For the purposes of this article, remember that “working” can be defined as anything that keeps us occupied… whether it lines our wallets, or not. With that in mind, reducing working hours is a strange concept, but one that recently was brought to my attention through a book I was listening to at the time.
Reducing Working Hours: The Why
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For some people this will be obvious. They hate their jobs, and want to spend as little time at it as possible. For others, though, they love working, and could spend all day working if it were permissible (and maybe, sometimes they do).
If you love your job, you probably aren’t reading this article, though… just venturing a guess.
The book The 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss addresses HOW to make this reality very well (as well as what to do with your new-found time) so we will only address the why (and application) in this article.
Reducing working hours can help you be more focused and efficient, getting tasks done in the time you have available instead of floundering around for hours wondering what to write or what specific task to tackle next – although I can’t remember the actual name of this phenomenon, it can benefit you in more ways than just your actual job!
Other Ways To Apply This Reduction Trick
If you are a stay at home parent or unable to work, no worries – you can benefit from this phenomenon, too. Reducing “working” hours could look like setting a timer to clean the living room, and stopping when the timer goes off (but giving yourself less time than you think you need). The same applies to dishes, or even folding laundry… and if you don’t finish by the moment the timer sounds, you could reset it or just consider some progress better than no progress at all.
A Note to Keep In Mind
This is a really cool trick, but it doesn’t make the impossible suddenly reality. Setting the timer for less time than you think you need doesn’t mean setting the timer for something that isn’t doable… just consider giving yourself an hour to fold laundry, instead of two hours. Or thirty minutes to wash dishes, instead of an hour. (Of course, gauging by the size of your individual task – these are random time estimates.)
Pssst! Now that you have reduced your time allotted to things like work, you might find your planner sitting neglected more and more often. I’ve got a fix for that! Using Your Planner (When You Don’t Go Anywhere) helps those who really want to be organized (but don’t necessarily often have somewhere to be) get the most bang for their buck with a planner purchase… so to speak.
When NOT to Use this Trick
Please don’t use this trick as an excuse to limit precious moments or memories in exchange for something else (like work) that may just be regrets later. Of course, discretion should always be used.
Do you consciously make an effort at reducing working hours? Let me know in the comments below!
Christian, wife, “hybrid” mama, I run the site All Behind A Smile to help others like me.
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