tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39247332046588985172024-03-08T10:19:34.538-08:00The One Minute WorkweekBob Wynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710545922809743891noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3924733204658898517.post-7365645093189770342010-07-25T17:33:00.000-07:002010-07-25T17:33:28.334-07:00The One Minute RevolutionJust a minute. Give me just one minute. "One Minute" has become a revolutionary term. Evidently, someone somewhere decided that most of us are suckers for phrases like: "It will only take a minute" or "If I could have just one minute of your time." Maybe as human beings we feel like real jerks for cutting off the salesman that after all only wants only "one minute" of our time. While I have been upfront that the first part of this blog, The One Minute Workweek, came from the One Minute Manager book, I did a quick Google search and found that the "one minute" idea literally inundates the web. After exhausting nearly a whole minute I came up with a short list of sites that I may want to visit again, if for no other reason to try to get a feel for what others think you or they can accomplish in a minute and of course to carry on the noble theme of The One Minute Workweek.<br />
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Here is the list of links with a brief, one or two word, description if necessary:<br />
<a href="http://oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/">One Minute Book Reviews</a><br />
<a href="http://oneminutehowto.com/">One Minute How-To</a> (podcast)<br />
<a href="http://www.oneminuteastronomer.com/">One Minute Astronomer</a><br />
<a href="http://www.oneminutetip.com/">One Minute Tip</a> (podcast technology tips)<br />
<a href="http://www.oneminutemillionaire.com/">The One Minute Millionaire</a> (sales site)<br />
<a href="http://www.quietamerican.org/vacation.html">One Minute Vacation</a> (from Quiet American) I think this one is on hold.<br />
<a href="http://www.oneminutereader.com/">One Minute Reader</a> (Motivates kids to become readers - sales site)<br />
<a href="http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/kitchen-hack-one-minute-ciabatta-bread.html">One Minute Bread</a> (from LifeHack)<br />
<a href="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=oneminute">Roger Ebert's One Minute Movie Reviews</a><br />
<a href="http://www.oneminutemeditator.com/">The One Minute Meditator</a><br />
<a href="http://www.rinkworks.com/bookaminute/classics.shtml">Book-A-Minute Classics </a>(Ultra-Condensed Classic Books)<br />
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I would have put these in some sort of meaningful organization but my minute is almost up. Please feel free to send me any of your favorite "One Minute" sites that I may have left off of this exhaustive list in my hast. ;)Bob Wynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710545922809743891noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3924733204658898517.post-20461754149028718222010-04-07T16:05:00.000-07:002010-04-08T07:46:12.876-07:00The One Minute Workweek's Guide to Weight LossEat less, exercise more. Don't overdo either one.<br />
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Your time is valuable - if you are ever going to reach your goal of a one minute workweek, you can't waste your time reading lengthy diet books. But surely reading this has not taken you very long to read, so I will give you the One Minute Workweek's extended guide to weight loss at no additional charge. That may very well be what the advice is worth.<br />
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Apparently, a great many of us get fat eating carbohydrates. So about 80% of you would do well to try and eat less breads, cakes, and other baked goods. Where do I get this "80%" figure ? I just made it up. I bet I'm close. You might also want to limit the amount of alcohol that you drink also. 93% of you really put on the weight if you have more than one or two drinks a week. Oh, and if you eat when you get bored like 345% (clearly fabricating the statistics here) of us do, try filling your free time with something that requires you use some energy. Don't over do this exercise thing. Working out too much will make you hungry and any injury that may result could cause you to not only be able to exercise less in the future but, to overeat because of the depression that you may suffer from realizing that you are really out of shape.<br />
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If you know me or have seen me lately, you will realize that I am no expert on this matter of weight loss. If I were a betting man, I would bet that at the heart of just about any serious weight loss program you will find the message "Eat less, workout more. And cut down on carbs and alcohol." I just add the "don't overdo either one" advice because that seemed like the right thing to advise.Bob Wynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710545922809743891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3924733204658898517.post-91472010049515305722010-04-05T19:08:00.000-07:002010-04-06T11:02:16.560-07:00A One Minute Workweek???The One Minute Workweek blog, this blog, is generating some interest. Some of the interest has been centered on the look of the title. For those of you who wondered who I hired to create the title/header at the top of the page - the answer is I created the title/header using my personal copies of PaintShop Pro and Powerpoint and I am not certain I picked the best of the five different headers that I created. I am flattered by the compliments - thanks. Almost as many questions have centered around the basic question: "One Minute Workweek, you can't be serious can you?". The answer to that question and many like it is: "nope, I think it is truly a ridiculous idea but, I reserve the right to take credit for being ahead of the times in my thinking should this silly concept somehow become a reality." I also will reserve the right to occasionally attempt to make some serious points but, honestly, a "one minute workweek" - it is a parody. <br />
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On the questions about how I came up with this masterful synthesis: I am a big fan of Spencer Johnson, who co-authored "The One Minute Manager", and Tim Ferriss, the author of "The 4-Hour Workweek". If you have not read "The One Minute Manager" or "The 4-Hour Workweek" stop what you are doing, scroll down to the bottom of the page and check out the links to the books in the carousel Amazon ad at the bottom of the page. I also have some of Michael Gerber's (the E-Myth guy's) work in the same ad at the bottom of the page. And by the way, my very favorite work by Spencer Johnson is "Who Moved My Cheese". I have another blog dedicated to examining online business opportunities and I have such respect for Spencer's book that the site is called "Cheese Finders". Google "Cheese Finders" and you are likely to find that blog at the top of the page.<br />
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Marrying the "One Minute" the "Workweek" happen when my brother and I were thinking about what kind of Tshirts we could create that might be popular enough to make money. We both kind of like those Tshirts that use recognizable brands like Coke or Hershey's and add a little good natured humor. I think combining "One Minute" with "Workweek" is probably one of those things that might sell Tshirts. Even if it is an impossible dream.<br />
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What about The One Minute Manager as a silly concept? If you just take both titles on face, it would seem to confirm the fact that being a manager is much easier than being the worker. Look at the titles: "The One Minute Manager" and "The 4-Hour Workweek". Evidently, managers can hope to complete their "work" in just one minute while we workers at best can dream of completing our work in 4-Hours. Doing the simple math, workers can only hope to work 240 minutes for each single minute that a manager can dream of working. Maybe in his next book Tim Ferriss should recommend to workers that they first become managers in a traditional work environment before they even consider trying to create a more independent 4-hour workweek. Going straight to Ferriss' 4-hour workweek is pretty intimidating. When I have read through his books I get the feeling that Ferriss is saying "drop out of the traditional work world right now and start creating all the income you need to live the life you have always wanted". That's pretty bold stuff especially for my friends that have tried to sell their wives on the concept. There is no doubt that lots of people have follow Ferriss' "4-Hour Workweek" prescription and have achieved real life style change that has added freedom of choice and freedom from traditional worries. Still, from my perspective it looks like one giant step. Those of us that remember the 1980s can't help but sort of admire a guy with the name Ferriss. We all wanted to have just one day like Ferris Bueller had in the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off".<br />
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I like this idea of a coming together of two great things combining to become something even better - like peanut butter and chocolate becoming Reese's peanut butter cups. The One Minute (Manager) and (The 4-Hour) Workweek may be one of those great examples of the power of synthesis. Maybe for my next blog I can combine this blog with my Cheese Finders blog to create "The One Minute Finders" or "The Cheese Workweek". Creating content posts/articles for either of those new blogs might really push the envelope of creativity. For now I will keep the blogs developing independently and see what happens. Hope you enjoy the tongue and cheek stuff and the more serious stuff of this blog and I hope that you can tell the difference between the two.Bob Wynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710545922809743891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3924733204658898517.post-74401379663155801272010-04-03T22:13:00.000-07:002010-04-04T05:25:31.574-07:00The One Minute WorkweekToday we have come a long way in our work culture. As late as the 1980s students of American History were commonly taught that one of the things that made America great was out Puritan Work Ethic. It sounded great: we Americans naively believed that we were blessed with such a high standard of living because at our core we valued hard work. On further examination we learned that valuing hard work was something that was not unique to Puritans or even Americans. As it turns out most successful and even some unsuccessful cultures hod high the value of hard work. I suppose that revelation may have slightly injured some Americans' pride but most Americans still value hard work and most of us are sure glad that we have had the good fortune to either be born in America or to have finally made it to America. We are truly a blessed people and our forefathers have worked hard for centuries to secure Americas blessings of liberty.<br />
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</div><div>Other lessons from American History that many of us still cling to are the ideas that America is a land of opportunity and many of those opportunities allow even the poorest among us to use our imagination and creative problem solving skills to help others, make life better for others, and to build wealth while doing so. It is curious to consider for a minute how our work culture has developed. We Americans had no labor laws at the beginning of the 1900s. Children were even forced to work long hours in dangerous conditions for very little pay. In the Depression Era of the late 1920s to early 1940s many Americans would have been proud to work as many hours a week as they could find. The problem was that many Americans during the Depression Era couldn't find work at all. As times improved we eventually established laws that prohibited children from working, limited a workweek to 40 hours, and even established a minimum hourly wage that has steadily increased. Today we seem to be moving from a society that values hard work to a society that is trying to figure out how to build wealth so that we need not work. It is a lofty goal. If you think about it, we have always had this dual personality. While we do value hard work; we are also most impressed with those individuals who through imagination and creative genius have invented machines and processes that have eliminated hard work. The Industrial Era that ushered in difficult and deplorable working conditions for many ultimately improved life for most Americans. Today we finally seem to have reached the point where most of us can work smarter instead of harder. A time where many Americans and really many many people throughout the world can make a living from sharing our ideas. People like Tim Ferriss have challenged the standard that we must still work 40 hours a week, save every penny for retirement, and wait until our mid-60s to starting enjoying the good life. My grandparents lived through the Great Depression and honestly, being able to retire at all was like the promised land for them. Remember, Dr. Charles Townsend came up with the idea of having Social Security only after finding some old women rummaging through his trash for food. Almost no one in America used to retire. If people were lucky, they were able to live with their children when they got too old to make a living. We are truly blessed to live in America during these times. </div><div><br />
</div><div>But I digress, back to today and what I was saying about pioneers like Tim Ferriss. Ferriss has written a book,well actually two books, entitled "The 4-hour Workweek." It is a great book loaded with ideas for living the life you choose while working no more than 4-hours a week. Wow from a 40-hour workweek to only 4! How far can this trend go? What about a One Minute Workweek?! Now we are talking. <br />
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How could you possibly manage to make a living with just one minute of work a week ? I think that there are at least two paths to this mythical "One Minute Workweek". First, we could automate our lives to the point where we employ many other people and simply take about a minute to relay directions to our workforce. Another idea that pops into my head is maybe we ought to decide whether what we are engaged in is truly work or play. I have worked with people who have described my work is advanced coloring which is kind of funny because I was horrible at art as a child but it is easier to color inside the lines using a computer than it is with a crayon and paper. The bigger point here is that if you really enjoy what you are doing perhaps you really can minimize the "work" you do in a week to just a minute. I think the clue for me has been when my boss has to tell me that he is not paying me overtime - meaning of course that I have forgotten the fact that I am actually working. I am good at my job and really like it most of the time. Markus Frind, the Plenty of Fish.com guy, is also pretty good at his job, probably likes it and manages to make millions of dollars more a year more than me while working far fewer hours. We should figure out how to duplicate what he's doing. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Of course there may also be some opportunities in future posts to explore the lighter side of the mythical "One Minute Workweek." I anticipate considering how some people seem to avoid work all day while somehow keeping their job and getting paid. I also intend to poke fun of a wide variety of people and clearly silly advice that is out there about making a fortune while doing nothing. I assure you if there is a legal way to make money and work only One Minute a Week, you will read about the process here first. Of course I will be posting from a beach somewhere and my typing may be slowed because of the fruity drink in one of my hands. Oh and some of it might not make sense but once you get to know me you will realize that I don't feel constrained by silly limitations like "having to make sense." If you read something on this blog that doesn't seem to make sense, just assume that I have briefly gone over your head intellectually and keep searching for the deeper meaning that you have clearly missed. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>Bob Wynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06710545922809743891noreply@blogger.com0