Fancy a four hour week?

If you’re working more than four hours a week, then you’re working too much, according an American business guru in a new book.

If you’re working more than four hours a week, then you’re working too much, according an American business guru in a new book.

Tim Ferriss, who authored “The Four Hour Work Week”, claims workers can cut down on hours by delegating more, outsourcing tasks and hiring people to reply to their emails.

Ferriss also encourages his readers to set up low-cost businesses to earn more money in order to achieve early retirement, and convincing higher-ups to let you work from home more often.

But it’s a hard ask for Australians, who according to Bureau of Statistics data, work an average of 50 hours a week.

Ferriss’s tips:

1. Stop checking emails
   Check your email once a day, or even once a week, and reply to them as soon as you open them.
2. Avoid meetings
   Make meetings faster by only attending those with a clear schedule and purpose, and once that’s done, make a move.
3. Work when you are productive
   Only work during those few hours of the day when you’re being productive; there’s no point sitting at a desk when you can’t get anything done.
4. Stick to a to-do list
   Write a list of goals for you to tick off; that way you feel like you’re getting more done and are motivated to move faster.
5. Set shorter deadlines
   People will drag out their work to fit the allocated time. Setting yourself shorter deadlines means you will buckle down and work faster.
6. Delegate
   If you give more employees more responsibility, you can concentrate on your own tasks without being interrupted by others as often.