#809: The 4-Hour Workweek Tools That Still Work — The Art of Refusal and The Low-Information Diet

This time around, we have a bit of a different format, featuring
the book that started it all for me, The 4-Hour
Workweek. Readers and listeners often
ask me what I would change or update, but an equally interesting
question is: what wouldn’t I change? What stands the test of time
and hasn’t lost any potency? This episode features two of
the most important chapters from the audiobook of The 4-Hour
Workweek. The chapters push you to defend your scarce
attention—one by saying no to people, the other by saying no to
excess information.


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Timestamps:


[00:00:00] Start.


[00:07:24] The low-information diet.


[00:09:45] Cultivating selective ignorance.


[00:14:32] How to read 200% faster in 10 minutes.


[00:17:09] Questions and actions: Go on an immediate one-week
media fast.


[00:21:05] Develop the habit of asking yourself, “Will I
definitely use this information for something immediate and
important?”


[00:22:03] Practice the art of nonfinishing.


[00:22:49] Comfort challenge: Get phone numbers.


[00:25:14] Interrupting interruption and the art of refusal.


[00:28:16] Not all evils are created equal.


[00:29:36] Time wasters: Become an ignoramus.


[00:30:09] Limit email consumption and production.


[00:33:05] Screen incoming and limit outgoing phone calls.


[00:36:10] Master the art of refusal and avoiding meetings.


[00:38:33] In order of preference, steer people toward email,
phone, and in-person meetings.


[00:38:59] Respond to voicemail via email whenever possible.


[00:40:50] Meetings should only be held to make decisions about a
predefined situation, not to define the problem.


[00:41:53] If you absolutely cannot stop a meeting or call from
happening, define the end time.


[00:43:00] The cubicle is your temple — don’t permit casual
visitors.


[00:44:24] Use the Puppy Dog Close to help your superiors and
others develop the no-meeting habit.


[00:46:48] Time consumers: Batch and do not falter.


[00:50:05] How much is your time worth?


[00:50:45] Estimate the amount of time you will save by grouping
similar tasks and batching them.


[00:51:14] Determine how much problems cost to fix in each
period.


[00:53:02] Empowerment failure: Rules and readjustment.


[00:59:44] Questions and actions: Create systems to limit your
availability.


[01:01:55] Batch activities to limit setup cost and provide more
time for dreamline milestones.


[01:02:25] Set or request autonomous rules and guidelines with
occasional review of results.


[01:03:18] Tools for eliminating paper distractions, capturing
everything.


[01:05:28] Tools for screening and avoiding unwanted calls.


[01:07:12] Tools for scheduling without back-and-forth.


[01:08:23] Tools for choosing the best email batching times.


[01:09:13] Tools for emailing without entering the inbox black
hole.


[01:10:20] Tools for preventing web browsing/internet use.


[01:11:10] Comfort challenge: revisit the terrible twos.


[01:12:07] Lifestyle design in action.


*


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Past guests on The Tim Ferriss
Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh
Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin
Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew
McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth
Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah
Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine
Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary
Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael
Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria
Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de
Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly
Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard
Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael
Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan
Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit
Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim
Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval
Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth
Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard
Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid
Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick
Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren
Aronofsky, Margaret Atwood, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter
Thiel, Dr. Gabor Maté, Anne Lamott, Sarah
Silverman, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.


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