We are featuring this week’s book on “PT Reading Corner” based on Kyle Whaley’s recommendation and it is a special one. The “4 Hour Work Week” by Tim Ferriss gives you the tools to systematize your business and unlock the secret of everything we dream of - how to work only 4 hours a week. The author himself is an outstanding individual and you can learn more about his life by reading this book as well. However, here are the 2 important takeaways from this book that should spark your interest.
1) Don’t treat your days as a to-do list
It is very common to hear someone respond with, “I’m busy” to a common question of “How are you?” That is because most people live their lives giving attention to a lot of tasks that need to be done but don’t question their effectiveness. This is common for a physiotherapy clinic as well. We need to keep it clean, order supplies and tend to our patients’ needs. This takes up lots of time and sometimes, you end up exhausted from all the running around but nothing valuable was done. Tim suggests we focus on the main tasks that will give you the biggest bang for your buck. Instead of solving your employees daily problems, teach them how to solve it themselves and empower them. This takes you out of the “busy game” and on to the big leagues of solving problems only when there are issues with the system that you have implemented. Tim gives an example of his protein supplement company. When faced with issues with orders below a $200 value, he empowered and trained his employees to find a solution without the involvement of Tim himself. This effectively freed up a large portion of his time that allowed him to focus on developing his other systems like marketing and sales instead of dealing with small back order issues. The same idea can be applied to physiotherapists or any other health professionals that must manage their own practice. Enabling your staff to deal with patient complaints or insurance issues and focusing on creating an amazing culture in your clinic will allow you, as the clinic owner, to focus your time and energy on improving and growing the business!
2) Run your life instead of business running your life
This one is easier said than done, however in our profession of physiotherapy, it is still possible. Just ask Kyle Whaley how he did it. The 4 Hour Workweek preaches that you need to enjoy life while you are young. When you collect enough money to live lavishly by the time retirement rolls around, it might be too late to really enjoy your life. You have to set up your business/work schedule in a way that you can take travel and take advantage of what our world has to offer. You might say, “it seems impossible right now” - that’s what I thought too! But, this book provides a step by step guide on how to convince your boss to try it and eventually, execute the plan to perfection. If you are your own boss, it’s great news! You just have to set up your business in a way that you do not need to be there 24/7. This happens once again through systems in the business and empowering people to complete tasks well. It is a difficult journey but it is definitely worth the rewards!
This book has a lot to offer besides the two lessons outlined in this summary but we feel the two mentioned above are ones that will be relevant to you as a clinic owner and as a physiotherapist! Thank you to Kyle for recommending the 4 Hour Workweek!
