Why I don’t work Fridays
by James
I’ve never liked working a five day week — which, if you’re British, probably makes me sound lazy. Britain has a crazy attitude to work: go all out, nose to the grindstone, 30 to 40 hours a week; then crash at evenings and weekends. Go out on Saturday and get blind drunk. Sleep on Sunday. Repeat.
Yes, as you can tell from my tone I think this is madness. One of the reasons businesses become mired in stupid regulations and corporate jargon is that nobody has the time to stop and think “this isn’t the way we should be doing things”. Everyone’s too busy working to think about the best way to work!
A three day weekend, with Fridays for optional loose-end-tidying and anything fun, lets me get some perspective on my work. Work isn’t everything: it’s fun, it makes me money, it helps people. That’s enough, and by giving myself an extra day away from doing, I can spend more time just being and focusing on what’s really important. This is essential for a good business and a good personal life.
When you’re busy, most of the business is in your mind: things you think you have to do. You need time off to realise that those things aren’t as important as you think. When you’re working all the time, you tend to just keep working — whether you need to or not. Even if you can’t take a day, take a few minutes and ask yourself: what’s really essential? And what’s the big rush? :)
i’ve been struggling to find the elusive “balance” for years. with the IT consulting i do, people pay for my availability, which often leads me to feel like i’m constantly subject to other people’s schedules. it’s worse in firefighting mode, but it even happens with longer term projects.
of course, this constant movement, this forced or assumed external urgency clouds my understanding of what’s really important. i need to get over that. it’s difficult to break through the routine sometimes.
in the US and other countries (japan?), 40+ hour work weeks are considered normal — even mandatory in some cases. you’re fortunate to be in a position to stick to your 4 day work schedule. it’s encouraging to hear it’s working well for you and your clients.