Work The System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less guides the reader in modifying his or her fundamental perception of the world, moving from an inaccurate vision of barely controlled chaos, to a more accurate one: that life is an orderly collection of individual linear systems each of which can be improved and perfected one at a time. The reader is guided through the process of ''getting'' this new vision, and then through the specifics of applying it via Carpenter's "system improvement" methodology.
For start-ups or multi-nationals, the methodology is simple, believable, and mechanical; not mystical or theoretical. Carpenter developed this "systems mindset" protocol in the business he purchased in 1984 and still owns today. With that company, he moved from an 80-100 hour workweek to a 2 hour workweek, while multiplying his income dozens of times over. He is CEO of an international business consulting firm, and several other spin-off businesses, as well as an international non-profit, all of which are operated in the same systems mindset fashion. With a diverse background in engineering, construction management, publishing, telecommunications and journalism, he calls his approach a "workingman's philosophy."