Before usual chaos of back-to-school-back-to-office starts in September, let’s read about something really interesting! I came across an article on BBC that is worth sharing. As you can read later, all of us who are over 40 should cut down on working hours and that will make us perform better. Now, how does that sound? Wonderful, isn’t it?! I am not certain how anyone would consider a practical implementation of such way of working… Perhaps it is only valid for Aussies siting on the beach where the study was done! 😉

Nevertheless, I find reasonable to assume that working more than certain amount of hours a day or a week brings lack of concentration, frustration and unavoidably mistakes or inefficiencies. Not sure we can find “one-size-fits-all” but I can definitely feel that for me is no problem to work 12 or even 15 hours a day. Of course for a short period of time only, when business really needs more than regular working hours. I even feel energized by serious challenges that require my full focus, mental power and nightshifts. But… if such overworking scheme becomes permanent, say for more than two weeks in a row – I don’t like it and try to escape.

To me balance is the key. Balance among various things we constantly juggle in our lives: family, work, friends, soap operas on TV, time for ourselves, fitness or self-care… whatever we DECIDE to INVEST our time in. Is not easy! Good news is the first word. Decide. It is our decision to choose what takes place in our agenda. We can only praise ourselves if we are happy with our balance, our activities. If not, who is there to blame? Second word is important to notice too. Time is investment. As with any investment, one has to make sure it pays back. Or gets wasted.

I believe that such thinking is really useful not only overall in life, but also at work itself. How do we invest our time at work? In meaningful projects, interesting conversations, driving the business, doing what we love or lengthy meetings, chitchats, creating useless reports? As it goes, probably a bit of everything from both of these buckets. Let’s make sure the first bucket is at least more than half full!

For more thoughts and information, have a look at the BBC article. If you like to read more, here is another idea: book by Tim Ferriss ‘4-Hours Workweek’.

Have a good less-than-40-hours-workweek,
Dan

PS: for those of you already having a two-or-three-day-working week…how does it feel?!