Going to China, Language Reactivation, and Other Mischief

China Pre-Trip Clip from Glenn McElhose on Vimeo.

Archive for the 4-Hour Case Studies Category
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December 31st, 2009
Cold Remedy: 18 Real-World Lifestyle Design Case Studies (Now It’s Your Turn) 141 Comments

Written by Tim Ferriss Topics: 4-Hour Case Studies


If not in 2010, then when? (Photo: jphilipson)

The video case studies that I asked for in the last post really caught me unprepared.

I…am…so happy that it’s hard to put it into words.

From Denmark to India, from college students to retirees, from yoga instructors to engineers, the stories poured in. Narrowing them down to finalists, even with several people, was excruciating, but below you will find 15 of our favorites. Many more are worth watching (I watched them all) and can be found here, or by searching “4hww success” on YouTube. There are also 150 comments on the last post full of practical how-to implementations.

The below videos represent a real-life crash course in the many paths and practicalities of lifestyle design. I hope you love watching them as much as I did… Read More

December 22nd, 2009
Cold Remedy: Free Flights Anywhere in the World 159 Comments

Written by Tim Ferriss Topics: 4-Hour Case Studies, The Book - 4HWW, Travel


Where would you go if you had a free ticket anywhere? The island of Bohol in the Philippines? (source: WisDoc)

Not long ago, I received the following comment — edited for length — from Ryan N.:

I hate you Tim. I had a secure future ahead of me, and I left my job, my reasonably well paying professional career all because of your book. Best thing I’ve ever done!!

I was wondering if you might be able to put up a blog post where people could post their ideas or muses as case studies. I’m sure there are a lot of people like me who would like to share their stories and listen to others living the 4HWW.

Here’s to 2010 being the year everything changes.

Indeed. Here’s to 2010 being the year everything changes.

I decided to take Ryan’s advice. Below is a post of just a few select video case studies. This is also where you can win a round-trip ticket anywhere in the world.

That would be a nice way to start 2010 with a bang, right?… Read More

December 18th, 2009
How I Did It: From $7 an Hour to Coaching Major League Baseball MVPs 115 Comments

Written by Tim Ferriss Topics: 4-Hour Case Studies, The Book - 4HWW


Jaime Cevallos and the MP30 Training Bat (Source: Jaime Cevallos)

“Cevallos told Zobrist [Tampa Bay Rays MVP] he could turn him into a power hitter…The results have been remarkable.”
- ESPN The Magazine

This article will tell the inspiring story of Jaime Cevallos, who went from $7 an hour to coaching MVPs in Major League Baseball, automating his income in the process.

Jaime is now — in many respects — set. But how did he do it?

Some of the questions I asked Jaime include:

1) What is your muse [automated business]?
2) How did you contact the initial MLB players, and what exact wording did you use?
3) What things were much easier than expected, and which things were much harder?
4) To those people who haven’t yet tried to create a muse, what 3-5 pieces of advice would you give them?
5) What mistakes did you make, and what did you learn from them?… Read More

December 8th, 2009
No More Excuses – How to Make an Extra $100,000 in the Next 6 Months 320 Comments

Written by Tim Ferriss Topics: 4-Hour Case Studies, Automation, The Book - 4HWW


The Wilburns have created a multinational from their home.(Photo: Dana Smith)

“So, do you have any ideas?”

“Well, if we’re going to do something, it should be big. It should make people sit up and say OMFG. Make people actually do something,” I responded.

The conversation continued in front of the Thai restaurant, me pacing on my cell phone in San Francisco — foregoing food in excitement — and Tobi in his offices in Ottawa, Canada.

We decided in the subsequent 10 minutes to offer $100,000 cash as a bribe to you all. The overview?

* $100,000 for the grand winner
* $120,000 total in prizes
* 6 months starting January 1 but you can (and should) get started now
* Even if you don’t win the prizes, you should end up with a viable business at the end of 6 months

The details make it even better… Read More

July 12th, 2009
Going to China, Language Reactivation, and Other Mischief 149 Comments

Written by Tim Ferriss Topics: 4-Hour Case Studies, Language, Random, Travel

Greetings from Kunming, China, land of Pu-erh tea! I’ve been offline for a week and feel fantastic.

Kevin Rose, Glenn McElhose, and I are up to no good and having a blast. The above video is the first of several to chronicle our experience exploring the incredible world of tea in China, so be prepared for footage no foreigners have seen before. Not into tea? Don’t worry — it’s an inside look at strangers in a strange land, culture shock included.

This volume covers our trip preparation, Pu-erh tea cakes, and basic Mandarin language reactivation. There is a separate Random episode coming that includes more on language and textbook analysis.

This afternoon, we will head to Beijing for a bit of Bladerunner-style fun and exploration of Olympics-inspired modernization. I haven’t spent real time in the capital since 1996, and I expect the changes will be a shock to the system.