Working Hours
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” -Mark Twain
For over 7 years I worked a steady 40 hour per week job. I worked 8 to 5 with a one hour lunch 5 days a week. Have you ever stopped to think about why you are working such hours?
Before the industrial revolution most work was seasonal based on agriculture. People worked very long days when there was work to do but did very little work in the off season. This allowed them to fill their time with hobbies and activities that they enjoyed.
The industrial revolution gave workers the ability to work steady hours year round. Luckily unions and collective bargaining lowered the work week to 8 hours from a typical work day of 12 to 16 hours. One of the most successful business men of all time, Henry Ford, actual was a proponent for shorter days. Ford knew that the workers were also consumers so he wanted his employees to have free time in which they could discover the need for consumer products.
Typical work weeks around the world vary from country to country. In the last decade or so France lowered its work week to 35 hours. Australians also average only 36 hours per week.
I am not promoting less work. I actually enjoying working and typically work more than 40 hours per week. However, I do think each person should think about how they work best. Some people are morning people and others night owls. Maybe we shouldn’t all try to work the same hours.
Since I left the corporate world I have been spliting my hours throughout the day when it seems to make sense. Most mornings I wake up and work a couple hours then stop and take a hike, go for a run, or take my daughter to the park. Then I work for another couple hours. Then I spend time with the family, eat dinner, and put the kids to beds. Sometimes I work a little more late at night, just before bed.
Some would say it sounds like I am working all day. But actually, I am enjoying myself, have plenty of time for exercise and personal activities, and can run errands whenever I choose. The freedom to set my day as I choose brings me a great deal of happiness and like the agricultural workers from before the industrial revolution, I can make the time to work when there is work to do.
It just seems to me that we would all be better off if we worked at times that made the most sense to us individually. Like Mark Twain says, we should question what we are doing whenever we are doing what everyone else is doing. I know my life is better since I took control of my own time.
It is so true. And I love that Mark Twain quote!