7 Benefits of Working a 4-Hour Workday

Things went great on this first day of my 4-hour workday experiment, much better than I expected in fact.

My efficiency ratio was 95.71%--through the roof! (Efficiency ratio=time spent doing actual work divided by time spent in office.)

Here are 7 benefits I noticed this first day:

1. I had time to do non-computer related things I had been putting off. By resisting the urge to turn on the computer before 11am, I was forced to find something else to do. This morning I cleaned the house, which has been on my to-do list for the last couple weeks.
2. I found myself eagerly anticipating the start of my work day. This is a distinctly different feeling than normal. You see, since I'm in work mode pretty much all the time, what I usually feel is the compulsion to work, which is a lot different than eagerly anticipating the begin of a work day. In order to appreciate the fun of work, I had to have some time away, some time when working was not allowed.
3. I was in the zone from the first minute. This was because there was a scarcity of work time, and my mind was operating at warp speed to accomodate for the time constraints. I didn't intentionally set out to work faster; I simply put a time limit on my workday, had a prioritized list of stuff to do, and I wanted to finish as much as possible before time ran out.
4. I was making decisions faster. I was also reading and responding to emails faster.
5. No procrastinate on anything--I just did the stuff.
6. A feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day. I had time to do almost all of the things on my to-do list. Tommorrow, I know where I need to pick up. There's a feeling of being in control of the situation, like the million things I have to do are now manageable.
7. I'm looking forward to "quitting time" and enjoying the rest of the day! This is a new feeling, since previously I only quit when I was too tired to work, and it was time to go to bed. It's 3pm now, and I have the best part of the day still ahead of me!

Comments

[Cindy Hillsey]

Sharon,

I just love your blog! I am eagerly following your 4-hour work day experiment. It's something I've given thought to and more and more I think I'll just go for it!! :)

[Erin Blaskie]

Sharon,

I too have been following your four hour workday and I must say it is very admirable! I fall prey to the 20 hour workday and I never seem to have time to just "do" the things that I really wish I had time for. I love to work but I do think that anticipating work would be a great feeling. Although I may not try it right away, I'm definitely giving it some thought!

Erin

[Lynne]

Great blog! I can't wait to spend more time on it. I love the idea of a 4 hour workday. Just recently I have started having thoughts about my business controlling me vs. me controlling my business. I'm setting a goal for putting some of your ideas into place. Thank you so much for sharing them.