heard you discuss injuries. Are there activities you encouraged in the book that you now avoid? It would be interesting to hear the audiobook excerpts alternating with your commentary. The only thing I missed from this current episode was your voice. Thanks for your always thoughtful & engaging conversations with fascinating people. What prior interviewers influenced your style? Stu

I like the idea of revisiting the book and its core principles in podcast form but would love to see a few additions to the format to make it more engaging and allow information to sink in. First is voice, there is a need to address the difference styles we have come to expect between audio book vs podcast styles. The audio book narration is dry and stiff for a podcast, it becomes background noise rather than engaging conversation. Perhaps a different read style would pick up my attention level. Second is an opportunity to interject the dulcet tones of Tim himself. Perhaps he could add or update examples, or respond when a phrase is said that he’s received a lot of feedback on, add breakdowns or expand on one or two sections. It’s also a way to make the content more engaging for the listener. Thank you again for the book content. I appreciate the motivation this time of year. And I do see a lot of potential in this format, sorry to suggest more work but it would go a long way. I love the podcast, it’s current direction and look forward to its future iterations.

One of the books that set me in the right direction, what I struggle with now is the filling your life with other things so you don't work. I've made way more than I need to retire early, but I love work, and other than skiing in the winter, i'd normally rather be producing content then doing anything else. I think that's what people never got about the 4 hour work week. if you're doing something you love, it doesnt need to be 4 hours.

We miss your pretty face and you doing pen trick shots like a cool Japanese student. DEAL – How might you apply this to dating with fun and ease in pursuit of (a) Natalie Portman? What does “unrealistically” awesome fatherhood and marriage look like for you? What does “coming home” mean and feel like to you? Merry Christmas 🙂

Great listen – wish it was read by Tim, but I fully support utilizing the podcast as a way to reengage your past works with newer audiences. I read the Four Hour Work Week almost a decade ago, and I couldn't believe how many things I once dreamed about have come true in my life because of the lessons in this book. I feel grateful to call myself one of your 1000 true fans.

Nice format. I look forward to see what other works you try it with. I especially like how the format actually embraces what you cover in the section: delegate to someone to read, use the existing work to drive home the point and make a productive product while managing how much you have to engage to do it. Thanks and Happy New Year to you and the staff.

Please don't do this again. Your voice is what we want to hear. When you replace it with an obvious AI voice, I just immediately tuned out. I did stick it out and listened as long as I could. I'm not a blog poster. I'm not a reviewer. But I'm a big fan of your podcast and don't want to not tune in again. The intonation of your voice, the oopsies of what I said versus what I meant, also your ability to create powerful images with the words you string together is an incredible talent. Thanks

This was really helpful. The examples were truly helpful as well.

I enjoyed this format, however I would have preferred it with a bit more commentary and reflection from yourself, particularly at the end.

I enjoy the continuing experimentation with different formats and approaches. Casting no aspersions on Mr. Porter, listening to this episode was a little like expecting the great George Clooney, but instead getting the differently great Tim Allen. Generally, I have never felt strongly about needing or wanting to hear an author’s voice narrating their work. Maybe, because of your long-running podcast, it is impossible for me to read your books without hearing the words in your voice and intonation. I think that was probably what made listening to this episode somewhat jarring. Despite that, it was good to have a refresher on your first book.

Tim – Fascinating to hear your 20-year retrospective on The 4-Hour Workweek. Your idea of revisiting key books and exploring their evolution really resonates, especially in today's rapidly changing landscape. The chapters that were shared definitely are still relevant and it was interesting to hear what made the cut in 2025. I'd love to share a technology solution that could take this concept even further. I'm working on a digital avatar platform that could transform your book content and knowledge into an interactive experience. Imagine readers being able to engage with a digital version of you that can discuss not just The 4-Hour Workweek, but synthesize insights across all your works, podcasts, and teachings. We've built a demo using Naval Ravikant's content library, creating an engaging way for people to explore his ideas. The platform combines video avatars, voice synthesis, and deep knowledge integration – essentially creating a 'living' version of your work that readers can interact with. We also did this with my grandfather's memoir and were able to voice clone from old cassette tapes, which is how the project started. I'd love to show you a demo of how this could work with your content. It could be a fascinating way to scale your impact and create a new kind of educational experience around your books. Happy to share more details or set up a demonstration if you're interested.

I wanted to take a moment to genuinely thank you for reposting this content. I first read The 4-Hour Workweek when I was 22 (10 years ago). At the time, while I found it inspiring, I didn’t feel like I had the skill set to act on it. This episode, however, gave me a renewed sense of excitement and direction in life, pulling me out of a two-year existential crisis that I’ve been stewing in, much like a toxic fondue. The way you’re able to shift paradigms with your thought-provoking questions and connecting ideas is truly unparalleled. You manage to instill both a foreboding undertone and a visceral awareness of the regret I would feel if I continue letting my life drain away in the proverbial matrix. You have given the world so much, and I cannot fully express the depth of my gratitude for the guidance you’ve provided me over the years—and again now. I am always looking for ways to support your work – if you ever need any free data engineering or ML work don’t hesitate to reach out.

I think the idea of a "seminal books revisited" series is a good one, and not just for Tim's work (although that too) — and I think it sits well within the genre not just of Tim's books, but those of many of his guests. It would not bereave me one bit to see it become a recurring series, including of new paperback editions a la Penguin Classics (or some such thing). A good example of the need for this kind of thing is the reason Dr. Matthew Walker gave for starting his podcast: he felt the need to "walk back" (or perhaps more fairly, de-catastrophize) the urgency of the message in his first book, which alarmed so many people. Sleep, obviously, is very important, and his book was much-needed to, uh, wake us up to the fact that it was being broadly and consequentially neglected. But the fact remains—and this is maybe extra-true of people who end up on this show, and of publishing today in general, in which so many experts, phenoms, and extraordinary people are "plucked" into the spotlight by a publishing deal. A first book is a very large undertaking and there are numerous lessons learned along the way that, had they been known in advance, would always have helped the original product. I imagine this is especially true in topics like self-help, biohacking, technology, and personalized medicine, in which so much changes so fast, and is so deeply personal to the author. We do sometimes see "updated editions" and "new introductions" many years later (although more often than not, we don't) but the reach is not the same and neither is its impact on correcting misconceptions and integrating new information. It also does not have the staying power of a recurring edition or the media cycle impact of a first book. McKeown alluded to this on a recent interview with the need to emphasize effortlessness in a dedicated second book. I also believe it fits with the turn from the Wild Child San Fran blogging days of the 4HWW's cradle/crucible to the status of Modern Elder so many authors find themselves entering today. I'd read it!

Very cool! Would you consider adding a now page to your website (check out Derek Rivers website for more information). It sounds like you're working on a ton of cool stuff and I'd love to follow along.

Thank you very much for this feedback, Edith. Just wanted to clarify that the voice actor/narrator you heard was not AI but the great Ray Porter (https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Ray+Porter). But we do take your note to heart that you would prefer to hear Tim's voice. Best, Team Tim Ferriss