If you read my post on David Allen’s GTD method , you may be thinking, “Okay, practical, useful, but not radical. Do you have anything spicier than that?” My answer would be Tim Ferris.
Best-selling author of The 4-Hour Workweek and the 4-Hour Body, Tim Ferris is a perfect example of the word “iconoclast” (mold-breaker). One of the first chapters of The 4 Hour Work-Week asks this question: “If everyone is defining a problem or solving it one way and the results are sub-par, this is the time to ask, ‘What would happen if I did the opposite?”
The 4-Hour Workweek is a top-five must read for personal productivity. His chapter title “E is for Elimination” alone yields gems like:
- Being busy is an excuse not to prioritize
- Forget time management
- Doing something unimportant well does not make it important
- Requiring a lot of time does not make something important
- Being overwhelmed is often as unproductive as doing nothing and is far more unpleasant
- If this is the only thing I do today will I be satisfied?
Tim’s writing sometimes has a bit more adult language than necessary, but the content is challenging, inspiring, and phenominally empowering. Here is an early clip of him introducing his book. The video is a bit dated, but it captures the essence of his style and productivity approach.