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Something I've never understood is why four days? Is it simply because it's an incremental improvement over the current five day week, a stopping point toward t

Something I've never understood is why four days? Is it simply because it's an incremental improvement over the current five day week, a stopping point toward the next target, or is it the target?

NoPicklez 4y ago
I've wondered that as well. People say 5 days is too much, well why 4? Why not 3? Potentially there isn't a real reason, but that it's just an easier bite to chew for now, where people have noticeable improvements.
Vinnl 4y ago
For me it was a great balance: instead of the weekend feeling like days off from work, general life felt like alternating between holidays and work, since they're about the same length. 3 work days might work as well, but fewer than that and you start to lose the flow at work. And given that I do generally enjoy my work, it isn't necessary for that holiday feel anyway.
hahamrfunnyguy 4y ago
Having worked a 3-day week for a couple of years, I will second the notion that it possible to lose continuity by being off for four days in a row. Part of that might be that everyone else is still on the 5-day schedule, the other part of that is I would get wrapped up in other matters during the 4 days and then need to refocus attention on something completely unrelated back at work. I ended up leaving myself notes on what I was working on before I left on Thursday and what to do first. This was a big help in getting the continuity back and not feeling like I missed a beat when I resumed working again on Tuesday.
bobsmooth 4y ago
3 * 12 is the best imo. After 3 days I'm ready for the weekend and after 4 days I'm itching to get back to being productive.
wes-k 4y ago
Going from 5 work days to 4 is a 20% cut in work/pay and a 50% increase in weekends (2 to 3). 4 to 3 is a 25% cut and a 33% increase in weekends (3 to 4). 3 to 2 is a 33% cut and a 25% increase in weekends (4 to 5). Thus we see, 3 work days a week is mathematically optimal.
TrackerFF 4y ago
To be honest, just being able to work half a day on Fridays is a huge improvement. I'm doing that currently (weekend starts at noon), and I get to do a lot of things with those 4 extra hours. Any chores of other things I'd do on Saturdays, I now do on Fridays after work. I also used to work shifts for quite some time, and while I hated working nights/evenings, we "only" worked around 30 hours a week. So most of my weeks had odd days off here and there. Sometimes longer and more consecutive days. That is what I miss the most. But having tried that, I can say that for me: Three consecutive days off > Two consecutive days off + one random day off here and there > Two consecutive days off.

Something I've never understood is why four days? Is it simply because it's an incremental improvement over the current five day week, a stopping point toward the next target, or is it the target?

NoPicklez 4y ago

I've wondered that as well. People say 5 days is too much, well why 4? Why not 3? Potentially there isn't a real reason, but that it's just an easier bite to chew for now, where people have noticeable improvements.

Vinnl 4y ago

For me it was a great balance: instead of the weekend feeling like days off from work, general life felt like alternating between holidays and work, since they're about the same length. 3 work days might work as well, but fewer than that and you start to lose the flow at work. And given that I do generally enjoy my work, it isn't necessary for that holiday feel anyway.

hahamrfunnyguy 4y ago

Having worked a 3-day week for a couple of years, I will second the notion that it possible to lose continuity by being off for four days in a row. Part of that might be that everyone else is still on the 5-day schedule, the other part of that is I would get wrapped up in other matters during the 4 days and then need to refocus attention on something completely unrelated back at work. I ended up leaving myself notes on what I was working on before I left on Thursday and what to do first. This was a big help in getting the continuity back and not feeling like I missed a beat when I resumed working again on Tuesday.

bobsmooth 4y ago

3 * 12 is the best imo. After 3 days I'm ready for the weekend and after 4 days I'm itching to get back to being productive.

wes-k 4y ago

Going from 5 work days to 4 is a 20% cut in work/pay and a 50% increase in weekends (2 to 3). 4 to 3 is a 25% cut and a 33% increase in weekends (3 to 4). 3 to 2 is a 33% cut and a 25% increase in weekends (4 to 5). Thus we see, 3 work days a week is mathematically optimal.

TrackerFF 4y ago

To be honest, just being able to work half a day on Fridays is a huge improvement. I'm doing that currently (weekend starts at noon), and I get to do a lot of things with those 4 extra hours. Any chores of other things I'd do on Saturdays, I now do on Fridays after work. I also used to work shifts for quite some time, and while I hated working nights/evenings, we "only" worked around 30 hours a week. So most of my weeks had odd days off here and there. Sometimes longer and more consecutive days. That is what I miss the most. But having tried that, I can say that for me: Three consecutive days off > Two consecutive days off + one random day off here and there > Two consecutive days off.