Atmospheric Rivers sounds like the WORST fucking Jethro Tull album EVER! A case of the Mondays can only be solved by the anticipation of Taco Tuesdays, therefore nullifying Monday completely. Everybody's new Slack message: "I won't be at my desk on Monday; the day has been nullified." This could work! Yes? No? Is it Tuesday yet?
And you could still sing the song Manic Monday: "Just another nullified Monday..ohh-whoaa.." We go right from Lazy Sunday to Taco Tuesday and I see nothing wrong with this. Biden: run on this platform and the next term is YOURS!
Team One-Day Work Week, no question. That was all the time I needed to GSD with any organization I worked for. Then I shifted to full-time freelancing, and went 24/7 - where (somehow) the shit is never done 😉
Freelancing really is a lot more work. Last time I checked, I think the U.S. workforce was roughly 1/3 freelancers. We're the dirty secret behind every big company. My favorite corporate euphemism for freelancers is "contingent talent." Side note: I was talking to some friends who freelance and we all agreed that any presidential candidate who ran on a platform of forcing companies to pay freelancers promptly (net 15) would have our attention.
Freelancers are "the dirty secret behind every big company" — oh yes indeed. So, on a slightly more serious note, I think the "one-day week" or "three-day-week" is something freelancers need to get good at imposing on themselves — and insisting that such a schedule be accommodated through contract deadlines.
Psych!
Okay, back to reality. These days, I do my best to make weekends family/personal time. So I guess I'm back to the same old five-day work week. Darn :-)
I know that mental trick well. It's easier to say than to pull off, but it's one of the most important things I can tell anyone who is thinking of freelancing.
I think the one day work week is a great idea. Years ago, I tried to convince people to change to the 3 day week and 3 hours a day, 9am to noon. Who ever wants to come back after lunch? It's always downhill from there. And as you mentioned, Monday and Friday are shit shows.
The 6 day weekend would mean more time to fart around on the internet than you already do when you're at work.
Toward the end of my career, I tried to get rid of cases of the Mondays by taking vacation days. It turned Tuesdays into Mondays, but Tuesdays were never as busy.
I think we can blame the 5-day workweek on the nuclear family. Parents (mothers) need somewhere to send children and will take no less than 5 days of it. Once the teachers have to work, so do the administrators and janitors. So do the people in factories making 5 days worth of institutional-grade paper towels and toilet paper. So do the bus drivers, mechanics, snowplow drivers, and locksmiths called in to open 7th grade lockers jammed with fruit leather by 9th graders. You see how it goes. If we quit having children, the one-day work week is a sure thing.
Love the one day work week idea 😂 Though perhaps not so great for us self-employed folk, since GSD tends to equal getting paid!! Lots of companies here in New Zealand are trialling 4-day work weeks on 5 day pay, and judging by the complete absence of traffic on the roads on Fridays, NOONE but me goes to the office on a Friday anymore! Times are a-changing, but you're ahead of the game there 😀
My hope is that self-employed people follow the lead of people who work for a company. For example, I'm self-employed. I never know when to take a holiday or a vacation, so I just follow my wife's schedule. During the pandemic, Friday slowed to a crawl for her, so I switched things up and turned Friday into my day to clean the house and do laundry. If we can convince her employer to go to a one-day week, we'll all be safe. Sadly, the trend in the U.S. is back to the office for the full five days. Ugh.
As a recovering workaholic, one day a week may be too tempting for me. As alcoholics have to abstain so they don’t fall off the wagon, then I must as well.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. How I’ll live I’m unsure, but that’s a story for another day.
I haven’t worked in almost two years due to disability. I can’t remember what it was like to work 50-60+ hours a week and then somehow get most of my personal shit done over a two-day weekend. Like, HOW? It’s an insane expectation of any human. I’m down with the six-day weekend. That gives us plenty of time to call all of the corporate overlords that erroneously billed us to fight with them (that is how I spend a lot of my time now, it seems. Usually these are medical overlords, but they’re all cut from the same profits-over-people cloth).
I just want to make sure that the people who answer the overlords' phones also get six-day weekends. Can't tell you how many times I've had a good experience with someone who is genuinely trying to be helpful, but then we realize that we're both trapped in this awful in-human system.
I am always astounded at the number of people who haven’t seen this movie. Top five comedic movies of all time. I’d include Office Christmas Party in that category too, and oh look! An office theme has emerged.
Mike Judge is one of my favorite writers! The thing is, it's very hard to go broad with satire, and because of that studios just won't invest marketing dollars. It's a shame because Office Space speaks to a very universal theme. But the studio never got behind it (and there was even less support for Idiocracy, also great), so it gets tagged as a "sleeper hit," or "cult classic," which is a nice way of saying, a lot of people loved this movie, despite the fact that the studio totally dropped the ball on the marketing.
For the last 9 weeks, my Wednesdays are also my Mondays AND Fridays. Living the 6-day weekend dream, you say? Sure am. I am highly skilled at GSD in my one 8-hour day. I mean, not nearly the amount of stuff as when my employer wanted me for 35 hours in a week... but a surprising amount, nonetheless. The unfortunate thing about this one-day-work-week is that it comes with a one-day-of-work-paycheck. And that is, well, the shits. So I don't recommend the switch. On the plus side, I can take a six-day vacation to--say--Costa Rica and not have to take any vacation time from work.
Also, atmospheric rivers are dreadful. And, thus, I encourage all Californians to stay put. Don't move to Oregon. You will hate the weather.
Awesome post Michael. Love your storytelling. I am tempted to integrate the one-day work week as a stepping stone for my clients who want to get to the opportunity of a 7-day weekend. I myself tried it because I could and found that it's not for me but knowing I have the option will be attractive for many. Thanks for giving me a way to offer a gradual expansion of the weekend.
A city utility i worked for had a 4x10 work week. City government office! We had to keep emergency response crews running 24x7, but the oddice workers could GSD whenever. It was glorious, hhough a downside was govt holidays didnt matter any more.
Atmospheric Rivers sounds like the WORST fucking Jethro Tull album EVER! A case of the Mondays can only be solved by the anticipation of Taco Tuesdays, therefore nullifying Monday completely. Everybody's new Slack message: "I won't be at my desk on Monday; the day has been nullified." This could work! Yes? No? Is it Tuesday yet?
I think this could work! Let's do it! Let's nullify Monday. Also, you're right about atmospheric rivers. You are so wise!
And you could still sing the song Manic Monday: "Just another nullified Monday..ohh-whoaa.." We go right from Lazy Sunday to Taco Tuesday and I see nothing wrong with this. Biden: run on this platform and the next term is YOURS!
If Biden wants to win, all he has to do is hire us. We'll order tacos for America and the race will take care of itself.
I think this idea has a majority behind it! Plus-they might include dental!!!!
Team One-Day Work Week, no question. That was all the time I needed to GSD with any organization I worked for. Then I shifted to full-time freelancing, and went 24/7 - where (somehow) the shit is never done 😉
Freelancing really is a lot more work. Last time I checked, I think the U.S. workforce was roughly 1/3 freelancers. We're the dirty secret behind every big company. My favorite corporate euphemism for freelancers is "contingent talent." Side note: I was talking to some friends who freelance and we all agreed that any presidential candidate who ran on a platform of forcing companies to pay freelancers promptly (net 15) would have our attention.
Freelancers are "the dirty secret behind every big company" — oh yes indeed. So, on a slightly more serious note, I think the "one-day week" or "three-day-week" is something freelancers need to get good at imposing on themselves — and insisting that such a schedule be accommodated through contract deadlines.
Psych!
Okay, back to reality. These days, I do my best to make weekends family/personal time. So I guess I'm back to the same old five-day work week. Darn :-)
I know that mental trick well. It's easier to say than to pull off, but it's one of the most important things I can tell anyone who is thinking of freelancing.
This has been my working life as well. Self employment has its perks but ...
Ain't that the truth. Seems there is ALWAYS a half-written story to finish, no matter what day it is.
Tuesday is just Monday’s ugly stepsister. After that even the calendar says WTF on the slide to the weekend. 😏
Truth!
I think the one day work week is a great idea. Years ago, I tried to convince people to change to the 3 day week and 3 hours a day, 9am to noon. Who ever wants to come back after lunch? It's always downhill from there. And as you mentioned, Monday and Friday are shit shows.
The 6 day weekend would mean more time to fart around on the internet than you already do when you're at work.
Toward the end of my career, I tried to get rid of cases of the Mondays by taking vacation days. It turned Tuesdays into Mondays, but Tuesdays were never as busy.
Work after lunch opens up another angle of attack here. I can honestly say that one good morning of work is worth five afternoons of work.
I think we can blame the 5-day workweek on the nuclear family. Parents (mothers) need somewhere to send children and will take no less than 5 days of it. Once the teachers have to work, so do the administrators and janitors. So do the people in factories making 5 days worth of institutional-grade paper towels and toilet paper. So do the bus drivers, mechanics, snowplow drivers, and locksmiths called in to open 7th grade lockers jammed with fruit leather by 9th graders. You see how it goes. If we quit having children, the one-day work week is a sure thing.
This is a great point, Tara! Thanks for setting me straight. On the other hand, I don't have kids, so maybe I can still live the dream? Probably not.
Ah, if only! Sadly, it takes a village of 8 billion to raise one child. We are an inefficient species.
There goes my six-day weekend. Crap.
I'm here for the one day work week. I'll get the movement started in Australia and we can meet in the middle.
Hell yes, I knew I could count on Oz!
Love the one day work week idea 😂 Though perhaps not so great for us self-employed folk, since GSD tends to equal getting paid!! Lots of companies here in New Zealand are trialling 4-day work weeks on 5 day pay, and judging by the complete absence of traffic on the roads on Fridays, NOONE but me goes to the office on a Friday anymore! Times are a-changing, but you're ahead of the game there 😀
My hope is that self-employed people follow the lead of people who work for a company. For example, I'm self-employed. I never know when to take a holiday or a vacation, so I just follow my wife's schedule. During the pandemic, Friday slowed to a crawl for her, so I switched things up and turned Friday into my day to clean the house and do laundry. If we can convince her employer to go to a one-day week, we'll all be safe. Sadly, the trend in the U.S. is back to the office for the full five days. Ugh.
I am Team Mortimer…one day work week, naps in soft comfortable places, and donuts.
You make excellent choices, Sheila!
As a recovering workaholic, one day a week may be too tempting for me. As alcoholics have to abstain so they don’t fall off the wagon, then I must as well.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. How I’ll live I’m unsure, but that’s a story for another day.
Stay strong, Kim!
I haven’t worked in almost two years due to disability. I can’t remember what it was like to work 50-60+ hours a week and then somehow get most of my personal shit done over a two-day weekend. Like, HOW? It’s an insane expectation of any human. I’m down with the six-day weekend. That gives us plenty of time to call all of the corporate overlords that erroneously billed us to fight with them (that is how I spend a lot of my time now, it seems. Usually these are medical overlords, but they’re all cut from the same profits-over-people cloth).
I just want to make sure that the people who answer the overlords' phones also get six-day weekends. Can't tell you how many times I've had a good experience with someone who is genuinely trying to be helpful, but then we realize that we're both trapped in this awful in-human system.
Excellent point, my friend
4. I treat a case of the Mondays either by reading in bed all day or watching "Office Space," one of the funniest movies of all time.
I am always astounded at the number of people who haven’t seen this movie. Top five comedic movies of all time. I’d include Office Christmas Party in that category too, and oh look! An office theme has emerged.
Mike Judge is one of my favorite writers! The thing is, it's very hard to go broad with satire, and because of that studios just won't invest marketing dollars. It's a shame because Office Space speaks to a very universal theme. But the studio never got behind it (and there was even less support for Idiocracy, also great), so it gets tagged as a "sleeper hit," or "cult classic," which is a nice way of saying, a lot of people loved this movie, despite the fact that the studio totally dropped the ball on the marketing.
Good choices all around, Christina!
Ah, a one-day-work-week!
For the last 9 weeks, my Wednesdays are also my Mondays AND Fridays. Living the 6-day weekend dream, you say? Sure am. I am highly skilled at GSD in my one 8-hour day. I mean, not nearly the amount of stuff as when my employer wanted me for 35 hours in a week... but a surprising amount, nonetheless. The unfortunate thing about this one-day-work-week is that it comes with a one-day-of-work-paycheck. And that is, well, the shits. So I don't recommend the switch. On the plus side, I can take a six-day vacation to--say--Costa Rica and not have to take any vacation time from work.
Also, atmospheric rivers are dreadful. And, thus, I encourage all Californians to stay put. Don't move to Oregon. You will hate the weather.
I think the entire nation would like Californians to stay put.
All Mortimer's Mondays into my Mondays and we can Mortimize Our Mondays into a solid mass of sad and sleep.
Next up: Mortimer on Wednesdays: teeth bared, snarling yet sleepiness overcomes us. Help, Mortimer!
Awesome post Michael. Love your storytelling. I am tempted to integrate the one-day work week as a stepping stone for my clients who want to get to the opportunity of a 7-day weekend. I myself tried it because I could and found that it's not for me but knowing I have the option will be attractive for many. Thanks for giving me a way to offer a gradual expansion of the weekend.
Thank you, Axel! That's make the 7-day weekend a reality!
A city utility i worked for had a 4x10 work week. City government office! We had to keep emergency response crews running 24x7, but the oddice workers could GSD whenever. It was glorious, hhough a downside was govt holidays didnt matter any more.
Hell, yes! But I would easily settle for a 4-day work week.