Timothy Ferriss - The 4-Hour Workweek - Escape 9–5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich - Expanded and Updated

Allow the boss to collaborate on how to do it so that he or she is invested in the process.

Make the two weeks “off” the most productive period you’ve ever had at work.

Show your boss the quantifiable results upon returning, and tell him or her that—without all the distractions, commute, etc.—you can get twice as much done. Suggest two or three days at home per week as a trial for two weeks.

Make those remote days ultraproductive.

Suggest only one or two days in the office per week.

Make those days the least productive of the week.

Suggest complete mobility—the boss will go for it.

Q&A: QUESTIONS AND ACTIONS

Recently, I was asked if I was going to fire an employee who made a mistake that cost the company $600,000. No, I replied, I just spent $600,000 training him.

—THOMAS J. WATSON, founder of IBM

Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.

—GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

While entrepreneurs have the most trouble with Automation, since they fear giving up control, employees get stuck on Liberationbecause they fear taking control. Resolve to grab the reins—the rest of your life depends on it.

The following questions and actions will help you to replace presence-based work with performance-based freedom.

If you had a heart attack, and assuming your boss were sympathetic, how could you work remotely for four weeks?

If you hit a brick wall with a task that doesn’t seem remote-compatible or if you predict resistance from your boss, ask the following:

What are you accomplishing with this task—what is the purpose?

If you had to find other ways to accomplish the same—if your life depended on it—how would you do it? Remote conferencing? Video conferencing? GoToMeeting, GoToMyPC, DimDim.com (Mac), or related services?

Why would your boss resist remote work? What is the immediate negative effect it would have on the company and what could you do to prevent or minimize it?

Put yourself in your boss’s shoes. Based on your work history, would you trust yourself to work outside of the office?

If you wouldn’t, reread Eliminationto improve production and consider the hourglass option.

Practice environment-free productivity.

Attempt to work for two to three hours in a café for two Saturdays prior to proposing a remote trial. If you exercise in a gym, attempt to exercise for those two weeks at home or otherwise outside of the gym environment. The purpose here is to separate your activities from a single environment and ensure that you have the discipline to work solo.

Quantify current productivity.

If you have applied the 80/20 Principle, set the rules of interrupting interruption, and completed related groundwork, your performance should be at an all-time high in quantifiable terms, whether customers served, revenue generated, pages produced, speed of accounts receivable, or otherwise. Document this.

Create an opportunity to demonstrate remote work productivity before asking for it as a policy.

This is to test your ability to work outside of an office environment and rack up some proof that you can kick ass without constant supervision.

Practice the art of getting past “no” before proposing.

Go to farmers’ markets to negotiate prices, ask for free first-class upgrades, ask for compensation if you encounter poor service in restaurants, and otherwise ask for the world and practice using the following magic questions when people refuse to give it to you.

“What would I need to do to [desired outcome]?”

“Under what circumstances would you [desired outcome]?”

“Have you ever made an exception?”

“I’m sure you’ve made an exception before, haven’t you?”

(If no for either of the last two, ask, “Why not?” If yes, ask, “Why?”)

Put your employer on remote training wheels—propose Monday or Friday at home.

Consider doing this, or the following step, during a period when it would be too disruptive to fire you, even if you were marginally less productive while remote.

If your employer refuses, it’s time to get a new boss or become an entrepreneur. The job will never give you the requisite time freedom. If you decide to jump ship, consider letting them make you walk the plank—quitting is often less appealing than tactfully getting fired and using severance or unemployment to take a long vacation.

Extend each successful trial period until you reach full-time or your desired level of mobility.

Don’t underestimate how much your company needs you. Perform well and ask for what you want. If you don’t get it over time, leave. It’s too big a world to spend most of life in a cubicle.

LIFESTYLE DESIGN IN ACTION

Consider trying Earth Class Mail, a service that you can reroute all your mail to, at which point they scan and e-mail you everything that comes in, giving you the option of recycling/shredding junk, getting a scan of the contents, or having specific items forwarded to you or someone you designate. I have not personally used it yet (will be testing it out this month in preparation for an upcoming trip in May), but a friend and author in Portland swears by them and knows the CEO. Seems they’ve gotten good press and the idea seems far better than relying on friends/family who, if they’re anything like my friends/family … will surely drop the ball at some point:-).

—NATHALIE

I also use GreenByPhone.com to process checks electronically that come in through my Earth Class Mail account—they charge $5 a check, but I live in San Diego, my Earth Class Mail office address is in Seattle, and I bank in Ohio. It works great!

—ANDREW

To add to your excellent list (we’ve traveled just like that for several years SWEET!), I’d like to add my modifications as a female traveler and a new mom (16-month-old baby). Personal favorites: (1) Athleta carries excellent, light, quick-dry clothing that hold up well to sports but still look very fashionable. Skorts are a must for looking feminine but being fully covered for hiking and steep pyramid steps—you know what I mean, ladies! Just a note, a slightly longer length will serve you well in a lot of countries, as well as tankini tops and swim skirts for swimming. (2) Fresh & Go toothbrush is simple to use. (3) Marsona sound machine for drowning out unfamiliar noises is a must (regularly use with baby at home too so when they hear the sound they know it’s sleep time!). This has been a lifesaver for us on many trips, and we now use it regularly at home for better sleep. No more changing hotels midtrip to avoid noise. AND, I know we have to travel light, but with baby a lot of things are nonnegotiable. These make for smoother sailing: (1) Peanut shell sling in black fleece—it’s more comfy than the cotton and you can pop baby in and out wherever you are, from birth to 35 lbs. I never take mine off, it’s part of my outfit; (2) Peapod plus portable tent—this is baby’s main bed at home and travel so baby has the same sleep place everywhere we go, and the flaps give all travel parties privacy—great from small babies to five-year-olds. I can still jam this onto a little wheeled carry-on and pack mine and baby’s minimal clothing around it; (3) Go Go Kidz TravelMate (great for wheeling car seat up to the gate for gate check or use on plane); (4) Britax Diplomat car seat is small but kids can use it from birth to approx. four years old.