I just finished a review of ‘The Four Hour Work Week ‘ by Timothy Ferriss for ‘Interesting Times’ magazine. I think it will be out in next month’s issue of the magazine. http://interestingtimesmagazine.com/
Interesting Times Issue 5 - Tim Ferriss Special Edition
Next week I have to go to the south coast of England to look for an apartment down there. It looks like I will be moving down there with my work and I have 6 weeks to get the move sorted out. If it goes well, I’ll be down there for two years. It’s always a small risk moving to a new place but I’m willing to take that chance because I have other options running in the background and can switch to those if the main plan doesn’t appeal once it is underway.
That means putting a move to Spain on hold for a while, but that is ok. This summer I did a lot of groundwork on what is required for a move to Madrid. That knowledge is definitely going to come in handy as a plan B. Either way, as Hannibal Smith says, I love it when a plan comes together. Spain might have become plan A in two years. It’s good to have options, so when I was on holiday last month I did an interview in Madrid and checked out the area for places to live, prices of apartments, living costs etc. All useful research (when is a holiday not a holiday – when I am involved). I like to combine activities for efficiency purposes. Learning information, getting new experiences and pleasure are not mutually exclusive. In fact there is much overlap if you set it up to work in that combination.
And I love finding ways at work to hack the system – to disappear from view and get paid at the same time. Then you can do the things you want while getting paid. It’s a variation on the Four Hour Work Week – free up time and automate income. I probe at interviews, observe logistics, try to read people and start creating a blueprint of the work environment and how to get inside it to make it work for me.
Combining these work ideas further with some of the Four Hour Work Week projects I’m involved with would be ideal. One of these projects lets me work remotely, so I’d have an income wherever I am. But Madrid and southern England can be expensive places to live – apartments I looked at in both places were 500-700 euros. The lifestyle in Madrid is far more attractive, though, and it is a capital city. I had a great time researching and unwinding there, I even visit the places I used to frequent when I lived in Madrid in the early 2000s.
Fontana del Oro, Madrid
Back in England, I’ve been reading a bit more this week – finished ‘Just After Sunset’, by Stephen King.
Then I read in 2 days ‘The Contortionist’s Handbook’, by Craig Clevenger.
Both were really good reads. Recommended. Clevenger’s book reminded me of Irvine Welsh a lot.