Ok.. I’m reading this book, The 4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris.

It’s been on the top of best seller lists and it consistently caught my attention at B&N.

So.. I’m about half way through and here’s some thoughts:

1. The title is a bit of a misnomer. It is catchy and controversial (lots of blog-pinions on this). I think “Life Design” is more accurate (but hey, a best seller is a best seller – so they weren’t “wrong”).

2. The concepts are sound – and a wake up call to anyone who finds that Saturday rolls around and you’re still on item 3 of your Monday to-do list.

3. The idea of outsourcing aggressively is attractive to anyone in a demanding business life (see point 2). Can it work for me? I’m going to try it out with a toe in the water.

4. The bottom line: think about filling your schedule from the most urgent and important UP – and eliminate interruptions.

5. Ferris sees information overload as the key problem to doing any of this, so he advocates a SEVERE approach to eliminating email and telephone interruptions (but what about my Blackberry??).

So – why has this book been so successful?

First – it promises something attractive for many people feeling “squozed” by success or hammered by the recession.

Second - it is very engagingly written – with clear declarative statements affirming a path anyone can take, according to Ferris.

Third – it promises to lay out specifics to act on (second half of book – which I’ll get to, as soon as I finish reading and responding to my emails….).