40-hour workweeks are a relic of the Industrial Age.
Knowledge workers function like athletes - train and sprint, then rest and reassess. - The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
I know a few people will believe otherwise for what I am about to share.
Don’t mistake me. I am a big proponent of balance, in general. But I don’t believe that it is a zero-sum game. And honestly, I don’t fool myself to believe that work & life are antonyms either.
If you are going to be doing something for half your remaining waking life, you need to build a healthy relationship with ‘work’.
+ Your work affords you your lifestyle.
+ It affords you your dreams.
+ It affords you a retirement.
I think our relationship with the word work needs to change.
Don’t get me wrong - I don’t believe it’s the only thing that matters and certainly do not underestimate the power of rest either.
In fact, people who know me also know that I am a big proponent of the circadian rhythm.
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But when it comes to work – I feel we often start to think ‘compartmentalization’ when honestly, it’s the only thing that is going to be constant in your life.
So, I personally think we make too much about “9-6” or “working weekends”. Nobody has ever built anything extraordinary thinking 40 hours a week. If you are finding happiness doing your work, do hours really matter?
If you are unhappy or feel your work is unimportant, I think the problem is somewhere else. If you get adequate time to take care of your health and get rest, the conversation should ideally be about doing more - not less.
Do you have a contrarian view?
I know a few people who do.
