Life | 5 Min Read
#15 - The 40-hour Workweek Is Antiquated
This week, I tackle a staple of the working world; the 40-hour workweek. Is it time to rip it up and replace it? I think so and here's why.
Hey Friends 👋
This week I've been thinking of the future and my plans of being self-employed. Thinking of this led me to question how I would structure my day and ultimately how many hours I would work (providing money was already sorted).
And, do you know what?
I struggled at coming up with a number.
It would be easy to say I wouldn't work a 40/50 hour week like many full-time jobs and instead say I'm going to only work 20/30 hours because I'm my own boss and can do that.
But, truth be told, knowing myself I probably would end up working 40/50 hours by getting absorbed into some project and losing track of the hours.
However, I don't think this is an issue.
The reason I don't see this as an issue is that the work is there to be done and if it gives you enjoyment, why not do it?
Thinking about it, when I'm self-employed, my work won't be dictated by my working hours. Instead, my working hours would be dictated by the work I have.
A slight difference but I believe a profound one.
In my honest opinion, the traditional 40-hour workweek is antiquated.
We all know it well, you get into the office at 9 am, leave at 5 pm and between those hours you work on the tasks given.
Now, I can't speak for everyone but I know for a fact there are times in my work week where I don't have any active tasks and I'm up-to-date on everything, waiting for the next task to drop in. But, yet I still have to be there, I still have to be at work, just waiting, just in case they need me.
And, this is exactly why I believe the traditional 40-hour workweek is antiquated. Why if all the work is done, we're up to date and there is no more work available to do, should we just sit and wait?
Besides our contract saying we will do 40 hours, there is no real good reason.
And, this is what I mean by my working hours will be dictated by the work and not the other way round.
If the work is there to do, then great we can work on it but if everything is up-to-date and there's no active work to be getting on with right now. There's no reason to work more so instead we might as well pack up for the day and go do something else.
This is why I struggled to come up with a number of for how many hours I would want to work when self-employed because I believe there will be a level of variance to it. Some weeks there will be more, some less.
Ultimately it's a personal decision how you view this situation, whether you think set working hours is a good thing or bad thing. And, I would love to hear your opinion on this subject so reply to this email and let me know, do you think the traditional 40-hour workweek is antiquated?
As always, I hope you have an amazing week next week and I look forward to talking with you again, this time next Sunday.
Coner x
🏃♂️ What I've Up To
This week has been a bit crazy, I've taken on more technical articles to write which I started yesterday and today. We also did a second Twitter Space for our podcast-like series called DevSpace (see below). And, on top of this did more Twitter content and personal blog posts.
Oh, and I started playing with AWS by getting my feet wet with some of their tutorials. I can't wait to start building the Twitter Analytics SaaS I've teased with AWS over the coming weeks and months.
In terms of next week, it is going to be more of the same. More content, more tweets, more Twitter spaces, more blog posts and more YouTube videos. I look forward to sharing them with you. 😊
🎤 DevSpace
A couple of weeks ago, myself and a close friend of mine, Emma Wain decided to start a weekly Twitter Space series called DevSpace. It's like a podcast but not in the traditional sense.
It's recorded with and broadcasted to a live audience so there's no editing, no post-production, just us and the guest speakers in our raw-unfiltered format.
This Wednesday gone was our second episode, it was a great talk on whether you need to be a full stack developer in 2022 or not.
If you would like to hear the recording, you can check it out here.
💯 My Current Faves
- 📺: Interstellar: This film literally left me on the edge of my seat. It's been a while since I enjoyed a film as much as this one. It also had the impact of making me question my place in the world and the path we're all on. If you get a chance to see this film, I highly recommend it.
- 📚: Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear: Once again, this book makes a comeback. The insights it has provided so far have been amazing. It really does paint habits in a new light and gives great information about how you can influence them.
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Questions
If you have a question you'd like me to ask me then I'd ask you to consider publically tweeting me it so others may be able to learn from it. However, I understand not all questions are suitable for the public domain in which case you can email me at hey@conermurphy.com
