Comments on: The Beatles and Bill Gates would have never made it doing a ‘4 hour’ work week, http://www.wilmasblog.com/leverage/2009/05/25/the-beatles-and-bill-gates-would-have-never-made-it-with-a-4-hour-work-week/ Being a strong basecamp Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:43:42 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Jason Kemp http://www.wilmasblog.com/leverage/2009/05/25/the-beatles-and-bill-gates-would-have-never-made-it-with-a-4-hour-work-week/#comment-5530 Jason Kemp Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:38:07 +0000 http://www.wilmasblog.com/?p=982#comment-5530 I wrote about the 10,000 hrs idea back in July 2007 when Malcolm Gladwell was still working on the book. He gave a video presentation to the New Yorker (magazine) conference called 2012: Stories from the near Future. Still worth viewing all this time later. I'm not sure that all of this material made it into the book but it was fascinating then and still gets hundreds of readers every month on my site as I cross referenced it with a few of my own idea and others at the time. It picks up a couple of case studies on the Maths side of things. Gladwell is above all else a storyteller of excellence. Bill Gates even did a presentation at the TED conference partly because of the Outliers book. Bill acknolwedges the element of luck in having access to some of the early computers and some top people in the ealy days as well. But it is also clear he focussed his efforts in a very directed way in those early years to produce dramtic results a bit later down the track. One other part of the book that I picked up on when Malcolm was interviewed by Kim Hill wasa the importance of what children do in the holidays between terms accounts for a huge degree of differnce whn they get back into class after the break. As I understand it in the US they have one very long summer break and not as many short holidays during the school year. That idea alone is worth thinking about. I was reminded of all this again this week when I read a post by Mark Drapeau on success (using Twitter) but it applies to most everything. He said “The Bottom Line" "There aren’t any secrets. You get out what you put in. Work hard, add value, and don’t rest on your laurels. Note what’s happening in the news, and in life. Always evolve; adapt to your environment. Embrace trial-and-error and a spirit of lethal generosity. Take risks. Be surprising. Be awesome.” The very old idea of more haste less speed is still also true. I wrote about the 10,000 hrs idea back in July 2007 when Malcolm Gladwell was still working on the book. He gave a video presentation to the New Yorker (magazine) conference called 2012: Stories from the near Future. Still worth viewing all this time later.

I’m not sure that all of this material made it into the book but it was fascinating then and still gets hundreds of readers every month on my site as I cross referenced it with a few of my own idea and others at the time. It picks up a couple of case studies on the Maths side of things.

Gladwell is above all else a storyteller of excellence. Bill Gates even did a presentation at the TED conference partly because of the Outliers book. Bill acknolwedges the element of luck in having access to some of the early computers and some top people in the ealy days as well.

But it is also clear he focussed his efforts in a very directed way in those early years to produce dramtic results a bit later down the track.

One other part of the book that I picked up on when Malcolm was interviewed by Kim Hill wasa the importance of what children do in the holidays between terms accounts for a huge degree of differnce whn they get back into class after the break.

As I understand it in the US they have one very long summer break and not as many short holidays during the school year. That idea alone is worth thinking about.

I was reminded of all this again this week when I read a post by Mark Drapeau on success (using Twitter) but it applies to most everything.

He said “The Bottom Line”

“There aren’t any secrets. You get out what you put in. Work hard, add value, and don’t rest on your laurels. Note what’s happening in the news, and in life. Always evolve; adapt to your environment. Embrace trial-and-error and a spirit of lethal generosity. Take risks. Be surprising. Be awesome.”

The very old idea of more haste less speed is still also true.

]]> By: Wilma http://www.wilmasblog.com/leverage/2009/05/25/the-beatles-and-bill-gates-would-have-never-made-it-with-a-4-hour-work-week/#comment-5506 Wilma Sun, 31 May 2009 02:17:50 +0000 http://www.wilmasblog.com/?p=982#comment-5506 Thanks Ceena, we are so gullible when it comes to messages about work.It is amazing the filters we can equip ourselves with to pick up that what suits us and how they then filter the rest out. BTW, thanks for your comment. Thanks Ceena, we are so gullible when it comes to messages about work.It is amazing the filters we can equip ourselves with to pick up that what suits us and how they then filter the rest out.
BTW, thanks for your comment.

]]> By: Ceena http://www.wilmasblog.com/leverage/2009/05/25/the-beatles-and-bill-gates-would-have-never-made-it-with-a-4-hour-work-week/#comment-5505 Ceena Sat, 30 May 2009 08:28:29 +0000 http://www.wilmasblog.com/?p=982#comment-5505 i love this post Wilma. I will definitely share this. People often misunderstand the 4hww title. The book just didn't say it directly that you really have to put in time first before you reach a status where you can finally go on cruise control. Tim was relentless when he promoting that book, and from his stories, he was also relentless when starting his businesses. I know a lot of people that got motivated by that book and then came crashing back to earth because they couldn't make it happen instantly. Oh and i completely agree with kathleen too. :) looking forward to more posts :) i love this post Wilma. I will definitely share this.

People often misunderstand the 4hww title. The book just didn’t say it directly that you really have to put in time first before you reach a status where you can finally go on cruise control.

Tim was relentless when he promoting that book, and from his stories, he was also relentless when starting his businesses.

I know a lot of people that got motivated by that book and then came crashing back to earth because they couldn’t make it happen instantly.

Oh and i completely agree with kathleen too. :)

looking forward to more posts :)

]]> By: Wilma http://www.wilmasblog.com/leverage/2009/05/25/the-beatles-and-bill-gates-would-have-never-made-it-with-a-4-hour-work-week/#comment-5502 Wilma Thu, 28 May 2009 23:51:10 +0000 http://www.wilmasblog.com/?p=982#comment-5502 OH Kath, I do agree that having fun is all part of the equation and that includes work but NOT work as we know it, but as you and I and Tim Ferris know it. Yeah for us. OH Kath, I do agree that having fun is all part of the equation and that includes work but NOT work as we know it, but as you and I and Tim Ferris know it. Yeah for us.

]]> By: Kathleen http://www.wilmasblog.com/leverage/2009/05/25/the-beatles-and-bill-gates-would-have-never-made-it-with-a-4-hour-work-week/#comment-5501 Kathleen Thu, 28 May 2009 23:18:53 +0000 http://www.wilmasblog.com/?p=982#comment-5501 Hi Wilma, While I think the "4 Hour" concept is cute, and good marketing, could we not say that if your work is joy, you are essentially playing, and thus not working at all? What does he do with the rest of his time? Play golf? Of course not - and that's the point. You nailed it with that remark about life being ongoing challenge and fulfillment, not lying around drinking gin and watching Oprah. (Not that I have a problem with that.) Hi Wilma, While I think the “4 Hour” concept is cute, and good marketing, could we not say that if your work is joy, you are essentially playing, and thus not working at all? What does he do with the rest of his time? Play golf? Of course not – and that’s the point. You nailed it with that remark about life being ongoing challenge and fulfillment, not lying around drinking gin and watching Oprah. (Not that I have a problem with that.)

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