Here’s the example dreamlining worksheet that Tim Ferriss uses in “The 4-hour Workweek”. The worksheet is adapted such that the cost calculations are done differently for recurring monthly cost and one-off costs.
What’s probably most important is: Tim develops 11 dreamlines in total, but he chooses only four to first work on.
| DREAMLINING WORKSHEET | In ... months I dream of: | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEP 1: HAVING | ||||
| DESCRIPTION | COST (Monthly) | ONE TIME COST | ||
| 1 | Aston Martin DB9 | 2003 | ||
| 2 | Go Board from 1800s | |||
| 3 | Personal Assistant | $5/hr x 80 | 400 | |
| 4 | Full Kendo armor | |||
| 5 | ||||
| TOTAL $ | 2403 | 0 | ||
| STEP 2: BEING | ||||
| DESCRIPTION | TO MAKE IT HAPPEN | COST (Monthly) | ONE TIME COST | |
| 1 | flexible | full side splits | ||
| 2 | best-selling author | sell 20,000 per week (3 free interns for media calls & own time) | 0 | |
| 3 | fluent in Greek | have 15-minute conversation with native | ||
| 4 | excellent cook | make Thanksgiving dinner for six people | ||
| 5 | ||||
| TOTAL $ | 0 | 0 | ||
| STEP 3: DOING | ||||
| DESCRIPTION | COST (Monthly) | ONE TIME COST | ||
| 1 | sell a TV show | |||
| 2 | visit Croatian coast | $514 roundtrip airfare $420 rent | 934 | |
| 3 | find smart & georgeous girlfriend | |||
| 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||
| TOTAL $ | 0 | 934 | ||
| GRAND TOTAL $ | 2403 | 934 | ||
| Timeline (months) | 6 | |||
| Monthly Expenses $ | 2000 | |||
| Monthly Expenses (w/30% buffer) $ | 2600 | |||
| Target Monthly Income (TMI) $ | 5159 | |||
| Target Daily Income (TDI) $ | 172 |
The four selected dreamlines are: the Aston Martin, the Personal Assistant, being a best-selling author, and a visit to the Croatian coast.
After selecting the four dreamlines, Tim puts in their costs and defines the first steps needed to realize the dreamlines. These steps are:
| DREAMLINING TODO | Steps to take: |
|---|---|
| Now | |
| 1 | Find showroom, schedule test drive |
| 2 | Post bullet-point job description on major sites |
| 3 | Sent top 3 questions to five bestselling authors from 2 - 3 years ago |
| 4 | Visit Virtual Tourist and determine best season and to-do top 5 |
| Tomorrow | |
| 1 | Take test drive |
| 2 | Assign 1- to 2-hour task to top 3 |
| 3 | Formulate plan around responses (marketing/PR) |
| 4 | Research tickets & housing for 3 weeks and invite friend to go |
| Day After | |
| 1 | Decide on desired details and extras |
| 2 | Choose top 1 for 20 hrs. per week |
| 3 | Send intern recruitment e-mail to nearby college English departments |
| 4 | Reserve tickets (for yourself even if friend refuses) |