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I’ve been influenced by many authors and books, but few compare to the original The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. This book wasn’t an eye-opener so much as it was a validation of the way I practiced law. Here was a business owner who stepped forward and unapologetically proclaimed his freedom from the 9-to-5 grind of cubicles and office life.
Ferriss extolled the virtues of outsourcing and coined the term, “lifestyle design.” Some called his book fiction, others questioned whether he was in fact a tango champion or just some guy who made up stories in his spare time. To me, it didn’t matter.
Why? Because Ferriss was telling the world that it was alright to delegate tasks to others, so long as we could delegate those tasks effectively. We are each good at just a few things, and to do anything but those few things was a waste of our time and resources. To get it right, we must find others to do that which they are good at, leaving us to our own core competencies.
Now, Ferriss is releasing an updated and expanded version of the book. It will be released on December 15, 2009.
And to celebrate, I’m going to give away a brand-new copy of the book. Shipped directly to one lucky winner from Amazon when it’s released.
Here’s how you qualify to win. Between now and December 14, 2009 you need to comment on this blog post and tell me the one task you’d like to outsource in your law firm and why you haven’t done it yet. Your comment must include your full name and your email address (you can substitute “[at]” for “@”). The best comment will be chosen at random by me on December 15, 2009, and I’ll contact you by email.
Don’t want to leave a comment on the blog? No problem – you can enter by tweeting this status update.
Please note that this contest is open only to people in the Continental United States. I will not ship overseas or to any foreign destination.
It’s that simple – comment or tweet your entry, and good luck!
Related posts:
I am trying to delegate discovery. I have found someone to draft discovery requests from samples and my complaint, but if I could delegate production without having a full-time employee in my office, then I would be so happy! — Amy Kleinpeter
amyck1 at gmail dot com
The one thing I could outsource is the bookkeeping. I can never stay on top of it, because it really isn't at the top of my list. Before I practiced law, I did the books for the family business and I guess it's just old habits and afraid to give up control.
Kevin Johnson
kevin.johnson@johnsonwilk.com
I want to delegate all of the administrative tasks from inputting basic petition information to filing basic documents (change of address, financial management certifications, etc.). I haven't done it, because the last two people that were hired to do these tasks either did them so poorly that it took me more time to fix them than to do them myself OR they did not track what they were doing and tasks did not get done.
I need someone I can rely on to actually do the things that waste my time and do them correctly. If that happens, I can spend time focusing on the parts of the practice I enjoy and actually have some extra time on my hands to spend with my family.
I'd like to delegate writing & posting basic bankruptcy articles to my blog but I don't want to spend the money because my marketing hasn't caught me up to the point, income-wise, where the cost-benefit analysis makes sense for me to do so.
I would love to delegate marketing. I like writing the blog postings, but I would love for someone else to turn them into a newsletter for me, distribute it, line up speaking engagements for me, generate lists of contacts for me, contact those contacts, etc.
The reason I haven't is lack of income and the feeling I can do it myself so why should I pay someone else to.
Simple: all invoicing. I know there are a few invoicing programs, Web 2.0 types, that offer free digital invoices with an option to pay for them to send out physical ones after a set period of time. I'm still considering the attorney-client privilege implications of adopting this system. Any thoughts?
Noticed the first comment didn't have an e-mail address, so here it is: brianhowe at gmail dot com
Too tired to be doing this, sorry. It's emailbrianhowe at gmail dot com.
Done now.
I would like to delegate data entry. I haven't done so yet because I feel like I shouldn't be outsourcing work that I can do myself – even though I realize this would free up time for additional marketing and networking activities. – Angela Hermosillo (angelakhermosillo at gmail dot com)
I loved the first edition of the book, 4 Hour Workweek. The book inspired me to search for a real 40 hour workweek! That is right, 40 hours would be great, Fridays off…every week. The book also reminds me not to check my email constantly. I still do, but the book is a continuing reminder.
I would like to outsource everything sometimes. But if I had to select my first choice it would helping with telephone calls. I would like to outsource to a live personal telephone receptionist. Taking the calls, emailing the messages, perhaps even helping with the concerns.
I loved the first edition of the book, 4 Hour Workweek. The book inspired me to search for a real 40 hour workweek! That is right, 40 hours would be great, Fridays off…every week. The book also reminds me not to check my email constantly. I still do, but the book is a continuing reminder.
I would like to outsource everything sometimes. But if I had to select my first choice, it would be to delegate helping with telephone calls. I would like to outsource to a live personal telephone receptionist. Taking the calls, emailing the messages, perhaps even helping with the concerns.
Outsourcing is indeed a very important aspect of today's business success, but as it says here, you have to be very creative and efficient in order to achieve maximum potential.
Outsourcing is indeed a very important aspect of today's business success, but as it says here, you have to be very creative and efficient in order to achieve maximum potential.