4HWW Questions & Actions Rules that Change the Rules \---------------------------
1) How has being "realistic" or "responsible" kept you from the life you want?
2) How has doing what you "should" resulted in subpar experiences or regret for not having done something else?
3) Look at what you're currently doing and ask yourself, "What would happen if I did the opposite of the people around me? What will I sacrifice if I continue on this track for 5, 10, or 20 years?"

Dodging Bullets \---------------
1) Define your nightmare, the absolute worst that could happen if you did what you are considering. What doubt, fears, and "what-ifs" pop up as you consider the big changes you can — or need — to make? Envision them in painstaking detail. Would it be the end of your life? What would be the permanent impact, if any, on a scale of i-io? Are these things really permanent? How likely do you think it is that they would actually happen?
2) What steps could you take to repair the damage or get things back on the upswing, even if temporarily? Chances are, it's easier than you imagine. How could you get things back under control?
3) What are the outcomes or benefits, both temporary and permanent, of more probable scenarios? Now that you've defined the nightmare, what are the more probable or definite positive outcomes, whether internal (confidence, self-esteem, etc.) or external? What would the impact of these more-likely outcomes be on a scale of 1-10? How likely is it that you could produce at least a moderately good outcome? Have less intelligent people done this before and pulled it off?
4) If you were fired from your job today, what would you do to get things under financial control? Imagine this scenario and run through questions 1-3 above. If you quit your job to test other options, how could you later get back on the same career track if you absolutely had to?
5) What are you putting off out of fear? Usually, what we most fear doing is what we most need to do. That phone call, that conversation, whatever the action might be — it is fear of unknown outcomes that prevents us from doing what we need to do. Define the worst case, accept it, and do it. I'll repeat something you might consider tattooing on your forehead: What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do. As I have heard said, a person's success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have. Resolve to do one thing every day that you fear. I got into this habit by attempting to contact celebrities and famous businesspeople for advice.
6) What is it costing you — financially, emotionally, and physically — to postpone action? Don't only evaluate the potential downside of action. It is equally important to measure the atrocious cost of inaction. If you don't pursue those things that excite you, where will you be in one year, five years, and ten years? How will you feel having allowed circumstance to impose itself upon you and having allowed ten more years of your finite life to pass doing what you know will not fulfill you? If you telescope out 10 years and know with 100% certainty that it is a path of disappointment and regret, and if we define risk as "the likelihood of an irreversible negative outcome," inaction is the greatest risk of all.
7) What are you waiting for? If you cannot answer this without resorting to the previously rejected concept of good timing, the answer is simple: you're afraid, just like the rest of the world. Measure the cost of inaction, realize the unlikelihood and repairability of most missteps, and develop the most important habit of those who excel and enjoy doing so: action.

System Reset \------------
1) What would you do if there were no way you could fail? If you were 10 times smarter than the rest of the world? Create two timelines — 6 months and 12 months — and list up to five things you dream of having (including, but not limited to, material wants: house, car, clothing, etc.), being (be a great cook, be fluent in Chinese, etc.), and doing (visiting Thailand, tracing your roots overseas, racing ostriches, etc.) in that order. If you have difficulty identifying what you want in some categories, as most will, consider what you hate or fear in each and write down the opposite. Do not limit yourself, and do not concern yourself with how these things will be accomplished. For now, it's unimportant. This is an exercise in reversing repression. Be sure not to judge or fool yourself. If you really want a Ferrari, don't put down solving world hunger out of guilt. For some, the dream will be fame, for others fortune or prestige. All people have their vices and insecurities. If something will improve your feeling of self-worth, put it down. I have a racing motorcycle, and quite apart from the fact that I love speed, it just makes me feel like a cool dude. There is nothing wrong with that. Put it all down.
2) Drawing a blank? 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. This is particularly true with the "doing" category. In that case, consider these questions:      a. What would you do, day to day, if you had \$100 million in the bank?      b. What would make you most excited to wake up in the morning to another day? Don't rush—think about it for a few minutes. If still blocked, fill in the five "doing" spots with the following:      - one place to visit      - one thing to do before you die (a memory of a lifetime)      - one thing to do daily      - one thing to do weekly      - one thing you've always wanted to learn
3) What does "being" entail doing? Convert each "being" into a "doing" to make it actionable. Identify an action that would characterize this state of being or a task that would mean you had achieved it. People find it easier to brainstorm "being" first, but this column is just a temporary holding spot for "doing" actions. Here are a few examples:      - Great cook -> make Christmas dinner Without help      - Fluent in Chinese -> have a five-minute conversation With a Chinese co-Worker
4) What are the four dreams that would change it all? Using the 6-month timeline, star or otherwise highlight the four most exciting and/or important dreams from all columns. Repeat the process with the 12-month timeline if desired.
5) Determine the cost of these dreams and calculate your Target Monthly Income (TMI) for both timelines. If financeable, what is the cost per month for each of the four dreams (rent, mortgage, payment plan installments, etc.)? Start thinking of income and expense in terms of monthly cash flow — dollars in and dollars out — instead of grand totals. Things often cost much, much less than expected. For example, a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, fresh off the showroom floor at \$260,000, can be had for \$2,897.80 per month. I found my personal favorite, an Astin Martin DB9 with 1,000 miles on it, through eBay for \$136,000 — \$2,003.10 per month. How about a Round-the-World trip (Los Angeles -> Tokyo -> Singapore -> Bangkok -> Delhi or Bombay -> London -> Frankfurt -> Los Angeles) for \$1,399? For some of these costs, the Tools and Tricks at the end of Chapter 14 will help. Last, calculate your Target Monthly Income (TMI) for realizing these dreamlines. This is how to do it: First, total each of the columns A, B, and C, counting only the four selected dreams. Some of these column totals could be zero, which is fine. Next, add your total monthly expenses x 1.3 (the 1.3 represents your expenses plus a 30% buffer for safety or savings). This grand total is your TMI and the target to keep in mind for the rest of the book. I like to further divide this TMI by 30 to get my TDI — Target Daily Income. I find it easier to work with a daily goal. Online calculators on our companion site do all the work for you and make this step a cinch. Chances are that the figure is lower than expected, and it often decreases over time as you trade more and more "having" for once-in-a-lifetime "doing." Mobility encourages this trend. Even if the total is intimidating, don't fret in the least. I have helped students get to more than \$10,000 per month in extra income within three months.
6) Determine three steps for each of the four dreams in just the 6-month timeline and take the first step now. I'm not a big believer in long-term planning and far-off goals. In fact, I generally set 3-month and 6-month dreamlines. The variables change too much and in-the-future distance becomes an excuse for postponing action. The objective of this exercise isn't, therefore, to outline every step from start to finish, but to define the end goal, the required vehicle to achieve them (TMI, TDI), and build momentum with critical first steps. From that point, it's a matter of freeing time and generating the TMI, which the following chapters cover. First, let's focus on those critical first steps. Define three steps for each dream that will get you closer to its actualization. Set actions—simple, well-defined actions—for now, tomorrow (complete before 11 A.M.) and the day after (again completed before 11 A.M.). Once you have three steps for each of the four goals, complete the three actions in the "now" column. Do it now. Each should be simple enough to do in five minutes or less. If not, rachet it down. If it's the middle of the night and you can't call someone, do something else now, such as send an e-mail, and set the call for first thing tomorrow. If the next stage is some form of research, get in touch with someone who knows the answer instead of spending too much time in books or online, which can turn into paralysis by analysis. The best first step, the one I recommend, is finding someone who's done it and ask for advice on how to do the same. It's not hard. Other options include setting a meeting or phone call with a trainer, mentor, or salesperson to build momentum. Can you schedule a private class or a commitment that you'll feel bad about canceling? Use guilt to your advantage. Tomorrow becomes never. No matter how small the task, take the first step now!
Comfort Challenge: Learn to Eye Gaze (2 days) My friend Michael Ellsberg invented a singles event called Eye Gazing. It is similar to speed dating but different in one fundamental respect—no speaking is permitted. It involves gazing into the eyes of each partner for three minutes at a time. If you go to such an event, it becomes clear how uncomfortable most people are doing this. For the next two days, practice gazing into the eyes of others— whether people you pass on the street or conversational partners— until they break contact. Hints:      1. Focus on one eye and be sure to blink occasionally so you don't look like a psychopath or get your ass kicked.      2. In conversation, maintain eye contact when you are speaking. It's easy to do while listening.      3. Practice with people bigger or more confident than yourself. If a passerby asks you what the hell you're staring at, just smile and respond, "Sorry about that. I thought you were an old friend of mine."

The End of Time Management \--------------------------
1) If you had a heart attack and had to work two hours per day, what would you do? Not five hours, not four hours, not three—two hours. It's not where I want you to ultimately be, but it's a start. Besides, I can hear your brain bubbling already: That's ridiculous. Impossible! I know, I know. If I told you that you could survive for months, functioning quite well, on four hours of sleep per night, would you believe me? Probably not. Notwithstanding, millions of new mothers do it all the time. This exercise is not optional. The doctor has warned you, after triple bypass surgery, that if you don't cut down your work to two hours per day for the first three months post-op, you will die. How would you do it?
2) If you had a second heart attack and had to work two hours per week, what would you do?
3) If you had a gun to your head and had to stop doing 75 of different time-consuming activities, what would you remove? Simplicity requires ruthlessness. If you had to stop 4/s of timeconsuming activities—e-mail, phone calls, conversations, paperwork, meetings, advertising, customers, suppliers, products, services, etc.—what would you eliminate to keep the negative effect on income to a minimum? Used even once per month, this question alone can keep you sane and on track.
4) What are the top-three activities that I use to fill time to feel as though I've been productive? These are usually used to postpone more important actions (often uncomfortable because there is a chance of failure or rejection). Be honest with yourself, as we all do this on occasion. What are your crutch activities?
5) Learn to ask, "If this is the only thing I accomplish today, will I be satisfied with my day?" Don't ever arrive at the office or in front of your computer without a clear list of priorities. You'll just read unassociated e-mail and scramble your brain for the day. Compile your to-do list for tomorrow no later than this evening. I don't recommend using Outlook or computerized to-do lists, because it is possible to add an infinite number of items. I use a standard piece of paper folded three times to about 2" x 3 yb", which fits perfectly in the pocket and limits you to noting only a few items. There should never be more than two mission-critical items to complete each day. Never. It just isn't necessary if they're actually high-impact. If you are stuck trying to decide between multiple items that all seem crucial, as happens to all of us, look at each in turn and ask yourself, "If this is the only thing I accomplish today, will I be satisfied with my day?" To counter the seemingly urgent, ask yourself, "What will happen if I don't do this, and is it worth putting off the important to do it?" If you haven't already accomplished at least one important task in the day, don't spend the last business hour returning a DVD to avoid a \$5 late charge. Get the important task done and pay the \$5 fine.
6) Put a Post-it on your computer screen or set an Outlook reminder to alert you at least three times daily with the question, "Are you inventing things to do to avoid the important?"
7) Do not multitask. I'm going to tell you what you already know. Trying to brush your teeth, talk on the phone, and answer e-mail at the same time just doesn't work. Eating while doing online research and instant messaging? Ditto. If you prioritize properly, there is no need to multitask. It is a symptom of "task creep"—doing more to feel productive while actually accomplishing less. To repeat: You should have, at most, two primary goals or tasks per day. Do them separately from start to finish without distraction. Divided attention will result in more frequent interruptions, lapses in concentration, poorer net results, and less gratification.
8) Use Parkinson's Law on a Macro and Micro Level. Use Parkinson's Law to accomplish more in less time. Shorten schedules and deadlines to force focused action and prevent procrastination. On a macro weekly and daily level, attempt to leave work at 4 P.M. and take Monday and/or Friday off. This will focus you to prioritize and quite possibly develop a social life. If you're under the hawklike watch of a boss, we'll discuss the nuts and bolts of how to escape in later chapters. On a micro task level, limit the number of items on your to-do list and use impossibly short deadlines to force immediate action while ignoring minutiae.
Comfort Challenge: Learn to Propose (2 Days) Stop asking for opinions and start proposing solutions. Begin with the small things. If someone is going to ask, or asks, "Where should we eat?" "What movie should we watch?" "What should we do tonight?" or anything similar, do NOT reflect it back with, "Well, what do you want to ... ?" Offer a solution. Stop the back-and-forth and make a decision. Practice this in both personal and professional environments. Here are a few lines that help (my favorites are the first and last):      - "Can I make a suggestion?"      - "I propose ..."      - "I'd like to propose ..."      - "I suggest that... What do you think?"      - "Let's try ... and then try something else if that doesn't work."

The Low-Information Diet \------------------------
1) Go on an immediate one-week media fast. The world doesn't even hiccup, much less end, when you cut the information umbilical cord. To realize this, it's best to use the Band-Aid approach and do it quickly: a one-week media fast. Information is too much like ice cream to do otherwise. "Oh, I'll just have a half a spoonful" is about as realistic as "I just want to jump online for a minute." Go cold turkey. If you want to go back to the 15,000-calorie potato chip information diet afterward, fine, but beginning tomorrow and for at least five full days, here are the rules:      - No newspapers, magazines, audiobooks, or nonmusic radio.      - Music is permitted at all times.      - No news websites whatsoever (cnn.com, drudgereport.com, msn.com, etc.).      - No television at all, except for one hour of pleasure viewing each evening.      - No reading books, except for this book and one hour of fiction pleasure reading prior to bed. As someone who read exclusively nonfiction for nearly 15 years, I can tell you two things: It's not productive to read two fact-based books at the same time (this is one), and fiction is better than sleeping pills for putting the happenings of the day behind you.      - No Web surfing at the desk unless it is necessary to complete a work task for that day. Necessary means necessary, not nice to have. Unnecessary reading is public enemy number one during this one-week fast. What do you do with all the extra time? Replace the newspaper at breakfast with speaking to your spouse, bonding with your children, or learning the principles in this book. Between 9-5, complete your top priorities as per the last chapter. If you complete them with time to spare, do the exercises in this book. Recommending this book might seem hypocritical, but it's not: The information in these pages is both important and to be applied now, not tomorrow or the day after. Each day at lunch break, and no earlier, get your five-minute fix. Ask a well-informed colleague or a restaurant waiter, "Anything important happening in the world today? I couldn't get the paper today." Stop this as soon as you realize that the answer doesn't affect your actions at all. Most people won't even remember what they spent one to two hours absorbing that morning. Be strict with yourself. I can prescribe the medicine, but you need to take it.
2) Develop the habit of asking yourself, "Will I definitely use this information for something immediate and important?" It's not enough to use information for "something"—it needs to be immediate and important. If "no" on either count, don't consume it. Information is useless if it is not applied to something important or if you will forget it before you have a chance to apply it. I used to have the habit of reading a book or site to prepare for an event weeks or months in the future, and I would then need to reread the same material when the deadline for action was closer. This is stupid and redundant. Follow your to-do short list and fill in the information gaps as you go.
3) Practice the art of nonfinishing. This is another one that took me a long time to learn. Starting something doesn't automatically justify finishing it. If you are reading an article that sucks, put it down and don't pick it back up. If you go to a movie and it's worse than The Matrix Revolutions, get the hell out of there before more neurons die. If you're full after half a plate of ribs, put the damn fork down and don't order dessert. More is not better, and stopping something is often 10 times better than finishing it. Develop the habit of nonfinishing that which is boring or unproductive if a boss isn't demanding it.
Comfort Challenge: Get Phone Numbers (2 Days) Being sure to maintain eye contact, ask for the phone numbers of at least two (the more you attempt, the less stressful it will be) attractive members of the opposite sex on each day. Ladies, this means you're in the game as well, and it doesn't matter if you're 50 years old or older. Remember that the real goal is not to get numbers, but to get over the fear of asking, so the outcome is unimportant. If you're in a relationship, just toss the numbers if you get them. Go to a mall if you want to get some rapid-fire practice—my preference for getting over the discomfort quickly—and aim to ask three people in a row within five minutes. Feel free to use some variation of the following script: "Excuse me. I know this is going to sound strange, but if I don't ask you now, I'll be kicking myself for the rest of the day. I'm running to meet a friend \[i.e., I have friends and am not a stalker\], but I think you're really \[extremely, drop-dead\] cute \[gorgeous, hot\]. Could I have your phone number? I'm not a psycho—I promise. You can give me a fake one if you're not interested."

Interrupting Interruption and the Art of Refusal \------------------------------------------------
1) Create systems to limit your availability via e-mail and phone and deflect inappropriate contact. Get the autoresponse and voicemail script in place now, and master the various methods of evasion. Replace the habit of "How are you?" with "How can I help you?" Get specific and remember — no stories. Focus on immediate actions and practice interruptionkilling policies. Avoid meetings whenever possible.      - Use e-mail instead of face-to-face meetings to solve problems.      - Beg-off going (this can be accomplished through the Puppy Dog Close). If meetings are unavoidable, keep the following in mind:      - Go in with a clear set of objectives.      - Set an end time or leave early.
2) Batch activities to limit setup cost and provide more time for dreamline milestones. What can I routinize by batching? That is, what tasks (whether laundry, groceries, mail, payments, or sales reporting, for example) can I allot to a specific time each day, week, month, quarter, or year so that I don't squander time repeating them more often than is absolutely necessary?
3) Set or request autonomous rules and guidelines with occasional review of results. Eliminate the decision bottleneck for all things that are nonfatal if misperformed. If an employee, believe in yourself enough to ask for more independence on a trial basis. Have practical "rules" prepared and ask the boss for the sale after surprising him or her with an impromptu presentation. Remember the Puppy Dog Close—make it a one-time trial and reversible. For the entrepreneur or manager, give others the chance to prove themselves. The likelihood of irreversible or expensive problems is minimal and the time savings are guaranteed. Remember, profit is only profitable to the extent that you can use it. For that you need time.
Comfort Challenge: Revisit the Terrible Twos (2 Days) For the next two days, do as all good two-year-olds do and say "no" to all requests. Don't be selective. Refuse to do all things that won't get you immediately fired. Be selfish. As with the last exercise, the objective isn't an outcome—in this case, eliminating just those things that waste time—but the process: getting comfortable with saying "no." Potential questions to decline include the following:      - Do you have a minute?      - Want to see a movie tonight/tomorrow?      - Can you help me with X? "No" should be your default answer to all requests. Don't make up elaborate lies or you'll get called on them. A simple answer such as, "I really can't—sorry; I've got too much on my plate right now" will do as a catch-all response.

Outsourcing Life \----------------
1) Get an assistant—even if you don't need one. Develop the comfort of commanding and not being commanded. Begin with a one-time test project or small repetitive task (daily preferred). The following sites, split up geographically, are useful resources.
U.S. and Canada (\$20 per hour+) http://assistu.com/client/client_how.shtml http://www.yourvirtualresource.com/looking_for_a_va.htm http://ivaa.org/RFP/index.php http://www.canadianva.net/files/va-locator.htrnl (in Canada) www.onlinebusinessmanager.com
North America and International (\$4 per hour+) www.elance.com (Search "virtual assistants," "personal assistants," and "executive assistants.") The client feedback reviews on Elance enabled me to find my best VA to date, who costs \$4 per hour.
India www.b2kc0rp.com (\$15 per hour+) From Fortune 10 oil companies and Fortune 500 clients to Big 5 accounting firms and members of U.S. Congress, Brickwork can handle it all. This is reflected in the costs of this pure suit-and-tie operation—business only. No flowers for auntie. www.yourmaninindia.com (\$6.25 per hour+) YMII handles both business and personal tasks and can work with you in real time (there are people on duty 24/7) and complete work while you sleep. English capability and effectiveness varies tremendously across VAs, so interview yours before getting started or assigning important tasks.
2) Start small, but think big. Tina Forsyth, an online business manager (higher-level VA) who helps six-figure-income clients achieve seven figures with business model redesigns, makes the following recommendations:      - Look at your to-do list—what has been sitting on it the longest?      - Each time you are interrupted or change tasks, ask, "Could a VA do this?"      - Examine pain points—what causes you the most frustration and boredom? Here are a few common time-consumers in small businesses with online presences.      - Submitting articles to drive traffic to site and build mailing lists      - Participating in or moderating discussion forums and message boards      - Managing affiliate programs      - Creating content for and publishing newsletters and blog postings      - Fact-finding and researching for new marketing initiatives or analyzing results of current marketing efforts Don't expect miracles from a single VA, but don't expect too little either. Let go of the controls a bit. Don't assign crap tasks that end up consuming rather than saving time. It makes little sense to spend 10 to 15 minutes sending an e-mail to India to get a price quote on a plane ticket when you could do the same online in 10 minutes and avoid all the subsequent back-and-forth. Push outside your comfort zone—that is the entire point of the exercise. It is always possible to reclaim a task for yourself if the VA proves incapable, so test the limits of their capabilities.
3) Identify your top five time-consuming nonwork tasks and five personal tasks you could assign for sheer fun.
Comfort Challenge: Use the Criticism Sandwich (2 Days and Weekly) Chances are good that someone—be it co-worker, boss, customer, or significant other—does something irritating or at a subpar level. Rather than avoid the topic out of fear of confrontation, let's chocolate-coat it and ask them to fix it. Once per day for two days, and then each Thursday (Monday through Wednesday is too tense and Friday is too relaxed) for the next three weeks, resolve to use what I call the "Criticism Sandwich" with someone. Put it on the calendar. It's called the Criticism Sandwich because you first praise the person for something, then deliver the criticism, and then close with topic-shifting praise to exit the sensitive topic. Here's an example with a superior or boss, with keywords and phrases underlined. You: Hi, Mara. Do you have a second? Mara: Sure. What's up? You: First, I wanted to thank you for helping me with the Meelie Worm account \[or whatever\]. J really appreciate you showing me how to handle that. You're really good at fixing the technical issues. Mara: No problem. You: Here's the thing.15 There is a lot of work coming down on everyone, and I'm feeling16 a bit overwhelmed. Normally, priorities are really clear to me,17 but I've been having trouble recently figuring out which tasks are highest on the list. Could you help me by pointing out the most important items when a number need to be done? I'm sure it's just me,18 but I'd really appreciate it, and I think it would help. Mara: Uhh... I'll see what I can do. You: That means a lot to me. Thanks. Before I forget,19 last week's presentation was excellent. Mara: Did you think so? Blah, blah, blah ...      - Don't call it a problem if you can avoid it.      - No one can argue with your feelings, so use this to avoid a debate about external circumstances.      - Notice how I take "you" out of the sentence to avoid finger-pointing, even though it's implicit. "Normally, you make priorities clear" sounds like a backhanded insult. If this is significant other, you can skip this formality, but never use "you always do X," which is just a fight starter.      - Take a little bit of the heat off with this. The point has already been made.      - "Before I forget" is a great segue to the closing compliment, which is also a topic shifter and gets you off the sensitive topic without awkwardness.

Income Autopilot I \------------------
Comfort Challenge: Find Yoda (3 Days) Call at least one potential superstar mentor per day for three days. Email only after attempting a phone call. I recommend calling before 8:30 A.M. or after 6:00 P.M. to reduce run-ins with secretaries and other gatekeepers. Have a single question in mind, one that you have researched but have been unable to answer yourself. Shoot for "A" players—CEOs, ultrasuccessful entrepreneurs, famous authors, etc.—and don't aim low to make it less frightening. Use www.contactanycelebrity.com if need be, and base your script on the following. Unknown answerer: This is Acme Inc. \[or "the office of Mentor X"\]. You: Hi, this is Tim Ferriss calling for John Grisham, please. Answerer: May I ask what this is regarding? You: Sure. I know this might sound a bit odd, but I'm a first-time author and just read his interview in Time Out New York. I'm a longtime fan and have finally built up the courage to call him for one specific piece of advice. It wouldn't take more than two minutes of his time. Is there any way you can help me get through to him? I really, really appreciate whatever you can do. Answerer: Hmmm . . . Just a second. Let me see if he's available. \[two minutes later\] Here you go. Good luck, \[rings to another line\] John Grisham: John Grisham here. You: Hi, Mr. Grisham. My name is Tim Ferriss. I know this might sound a bit odd, but I'm a first-time author and a longtime fan. I just read your interview in Time Out New York and finally built up the courage to call. I have wanted to ask you for a specific piece of advice for a long time, and it shouldn't take more than two minutes of your time. May I? John Grisham: Uh ... OK. Go ahead. I have to be on a call in a few minutes. You (at the very end of the call): Thank you so much for being so generous with your time. If I have the occasional tough question—very occasional—is there any chance I could keep in touch via e-mail?      - Said casually and with confidence, this alone will get you through surprisingly often. "I'd like to speak with Mr./Ms. X, please" is a dead giveaway that you don't know them, if you want to up the chances of getting though but risk looking foolish if they call the bluff, ask for the target mentor by first name only.      - I use this type of lead-in whenever making off-the-wall requests. It softens it and makes the person curious enough to listen before spitting out an automatic "no."      - This answers the questions they'll have in their head: "Who are you and why are you calling now?" I like to be a "first-time" something to play the sympathy card, and I find a recent media feature online to cite as the trigger for calling.      - I call people I'm familiar with. If you can't call yourself a longtime fan, tell them that you have followed the mentor's career or business exploits for a certain number of years.      - Don't pretend to be strong. Make it clear you're nervous and they'll lower their guard. I often do this even if I'm not nervous.

Income Autopilot II \-------------------
Comfort Challenge: Rejecting First Offers and Walking Away (3 Days) Before performing this exercise, if possible, read the bonus chapter "How to Get \$700,000 of Advertising for \$10,000" on our companion site, and then set aside two hours on a consecutive Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. On Saturday and Sunday, go to a farmers' market or other outdoor event where goods are sold. If this isn't possible, go to small independent retailers (not chains or mass retail). Set a budget of \$100 for your negotiating tuition and look for items to purchase that total at least \$150. Your job is to get the sellers down to a total of \$100 or less for the lot. It is better to practice on many cheap items rather than a few big items. Be sure to reply to their first offer with, "What type of discount can you offer?" to let them negotiate against themselves. Negotiate near closing time, choose your objective price, bracket, and make a firm offer with cash in hand for that amount.46 Practice walking away if your objective price isn't met. On Monday, call two magazines (expect the first to be awkward) and use the script on the companion site to negotiate, minus the last firm offer. Get them as low as possible and then call them back later to indicate that your proposal was refused by upper management or otherwise vetoed. This is the negotiating equivalent of paper trading. Get used to refusing offers and countering in person and — most importantly — on the phone.

Income Autopilot III \--------------------
Comfort Challenge: Relax in Public (2 days) This is the last Comfort Challenge, placed prior to the chapter that tackles the most uncomfortable turning point for most office dwellers: negotiating remote work agreements. This challenge is intended to be fun while showing—in no uncertain terms—that the rules most follow are nothing more than social conventions. There are no legal boundaries stopping you from creating an ideal life ... or just being self-entertained and causing mass confusion. So, relaxing in public. Sounds easy, right? I'm somewhat famous for relaxing in style to get a laugh out of friends. Here is the deal, and I don't care if you're male or female, 20 or 60, Mongolian or Martian. I call the following a "time-out." Once per day for two days, simply lie down in the middle of a crowded public place at some point. Lunchtime is ideal. It can be a well-trafficked sidewalk, the middle of a popular Starbucks, or a popular bar. There is no real technique involved. Just lie down and remain silent on the ground for about ten seconds, and then get up and continue on with whatever you were doing before. I used to do this at nightclubs to clear space for break-dancing circles. No one responded to pleading, but going catatonic on the ground did the trick. Don't explain it at all. If someone asks about it after the fact (he or she will be too confused to ask you while you're doing it for io seconds), just respond, "I just felt like lying down for a second." The less you say, the funnier and more gratifying this will be. Do it on solo missions for the first two days, and then feel free to do it when with a group of friends. It's a riot. It isn't enough to think outside the box. Thinking is passive. Get used to acting outside the box.

Disappearing Act \----------------
1) If you had a heart attack, and assuming your boss were sympathetic, how could you work remotely for four weeks? If you hit a brick wall with a task that doesn't seem remotecompatible or if you predict resistance from your boss, ask the following:      - What are you accomplishing with this task—what is the purpose?      - If you had to find other ways to accomplish the same—if your life depended on it—how would you do it? Remote conferencing? Video conferencing? GoToMeeting, GoToMyPC, or related services?      -Why would your boss resist remote work? What is the immediate negative effect it would have on the company and what could you do to prevent or minimize it?
2) Put yourself in your boss's shoes. Based on your work history, would you trust yourself to work outside of the office? If you wouldn't, reread Elimination to improve production and consider the hourglass option.
3) Practice environment-free productivity. Attempt to work for two to three hours in a cafe for two Saturdays prior to proposing a remote trial. If you exercise in a gym, attempt to exercise for those two weeks at home or otherwise outside of the gym environment. The purpose here is to separate your activities from a single environment and ensure that you have the discipline to work solo.
4) Quantify current productivity. If you have applied the 80/20 Principle, set the rules of interrupting interruption, and completed related groundwork, your performance should be at an all-time high in quantifiable terms, whether customers served, revenue generated, pages produced, speed of accounts receivable, or otherwise. Document this.
5) Create an opportunity to demonstrate remote work productivity before asking for it as a policy. This is to test your ability to work outside of an office environment and rack up some proof that you can kick ass without constant supervision.
6) Practice the art of getting past "no" before proposing. Go to farmers' markets to negotiate prices, ask for free first-class upgrades, ask for compensation if you encounter poor service in restaurants, and otherwise ask for the world and practice using the following magic questions when people refuse to give it to you.      - "What would I need to do to \[desired outcome\]?"      - "Under what circumstances would you \[desired outcome\]?"      - "Have you ever made an exception?"      - "I'm sure you've made an exception before, haven't you?" (If no for either of the last two, ask, "Why not?" If yes, ask, "Why?")
7) Put your employer on remote training wheels—propose Monday or Friday at home. Consider doing this, or the following step, during a period when it would be too disruptive to fire you, even if you were marginally less productive while remote. If your employer refuses, it's time to get a new boss or become an entrepreneur. The job will never give you the requisite time freedom. If you decide to jump ship, consider letting them make you walk the plank—quitting is often less appealing than tactfully getting fired and using severance or unemployment to take a long vacation.
8) Extend each successful trial period until you reach full-time or your desired level of mobility. Don't underestimate how much your company needs you. Perform well and ask for what you want. If you don't get it over time, leave. It's too big a world to spend most of life in a cubicle.

Beyond Repair \-------------
1) First, a familiar reality check: Are you more likely to find what you want in your current job or somewhere else?
2) If you were fired from your job today, what would you do to get things under financial control?
3) Take a sick day and post your resume on the major job sites. Even if you have no immediate plans to leave your job, post your resume on sites such as www.monster.com and www.career builder.com, using a pseudonym if you prefer. This will show you that there are options besides your current place of work. Call headhunters if your level makes such a step appropriate, and send a brief e-mail such as the one below to friends and nonwork contacts.
Dear All, I am considering making a career move and am interested in all opportunities that might come to mind. Nothing is too outrageous or out of left field. \[If you know what you want or don't want on some level, feel free to add, "I am particularly interested in . . ." or "I would like to avoid . . ."\] Please let me know if anything comes to mind! Tim
Call in sick or take a vacation day to complete all of these exercises during a normal 9-5 workday. This will simulate unemployment and lessen the fear factor of non-office limbo. In the world of action and negotiation, there is one principle that governs all others: The person who has more options has more power. Don't wait until you need options to search for them. Take a sneak peek at the future now and it will make both action and being assertive easier.
4) If you run or own a company, imagine that you have just been sued and must declare bankruptcy. The company is now insolvent and you must close up shop. This is something you must legally do, and there are no finances to entertain other options. How would you survive?

Mini-Retirements \----------------
1) Take an asset and cash-flow snapshot. Set two sheets of paper on a table. Use one to record all assets and corresponding values, including bank accounts, retirement accounts, stocks, bonds, home, and so forth. On the second, draw a line down the middle and write down all incoming cash flow (salary, muse income, investment income, etc.) and outgoing expenses (mortgage, rent, car payments, etc.). What can you eliminate that is either seldom used or that creates stress or distraction without adding a lot of value?
2) Fear-set a one-year mini-retirement in a dream location in Europe. Use the questions from chapter 3 to evaluate your worst-casescenario fears and evaluate the real potential consequences. Except in rare cases, most will be avoidable and the rest will be reversible.
3) Choose a location for your actual mini-retirement. Where to start? This is the big question. There are two options that I advocate:      a) Choose a starting point and then wander until you find your second home. This is what I did with a one-way ticket to London, vagabonding throughout Europe until I fell in love with Berlin, where I remained for three months.      b) Scout a region and then settle in your favorite spot. This is what I did with a tour of Central and South America, where I spent one to four weeks in each of several cities, after which I returned to my favorite—Buenos Aires—for six months. It is possible to take a mini-retirement in your own country, but the transformative effect is hampered if you are surrounded by people who carry the same socially reinforced baggage. I recommend choosing an overseas location that will seem foreign but that isn't dangerous. I box, race motorcycles, and do all sorts of macho things, but I draw the line atfavelas, civilians with machine guns, pedestrians with machetes, and social strife. Cheap is good, but bullet holes are bad. Check the U.S. Department of State for travel warnings before booking tickets (http://travel.state.gov). Here are just a few of my favorite starting points. Feel free to choose other locations. The most lifestyle for the dollar is underlined: Argentina (Buenos Aires, Cordoba), China (Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei), Japan (Tokyo, Osaka), England (London), Ireland (Galway), Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai), Germany (Berlin. Munich), Norway (Oslo), Australia (Sydney), New Zealand (Queenstown), Italy (Rome, Milan, Florence), Spain (Madrid, Valencia, Sevilla), and Holland (Amsterdam). In all of these places, it is possible to live well while spending little. I spend less in Tokyo than in California because I know it well. Hip, recently gentrified artist areas, not unlike the Brooklyn of 10 years ago, can be found in almost all cities. The one place I can't seem to find a decent lunch for less than \$20 U.S.? London. Here are a few exotic places I don't recommend for vagabonding virgins: all countries in Africa, the Middle East, or Central and South America (excepting Costa Rica and Argentina). Mexico City and Mexican border areas are also a bit too kidnaphappy to make it onto my favorites list.
4) Prepare for your trip. Here's the countdown. \- Three months out — Eliminate Get used to minimalism before the departure. Here are the questions to ask and act upon, even if you never plan to leave:      What is the 20% of my belongings that I use 80% of the time? Eliminate the other 80% in clothing, magazines, books, and all else. Be ruthless — you can always repurchase things you can't live without.      Which belongings create stress in my life? This could relate to maintenance costs (money and energy), insurance, monthly expenses, time consumption, or simple distraction. Eliminate, eliminate, eliminate. If you sell even a few expensive items, it could finance a good portion of your mini-retirement. Don't rule out the car and home. It's always possible to purchase either upon your return, often losing no money in the process.      Check current health insurance coverage for extended overseas travel. Get the wheels in motion to rent or sell your home — renting out is most recommended by serial vagabonds — or end your apartment lease and move all belongings into storage.      In all cases where doubts crop up, ask yourself, "If I had a gun to my head and had to do it, how would I do it?" It's not as hard as you think. \- Two months out — Automate      After eliminating the excess, contact companies (including suppliers) that bill you regularly and set up autopayment with credit cards that have reward points. Telling them that you will be traveling the world for a year often persuades them to accept credit cards rather than chase you around the planet like Carmen Sandiego.      For the credit card companies themselves and others that refuse, arrange automatic debit from your checking account. Set up online banking and bill payment. Set up all companies that won't take credit cards or automatic debit as online payees. Set these scheduled checks for \$15-20 more than expected when dealing with utilities and other variable expenses. This will cover miscellaneous fees, prevent time-consuming billing problems, and accrue as a credit. Cancel paper bank and credit card statement delivery. Get bank-issued credit cards for all checking accounts—generally one for business and one for personal — and set the cash advances to \$0 to minimize abuse potential. Leave these cards at home, as they are just for emergency overdraft protection.      Give a trusted member of your family and/or your accountant power of attorney, which gives that person authority to sign documents (tax filings and checks, for example) in your name. Nothing screws up foreign fun faster than having to sign original documents when faxes are unacceptable. \- One month out —      Speak to the manager of your local post office and have all mail forwarded to a friend, family member, or personal assistant, who will be paid \$100-200 per month to e-mail you brief descriptions of all nonjunk mail each Monday.      Get all required and recommended immunizations and vaccinations for your target region. Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov/travel/). Note that proof of immunizations is sometimes required to pass through foreign customs.      Set up a trial account with GoToMyPC or similar remoteaccess software and take a dry run to ensure that there are no technological glitches.      If resellers (or distributors) still send you checks—the fulfillment house should handle customer checks at this point — do one of three things: give the resellers direct bank deposit information (ideal), have the fulfillment house handle these checks (second choice), or have the resellers pay via PayPal or mail checks to one of the people you are trusting with power of attorney (far third). In the last case, give the person with power of attorney deposit slips so he or she can sign or stamp and mail in the checks. It is convenient to become a member of a large bank (Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Washington Mutual, Citibank, etc.) with branches near the person assisting you so that they can drop off the deposits while running other errands. No need to move all accounts to this bank if you don't want to; just open a single new account that is used solely for these deposits. \- Two weeks out —      Scan all identification, health insurance, and credit/debit cards into a computer from which you can print multiple copies, several to be left with family members and several to be taken with you in separate bags. E-mail the scanned file to yourself so that you can access it while abroad if you lose the paper copies.      If you are an entrepreneur, downgrade your cell phone to the cheapest plan and set up a voicemail greeting that states, "I am currently overseas on business. Please do not leave a voicemail, as I will not be checking it while gone. Please send me an e-mail at \___@\__ .com if the matter is important. Thank you for your understanding." Then set up e-mail autoresponders that indicate responses could take up to seven days (or whatever you decide for frequency) due to international business travel.      If you are an employee, consider getting a quad-band or GSM compatible cell phone so that the boss can contact you. Get a BlackBerry only if your boss will be checking to see if you are working via e-mail. Be sure to disable the dead giveaway "Sent from a BlackBerry" signature on outgoing e-mail! Other options include using a Skypeln account that forwards to your foreign cell phone (my preference) or a Vonage IP box that allows you to receive landline calls anywhere in the world via a phone number that begins with your home area code.      Find an apartment for your ultimate mini-retirement destination or reserve a hostel or hotel at your starting point for three to four days. Reserving an apartment before you arrive is riskier and will be much more expensive than using the latter three to four days to find an apartment. I recommend hostels for the starting point if possible — not for cost considerations but because the staff and fellow travelers are more knowledgeable and helpful with relocations.      Get foreign medical evacuation insurance if needed for peace of mind. This tends to be redundant if you are in a first-world country and can buy local insurance to augment your own, which I do, and it is useless if you are a io-hour flight from civilization. I had evacuation insurance in Panama, as it's a 2-hour flight from Miami, but I didn't bother elsewhere. Don't freak out about this; it's just as true if you're in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the United States. \- One week out —      Decide on a schedule for routine batched tasks such as e-mail, online banking, etc. to eliminate excuses for senseless pseudowork procrasterbating. I suggest Monday mornings for checking e-mail and online banking. The first and third Mondays of the month can be used for checking credit cards and making other online payments such as affiliates. These promises to yourself will be the hardest to keep, so make a commitment now and expect serious withdrawal cravings.      Save important documents—including the scan of your identification, insurance, and credit/debit cards—to a small handheld storage device that plugs into a computer USB port.      Move all things out of your home or apartment into storage, pack a single small backpack and carry-on bag for the adventure, and move in briefly with a family member or friend. \- Two days out —      Put remaining automobiles into storage or a friend's garage. Put fuel stabilizer in the gas tanks, disconnect the negative leads from batteries to prevent drain, and put the vehicles on jack stands to prevent tire and shock damage. Cancel all auto insurance except for theft coverage. \- Upon arrival (assuming you have not booked an apartment in advance) —      First morning and afternoon after check-in Take a hop-on-hopoff bus tour of the city followed by a bike tour of potential apartment neighborhoods.      First late afternoon or evening Purchase an unlocked cell phone with a SIM card that can be recharged with simple prepaid cards. E-mail apartment owners or brokers on Craigslist.com and online versions of local newspapers for viewings over the next two days.      Second and third days Find and book an apartment for one month. Don't commit to more than one month until you've slept there. I once prepaid two months only to find that the busiest bus stop downtown was on the other side of my bedroom wall.      Move-in day Get settled and purchase local health insurance. Ask hostel owners and other locals what insurance they use. Resolve not to buy souvenirs or other take-home items until two weeks prior to departure.      One week later Eliminate all the extra crap you brought but won't use often. Either give it to someone who needs it more, mail it back to the United States, or throw it out.

Filling the Void \----------------
1) Revisit ground zero: Do nothing. Before we can escape the goblins of the mind, we need to face them. Principal among them is speed addiction. It is hard to recalibrate your internal clock without taking a break from constant overstimulation. Travel and the impulse to see a million things can exacerbate this. Slowing down doesn't mean accomplishing less; it means cutting out counterproductive distractions and the perception of being rushed. Consider attending a short silence retreat of 3-7 days during which all media and speaking is prohibited. Learn to turn down the static of the mind so you can appreciate more before doing more:      - The Art of Living Foundation (Course II)—International—(www.artofliving.org)      - Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California (http://www.spiritrock.org)      - Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Massachusetts (http://www.kripalu.org)      - Sky Lake Lodge in New York (http://www.sky-lake.org)
2) Make an anonymous donation to the service organization of your choice. This helps to get the juices flowing and disassociate feeling good about service with getting credit for it. It feels even better when it's pure. Here are some good sites to get started:      - Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org) This independent service ranks more than 5,000 charities using criteria you select. Create a personalized page of favorites and compare them side by side, all free of charge.      - Firstgiving (www.firstgiving.com) Firstgiving.com allows you to create an online fund-raising page. Donations can be made through your personal URL. If you specifically want to help animals, for example, you can click on a related link and access websites for hundreds of different animal charities, and then decide which one you want to donate to. The UK version of the website is http://www.justgiving.com.      - Network for Good (www.networkforgood.org) Visitors to this website will find links to charities in need of donations as well as opportunities to do volunteer work. They can also set up an automated credit card donation online.
3) Take a learning mini-retirement in combination with local volunteering. Take a mini-retirement—six months or more if possible — to focus on learning and serving. The longer duration will permit a language focus, which in turn enables more meaningful interaction and contribution through volunteering. For the duration of this trip, note self-criticisms and negative self-talk in a journal. Whenever upset or anxious, ask "why" at least three times and put the answers down on paper. Describing these doubts in writing reduces their impact twofold. First, it's often the ambiguous nature of self-doubt that hurts most. Defining and exploring it in writing—just as with forcing colleagues to e-mail—demands clarity of thought, after which most concerns are found to be baseless. Second, recording these concerns seems to somehow remove them from your head. But where to go and what to do? There is no one right answer to either. Use the following questions and resources to brainstorm:      - What makes you most angry about the state of the world?      - What are you most afraid of for the next generation, whether you have children or not?      - What makes you happiest in your life?      - How can you help others have the same? There is no need to limit yourself to one location. Remember Robin, who traveled through South America for a year with her husband and seven-year-old son? The three of them spent one to two months doing volunteer work in each location, including building wheelchairs in Banos, Ecuador, rehabilitating exotic animals in the Bolivian rain forest, and shepherding leather-back sea turtles in Suriname. How about doing archaeological excavation in Jordan or tsunami relief on the islands of Thailand? These are just two of the dozens of foreign relocation and volunteering case studies in each issue of Transitions Abroad magazine (www.transitionsabroad.com). More resources include the following:      - Airline Ambassadors International: www.airlineamb.org      - Ambassadors for Children: www.ambassadorsforchildren.org      - Relief Riders International: www.reliefridersinternational.com      - Habitat for Humanity Global Village Program: www.habitat.org      - Planeta: Global Listings for Practical Ecotourism: www.planeta.com
4) Revisit and reset dreamlines. Following the mini-retirement, revisit the dreamlines set in Definition and reset them as needed. The following questions will help:      - What are you good at?      - What could you be the best at?      - What makes you happy?      - What excites you?      - What makes you feel accomplished and good about yourself?      - What are you most proud of having accomplished in your life?      - Can you repeat this or further develop it?      - What do you enjoy sharing or experiencing with other people?
5) Based on the outcomes of steps 1-4, consider testing new part- or full-time vocations. Full-time work isn't bad if it's what you'd rather be doing. This is where we distinguish "work" from a "vocation." If you have created a muse or cut your hours down to next to nothing, consider testing a part-time or full-time vocation: a true calling or dream occupation. This is what I did with this book. I can now tell people I'm a writer rather than giving them the two-hour drug dealer explanation. What did you dream of being when you were a kid? Perhaps it's time to sign up for Space Camp or intern as an assistant to a marine biologist. Recapturing the excitement of childhood isn't impossible. In fact, it's required. There are no more chains — or excuses — to hold you back.
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