The 4-Hour Workweek (39 page)

I am more than happy to discuss different ways to make this possible and I have some suggestions if [company name] would be willing to consider them. We can test this arrangement for a few months to see if it works for both of us, since that would make the most sense.

Role #1: Graphic Design and Print Advertising Coordinator

  Responsibility:

Create timelines for print materials and coordinate with respective program teams.

Expectations:

Print materials will be completed on time.

Responsibility:

Coordinate design projects with program directors and outside graphic artists/designers.

Expectations:

Print materials designs are suitable for the audience, accurate, and appealing.

Print materials are professional quality and produced within set timelines.

Responsibility:

Maintain relationships with print vendors to minimize cost relative to time and quality in producing program print materials.

Expectations:

Print materials are printed within the established budget, unless budget overages are specifically approved by the Director of Marketing.

Contract Solution:

By using e-mail and web-based programs such as

*ConceptShare, I can continue to coordinate these design projects from a distance. I currently maintain relationships with print vendors and designers at a distance so physical presence is not necessary for this to continue. For meetings with program directors and the marketing team, I would use a free video and phone conferencing service called *Skype. We usually meet once or twice to discuss changes to their marketing materials and the rest of the process is continued through e-mail and ConceptShare.

Role #2: Special Marketing Project Manager

  Responsibility:

Maintain a collection of updated, appropriate marketing images.

Expectations:

Images needed for marketing materials and websites are anticipated and acquired.

Contract Solution:

I am still able to complete this task remotely by doing images searches on web databases such as *iStockphoto.com. If the experiment with the *Seminar Photo Contest fares well, I could also manage that process via the web using Aptify, e-mail, and Skype.

Responsibility:

Identify and implement new opportunities to leverage marketing materials.

Expectations:

Ideas are researched for feasibility and effectiveness.

Chosen projects are designed and sent out within the budget and timeline.

Contract Solution:

I would utilize e-mail and Skype to communicate any new ideas and opportunities to leverage marketing materials. I have recently proposed creating a one-page calendar of our program deadlines to distribute to our recent seminar alumni in a fall mailing. This way students will have an easy way to remember all of our deadlines for our programs and may potentially boost our number of applicants.

Role #3: Web-based Marketing Coordinator

Responsibility:

Contribute to online advertising efforts and track results.

Expectations:

Online efforts are increasingly cost effective.

Marketing Director is informed of web-based marketing results as requested.

Contract Solution:

I am familiar with our online advertising efforts and can continue to help with this process from a distance. I will be able to access Facebook Ads, Google Ads, Blog Ads and aid Keri in gathering and entering data. I have experience working with our Facebook and Google Ads and have created images for Blog Ads in the past. Launching new Ads will be easily managed abroad.

Responsibility:

Compile collection of updated, appropriate web photos.

Expectations:

Attractive, updated photos will be available for program and marketing uses.

Contract Solution:

As stated above with the stock photo inventory, I am still able to complete this task remotely by conducting image searches on web databases such as iStockphoto.com. The Seminar Photo Contest will also be used as a tool to aid in this compilation of images while I am abroad.

In order to more effectively track the cost of production of our print materials, I think [company name] would find value in transitioning to a contract basis for this position. I have really enjoyed working at [company name] thus far and would like to continue working for this organization from a remote location. Thank you for your consideration of this proposal.

Explanation of Software and Programs Mentioned:

*ConceptShare—www.conceptshare.com, ConceptShare allows you to set up secure online workspaces for sharing designs, documents, and video and invite others to review, comment, and give contextual feedback anytime and anywhere without a meeting. [Company name] has used this site for a few months to test its usability and has also been tested on multiple computers in Argentina (thanks to my sister testing it out for me while she was in Argentina).

*Skype—www.skype.com, Skype is a free software that allows you to talk for free via the Internet. You can also use Skype with regular phones to make calls internationally for a low rate of about .04 cents a minute. Skype also has video chatting capabilities and conference call capabilities for meetings. The setup requires downloading the Skype software free) and buying a headset with microphone ($10) and webcam ($ ranges) for each computer. I have tested this software with my sister and it works well for her in Argentina and for me here.

*iStockphoto—www.istockphoto.com, iStockphoto is an Internet royalty-free image and design stock photography website. This is one of the many sites I use to find photos for [company name]. We have already used a few photos from this site for our marketing materials.

*Seminar Photo Contest—This contest was created by me and developed with Keri as an experiment to collect more relevant and usable photos for our marketing and publication efforts. Since we have found it to be a bit invasive to try and take the photos ourselves, we wanted to try a new approach to capture photos for our needs. All participants of our Summer Seminars 2008 are able to submit photos they have taken at their seminar with a chance to be rewarded with a $5 Amazon Gift Certificate for each image we choose.

86. This video explains how and why I pack the items in the list that follows. Links for all items are also included.

87. This company filed for Chapter 11 in June 2009.

88. For the exact breakfast, just serach “slow-carb” on www.fourhourblog.com or both “slow-carb” and “Ferriss” on Google.

89. This has thankfully decreased to 2,000–3,000 per week as of this writing.

90. This post is, of course, available on the blog for those who would like to copy and paste the rules for their own use.

CASE STUDIES, TIPS, AND HACKS

Zen and the Art of Rock Star Living

Art Lovers Wanted

Photo Finish

Virtual Law

Taking Flight with Ornithreads

Off-the-Job Training

The 4-Hour Family and Global Education

Doctor’s Orders

Financial Musing

Who Says Kids Hold You Back?

Working Remotely

Killing Your BlackBerry

Star Wars, Anyone?

ZEN AND THE ART OF ROCK STAR LIVING

Hi Tim,

Here’s the story. I’m a musician based in Munich, Germany. I’m running my own label and it has been difficult to get it off the ground. While working on that, my creativity slowly decreased until I hit rock bottom (a couple of times).

While it is still difficult to survive in the music industry I find it not hard at all now to do what I want to do. And that’s all I do. I do what I want to do. It includes being a father, making music, composing, taking care of business, traveling, learning languages (mostly Italian), riding my bike, etc…. It’s all in the following paragraphs.

I read the book step by step for about two months from September/October 2008 (plus surfing your blog) and just made tabula rosa with my life. (Lots of brainvomiting on paper.)

I started outsourcing things that bothered me most (and therefore kept hanging out in my to-do list the longest). I outsourced:

research, most of which is music-industry related (research outsourced saves about 2–3 hours/day)

website maintenance (social websites like Facebook, Myspace, etc). I’m planning on doing most of my marketing through these sites in 2009 and I’m on about 25+ sites as an artist.

My VA (getfriday.com, as recommended in your book) does all the updates and checks the sites once a week to gather e-mail messages, comments, etc., filters them and sends me a report once a week including all the details for me to respond to. (Saves about one to two hours/day.)

photo retouching for my press pics is done by elance (saved five hours of work time and about $500).

management of my mailing list for gig dates, album updates, etc. (Saves about one hour for each mailing.)

I started testing muses (learning languages with music to sell online). I’m still testing!

I decided to open a publishing operation online for film companies to license music for film with just a mouse click, without having to negotiate deals for months. It will happen in 2009 (I start testing soon). People are generally surprised and amazed that a person who doesn’t seem to be very corporate (I look like a retired punk rocker, haha) outsources parts of his life and lives like a millionaire (I guess we do although we’re far from it!).

I realized that I could do it after I got the first positive feedback from my outsource VA. I got the results of my project posted on elance and a day later I got the results. I went, yeah baby, this is MINE! The biggest change is, that I now have my life under control. I take care of my little daughter (20 months) half the day (second half, my wife takes care of her), I take care of business, and I take time to do things I always wanted to do. Revenue-wise I’m pretty much the same I was before but I have a lot more spare time and a clear head (so I guess I’ve gotten a lot richer!).

I work whenever I want (no boss) about 24–30 hours/week (including office hours and music-studio hours) and what I do now is only what I really love to do. I’m still step-by-step optimizing efficiency to reduce office hours (currently about 10 hours/week). My dream is to dissolve my office altogether, go paperless, and basically only have my laptop as an office.

I eliminated all work that has gotten me down or was wearing me out (eliminated an extra workload of about 10 hours/week). I do not take on jobs (writing/producing music) unless I really love the project. I eliminated all complainers and haters (saves my stomach).

I just started my blog juergenreiter.com, “zen and the art of rockstarliving,” where I want to share the changes I made to my life (mostly for musicians to see the light at the end of the tunnel).

And I recorded an album of my music and for the first time in my life did all the lyrics myself! It’s going to be out in spring on my label ORkAaN Music+Art Productions.

I’ll be on mini-retirement in New York this year for six weeks. I’ll be in Sicily to learn Italian for about two weeks in May. I’ll be back in Sicily to travel the island by bike for another 2–3 weeks in September. And am planning on going to either Mexico, Central America, or Australia in the winter.

I learned to shave with a straight razor within about 30 minutes, which I wanted to do for years. Shaving is a real exciting ritual now and a lot of fun! I will do a master course for coffee experts in April (I’m a coffee junky!) and become a “maestro del café.” I helped my wife quit her teaching job and fulfill her dream to run a cafe in Munich, Germany. It’s called Frau Viola and opened its doors in October 2008. It is running great! (www.frauviola.wordpress.com)

Can you measure all of that? I think it speaks for itself!

The general mindset of 4HWW has given me the calmness of being able to take time to play with my daughter and enjoying my “free time” without getting the fear of missing out on something or wasting my life. I’d say overall (with all the above-mentioned changes) my productivity increased at least 70% and doubt decreased by 80%.

For those just getting started:

start small think big.

identify what excites you vs. what bores you

eliminate and focus on what excites you

stick to what excites you no matter what people say. It’s your life, live it the way you know is right for you.

read 4-Hour Workweek, obviously! —J. REITER

ART LOVERS WANTED

I saw my father work himself to the bone for 20 years as a garbage-man when we immigrated from Mexico. As I looked at my life in April 2007 in a lonely hotel room after another endless week of travel for my employer far from my family and those I love, I realized that at 33 I was on the same path to work myself into the ground and give up on my lifelong dream of pursuing my love of music and theater.

In life there are no accidents and that night as I was checking an e-mail from an old friend he suggested the 4HWW. I devoured the book in a few hours and began immediately to apply the key principles. When I told people about the book and about what I intended to do everyone said I was crazy. I focused most of my efforts on Dream-lining, Elimination, and Liberation. As an employee I wanted to first achieve liberation with a remote work arrangement. Despite several failed attempts I persevered (great lesson in negotiating) and was granted the opportunity to work remotely. This changed everything. I went from 9+ hours of work a day with weekly work-related travel to four hours a week, one week of travel per month, and I managed to get a $10,000 raise and deliver 2x the productivity in my job from the previous unproductive year.

As a result I now live with my once long-distance girlfriend in Seattle (my hometown). I spend my newly found time pursuing my passion for music (I sing in a choir and write my own folk-rock music), theater (I am performing in my first fully improvised 60-minute play this weekend), and fitness. I am training for my second marathon now.

Most of my friends cannot believe that I can actually spend most of my time pursuing my love for the arts and still make a full-time income on only four hours a week. The best part of this is that I have found mentally the meaning of freedom. Reality is truly negotiable and now my reality is that I can spend endless hours enjoying the company of my father, who waited twenty years till he retired to enjoy the freedom that I have found less than 24 months after reading The 4-Hour Workweek.