How Switching to a Four Day Working Week Made Me a New Man

There’s been a lot of talk in the media these last months about the ‘four day workweek’, with writers clamouring to extol the virtues of shortened working hours. According to Forbes magazine, a recent survey purports that “nine out of ten people believe the five-day workweek is outdated”. In a quest for the ever-elusive ‘work-life balance’ and improved mental health, people are now keen to work fewer hours and take back control of their own lives.

In March 2021, I inadvertently got the chance to sample a reduced workweek when the university where I work allowed us to load all of our teaching hours onto four days, leaving us all with an extra off day. This wasn’t exactly why I had applied for the job, but it was a welcome gesture and it has allowed me to completely transform my life. Here’s how.

My health has improved dramatically

This has probably been, overall, the greatest benefit so far of switching to a four day week. I have seen my health improve no end. I now have three days a week where I can work out and exercise as opposed to the two I had before.

When I was working the regular Monday to Friday grind, I was usually too tired to bother working out most of the time even at the weekends, but the extra day off has given me more time to rest, allowing me to re-charge and exercise properly on the other two free days.

I’ve lost weight as a result of this and I can’t believe how much of a difference it’s made to my physical well-being. It’s not just my physical health that has benefitted though; my mental health is much improved too.

I put this down to more time to sleep and rest, as well as less worry and pressure about that long work week hanging over me every Sunday evening. I still work hard, but I know that if I can just make it to Wednesday, I’m nearly there and it makes everything just that little bit easier to come to terms with.

My relationships have improved

2020 was a hectic year for me. I moved to a new city, switched jobs several times and wrote my Master’s thesis all while trying to raise a newborn baby, who I hardly got to see any of. It was really starting to get to me, the fact that I had this amazing new person to spend time with, but that, well, I didn’t have any time to spend.

This has been another massive upside to dropping a day from my work schedule; I now get to spend a lot more time with my wife and young son. I have three quality days a week now with them, where it used to be one if I was lucky.

Again, being better rested from working less has ensured that this is quality time, and I have bundles of energy to run around and play with the wee man. Being there to watch him grow up has been a real trip, and my wife has never been happier either, if you get what I mean!

My work has improved

It’s funny, but that old trope really does ring true here; less IS more. I’ve found that a four day work week doesn’t mean my output is lower (it’s around the same), but it does mean the quality of the work I do is far, far higher than it was when I was on the full, old-fashioned five-day cycle.

Why is this? Well again, I put it down to being generally happier and healthier. I have an incentive to work hard now, knowing that I don’t have to do it all week long and that Friday will be the first day of my long weekend.

On top of this, I’m better rested and more mentally balanced, which leads to higher quality work done in a more efficient, energetic and productive way. It not longer feels like a battle to sit down at the computer and teach or plan a class and what’s more, my days of procrastination have (almost) disappeared as I know I only have four days instead of five to get things done.

I have time to do other things, for me

This one is massive. Switching to a four day week has allowed me to explore and get creative in a way I’d never had time for in the past.

I mean, how do you think I’ve found the time to write 40-odd articles on Medium in the last couple of months, start my own online teaching business and take up playing drums in a band? That’s right- dropping silly old Friday from my work schedule.

Sure, it might only be one day, but the ripple effect of having that extra time reaches far and wide. It’s amazing how much you can get done in 24 hours, especially if you’re doing something you’re really passionate about and I like to think I’ve been putting those extra hours to good use since I cut down on the time I put into my day job.

Final Thoughts

Listen, I know the four day workweek is not a real possibility for everyone. We don’t all have the luxury of a reduced schedule and I’m definitely grateful for the changes it has allowed me to make. If you can though, I urge you to give it a go for a few months. It might take a while to notice the benefits, but when you do, you’ll never be able to go back to the way things were before. Here’s to the four day work week!