The 4-Hour Mom

A couple years ago, a book came out which has revolutionized my home. It has, without a doubt, been the single most impacting book my husband has read during our marriage. My dear husband and a couple of his close buddies have spent hours discussing the plethora of knowledge contained in the (many) pages of this, their newly discovered pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

For lack of a better term, they have become groupies. Followers. I won't go so far as to say worshipers, but sometimes their behavior and adoration is pretty darn close. It could possibly qualify as a man crush.

And who is this fantastic, larger than life author who has won the heart of my husband?

None other than the man, the legend, a one Mr. Timothy Ferriss, author of The Four Hour Body.

And I have to give him some props here...he inspired my husband to lose 30 pounds. I lost 30 as well using Ferriss' input as well as South Beach. It's been fun to work on it together and it is easier to chase our children with 60 some pounds off of us. I should point out here that I am not really as gung-ho and obsessed with every single thing the man has to say as certain men tend to be. But whatever.

Ferriss also authored another book, similarly titled, The Four Hour Work Week, in which he describes (and this is a very crude and basic summary) how business owners can so improve their efficiency and effectiveness at work that they can eliminate needless wasted hours. Needless to say, this work is also highly popular and admired by my dear husband, the business addict.

So...all this got me thinking...

Could it be possible to apply these same principles of efficiency to motherhood?

And then I got kinda mad. I could've been spending my extra hours soaking up the peace and quiet or enjoying a good book or, dare I say it, sleeping! What a moron I've been.

I've got it! The Four Hour Mom!!

Think about it! What bliss could be ours, fellow mommies out there, if we simply re-evaluated where we are spending the majority of our time and figured out how to make it more efficient?

I feel as though the world of opportunity has been opened to mothers everywhere. Tired of spending countless hours doing laundry? Let's just do it for 30 minutes every week and when the timer sounds, you're done. Finished. Just walk away from those wet and stinky clothes your kids seem to have played in the dumpster while wearing.

Cooking eating up all your time? Here's the new policy - you have 15 minutes per day to deal with food. You can open a lot of pop-tarts, chips, and frozen meals in 15 minutes. Done.

Let's see, at my house, clutter control takes up quite a bit of time. 15 minutes per day and that's it. Who cares if you are drowning in dixie cups and legos by the end of the week?

So we have one more hour to spend in parenting for the week. I suppose we should add in a little bit of actual interaction with our children. Alright, 15 minutes per day again, ladies. 15 whole minutes to nurture, train, discipline, and cherish your sweet little babies.

After that, kiss 'em good-bye and head to the spa. After all, you fulfilled your 4-hour requirement. It's all about efficiency, you see. And what, you may ask, will the children do for the remaining 164 hours each week?

Not your problem. You might want to leave a little cash, some band-aids, and the numbers to poison control and a good plumber (if you're feeling generous).

Enjoy, ladies. This is your new world. Much thanks to Timothy Ferriss, who has helped me to see the light. If it can be applied to business and your health, then why not parenting? Maybe I should write my own book and buy the title rights from him.