The 4-Hour Workweek, Expanded and Update - Timothy Ferriss [135]
What are your working hours?
10 A.M.-6 P.M. pst, then often 11 p.m.-2 A.M. pst. [Before you cry, “What happened to the four-hour workweek?!” realize that “work hours” here could be replaced with “active and available-by-phone hours.” I have lots of projects and do not preach idleness. I am VERY active. See the sixth comment on this post on www.fourhourblog.com for more elaboration or reread the “Filling the Void” chapter in this book.]
Do you like using IM?Not really, unless it’s a scheduled discussion. Just leave yourself logged in, and I’ll log in if I need something. [I tend to use Skype chat these days, as it’s encrypted and I can avoid a separate IM program.]
Do you prefer a phone call or an e-mail to answer a quick question?
PHONE CALL, absolutely. DO NOT e-mail me for anything urgent. I really follow my own advice and don’t check e-mail that often.
What is your favorite color?
Green like cedar leaves in July.
Call at the end of every day (if) there is something that Tim needs to respond to in his e-mail.
E-books: Tell them they can download the e-bookfromwww.powells.com.
Label all e-mails from “Expert Click” for Tim. No need to respond or forward.
All Linked-In e-mails can be archived or deleted as Tim receives notification of invites as soon as he logs into his Linked-In account.
For start-up inquiries in the health and wellness industry (or BrainQUICKEN start-up inquiries) please see the templates in
Gmail titled: Congratulations and General Business Questions—BrainQUICKEN Templates.
For language inquiries, please see the templates in Gmail titled: Reader Question on Language Resources—Language Templates.
When Tim types “dictate” in the e-mail response, this means that we can say to the recipient: As Tim is traveling at the moment and not able to personally respond to your e-mail, I mentioned your message while on the phone to him, and he asked me to dictate. This makes the process easier as we do not have to change the context of the person responding.
[This is to avoid having an assistant convert my first-person “Please tell him that I …” to third-person “Tim says that he …”—providing shorthand for “cut and paste” saves hours of assistant time.]
If someone e-mail blasts a bunch of people and I am one of them, usually safe to ignore or delete. Read them carefully, of course, but if it says for example “a few influential people I know” or something like that then if someone can’t take the time to personalize for me, forget them. If Tim is copied, of course, that’s a different story.
Tim’s address is XXXX. THIS E-MAIL IS NOT TO BE DISTRIBUTED OR GIVEN TO ANYONE. If you want to copy Tim on an e-mail, please use the BCC field, so that it remains private.
Mark anyone from Princeton for me to look at (TIM label). [Note: I’ve since had to modify this due to volume.]
If I decline someone and they persist, give them one more reply—“Tim appreciates the persistence, but he really can’t…” etc.—and then archive future requests. Use your judgment, of course, but that’s the general rule. Some people don’t know when persistent turns into plain irritating.
Please also create a rule to respond with “scheduled” for all items I send to be put in the calendar (when they’re put in the calendar). Missing calendar items can cause big problems, so this is a check and balance to confirm.
No need to follow up with someone after a call has taken place unless Tim instructs otherwise, or they request something from us.
Send all speaking requests to XXXX and ensure that he confirms receipt. (However, also see items 38 and 39).
Foreign language requests (i.e., purchasing rights, if the book is available in a particular language, etc.) send to [the appropriate person at my publisher].
XXXX’s replacement at Random House is XXXX.
Inquire with Tim first before booking any speaking gigs on a specific date, as he may be traveling.
When booking appointments in the calendar, be sure to also ask which