Is Tim Ferriss’ “The 4-Hour Workweek” Still Relevant Today?

There are many in-depth reviews about this book, which is why this is not a review but a few thoughts after just turning the last page.

Tim Ferriss’ book “The 4-Hour Workweek” was ahead of its time — in fact, it still is. It’s hard to grasp that this book, published in 2007, remains relevant today, mirroring the struggles we face today. What’s more astonishing is that a book from 2007 not only continues to be relevant in 2023/24 but is also still capable of unveiling new insights, ideas, practices, and processes — “Aha!” moments.

However, there are a couple of aspects that some readers might find dated, but I want to explain why this shouldn’t stop you from giving this book a try.

Terms that will make you roll your eyes

Personally, I’m not fond of the term “New Rich” today, though I would have been a fan of it back then.

If you’re reading this book in 2023, remember it was published in 2007 — a time when owning a CD with low-res wallpapers was all the rage.

Or take the 80/20 Pareto Principle; it’s no longer a groundbreaking concept as its philosophy was introduced into countless workshops and self-help books. But in 2007, for most people, it was a revolutionary idea in life management.

Outdated practices & tools

The book is rich with practices, process templates, and tools/websites. It’s like asking a personal assistant to compile a list of the most useful resources. This is exactly what this book feels like half of the time.

However, after over 15 years since its publication, many of these resources may be outdated or unavailable. But that’s not a downside and doesn’t make it outdated. The book teaches the importance of research skills.

The best analogy that comes to mind to explain this is a programming course; you won’t memorize everything, and in six months, it might be outdated due to new coding stack versions. But such courses teach you to understand the problem and how to google for solutions and implement them. The key is to adapt the book’s resources to today’s available tools.

Am I overly impressed by this book, giving it more credit than it deserves? Maybe. But it was time well spent, offering valuable insights. So, what’s the harm?

For a closing thought, I have many quotes highlighted, but one from the “Slow Dance” poem resonates deeply:

“When you run so fast to get somewhere,
You miss half the fun of getting there.”