Why the 40 Hour Work Week is Not Sustainable

I personally don’t think that the 40 hour work week is sustainable from a health, wealth and happiness perspective. Well, not for me, anyway. Additionally, as we start working over about 20 hours per week, our environmental footprint is substantially increased.

If you want more opinions on this topic, just type "the 21 hour work week" into an internet browser and you will get a wealth of information. This, however, is my story.

When I was working a regular 40 hour week job, I was always stressed and in a hurry. I wasn’t really content and didn’t feel that I had proper balance. First, for me, in addition to the 40-hours of work that I had to put in, I had an additional 5-10 hours per week of commuting and getting ready for work. I never felt that I was ‘catching up’ on my sleep, which I now understand never happens anyway. You can’t really ‘catch up’, you need proper sleep every day. I hated the feeling of being jolted out of a deep sleep by my alarm. It never felt natural. I would drag myself out of bed while it was still dark and then rush around in the morning to get on the road before traffic hits. Then, when I left the office after sitting for 9 hours, I had to sit in traffic. The frustration and feelings of restlessness were getting worse and worse every day. Even when I worked from home, I might not have the commute, but I was still jolted out of bed every morning and I felt chained to my computer for far too long every day. Caffeine was my energy source. This was a very unsustainable cycle for me.

My 40 hour a week job did come with a big salary and great perks, but at what time cost? We can always make more money, but we can’t ever get back lost time. And, what fun is a lot of money without good health? To me, this didn't really seem like what most people would consider 'success' or 'the good life'.

I decided I had had enough and I quit my job for other reasons, but one thing that I do know, is that now I have experienced true freedom. With this taste of freedom, I do not want another 40-hour-a-week-chained-to-a-computer-sitting-in-a-cubicle job for a very long time. I need a break and that is why I decided to semi-retire at 39. Note, that I call this being semi-retired. I am not planning to just golf and travel, but I do have the flexibility, to pursue more meaningful work while keeping a healthy work/life balance for optimum health, wealth and happiness.     

What would you do if you had an extra 20 hours a week to yourself?

For me, I was able to sell my car because I now have the time freedom to bike, walk and take public transportation wherever I need to go. That was one of the most freeing feelings for me, and no more traffic jams!

I am also able to go to Farmers Markets four times a week to buy fresh foods and take the time to prepare meals from scratch. This means less packaging waste and no chemicals to be concerned about.

I regularly get in two or more hours of physical activity every day. I take long, relaxing walks. I get to stay up late and sleep in if I want. I don’t use an alarm clock. I quit caffeine.

I am able to pursue my passions and work on independent projects for future income potential. I work when I am feeling creative, and I don’t if I am not. I don’t have to watch a clock and look busy when my work is done.

I get adequate sunshine and fresh air every day. I get to nap. I meditate. I read… a lot. I write every day. I always have a clean, neat house. I’m never in a hurry.

My stress level has plummeted to a level of contentment that I don’t think I have ever felt in my life. I have realized that it is the simple things in life that make me happy. This is success. I am living the rich life now (see previous post).

So, how did I get here? It is a very simple formula: Start slashing expenses and building up residual income. That’s it. The next post I will first talk about reducing expenses and then the second post will be about creating residual income.

I recommend visiting the website “Center for a New American Dream: More of What Matters”: www.newdream.org

I also recommend “The Joy of Not Working” and “How to Retire Happy, Wild and Free” by Ernie Zelinski