Every Weekend Should Be a 3-Day Weekend (2015) • Hacker News Board

Re: Every Weekend Should Be a 3-Day Weekend (2015)

#71

Post by cowpewter » Mon, Sep 17, 2018, 1:31 PM UTC

KineticLensman wrote: post #26

I’m in the fourth decade of my career and I switched to a three day week almost a year ago, taking a proportional pay cut. I work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to get the largest contiguous block of time (Thursdays and Fridays) where the places I want to go to are family/child free. If work needs me to swap a day (e.g. to go to a Thursday meeting) I’ll often do that and occasionally I'll work longer one week and then…

I'm also working a three-day week with a paycut, but for health reasons. I have a chronic pain condition. My normal schedule is M-W-F, but if I have a bad pain day I can switch around and work a Tues or Thurs instead.

It's cut my unexpected PTO to zero, since I can just make up a bad day with a day I'd normally have off.

I try to use my off days to work on some side projects when I'm feeling well.

So far it's been working extremely well. I like working every other day.

Healthier: Yes, it's much easier to manage my condition this way.

Sleep more: Eh, I mostly get up at the same time I'd get up for work on my off days.

Less of a jerk: More like less of a frazzled mess, honestly.

Better at my job: My output is about the same as it was when I was trying (and failing) at working a 5-day week, so the company's getting the same output for less money. I'm generally more relaxed and in less pain, which helps immensely when working with code.

Re: Every Weekend Should Be a 3-Day Weekend (2015)

#72

Post by Fjolsvith » Mon, Sep 17, 2018, 1:32 PM UTC

mosselman wrote: post #24

biggio wrote: post #17

There shouldn't be weekends. People should be allowed to take any 3 days off during the week. This will reduce unemployment and increase productivity.

Things like weekends and holidays are, in some cases, the only thing that let people who do certain types of work have any time off work to begin with. Someone I know worked at a supermarket as a cashier at some point and she asked for a few days off on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. She asked for this a few months in advance. Her manager looked at here puzzled and sneered "What do you want off for?" as if it was s…

> but some people are not in a position to quit/negotiate and have to put up with asshole-bosses all the time.

Everyone is in a position to quit/negotiate. People who tell themselves they aren't are just living in a cage they keep themselves in. Have some initiative and make a positive lifestyle change!

Re: Every Weekend Should Be a 3-Day Weekend (2015)

#73

Post by trinitry3 » Mon, Sep 17, 2018, 1:35 PM UTC

the_clarence wrote: post #59

adrianN wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you considered what would happen if we added meth to the drinking water? People wouldn't sleep and could work twice as long!

I thought we had already five that by making coffee mainstream?

Did we just seriously compare coffee to meth?

Re: Every Weekend Should Be a 3-Day Weekend (2015)

#74

Post by Fjolsvith » Mon, Sep 17, 2018, 1:38 PM UTC

imAsking9836 wrote: post #27

Nursie wrote: post #7

I agree. I'm thinking of moving to that model when my current contract comes up for renegotiation early next year. A 20% paycut is definitely liveable, and that extra day per week would make a lot of difference - either in terms of bootstrapping side projects, or just quality of life.

Other option without the paycut could be 4 10-hours a day week. Might save on gas and other thing and will still have the 3 days weekend, although day to day activities like exercise might prove more difficult to do with fewer hours every day. Tangential question: when people in the US say 9-5 work, do you take into account the lunch break or that 1 hour is still counted as workable?

I worked a highly labor intensive job on 4-10's for about 18 months. It took a harsh toll on my joints. There wasn't enough recovery time to make up for the extended physical exertion.

I did love the schedule, though, and around holidays, I had some nice lengthy stretches of time off due to it.

Re: Every Weekend Should Be a 3-Day Weekend (2015)

#75

Post by skizm » Mon, Sep 17, 2018, 1:39 PM UTC

KineticLensman wrote: post #26

I’m in the fourth decade of my career and I switched to a three day week almost a year ago, taking a proportional pay cut. I work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to get the largest contiguous block of time (Thursdays and Fridays) where the places I want to go to are family/child free. If work needs me to swap a day (e.g. to go to a Thursday meeting) I’ll often do that and occasionally I'll work longer one week and then…

i think everyone would choose this for the most part. The problem is heath insurance (in the us). Even at full pay, if you’re not on your company’s policy it’s almost unaffordable. And most companies will not allow you to be on their plan if you classify as “part time”.

Re: Every Weekend Should Be a 3-Day Weekend (2015)

#76

Post by Fjolsvith » Mon, Sep 17, 2018, 1:39 PM UTC

imAsking9836 wrote: post #27

Nursie wrote: post #7

I agree. I'm thinking of moving to that model when my current contract comes up for renegotiation early next year. A 20% paycut is definitely liveable, and that extra day per week would make a lot of difference - either in terms of bootstrapping side projects, or just quality of life.

Other option without the paycut could be 4 10-hours a day week. Might save on gas and other thing and will still have the 3 days weekend, although day to day activities like exercise might prove more difficult to do with fewer hours every day. Tangential question: when people in the US say 9-5 work, do you take into account the lunch break or that 1 hour is still counted as workable?

Typically on a 9-5 day, you get 30 minutes paid for lunch.

Re: Every Weekend Should Be a 3-Day Weekend (2015)

#77

Post by toasterlovin » Mon, Sep 17, 2018, 1:42 PM UTC

skizm wrote: post #75

KineticLensman wrote: post #26

I’m in the fourth decade of my career and I switched to a three day week almost a year ago, taking a proportional pay cut. I work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to get the largest contiguous block of time (Thursdays and Fridays) where the places I want to go to are family/child free. If work needs me to swap a day (e.g. to go to a Thursday meeting) I’ll often do that and occasionally I'll work longer one week and then…

i think everyone would choose this for the most part. The problem is heath insurance (in the us). Even at full pay, if you’re not on your company’s policy it’s almost unaffordable. And most companies will not allow you to be on their plan if you classify as “part time”.

Health insurane is expensive, but eminently doable for most technical salaries. Ours is about $950/mo for a family of 5.

Re: Every Weekend Should Be a 3-Day Weekend (2015)

#78

Post by ashelmire » Mon, Sep 17, 2018, 1:43 PM UTC

adrianN wrote: post #35

dasanman wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh my god yes. Actually we should work 6 days a week, imagine how fast the new Iphone would come out!!

Have you considered what would happen if we added meth to the drinking water? People wouldn't sleep and could work twice as long!

Do you want reavers? Because that's how you get reavers.

Re: Every Weekend Should Be a 3-Day Weekend (2015)

#79

Post by windexh8er » Mon, Sep 17, 2018, 1:43 PM UTC

2sk21 wrote: post #48

What I really need is a weekly study day: Spend a whole day just studying and reading something (which may be completely unrelated to my work). Some of my most productive ideas have come from such study.

This. While I will often block off two or three hour chunks early in the week for deep dive I often relent on releasing that time to yet another meeting. Having switched employers a few times in the last 5 years I find myself taking more and more time off between. It's amazing how much you can clean off your plate of learning, catching up and self improvement in that amount of time. Ultimately I feel as though it's personal debt accumulated from not having time at work to sharpen the saw continuously.

Most weeks 3 days of work and 1 of work related projects / study would net the organization I work for more meaningful relationship and production. It would also allow flexibility for weeks that needed additional stick time.

When I was at my first corporate job out of college my employer did a 9/80 schedule. So 9 hour days for 80 hours which meant every other Friday off. The extra hour for 8 days and a normal 8 hour day the day before being off was awesome. But it can be even better, I believe.

Does it just take a large, public display of it to be considered? Why is there still such a strong focus on 8x5?

Re: Every Weekend Should Be a 3-Day Weekend (2015)

#80

Post by Fjolsvith » Mon, Sep 17, 2018, 1:44 PM UTC

village-idiot wrote: post #55

One of the great surprises in the 20th century is that per worker productivity has risen massively, but we still work an unnecessary 40 hours a week. Realistically 15-18 hours would probably be enough to maintain early to mid 20th century output, and 30 hours would actually increase output a bit. In my opinion we as a society are addicted to work.

Some work doesn't happen any faster despite worker productivity. The 40 hour work week isn't determined by the output, but rather by the income the worker receives. People are free to work 15-18 hours a week, but they don't.