From Grind to Grow: Why a 4-Day Workweek is the Future

As Dolly Parton immortalized in her 1980 song “9 to 5,” work culture in the U.S. is based around eight-hour days, five days a week. While it may seem like this has always been the case, it is actually a relatively new concept.

Even though Henry Ford implemented a five-day, 40-hour work week at Ford Motor Company in 1926, it wasn’t until the 1930s that this schedule became part of American labor law, after decades of strikes by labor activists who did not want to work 14-hour days.

But, is the 5-day workweek all that it’s cracked up to be? What if we could get more done with less work? Well, for many there is. It’s the 4-day workweek, a concept gaining traction around the world for those seeking a more balanced and productive schedule.

In fact, businesses like Amazon, Carfax, Forbes Advisor, Microsoft, and Samsung are already on board. What’s more, Belgium, Iceland, Japan, South Africa, and the UK are countries that have embraced or adopted a 4-day workweek.

Joe Sanok, is also championing a 4-day workweek. Besides being a speaker, he’s a mental health counselor, a business consultant, and a podcaster. In his book Thursday is the New Friday, Joe shows you how to work fewer hours, make more money, and do what you love.

Whether you’re looking to put an end to the 9-to-5 grind or want more freedom to pursue the things you enjoy, Joe has some advice for how you can work smarter, be more focused, and have a higher income.

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Joe Sanok’s Journey to a 4-Day Workweek

Joe Sanok initially took a traditional career path, just like so many others. His focus was on counseling and psychology. Eventually, he landed a job at a community college.

Joe decided in 2012 to launch a website discussing his business and what he was learning as a side gig. Additionally, he started podcasting and became the number-one podcast for counselors.

After a while, however, he found himself unfulfilled and burnt out. When he realized that his side gig was making more money than his full-time job, he transitioned to a 4-day model. He found that this shift improved his well-being and increased his business success as well.

Why the 4-Day Workweek Works

It’s not only personal anecdotes that support the 4-day model; there’s compelling evidence as well. Taking a closer look at the history of the workweek, Sanok finds that it came about as a result of industrialist ideals rather than human necessity. According to him, and additional research, shorter workweeks have the following benefits:

• Increased productivity. Research shows that working fewer hours can improve focus and motivation, leading to more work being done faster. For example, a four-day working week was introduced by Microsoft Japan in 2019 and boosted productivity by 40%.

• Reduced stress and burnout. Having chronic stress can negatively impact both your physical and mental health. Having a 4-day work week allows for more rest and rejuvenation, leading to happier and healthier workers. According to global trials, more than nine out of ten employees rated their experience 9.1 out of 10. A decrease was noted in the number of employees who experienced stress, burnout, fatigue, and work/family conflict.
• Improved creativity and innovation. In order to foster innovation among organizations, it is useful to take a step back from the daily grind and gain a fresh perspective.
• Enhanced work-life balance. With a shorter workweek, individuals have more time for personal pursuits, family, and hobbies, resulting in a more fulfilled and balanced lifestyle.
• Reduced costs. Closing the office for an extra day a week could reduce businesses’ utility bills by 20%.

As a result, the four-day workweek can be beneficial to employees as well as employers.

Psychological Techniques for Peak Performance

Besides advocating shorter workweeks, Sanok provides strategies for maximizing productivity within them. According to him, it is important to address the following:

• Parkinson’s Law. Parkinson’s law states that work expands to fill the time available to complete it. In other words, if something must be done in a week, it will be done in a week. If it must be done in a day, then it will be done in a day.” To overcome this, limiting time naturally forces prioritization and eliminates anything unnecessary.
• Protecting your brain. When you set boundaries and minimize distractions before tackling important tasks, you will be able to focus and do your best work. For example, instead of looking at your phone when you first wake up, wait until after 9 a.m. “I know that if I meditate, if I do my planking in the morning, if I eat a healthy breakfast, then around 9:30, I’m ready to start killing it,” says Joe. “Before 9:30, it’s kind of anybody’s guess.”
• Energy management. The best way to optimize your performance is to understand when you are at your peak energy and structure your day accordingly. For instance, if you’re a morning person then this is when you should focus on your most important task of the day. 

Improve Your Clarity and Flow

A top performer often exhibits certain internal inclinations that seem second nature to them, Joe states. But what if you don’t naturally possess all of them? The good news is that practice and specific steps can help develop these traits.

To begin with, consider curiosity. By cultivating an interest in learning and exploring new ideas, a genuine interest in learning can be fostered. Additionally, you can gain a better understanding of a situation with an outsider’s perspective, as it allows you to look at it from a different angle. For sustained growth, it is crucial to develop the ability to move on from failures and setbacks.

Adjust Your Workflow According to Your Sprint Personality

There is no such thing as one-size-fits-all productivity advice, Joe argues. Each of us is wired differently. It seems like everyone tells you to sprint, batch, and follow a specific method, but what if it does not work? Maybe your productivity style does not align with the mainstream, just like personality types (Enneagram, Myers-Briggs).  If so, sprint types are a method of approaching focused work that aligns with your natural preferences.

• Time Block Sprinters. Consider the classic sprinter who focuses on one task for 3-4 hours. A Time Block Sprinter does podcast interviews or crafts an email funnel within a dedicated period.
• Task Switch Sprinters. It is easy for them to focus on one task for 20-30 minutes at a time, switching gears efficiently between tasks.

The key to discovering your “sprint type” is to understand your own productivity rhythm.  Let go of conformity and find out what fuels your most focused, productive self

Create Different Environments for Different Tasks

In Joe’s opinion, most people overlook the importance of tailoring their work environment to their specific needs. During the writing of his book, “Thursday is the New Friday,” he transformed his office every Thursday. By using headphones, he played a special writing playlist, brought in special lighting from another room, and rearranged furniture.

Why did this work? He was able to write one chapter a week as a result of triggering a mental shift into a focused “flow state.” These seemingly insignificant changes can have a significant impact. A short, focused sprint can further improve productivity and task initiation.

Conclusion

Is a 4-day workweek something you want to explore? Determine the one thing that you can do today to move toward financial freedom, as well as a life filled with energy and joy.