Why Not 35 Hours a Week?

by Joan Friedlander

Timothy Ferris wrote a culture-challenging book last year, The 4 Hour Workweek. I loved it. I'm sure some thought it was absolutely ridiculous. However what I loved most was his unabashed willingness to challenge the status quo. Hooray!

Many people who start a service or consulting businesses do so for lifestyle reasons. They want more freedom, to be well-rewarded for their services, and the ability to enjoy their life, not tomorrow but today. I know that many are achieving this. I want to talk to people who aren't, and would like to.

Why do some people end up working 45-60 or more hours a week, weeks on end? I believe that the answer is in the stories they tell themselves. When I listen between the lines, their stories suggest that it's more important to put the needs and wants of others before their own (my client wanted it, I promised so-and-so, if I don't no one else will, etc.). I think that if you dig deeper, you will encounter a person who doesn't believe he or she can have what they want.

Following are my two reasons for building your business so that it can be run on just 35 hours a week.

It gives you a sense of power and control over your destiny that you can't imagine until you take it.

The greatest rewards in life have less to do with how busy you are and much more to do with your impact and relationships with others.

By the way, when I talk about 35 hours a week, I'm referring to the time you spend running the business, not the total time it takes to get every thing done in the business. A growing successful business will require more time; it just doesn't have to be yours.

Parents with younger children are more likely - though not always - to find ways and commit to fewer working hours. Many of my current clients (women and men) have children under the age of 5. It's fun. They're very good at their work, their businesses are growing, and they're looking at ways to continue to serve customers AND make time for their personal lives...and are succeeding.

Children, or no children, shorter workweeks are healthier for human beings. Ask a busy person what he or she likes to do for fun and you'll hear, "Fun, what's fun? I don't have time for fun. Sigh..." The occasional weekend or week spent night working on a project is fine. It becomes problematic when it becomes routine and normal, and starts negatively impacting your health, your relationships and your sense of self.

I started dreaming of what it would be like to work fewer hours back in 1990 when I worked for Brentano's bookstores. When I started my business in 2000 I started to make that a reality.

P.S. I know that not everyone shares my dream. Some people work hard and play hard, and absolutely love it. So, I'm not saying that 35 hours a week is right for every one and every business. My brother works many more than 35 hours a week, and he loves it. So, I write this for those of you who do dream of this kind of life, to tell you that you can have it.

 

by Joan Friedlander, © 2009. All rights reserved.