Featured Coffee: Peet’s - Las Hermanas
Seventy percent of American workers say they do not feel satisfied with their job. Early mornings, long commutes, and afternoon slumps dominate our perception of a typical work day. Not to mention the grueling meetings and monotonous tasks that sabotage our creativity and take away from our ability to do deep work. It doesn’t have to be this way.
In this episode, Ben and Aaron touch on the history of the 9 to 5 work day, why it exists, and how it is becoming more and more outdated with the transition from physical labor to the knowledge economy as well as the shifting values of younger generations. Like always, the hosts explore alternative approaches to work, including the 4-day work week and the 5-hour work day. The overwhelming efficacy of these alternative models demonstrates that the traditional 9 to 5 is long overdue for a much-needed tweak.
Sources
Wired: The 8-Hour Workday Is a Counterproductive Lie
Mental Health America: 2017 Workplace Health Survey
Cision: Over Half of U.S. Workers Think They Are Overweight and Blame Their Sedentary Careers
Harvard Business Review: Stop the Meeting Madness
Forbes: 10 Shocking Workplace Stats You Need To Know
TED: Jason Fried - Why Work Doesn’t Happen At Work
Deloitte: 2016 Millennial Survey
Deep Work: Book by Cal Newport
NPR: 4-Day Workweek Boosted Workers’ Productivity by 40%, Microsoft Japan Says
NBC: A Four-Day Workweek Might Be Exactly What the U.S.—and its Economy—Needs Right Now
StartUs Magazine: European Countries That Defy the 9 to 5 Work Paradigm
The New York Times: France Lets Workers Turn Off, Tune Out, and Live Life
The New York Times: 5-Hour Workdays, 4-Day Workweeks? Yes, Please
Behavioral Economics: Status Quo Bias