2 posts tagged “four-hour work week”

One of the reasons I was a miserable failure at the 101/1001 was because it immediately felt equal parts daunting and not urgent. I had 101 things (many of which I no longer wanted as soon as I finished the list) and too long to do them in. Things you truly want to do should feel like a constant emergency. I work best on tight deadlines because I am required to focus and skip all the bullshit. Lights gonna get turned off tomorrow? I figure  out how to pay the bill. 10 page paper due at 9am? I write 14 pages through the night. Site needs to launch? I navigate the bureaucracy and solve.

So, in the Four Hour Work Week model, I'm only focusing on four goals. The thing is to put them on 6 month to 12 month plans and begin work on them immediately. The first step is figuring out the costs and if there aren't costs, get started on the doing.

Goal #1: Have Hip Hop Abs
Cost: 3 easy payments of $19.99
Next Step: Order the plan (which turned it into about $100 because of extras) - completed
Next Step: Since it will take 5-7 days to arrive, run every morning till it arrives to build up cardio.

Goal #2: Be A Club DJ
Cost: Unknown
Next Step: Contact my favorite DJs about the rig they would recommend for a wannabe spin king - in process
Next Step: Seek instruction from a local already spin king or queen I admire.

Goal #3: Live in San Francisco
Cost: Unknown but probably similar to my current living expenses unless I decide to upgrade the experience
Next Step: Contact my friends & colleagues in the area whose values and lifestyle are similar to my own and get neighborhood advice - completed
Next Step: Visit neighborhoods when I'm back in SF in 3 weeks.

Goal #4: Write the Saunders Family History
Cost: mini-cassette tapes and possibly transcription service (>$500)
Next Step: Schedule an interview with my mom and sister - in process
Next Step: Come up with the key "first question" for every interview I will conduct.

And just like that, I'm in action on four things I've been wanting to do that I think really matter for whatever reasons. All four feel very uncomfortable right now as they require incredible life changes, many of which seem completely implausible and unreleastic, but that's the point.

This post's playlist:

1. Ring of Fire by This Kid Named Miles
2. Am I The Man by Jackie Wilson
3. Mad World by Gary Jules
4. Please Baby Don't by Sergio Mendes
5. Push It by Salt-N-Pepa
   

So, on the first night of SXSW this year, I met and took a picture of this random guy at the blogher meetup. He was touting his yet to be published book called "The 4 Hour Work Week." I didn't think much of it. In fact, I may have actively poo-pooed the concept arguing that, of course Tim could do the 4-hour work week, he'd already made his millions.

Last weekend in San Francisco, I ran into Tim again. He was giving away copies of the book at Element Lounge during MJ's Web 2.0 Birthday party and I picked up one still being a non-believer. But, you know, Tim's an interesting guy and we had a brief but intriguing conversation so, in one of the few quiet moments of the weekend, I cracked it open.

I'm a believer now and, today, I'm dreamlining.

4 Things I want to have:

1. *Hip Hop Abs
2. The BMW 2007 M6 Convertible
3. Weekly Cleaning & Laundry Service
4. Complete DJ rig

5 Things I want to be:

1. A Chess Tournament Champion
2. *A Club DJ
3. A Great(er) Lover
4. Fluent in Spanish
5. Fluent in Tagalog

1. Visit Greece
2. *Write the Saunders Family History
3. *Live in San Francisco
4. See Bjork live in concert
5. Make a Documentary

Now, you may remember that I got on the 101/1001 train a few years ago (and failed miserably at it) so this whole list thing makes me a little nervous but I'll explain why this is way more effective and useful in the next post.

Next up: Next steps

This post's playlist:

1. La Raza by Kid Frost
2. Party and Bullshit (ratatat remix) by The Notorious B.I.G.
3. Laff At 'Em (Give It To Me RMX f/ Justin Timberlake & Jay-Z) by Timbaland
4. I'm Throwed by Paul Wall
5. Rehab (Desert Eagle Remix) by Amy Winehouse
6. Revolt (Le Tigre mix) by Lesbians on Ecstasy
7. Spit It Clearly by Dilated Peoples
8. Hip Hop (RMX f/ Jadakiss and Saigon) by Joell Ortiz
9. Don't You Have A Man (f/ Dwele and Little Brother) by Drake
10. The Lucky One by Au Revoir Simone

*represents the "4 dreams that would change it all"