It took me all of one evening to read Timothy Ferriss's book, "The 4-Hour Workweek." Yes, the concept of working smarter excited me. Who doesn't want to double their pay and work half the hours with such simple plans? But, like investing in something you don't understand, I would be very careful about attempting to live the Ferriss lifestyle. Not everyone can "escape 9-5, live anywhere, and join the New Rich [NR]."

First, go to the Web page linked above to take a good look at Timothy Ferriss. You'll realize that the author is thirty years young, and that he's a self-described serial entrepreneur and "ultravagabond." Granted, he speaks six languages, runs a multinational business from international wireless locations (lingo for 'outsourcing'), and he's been featured in many well-known publications. But, Ferriss didn't learn those languages at his alma mater, Princeton. He learned those languages as he traveled the world in pursuit of something to fill his time.

You see, Ferriss learned how to work smart very quickly and at a young age, and I'll give him kudos for that accomplishment. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and suggest that anyone who works a 9-5 (or longer) job might benefit from reading this book. After all, your boss probably has read it (although one of my editors claims he hasn't - he jokingly states Ferriss stole his ideas).

Additionally, your boss may expect you to implement at least one or two of Ferriss's theories. If you don't, then you may be looked upon as 'stodgy' and unwilling to change. On the other hand, if you do decide to add an autoresponder to your email that states you check that email only twice per day, you may become a clich?. What you're supposed to do is to take some of Ferriss's ideas and make them your own - you know, add a little personal panache to this NR concept.

So I tried Ferriss's ideas about outsourcing, because I work some very long hours and my writing jobs aren't all juicy romantic sweetness. Some work is just downright tedious, but it pays well. I tried cutting back on some of that tedium by outsourcing some of the less creative work through eLance, as Ferriss suggested. I figured I could trust someone to do this work with few worries.

I did find a young man in India who was brilliant with database management. But, his team members couldn't write with the flow of native English, so I spent as much time editing his work as I would if I had written the information in the first place. Then, I thought perhaps hiring a person in the states might work. I was in for a huge surprise with that plan of action.

Call me unrealistic, color me na?ve. I had no idea how valuable I was until I began trying to replicate myself. When I asked that editor who claimed he never read Ferriss's book about my failure to clone, he stated, "Writers are an 80/20 deal. No - they're more like a 99% deal."* He paused, and then explained, "Ninety-nine percent of the writers out there produce crap, whereas one percent produce all the valuable work."

Suddenly, that editor realized he had painted himself into a corner. I'm positive he spent the evening wondering when I would ask for that raise, whether he could continue to afford me, and if it was worth finding someone or something to replace me. I, on the other hand, spent the evening wondering when I would ask for that raise, whether my editor could continue to afford me, and if he would consider it worth his time to find someone or something to replace me.

Of course he would.

I may not be able to outsource my writing skills, but I can be replaced - and it may be with something as inane as advertising. At that point I could escape the 9-5, but I wonder just where I'll live, let alone when I'll join the NR.

I think I'll keep my freelance jobs and just outsource the dirty dishes and the laundry to my daughter. That plan should work until Cora leaves for college, but who knows. After all, no one can stack those dishes or fold that laundry like I can.

Until Next Week,
Linda Goin

*With that statement, that editor revealed that he had, indeed, read Ferriss's book.