When I was at the SXSW Interactive Festival last month, one of the programs that really grabbed my attention was Tim Ferriss talking about "The 4-Hour Workweek: Secrets of Doing More with Less in a Digital World" with the following blurb:

In a digital world, it is possible to design luxury lifestyles in the here-and-now without waiting for retirement. This presentation explores extremes of creating time and mobility, including: how to check e-mail twice a day...or once per week; the end of time management and the birth of "selective ignorance"; how to travel the world without your boss (or customers) ever knowing.

Wow - sounds great, right? I know that's the point I want to get to, and am slowly but surely working towards (at least I think I am). I was running late and only caught the last few minutes of it, but that was enough to know that I wanted to hear and read more. I managed to get a few minutes with Tim at the conference and we agreed to do a more in-depth interview in the coming weeks. Also, Tim's talk is available for listening on the SXSW site.

His book, The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (compare prices), is now available and climbing up the bestseller list (#17 on Amazon as of today). I caught up with Tim last week and spent about 40 minutes talking with him about:

• The realities of the 4-hour work week
• Specific tips on how to get there from here
• Bootstrapping
• Virtual outsourcing
• What to do with all that free time!

Listen now (15 Meg MP3, 42:28 minutes)

You can also read his blog, calculate how much your ideal lifestyle will cost, and check out some of the other interviews and podcasts with Tim Ferriss from around the blogosphere:

• Podcast with Brian Oberkirch on Like It Matters
• Podcast with Andy Wibbels
• Interview by Problogger's Darren Rowse
• Interview about his travels by Justin Glow on Gadling
• Tim's SXSW presentation