I woke up early this morning, after only 5 hours sleep, but awake and rested. Was it the acupuncture I’ve been getting? A bizarre fluke?
I got up around 7:30, did yoga, made a french press of Blue Bottle coffee, got in the bath & perched my cup of coffee on the edge for a long, leisurely soak, put on some tiny cheesy French songs, and pondered why the heck I felt so dang good.
Then I realized – it’s having my Fridays off. With Saturday untouched on either side by work, I can actually relax. It’s not the wind-down, clean-up feeling of the first day off, rushing to get things done, or the low grade ambient “back to work” panic of Sunday afternoon. It’s a whole day! To itself!! Why don’t we all do this all the time!?! Ahhh! So good! Fridays off forever!
La Maison Ou J’ai Grandi + Francoise Hardy
Oh claire + Antoine Leonpaul
Quelqu’un M’a Dit + Carla Bruni
Kiss + Mélanie Laurent
Tout me revient + Marina
Oh La La + Brigitte
Le Responsable + Jacques Dutronc
Stephanie
1 year ago
Three day weekends are the best. Acupuncture helps, too! When I was doing acupuncture regularly I was under an enormous amount of stress and grief, but in those precious hours afterward I felt soooo good.
verhext
1 year ago
I was talking to my friend Kate last night, and she works 4 day weeks, and says it makes a huge difference. I’d love to hear from more people who managed it.
Stephanie
1 year ago
I typically work four days a week but I barely ever get three days off in a row – I try to take off whenever my husband has off, and his schedule changes every week. But I have to say, it’s nice to have an extra day in the middle of the week somewhere to run errands or go hiking…
Anabela
1 year ago
I work four days a week at my job. Originally it was due to budget cuts, but I don’t think I could go back. Unfortunately, making ends meet is a struggle which means that I’m working pretty much every spare moment that I have. But it still feels awesome and the very thought of going in to the office on Fridays makes me feel sick.
Jane Flanagan
1 year ago
It sounds like a dream. Technically I work 7 days a week, since I do all my freelance work on weekends and evenings. But I would murder to cut down on my day (office) job.
The worst part is I think it’s eminently doable – I could get everything done in 4 days if I crammed. But my boss would never, ever go for it. I feel the same way about telecommuting! It’s so unnecessary for me to sit in that ugly cubicle every day! It seems so antique that online media is still thinking in terms of physical desks and offices!
Karen
1 year ago
You asked about negotiating 4 day work weeks – I work 9 hour days, which basically means I work through lunch – no big deal, since I do that anyway. And it means that I get every other Friday off. My boss bit right away when I suggested it. He thinks he’s winning, I know I’m winning = everyone wins!
meghan
1 year ago
I work 4 day weeks. In order to be full time in my practice we have to see patients 8 half days a week. I worked out my schedule to take Fridays as my “administrative day” mpst of which I can do from home, if needed. If I am really efficient, I don’t have to do much other than check emails a few times and wear my pager…
Dani
1 year ago
I think that both Ramit Sethi in I Will Teach You to Be Rich (maybe) and Tim Ferris in the Four-Hour Workweek (definitely) talk about exactly how to “con” bosses into letting you work from home, which could easily be adapted into how to con them into letting you work four days a week.
I think it starts out with calling in sick and saying you’ll work from home, then staying out sick longer, making sure you get more done than usual, then approaching the boss with the idea of working from home as a short-term experiment. (“I got so much more done and I think it was because I had fewer interruptions… if I don’t get more done then after 6 weeks we’ll call the experiment off” or whatever.)
I’m imagining instead people would… arrange to take Fridays off for several weeks in a row (or call in sick for some of them and plan others off in advance), then… make sure they were getting more done than usual in the four workdays left… then approach the boss (“you know, I had to be out the past x Fridays, and I’ve actually gotten more done in that month (or two) than in the months when I’ve been here every day, I think it’s because I had more downtime so I could focus better….”) and propose it as a short-term experiment.
There’s wording in there about how to make it seem like your boss’ idea too, if I remember the Four-Hour Workweek correctly!
verhext
1 year ago
Weird, since I’m already DOING that…hm!
michelle medina
1 year ago
i had that arrangement for myself for two years- i was quite happy and the most broke i’ve ever been. it was a good sampling of how i’d like to live once i have my own practice!
verhext
1 year ago
My acupuncturist is about to take maternity leave – are you doing appointments yet?
michelle medina
1 year ago
i forgot to mention, my mom works 4 ten-hour days and has three days off!
mt
1 year ago
I’ve worked only 4 days a week at my current job (for about 3 or so yrs.) I negotiated this before they even hired me. I learned a long time ago that I cannot work more than 4 days a week at a job I don’t really like. I’d go koo-koo. But my cost of living is low, I work in a beautiful spot & I get paid a decent wage.