Train Less, Make More
Hey there, hope you're doing awesome… a few days ago I just started working again after about 8 weeks of vacation… and even now I'm only working about 2-4 hours a day.
Some people would go crazy if that's all they had to work, but for me… it's perfect… it allows me to live as close to a balanced life as possible.
Basically both of my businesses are almost entirely automated and outsourced… my businesses are run on systems I created… I build the systems, and the systems do the work.
I'm one of the people who read Tim Ferriss's "Four Hour Work Week" a few years back and it just felt like truth to me… so I applied it with everything I had.
Somewhere in the book is a sentence that goes something like "The world has agreed to shuffle papers from 9 to 5" … and that resonated with me… I've always felt in the pit of my soul there had to be a better way.
Do I only work four hours a week?
No… I work more than that
In fact, sometimes I'll work 60, 70, or 80 hours in a week, like when I launched Market Annihilator… but that was only for a few weeks.
Typically my year pretty much looks like this…
- For about 3 months of the year I don't work at all… I take vacations ( with the exception of helping my coaching clients via email and phone calls… I pretty much answer coaching emails throughout the year )
- For about 7-8 months out the year, I'll work about 2-4 hours a day and work about 4-5 days a week
- And for about a month or two out of the year, I'll put in 60-80 hour weeks working 6 days a week… like when getting ready for a big launch or something… which I'll usually do by putting myself under firm deadlines… I'll bust my butt to create a systematized money funnel that I can then put on autopilot
Luckily I love what I do, so most of it doesn't even seem like work anyway
When I work I focus on the important stuff… like…
- Blogging
- Creating Content
- Writing Copy
- Scripting Sales Videos
- Working on Lead Gen Funnels
- Improving Sales Systems
- Creating and Nurturing Win/Win Relationships
- Big Picture Strategy Stuff
- Occasionally Inspecting Delegated Work
- Learning ( Studying Info-Products)
The rest of my business is systematized and outsourced… from billing to training to management to admin to… you name it… it's outsourced ( and in-sourced )
If it doesn't absolutely need to be done by me, its done by someone else, usually someone who's much better at in anyway ( I've learned I'm only really good at a few things.. so I focus on those)
A lot of people think Tim Ferriss's book the "Four Hour Work Week" is a scam, but that's because they never really aplied it with any type of consistency.
I'm here to tell you that it works… if you apply yourself to the principles outlined in the book you can end up making a lot more while working a lot less… but you have to do more than just read the book, you have to apply it.
You probably won't only work four hours a week ( which isn't what the book is about anyway)… but you can create a business based around your ideal lifestyle and work smart instead of hard… you can own a freedom business ( or two ) that allows you to work where and when you want, with minimal hours for maximum pay.
If you love training, by all means train your heart out, but just know there are ways to dramatically cut your hours while at the same time increasing your income… like getting into semi-private and group training and boot camps… where you can literally make six-figures working only 15-20 hours a week or LESS ( that's exactly how I did it when I trained)
Tim just released a new updated version of the book with like 100 extra pages… I HIGHLY recommend it… here's a few great quotes from the book…
- "Being selective—doing less—is the path of the productive. Focus on the important few and ignore the rest." - Tim
- "Believe it or not, it is not only possible to accomplish more by doing less, it is mandatory. Enter the world of elimination." - Tim
- "What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do." - Tim
- "Do your own thinking independently. Be the chess player, not the chess piece" - Ralph Charell
- "Slow down and remember this: Most things make no difference. Being busy is a form of mental laziness—lazy thinking and indiscriminate action." - Tim
- "If you are insecure, guess what? The rest of the world is, too. Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think." - Tim
- "Alternating periods of activity and rest is necessary to survive, let alone thrive." - Tim
- "A task will swell in (perceived) importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted for its completion". ~ Parkinson's Law
- "Emphasize strengths, don’t fix weaknesses." - Tim
- "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." - Mark Twain
- "Identify the few critical tasks that contribute the most to income and schedule them with very short and clear deadlines."
- "Scotty: she’s all yours, sir. All systems automated and ready. A chimpanzee and two trainees could run her! Captain Kirk: thank you, Mr. Scott. I’ll try not to take that personally." - Star Trek
- "
A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have." - Tim
- "The system is the solution". - AT&T
- "Money is multiplied in practical value depending on the number of W’s you control in your life: what you do, when you do it, where you do it, and with whom you do it. I call this the freedom multiplier." - Tim
- "For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and ask myself: “if today was the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something… Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. - Steve Jobs, college dropout and CEO of Apple Computer, Stanford University commencement
- "The commonsense rules of the “real world” are a fragile collection of socially reinforced illusions" - Tim
- "For all their bitching about what’s holding them back, most people have a lot of trouble coming up with the defined dreams they’re being held from" - Tim
- "Focus on being productive instead of busy." - Tim
- "Learn to ask, “If this is the only thing I accomplish today, will I be satisfied with my day?” - Tim
- "Most people are good at a handful of things and utterly miserable at most." - Tim
- "Which 20% of sources are causing 80% of my problems and unhappiness? Which 20% of sources are resulting in 80% of my desired outcomes and happiness?" - Tim
- "Lack of time is actually lack of priorities." - Tim
- "Short, sweet, and to the point. Clear writing, and therefore clear commands, comes from clear thinking. Think simple." - Tim
If you haven't read the 4-Hour Work Week, I STRONGLY suggest doing so, it's a book that's changed my life in SO many positive ways.
And if you HAVE read it but haven't applied it… do yourself a HUGE favor and put the book to work in your life ( Remember the new version just came out, so I'd grab that one… it can easily be found on Amazon or at Tim's Blog)
Also, I strongly suggest you check out the Auto-Delegation Tool Box and Kick Back Lifestyle Club
They're full of systems and strategies you can put to work in your fitness training business right now so you can work less and make more…
Click Here To Work Less in Your Training Business While Making More
I'd love to hear your comments below…
Comments on Train Less, Make More »
Great post, I really like this quote:
"The commonsense rules of the “real world” are a fragile collection of socially reinforced illusions"
Just reminds you that this is YOUR reality - and even if you don't believe it is, then the person with the strongest reality will always win.
Awesome post. I've read his book and am putting things into practice.
I've traveled for a total of around 7 weeks within the last year. I've turned my personal clients into groups or boot camps, started a blog, writing an ebook. I'm putting the principles into place but I can still see it being a year before I'm more-or-less automated.
How long did it take for you to become pretty much automated after you started your own business?
Did you start out with that monthly split right off the bat or did it take a year or so?
Love the article, thanks for the continuous great content…
Chad
I bought the 4-Hour Work Week after my coma a year ago…it one of several books that I am struggling to apply the Law of Attraction principles in my life. The others are The Secret and Psycho-Cybernetics. Here's a little bit of more info on me…it's a blog Chris McCombs wrote about me in October of 2009.
http://www.kickbacklife.com/2009/10/14/this-really-got-to-me/
If you’re just discovering the Law of Attraction, here are a few books to give you a basic understanding and get you started along the path of attracting greatness.
# 1- The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne
The Secret is a good book to introduce the subject. Take away the Hollywood glitter and glam, and this book creates a convincing argument that you are not helpless in this life. The power, the ability to change your life is within your grasp. However, with its superficial overview and flavor of the month popularity, I have known people that only use one tool to tap into the Law of Attraction and find themselves disappointed when it doesn’t instantly change their lives. Read this with the knowledge that it’s just the tip of the iceberg, then delve into something deeper.
# 2 -The Magic of Thinking Big, by David Schwartz
What I like about this book is that it goes more into depth about the why involved with LOA. If I do this, why do I get this result? What do I need to do? Just thinking positively doesn’t make good things materialize. Why does not being in tune with the right thoughts attract the wrong results? Schwartz answers these questions in simple terms.
# 3 - Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill
This book’s whole objective is an exercise in the Law of Attraction, and Napoleon Hill does an excellent job of setting intention from the very beginning. I also recommend any video you can track down by this author because his passion shines through and inspires. He vibrates on a positive frequency. In this book he brings real examples of wealthy, successful people and the common principles they held as universal truths. Not only does this book show you how great men found great success, but how you can do it too.
# 4 -The Twelve Pillars, Jim Rohn and Chris Widener
I love that this book weaves profound lessons through a great story. It’s about a guy who was miserable in his corporate job and had screwed things up with his family and kids. This guy meets an old man who, through a series of events, invites him to his home. The house turns out to be an amazing mansion and a symbol for great success. The elderly owner of the house tells the distraught younger man his rags to riches story and they end up becoming friends. The twelve pillars (also part of the house’s architecture) end up being the old man’s guiding principles and the knowledge he imparts the younger guy. Plus, there’s a great twist at the end.
# 5 - The Traveler’s Gift, Andy Andrews
Similar to The Twelve Pillars, this is a story about finding success. A guy working in direct marketing finds a mentor who shows him the path to success. It just so happens that all of the lessons the mentor imparts are principles of the Law of Attraction. It does a great job of illustrating the real life applications of the Law. It’s an easy read.
Sweet man, have seen that book many times on the shelves but I'm off to get it as we speak.
Love the quotes, etc. I think some of the best advice I've ever heard is "Find out what most people do, and do the exact opposite!" which really makes sense when you analyse a lot of what the "herd" do all the time.
Cheers again for the great info Chris.
Regards, Clayton
Adelaide Personal Trainers
Awesome post Chris, I first read this book about a year ago and it has definitely changed my life for the better. I'm not at 4 hours a week just yet but I've cut down my daily hours so I'm not training 8+ hours a day.
I started doing boot camps and it has paid off, I'm making more money and it's a heck of a lot easier training a fun group of people than just 1 person for an hour at a time.
I just got the latest version of the book and I'm planning on reading it after I finish "How to Win Friends & Influence People"…thanks for the recommendation my man!
10 out of 10!!!
I miss these sort of post from you. I feel so pumped right now!
See ya in Miami soon.
- Dave
Chris,
One of your best posts ever! I read 4HWW two years ago and really gave me lots to think about and I have tried implementing quite a bit of it!
Yesterday I bought the new version and today I relaxed and read it for about an hour! I definitely recommend it and am excited to get more out of it the second time because I have grown so much since the first time and am in a much different place in my biz and life!
Thanks,
Dustin
hey Chris
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on how to make a living more efficiently and what you learnt from the 4 Hour Work Week book.
Thanks for the post. I have not read this book, so I will pick it up for sure.
This is great stuff!
Got this loaded and ready to go on the Kindle. No idea about page numbers because Kindle works on % and Im 63% done with Gary Vaynerchuk's Crush It!
Tim's blog is a great source of info as well.
Slowly but surely coming around to some of the things he is talking about in the book.
Jason
great post chris as usual, thanks for taking all your time for generating these resources.
Chris,
I am on chapter 13 of this book today! IT's amazing! I see some of the principles from the book in you, Bedros and Steve…
Actually, I didn't have time to read the entire book so i got the ITunes download for like $14…
Really a lot of "ah-hah" moments for me!
Actually, reading and listening to this, I'm thinking,,, damn, I gotta check out Chris Market Anhilator!
JJ
"A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have."
This one really resonated with me as I can look back and see many many times where I have held back and not gone into that uncomfortable conversation.
Great Post Chris definitely one of my favorites.
And Mike Morales great addition with the other book suggestions. They'll be going on my 'to read' list.
Hey thanks for the cool comments everyone
@Chad 7:29 pm - Took about 6 months to dial it in after I decided to do it like that… and yep, started with the 50/50 split right away
Just got done with a nice long bike ride in Austin, Texas. I'm going to work on my computer for a couple hours then go to bed. This is THE LIFE.
Great post Chris.
I loved the 4 hour work week, when I read it a few years back. It was a great turning point in my life, although it took me a while to implement the strategies.
Outsourcing is such an important part to growing and expanding a business and from the sounds of it,you have that under control.
Great job on keeping the balance in your life and knowing what that balance is.
Dear Chris,
Please take time to read the mail, though it is a longish one:
A little about my history: I am a trainer from India and I have 3 certificates from a very well respected organization in the US.
I shifted base last year to a town where I know nobody. I started my own gym, my 1st gym!
However, for around 9 months, I could manage to rack up only about 4 hours sleep average every night and still could not get things done. There were times where I used to go hungry for upto 36 hours at a stretch because of work load (couldn't even get time to sit and eat - had breakfast one day and the next meal would be next day's lunch). This was even though I had 2 trainers working for me! I really abused myself in this period… Even after this much work, I was not making any money at all!
Some time back I signed up for your kickback lifestyle and actually used only the client sales tactic in which we interview a client. This was a time when I had a lot of issues with demanding clients and the interview process immediately clicked with me.
I must say that the interview has worked amazing wonders for me! My income just shot through the roof as I have a much higher rate of sale closure and my new clients are very respectful and teachable! In fact last month I made most money ever. I have made at least 6,000 times what I paid for the kickback lifestyle membership which was around 4-5 months ago! This income was through Kickback lifestyle club client sale closure technique and by setting systems after reading Bedros' email.
Please do keep on sharing the valuable ideas like you always do,
Amit Sharma
Wow Amit, thank you so much for the cool comment… congrats!
Am a big fan of "The Four Hour Workweek". It's one of those books that I keep handy and go back to constantly. And I find that every time I go back through it, I learn something new. And I find I can actually pick and choose what I want to read depending on what I'm doing/working on at the time….and still learn something.
Great recommendation and more people need to read it.
Wiggy
http://www.workingclassfitness.com
http://www.workingclasscardioworkout.com