12 Things I Learned From The 4 Hour Work Week

Heard of the 4 Hour Work Week?

I discovered this book like 7 years ago & the whole thing made so much sense to me- it’s not really what it sounds like- you know, a 4 hour work week. The whole premise how to work smarter, not harder ( AKA more hours ).

Ever since I read the book I have 12 things that are in front of my face EVERY SINGLE TIME I LOG ON MY COMPUTER- this reminds me to work SMART every day.

I have literally wanted to do a post on this book & it’s tips for YEARS. Honestly, I remember wanting to do a post when I first launched The Skinny Confidential with these tips. Oddly enough, I never got around to it. Even though I see these 12 things every day, I never pulled the trigger on the post- it was one of those things that I kept saying “I’ll do it next Monday!” We all have those types of projects- ones we push to the bottom of the to-do list. Well, today I looked at my list of 12 things AND SAID, FUCK IT I AM DOING THIS POST NOW!!! I think you guys will appreciate the logic & maybe you’ll even put these 12 tips up on your laptop screen too. You can imagine my screen right? There’s 23894723 tabs open with a very bubblegum pink background & one picture of these 12 tips.

Ok I won’t blue ball- here are the 12 tips, just for you & possibly your laptop screen. Enjoy:

1.) Ask: “If this is the ONLY THING I accomplish today, will I be satisfied?”

TSC tip: Every morning when I wake up I make a list mentally or on a notepad of the top 7 things I want to accomplish for the day. When I lay my head on the pillow I go over the list and ensure I checked all of them ( or most of them ) off the list. I believe building something is tiny, little habits every single day– you chip away, you know?

2.) Focus on the 20% of work that brings 80% of the RESULTS.

TSC tip: This was hard for me to learn but it’s certainly something I have gotten WAY better at in the past two years. I would attribute that to my husband because Michael is REALLY good at focusing on the 20%. His brain is always looking at the 20%. I tend to try to do 100% which sort of blows up in my face because I am not fixated on my strengths & I’m meddling in things that I should very much be delegating. As The Skinny Confidential Team grows I have learned the power of delegation- you have to trust the team. If someone makes a mistake ( & mistakes happen daily ) it’s a learning opportunity. I am able to focus more on the 20% now because of my amazing team. Find your people! If you’re not there yet (to have a team) STILL keep this in mind. Focus on the 20% priorities because they’ll get you to the next level!

3.) Clearly DEFINE TIME for work and relaxation.

TSC tip: I usually take my relaxation day on Saturday. Sunday I like to get ahead of everyone- just being honest. I like to get all my e-mails done, write a blog post, do a podcast, prep for Monday. So Saturday becomes the day where I can kick back, have a margarita, & re-charge. Re-charging also includes taking a social media break. I have learned the hard way: IT’S OK TO TAKE A BREAK. My Google calendar has my time defined very clearly.

4.) Develop the most important habit: ACTION.

TSC tip: This is crystal clear. Action produces results. Launch fast & adjust to consumer feedback. If you’re waiting around or making excuses, you’re not taking action. Act now, not next Monday, not tomorrow- NOW. Every successful person I know has one thing in common: they EXECUTE.

5.) Focus on being PRODUCTIVE instead of busy.

TSC tip: BUSY IS AN EXCUSE. Another lesson I learned the hard way. You’re in control of your time. I know a girl who has 4 kids, a husband, has written 10 books, & continues to produce daily content- she will tell you too- you control your time. Pick wisely. Sometimes it’s as easy as cutting an extra dinner out each week or even turning off Game of Thrones- I am big believer in monitoring your time.

6.) DELEGATE & automate unimportant tasks.

TSC tip: UGH- this was so difficult for me. I finally learned!! The hard way!! Lemme tell ya. I had trouble because I went from being a bartender who taught Pure Barre & blogging on my own ( so a total SOLOpreneur) to an entrepreneur with a team. The point is, I had a choice: do I grow & scale the business or continue to work as a solopreneur. I realized for the vision I have, I need to scale.

7.) Do your most IMPORTANT task before 11 AM.

TSC tip: THIS is not something I do if we’re being honest. I work best at night- like late night. AKA it’s 9 PM right now. However, I do feel my life would be 100 times easier if I did work before 11 AM. What can I say? We are working on this one.

8.) Improve income PER HOUR not total income.

TSC tip: YES. This is self-explanatory. Easy. Instead of focusing on the overall picture, focus on the day-to-day that adds up to create big results.

9.) AGE doesn’t matter, an OPEN MIND does.

TSC tip: I try to never judge- everyone is different. And I never look at age- like what a bore, who cares really? Having an open mind is entirely more productive than being closed-minded…in my opinion.

10.) Quit things that AREN’T working.

TSC tip: If something isn’t working- pivot. Don’t quit, just pivot, evolve, & grow from it. There’s been many things that I see aren’t working- instead of getting upset, I just decide to not waste my energy. I focus my energy & time toward the things that ARE working.

11.) Learn how to CONTROL your time.

TSC tip: Get back to me on this one- I’m still working on it. But I will say Google calendar helps.

12.) LEVERAGE your strengths.

TSC tip: Well DUH! Always. Instead of working on my weaknesses ( finances, time management, my calendar ), I hire out. I have a bookkeeper & someone who only manages my calendar ( << which has been life-changing to my businesses ).

{ via Tim Ferriss of The 4 Hour Work Week }

AND there you have it. I feel like Tim very much delivers with this list- I MEAN ULTIMATELY, IT ALL COMES DOWN TO MINDSET. Anyway, these are things that I am constantly refining & improving- personally, I always want to be better, faster, sharper. I never want to feel like I know it all- there’s so much I have to work on ( time management, delegation, & communication ) so maybe this post is a secret, subconscious reminder…for me! HA.

No, it’s for all of us. There are so many gems here- my takeaways? Keep an open mind, control my time, & always focus on the 20% of work that brings 80% of the results. If you feel like you have these 12 things covered, I’m jealous, BUT you should still send this to your friend, co-worker, boyfriend, whatever, because I feel like a lot of us can benefit from Tim’s tips.

Would you add anything to this list? What do you have to work on from this list? And more specifically, WHY do you have to work on them? Are they holding you back?

I’ll be meditating on this list tomorrow- wish me luck.

More boob updates to come too…it’s been a fun, perky ride. LOL.

Hope you’re all having the most productive, action-filled Monday!

See you tomorrow, lauryn x

+ if you like this post, STALK my post on TIME-BATCHING.

++ be sure to listen to the podcast with Gary Vee who has a very similar outlook on business- he’s a BOSS. His book is legit too.

WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER