The 4-Hour Workweek

Readers often group Ferriss’s work with time-management or dream-fulfillment books. Like those, he starts by urging you to define what you really want. Yet, unlike most works in that genre, he offers specific definitions of aspirational terms like “new rich” and pushes you to engage in highly focused “lifestyle design.” He provides tools, like “dreamlining,” to help you ground your dreams in reality. Ferriss knocks your thinking so far outside the box you won’t remember where the box was, let alone why you ever lived in it.

Yet, even as you marvel at the likely effectiveness of his pioneering techniques, you may also think, “Look at the nerve of this guy!” That nerve emerges in the pure hubris of Ferriss’s writing voice. His work is inspiring, but self-enclosed. His irrepressible optimism and confidence should give you self-confidence, but it will mostly build your confidence in him. After reading about his successes, whether you think, “I can do this,” you’ll probably think, “Tim Ferriss can do anything!”