The 40-hour what-week?

🤝 Hi Digital Travelers,

Welcome back to adulting!

Today we are going to be reviewing a controversial topic, the 40-hour workweek.

I know I sound like the Finland Prime Minister.

Grab a cup of coffee (or your preferred drink of choice) and let’s dive in.

👾 Adulting Lesson

The 40-hour workweek is something that has been engraved in our minds since we were kids.

It was something we never had to worry about until we reached our adulting lives.

Now it is on our front doorstep like the solicitor who won’t take a hint.

The idea behind the 40-hour workweek is to ensure employees have “enough time for rest and recreation”, which in turn should increase productivity and promote a healthy work-life balance.

However, the time designated for recreation is perceived as shaking a mouse or acting busy (don’t act like you’ve never done it). There is a concept that if you are not working for 8 hours straight, you are not a good employee.

The Beginning

First and foremost, the 40-hour workweek was established during the industrial revolution when most jobs involved manual labor. It was the time of blue-collar work and manufacturing.

The goal was to churn out as much product as possible while minimizing employees and maximizing the workforce. The math makes sense.

Today, however, most jobs are not physically demanding, but rather require mental focus and creativity.

Just ask the game developer who is trying to get the virtual ball to have accurate physics. A lot of mental stress - not a lot of physical.

As a result of this continuous strain on the brain, employees can experience burnout, fatigue, and even depression when required to work for extended periods without adequate breaks.

Research has shown that people can only maintain high levels of focus and productivity for a limited amount of time. After that, their performance declines, and they become prone to mistakes and accidents.

As shown in the image below a recreational break actually helps employees become less stressed throughout the workday.

The Middle

The 40-hour workweek assumes that all employees have the same capacity to work.

However, this is not always the case, as some people require more time to complete their work than others.

Generally, promotions do not go to the employee that is smarter than another - normally it goes to the person who can think and execute the fastest. It is the individual who can think smarter and not harder.

This is interesting because as we become more efficient with our systems and people make decisions and execute faster - you’d think it would actually cut down on needed working hours.

But, it doesn’t.

Why?

The End

The hours are never cut because the 40-hour workweek makes the worst assumption of all; that work is the only important aspect of people's lives.

That without work - people are purposeless and poor.

However, this is not true.

People have families, friends, hobbies, and other interests that require their attention and time. Plus - there are loads of ways to make money, especially in today’s time.

I mean, do we really need people to work 40 hours a week to make the money needed to survive?

Is that really what the modern world has brought us to?

Put us between a rock and a hard place; either work 40 hours a week or starve.

Epilogue

If we look at our evolution.

The human species are hunters and gatherers.

Meaning our brains are wired to get shot up with dopamine when we see animal tracks because that means food.

Generally, our ancestors would spend roughly four hours a day searching / hunting. The rest of the time was spent in leisure and celebrating another day alive.

In today’s age, working eight hours a day does not biologically meet our needs.

Is this just the trade-off we get for protection from our environment and endless food?

Prologue?

I want you to know I don’t know the answers to the questions I asked. Which is why I asked them.

It makes me think what if there is a better way; a different way for humans to get on? But at the same time the first thought that pops up is globalization and that without people constantly working will society be better or worse?

📝 Actionable Advice

1. The study of human psychology and productivity does not generate enough profit for it to be given the funding needed. This is not a flaw of governance. Throughout time funding has only been given to ventures that will stimulate the economy. In terms of running a society, this makes sense, in terms of increasing a population’s overall happiness it is misled. The only advice I can provide is for you to take the time to realize your value and ensure you are being compensated appropriately.

2. Move to Finland.

3. Ask yourself: Does the trajectory the human race is moving toward look promising or full of despair?

🔗 Resources

• Countries with a four day work week

• The history and evolution of the 40-hour workweek

• The future of work

🎙️ Quote of the Week

✌️Closing Time

This newsletter was a bit of a rant.

I have been reading books on human psychology, human history, and human impacts on the natural world.

Everything in our lives is completely made up (time, money, corporations, etc.). But, they are necessary for order and for things to get done.

Becoming an adult means walking into this world even if you don’t agree with it. Now, I am not here to change it, I just wanted to give you a perspective on it.

What do you think about the 40-hour workweek?

Until next time.

Cheers,

Mike