Kelly Parkinson over at Copylicious wrote about her break-up with Tim Ferris’ The 4 Hour Work Week. Brilliant. And she articulated something that had me squirming about the book.
I do have to give Tim Ferris his due: he’s brilliant, I read his blog quite regularly and I enjoy his insights. And the book itself has some great things in it- the most pervasive being that you really can’t succeed if you don’t get help and support. It’s worth reading.
But in my opinion it’s not worth copying.Like many things in our western culture, it’s not sustainable. The only way he can sustain a 4 hour work week, is that many other people are working for him for much longer hours. His lifestyle depends on the support of many, many other people doing the work for him.
I certainly do live in a glass house myself- our lifestyle is not the most sustainable either. However, as Kelly points out in her post, there’s nothing wrong with showing up for work- there’s a great deal of work to be done in Tikkun Olam, the repair of the world.
And if your business is aiming at making the world a better place, then I can think of many better goals to aim for than a 4-hour work week. I enjoy play and adventure, I need it, and yet I also need to be in service, to show up fully, and some of that involves commitments and work, which my heart feels happy about.
What do you think of all of this? What’s been your relationship to finding a balance between “freedom” and “service”?
2 Responses
Thanks, Mark! I, too, really like his blog & what he has to say on time management. And I think a certain, worker-drone audience does need to hear his message. But for me, it just made me feel guilty for working. I think “service” can feel like drudgery when you’re working in an office and don’t get to make many decisions on your own. And a lot of office workers are attracted to the book because it offers them a way out. It may be the first step toward realizing they need to make a change. But for people who have already escaped that environment–probably most self-employed people–we may feel we’re already there, that ‘freedom’ and ‘service’ feed off each other. We’re not slaves to our work–we chose this path. So the only way to become more free is to just do better work, with better clients, to make a bigger difference.
Too true, Kelly, too true. It makes even more clear the concept of “market”- when something is right for you, it’s right for you… and it’s okay to speak really strongly and passionately, even if you’re message isn’t for everyone.
Thanks for coming by.