Darius

I grabbed this book after an interview I saw Mr. Ferriss do with Kevin Rose. I was interested enough to buy it, but I wished I hadn't.

Not to be too critical; there are some good things in the book. Some good encouragement to delegate tasks where you can (but it recommends it to a fault). There are some good 'time saving' techniques like batching of business activities (think email, voicemail, and phone calls). There are many good tips for prioritizing and streamlining much of your workflow. There is encouragement to take risks and make it on your own. All good in and of itself, but that is where the good ends.

The problem I have with this book is: if you choose that you want to be an employee in an organization rather than running your own, and you follow Mr. Ferriss' advice, you are sure to be fired. I seriously doubt that Mr. Ferriss would put up with employees working for him to act on the very things he advises in this book. I don't know any employer who would.

Frankly, I think he comes off as a bit of a jerk who walks over other people to get what he wants, exploiting others (including off-shore workers who work for less than minimum wage), all the while he goes off doing whatever. It is bordering on unethical in numerous places and crosses the line in others.

At one time, I had part ownership in a telco startup and have put in the long hours it takes to build a business from the ground up. I now choose to work for an organization and live a more stable life with my family's security and well-being in mind. If you are looking for a book on better productivity, you may gain some useful suggestions out of this book (which is what I tried to do), however that is not what this book is about.

There are many better books on building your own business. Suggestions:

Irritation.

Don't buy.