Why Those Four Day Weeks Seem Even Longer
I’m not sure who make the sure that most holidays would be celebrated on Mondays, but I’d like to to talk to … ahem … brilliant person who first had that backward idea.
The way I see it play out in reality often looks something like this …
- The Sunday night “impending doom” of the new work week that usually sets in some time Sunday afternoon still shows up sometime Sunday afternoon as we forget that we have Monday off. For just a few moment, thoughts of work intrude on what is supposed to be a “free day,” before we brush them off.
The usual Monday buffer that eases us into the rituals of the work week becomes another Sunday with that “impending doom.” We enjoy the off time, but feel it going, going, and then gone — knowing, knowing and then well aware that we’re facing a week with 20% less time.- Tues must rise to the challenge of handling the Monday rituals
- And Wednesday through Friday – we fret the time we lost, while reminding each other quite often which day it is because our weekly calendars are screwed up.
while carrying the weight of the regularly scheduled Tuesday catch up meetings.
Certainly, a better way would have been to choose to offer Fridays as the recurring holiday – Then we’d get our work in order and be able to enjoy the day off without guilt or confusion that the Monday holiday causes. Just a thought.
Of course until that happens, we really ought to give our responses to recurring short weeks a little more thought.
No Time this Week to Do It Right? Stop! Right There!
Rather than “hit the ground,” might I suggest that we stop there, reflect on what actually needs doing and then slow down to thoughtful walk.
Early in my career I heard this saying …
We never have time to do it right, but always have time to do it over.
Short weeks seem to bring out more of that “never have time to do it right thinking” than ever. Part of what gets the momentum of a over-stressed, “no time to do it right” short week going is that we buy into having the same amount to do in less time. We think of ourselves as “time poor.” Time poor thinking is running into a situation because we start out sure that we don’t have enough time to walk. That leads us to
- shallow planning
- half-attention
- inefficient participation
- false engagement as we “multi-task”
- unfriendly, hurried responses – that make the work more important than the people we work with
- hyper-responses to small interruptions
- an air of contagious agitation
all of which can be alleviated by walking with a “time rich” approach to the the week.
âTime richâ is being generous with the time we have and realizing that we have all of the time we need for important things. Weâre more aware of what it means to connect for others who need help. In a short week, that would bring …
- setting realistic priorities
- listening and participating fully in important events and conversations
- focusing and engaging in what can move things forward most efficiently
- knowing that taking care of the people will often make it so they can take care of the work they do.
- a welcome response to news and a easy way of making a later date for less urgent to dos
- an atmosphere of breathing easy and control
I’ve found it’s a truth in my life that
Every time my brain needs to run faster — that’s a time that I need to slow to walk. So I remind myself that …
If we plan it and do it right the first time, we won’t have to do it over at all.
How do you get to âtime richâ thinking to do right, when everyone is thinking “time poor”?
Be irresistible
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!
