Work Less, Not Smarter

I was talking with a friend this week, and I realized I may have been a bit too subtle in some of my previous posts about what exactly I am advocating for.

We work too much.  Work takes up too much of our time, too much of our brain power, and too much of our self-worth (such that we feel “less than” without it).  With the amount of time the average person (especially overachieving, competitive, individualistic Americans) works, we actually decrease our levels of productivity and creativity.  We would do better to work less.

I propose the average work week be reduced to 20-30 hours of actual work.  This has been shown by research to fall within the parameters of optimal mental efficiency, meaning you and your employees would be more creative (leading to better decisions), more productive, and more satisfied.

I believe this can be achieved by paying people less.  Obviously we need to provide our people with a living wage for the work they do, but we don’t need six or seven figures to do that.  Increases in salaries – and in “standards of living” – have done nothing for our levels of happiness.  Instead, we have become obsessed with showing our wealth, living above our means, and competing with one another.

When we treat our people with dignity and allow them to live their lives – outside our organizations – we all achieve more.  More productivity.  More creativity.  More efficiency.  More wellbeing.  More happiness.

• What do you think of this idea?  How would it affect your personal wellbeing, self-worth, lifestyle?

• What would it be like to exit the rat race, to not compete with your neighbors for status, to not feel you’re forever trying to earn more or get to the next step up?

• There are some challenges to this idea.  How could your organization address those?  Job-sharing roles, morning and afternoon/evening “shifts”, flexible remote work?

• What’s one step you could take – individually or as a leader in your organization – to move towards this idea of a true work-life balance, where work is a part of our life and not everything about us?