Brian de Haaff* decries attempts to introduce a four-day work-week, believing it props up the search for what he sees as a mythical work-life balance.
The year has raced off to a busy start.
February did not seem to have enough days and March was full of new launches and new hires.
Looming over everything is the possibility of multiple changes before 2023 is much older.
How do you want to work? Where do you want to spend your time? Can you do it all?
Many folks are deeply pondering the answer to these questions — whether because of looking for a new role or being ready to realise personal aspirations.
As a result I have been giving some thought to what I consider the myth of ‘work-life balance’.
The conversation around redundancies still dominates my feed, but I have noticed another point of discussion — shortening the professional work-week.
Now, let’s get a few things straight.
Cutting down to four days is not even a consideration for most people.
To even ponder it you are probably a knowledge or tech worker, and have some level of financial security and career autonomy.
Moving to a compressed schedule might appear to be a benefit to those who meet that criteria.
In fact, I just saw an article about a United States lawmaker who was pushing legislation to create tax incentives for businesses that embraced a shortened work-week.
He was quoted as saying: “This is really a larger conversation about where we are as a country, and whether we need to ask ourselves, for the first time in almost a century, if there is something better than living to work.”
This quote assumes that work and life are in conflict with one another, but for most of us, there is no meaningful separation between the two.
Nor should there be: Work ethic is a great predictor of success — no matter what it is you are pursuing.
We all have the opportunity to be great in everything we do, so why try to divide our life into discrete units?
To me, a core premise behind the four-day work-week is flawed.
It assumes less work is somehow better than more, which I think is untrue for many people.
Naturally I was curious what others thought was most important in terms of how you work, so I put out a poll on LinkedIn to see what people had to say.
The vast majority said that a flexible schedule was the ideal.
I think this anecdotally supports my take that work is life and life is work.
There will be times when work that you get paid for will require more of your attention, and times when personal needs and responsibilities arise.
Finding harmony is more achievable and important than pursuing hard lines between the two.
That is why you will often find me skipping out to watch my kids play a sport or to go on a walk-and-talk with a friend during the day — no regrets.
I can always finish my to-dos later that night.
I have long said that work-life balance is a myth.
It does not exist, but we can strive for something more lasting.
Our ultimate goal should be sustainable happiness.
By ‘sustainable’ I mean that you must be able to continue to enjoy what you do for long periods of time.
No burnout.
Happiness comes from doing meaningful work.
When you have the opportunity to achieve something that is aligned with your values, you gain confidence and self-worth.
It makes you feel good.
I know that not everyone is in a role that enables the fullest expression of their talent (or that they like or treats them well).
Many are not able to pursue a higher purpose for a variety of reasons.
However, striving for work-life balance will not help.
Instead, try to find moments of excellence and honour the effort you give.
Celebrate your achievements and use each one as fuel for reaching the next.
Working to one’s full potential while also being able to enrich other areas of life is the ideal — the relationship between the two often being symbiotic.
You cannot control the world around you, but you can control your own actions.
That is why I think it is always a good idea to give your best to every moment, even when things feel uncertain.
I think it is time to put my head down and get back to work now, and I will continue working at least five days during the week.
What about you?
*Brian de Haaff is the Chief Executive of cloud-based software company Aha! He can be contacted on Twitter @bdehaaff.
This article first appeared on the Aha! company website.
