I’ve finished another of the books that I’m trying to read in 2015. I think that I’ve shared posts and things from Tim Ferriss before, but this is probably the first time that I’ve written anything about any of his books. The Four Hour Workweek and The Four Hour Body are both interesting because of the underlying philosophy that is at work in both: strip things back to the bare essentials and focus on what is effective.
The Four Hour Chef is a step further; despite the title and the focus on cooking, it’s really a meta-guide to what is going on in Tim’s previous two books and to an effective learning process in general. It’s showcasing a very considered set of examples in to how to do things well, how to become an expert. In the book, cooking is the mechanism for exploring this, but there is a lot of examples of skill- and expertise-building in other settings too. I found it quite an inspiring read. There was a lot of neat stuff that I learned that will help me in the kitchen (practice makes perfect of course!) but also the approach to learning that is covered in the first section was helpful too.
I can see it as being a marmite-y book: some people will get it/the concept and like it, and some won’t. As a physical book it’s really quite nice. There’s a lot of thought been put into the design and feel of it. It’s full colour as well, so it looks great. I think that there is probably something for everyone in here, but you’ll get more from it if you’re sold on the idea of doing whatever it takes to work effectively – and focussing down on things that lead to that. I am pretty sold on the ideas in it; I’m really interested in what works for other people and seeing what I can apply to myself. In that respect, The Four Hour Chef – which was a gift from my wife last summer – was a definite winner for me!
What are you reading at the moment? Anything that has inspired you? Anything that’s interesting from a knowledge or skills point of view? Let me know in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
Nathan (@DrRyder and @VivaSurvivors)