The four-day work week?

November 17th, 2006

Speaking of getting it all done, I read a couple of interesting posts this evening on working smarter: one on Boss Lady, about tackling your biggest projects first thing each morning (something I’ve been practicing more in theory than reality this month), and one on A List Apart, about kicking the first concept up a notch by challenging yourself to work just four days a week. Really.

I know getting more done by truncating your work week may sound counter-intuitive, but check out this excerpt from the article:

And then it hit me: there will always be more to do. Working more won’t change that. In fact, working more is actually counter-productive. I was starting work everyday at 5:30 AM and working till 10:00 PM, but I still wasn’t done with everything. If I was working those extreme hours and still couldn’t keep up with my to-dos, then clearly working more wasn’t the solution.

The problem wasn’t a time issue, it was a mental issue. I knew I had a whole week to finish my work, so I spread it out over five (or seven!) days. If I knew I only had four days to finish a whole week of work, it would’ve motivated me to get things done more efficiently.

So here’s the challenge: work fewer hours.

Boy am I ever guilty this month of “since I have all week to do it, I’ll put off starting till tomorrow” syndrome. Which means I spend more time dithering on email or bloggerbating, my scary new timesucking habit — you know, posting, commenting, incessantly checking Technorati… All this translates into working on my key projects in reactive mode (as opposed to proactive), everything a fire drill because nothing’s getting done in advance. Instead, I’m right up against the deadlines, which is a stressful place to be.

The four-day work week Ryan Carson outlines in this article sounds idyllic to me. In fact, I’m often jealous of my friends who’ve arranged their part-time work schedules just so, meaning they have Fridays off to write and play and sleep and run errands. And no one needs to sell me on quality of life trumping a slightly fatter savings account. I’m first in line for that shit.

Since I’m freelance, I can try out this arrangement, uh, just as soon as I get caught up on my current deadlines. It won’t be easy for this newfound workaholic to labor less (or to learn to hurry the hell up while working, as my boyfriend has kindly reminded me that I have trouble doing). But I intend to give it a shot. And with Thanksgiving next week and a visit to my mom scheduled for Thursday and Friday, I’ll have no choice but to put some of Carson’s tactics to the test.

If you never hear me speak of my attempts at taking Fridays off (or even Friday afternoons off) again, know that it didn’t work out. At all. And if you’ve successfully pared down your work week this way, either as an employee or a freelancer, I’d love to hear from you. How did you do it? Inquiring minds want to know.

Entry Filed under: Balance, This freelance life