Featured Coffee: Peet’s - Las Hermanas 

Seventy percent of American workers say they do not feel satisfied with their job. Early mornings, long commutes, and afternoon slumps dominate our perception of a typical work day. Not to mention the grueling meetings and monotonous tasks that sabotage our creativity and take away from our ability to do deep work. It doesn’t have to be this way. 

In this episode, Ben and Aaron touch on the history of the 9 to 5 work day, why it exists, and how it is becoming more and more outdated with the transition from physical labor to the knowledge economy as well as the shifting values of younger generations. Like always, the hosts explore alternative approaches to work, including the 4-day work week and the 5-hour work day. The overwhelming efficacy of these alternative models demonstrates that the traditional 9 to 5 is long overdue for a much-needed tweak. 

Sources

Wired: The 8-Hour Workday Is a Counterproductive Lie

Mental Health America: 2017 Workplace Health Survey

Cision: Over Half of U.S. Workers Think They Are Overweight and Blame Their Sedentary Careers

Harvard Business Review: Stop the Meeting Madness

Forbes: 10 Shocking Workplace Stats You Need To Know

TED: Jason Fried - Why Work Doesn’t Happen At Work

Deloitte: 2016 Millennial Survey

Deep Work: Book by Cal Newport

NPR: 4-Day Workweek Boosted Workers’ Productivity by 40%, Microsoft Japan Says

NBC: A Four-Day Workweek Might Be Exactly What the U.S.—and its Economy—Needs Right Now

StartUs Magazine: European Countries That Defy the 9 to 5 Work Paradigm

The New York Times: France Lets Workers Turn Off, Tune Out, and Live Life

The New York Times: 5-Hour Workdays, 4-Day Workweeks? Yes, Please

Behavioral Economics: Status Quo Bias