40-Hour Work Week: 3 Things That Are Wrong With It

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Why do we work 40 hours a week and can the government do anything about changing that? Actually, just this last week the Save American Workers Act of 2015 is in the news about Obamacare workers' hours. There are a bunch of great books out there that advocate a 30 hour or at least a different structure of work week. I totally agree and here is why.
  1. Necessary to achieve work-life balance
    • In my opinion, the math is realistically something like this: 8 hours of work + 1.5 hour of meals + 1.5 hours of getting ready morning/night + 1 hour commute + 8 hours of sleep = 20 hours. That leaves 4 hours to ourselves and our family, much less time (1/2 the time in fact) than we spend at work. If you add weekends, the ratio barely reaches 50-50 of home-work time (a ratio of 44:40). Doesn't that make it tough to fully care how you spend your time at work when someone else designates how long?
  2. More time at the desk doesn't equate to more done
    • How many of us actually work the whole time we are at work? Turns out very few. We need breaks. We need distractions. We need other things in our lives than work to stay motivated, creative, and hard-working. Just admit to it and be okay with getting up to leave for lunch, go workout in the middle of the day, or leave early that one time to pick up your kid.
  3. Guilt
    • I think in general we are breeding a society that feels guilty for not spending enough time at home or at work and instead of trying to find a better balance, we blame reality and say "there aren't enough hours in the day". Seriously?! No, we just need to give ourselves permission to enjoy life away from the desk and to feel confident when we are in charge at work. Take control and be 100% there wherever you are.
At the very least, use all of your vacation time so it isn't every week. You know what I'm saying?




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A consultant in the software sector, I love to write about the challenges and opportunities that I run across on a daily basis with clients, colleagues, and even friends. There's inspirational lessons to be applied to business practices everywhere!

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So if you want to be happy at work like I am, then thanks for being a reader! I am a consultant that travels constantly and is always working with new people. I love what I do! I'm formally trained with an MBA and BS Engineering. At home and in my free time, I like to drink beer, travel, garden, read, hike with my dog, and play board games.

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