A week = 4 days of fun + 3 days of fun. Yes?
If you told me 10 years ago that I wouldn’t be working a five-day week in the future, I’d either a) give you a high five or b) say “no way, how slack is that?!”.
Since making the switch to less contact days in the office, I haven’t looked back. I thought it’d be great, but had no idea how truly awesome it would be until I tried it.
I was perfectly happy working my five days per week in the agency when the opportunity presented itself for a little change up. I hadn’t considered flexible work days as an option until I was offered a role to lecture and be a sessional tutor in digital design at a university. I was lucky enough to get to choose as many classes to take on as I’d like. I was really excited by the prospect of teaching a craft that I loved and was continuing to develop in my career.
However, me being me, I still wanted to exist in both worlds. Of course, I knew it wouldn’t be possible to do both without human cloning or a time making machine, so I had to make a change and prioritise things differently.
I decided to accept the opportunity and make the rest work around it.
How was I realistically supposed to reduce my hours at the agency when I was in a leadership and also client facing role? I was already drowning in projects and deadlines and to say that I was over my capacity may have been an understatement. I had around 70 web projects on the go and I was the creative director on them all, lead designer on most and doing a good chunk of front-end development… in addition to project managing 90% of them (yes, you read that correctly; 70 projects).
How could I make this change for my own career development without putting the business, my team and my clients at a disadvantage? What if things fell in a big heap? I started to feel pretty selfish and almost didn’t proceed with it.
I had to be brave. It was a risk I was willing to take.
I went ahead with my decision and it was groundbreaking for me.
To ensure that my workload was feasible on the reduced hours and projects weren’t negatively impacted, not one, but two account managers were hired full time to replace the 9 less contact hours that I was out of the office.
I mean, my workload always seemed heavy, but it never felt like too much for me.
I couldn’t help but hear my grandfather’s advice in my head. He always taught me to work hard, not to complain and be strong. Well, that’s quite paraphrased. He actually would say something more along the lines of, “Hard yakka’s the only thing that will get you anywhere in life, so shut-up and just do it, you little shit!”. If you knew my g’dad, you’d know that came from a place of pure love and endearment. ❤
Gee, two people to replace a small portion of my working week. It always seemed kind of normal, albeit tiring, to do three people’s job roles, In hindsight, I was very relieved!
I realised something important from this experience. I’ll literally just keep working and working… and then working some more. Even though it might seem or feel like a lot or overwhelming at times, I’ll simply grit my teeth and simply keep going. It’s the hard yakka I was raised to embrace. I’m afraid this trait is equally bad as it is good, and it’s certainly not a plan built for longevity.
The teaching journey was only short and sweet, but beyond the role, the opportunity was actually a golden ticket out for me to break my bad habits of overworking. Well, it was a positive step, at least.
I didn’t return back to five days a week and still to this day, have my savoured Tuesdays off to do anything that I please. I mostly choose to work on side projects, get outdoors, spend time with my loved ones or pamper myself with massages and hair appointments. The weekends were left to chores and other grown up things.
It was also the beginning of a flexible workplace culture at the agency and the team began adopting a similar work-life balance ethos.
As time went by, I became a co-owner of the business and my priorities needed to change accordingly. My sole focus was to ensure that I did everything with the interest of the agency’s success in mind.
Did I go back to a five-day week? No way!
I didn’t go back to typical full time work hours, but I was now energised enough to be able to do more. Nowadays, I do a full time week’s worth of work, but condensed into four days instead. I’m feeling more refreshed than ever because I get plenty of time to reset and re-energise, so I’m better at being efficient and effective with my time to ensure that I can maintain the fabulous four-day working week.
Does it sound selfish? Well let’s put it this way. It’s not only me that wins from this arrangement — the agency, team and my clients reap the benefits of it as well.
- The agency: will benefit from my professional development during this time as I bring new skills, experience and knowledge on board. It also means less sick days, reduced need to take long breaks and vacations, and no more mid-week time off for appointments such as doctors/dentists/post office/bank etc which I can now do on my rostered day off (RDO) when needed.
- My co-workers: will also enjoy these benefits and inspirational finds that I come across in my adventures. More importantly, they’ll also enjoy a positive and energised version of me who has more focus, is reliable, consistent and stress-free, every day.
Naturally, by staying true to investing time in myself, I became more positive. I spent more time with my family and loved ones. I also have the capacity and mental wellbeing to make better decisions. Lastly, I’ve given myself permission to pursue my potential. Bliss!
Although this approach has really helped me flourish personally and professionally, the agency has honestly benefited and grown with me also.
Considering doing it too? It may not be for everyone. It requires a lot of discipline, maturity and commitment. You must be a great communicator, excellent with time management, and reliable. It’s a two-way deal. Your management will be placing their trust in you, but you must deliver on your promises.
Five working days condensed into four days? It’s really one of the best things I decided to do and I highly recommend it! Try it, if you dare 🤗
EDIT v1: I’ve spent the last few months enjoying six months of long service leave! Will I ever return to a five-day working week? Who knows…
EDIT v2: It’s 2020 and I have been back to working a 5 day week since February 2018! Albeit, I’m no longer at the agency, so the working requirements look a little different. I’ve been keeping a check on my work-life balance and for now, going okay with the 5-day week!
❤ Patima
