“The commonsense rules of the ‘real world’ are a fragile collection of socially reinforced illusions … Reality is negotiable. Outside of science and law, all rules can be bent or broken, and it doesn’t require being unethical.”

(Tim Ferriss, p 9 – 10 of the 4-Hour Work Week)

Come up with 10 examples of improving generally accepted customs that are regarded as “the preferred way” of doing things.

For example: 

1.  Tim Ferriss proposes a novel idea of scheduling regular “mini-retirements” throughout our working lives, where we take off 3 -12 months to have a total break from our regular work. The current practice is “deferred retirement”, where we work non-stop until we officially retire ( apart from the annual short holidays).

2. Rather than work focusing on the hours you work, work could focus on the amount of work you get done. If a person can do the required work in twenty hours a week, they can do so; and persons who need to take 60 hours can do so also. Current practice is for people to work to set hours – 9 till 5.

3. In the same vein, if the emphasis was on the work done, workers could choose where they work – at work, at home or even in another country — as long as their work got done. Current thinking is that workers must always work at the workplace under supervision — otherwise they won’t work hard enough.

4. And so on … human relationships, schooling, learning, cross-gender friendships.