[schmrz]

I assume that you are self-employed. If you are not, then I guess it all depends on your employer.

I've been thinking of working 4 days a week during summer, but since I mostly work full-time for one client at a time, it would definitely disrupt their plans as well. So I'm still kinda thinking about it, but not doing anything about it :)

I think it works best if you have a business that doesn't depend on you being there all the time.

[stevesearer]

Yeah, self-employed, but not really in an hourly pay scenario where more hours worked directly correlates to more income. If that were the case, it would likely be more difficult to take a reduction in pay to make it work.

[stevenkovar]

Since you're self-employed, it's very possible to incorporate a 4-day workweek.

You'll want to:

* Be more greedy with your time. In other words, start delegating more and place more trust in the people you delegate the work to. If you're currently a workaholic, it will definitely feel foreign to so fervently pursue having more "unproductive" time. Focus on the "big wins." People, especially talented ones, have a tendency to work UP to the level of expectation and trust.

* Spend more effort planning out the week on Day 1. Track what is being done, but focus on where you want to be above which specific tasks are getting done. Ensure progress is being made, even if tasks feel like they're piling up (this happens; that's life). Marry yourself to that feeling of incremental improvement, not how much "work" you're putting in.

* Disconnect on your days off—make your decision pay off. You're self-employed, so it will probably be difficult. The main benefit of working less is that your focus deficit will slowly turn into a surplus. It becomes easier to be ON when you are working when you are actually OFF during your downtime. Easier said than done.

A lot about working less is counter-intuitive. You see this culture of 80 hour weeks and you think that's what it takes to keep up, but you don't hear about how draining it is and how often people burn out. You are affording yourself personal sustainability today, which to me is much more valuable than a large payout "someday."

[stevesearer]

That is a lot of great advice. Disconnecting is going to be an important part of the time off.

One of the things I'm still weighing is the need to balance "me time" with "family time". Having a day off is great for going on a solo hike or something, but with a 3-month old, it is kind of a dick move to make my wife stay at home with our daughter while I'm off gallivanting around regenerating my batteries.

I rent an office space so separating work and home is easier than it would be if I had a home office. But I'm really hoping to treat it like a day off and just not check in.

Maybe after I experiment for a few months I'll write up a blog post about it and report back.

[stevenkovar]

Alternate week-to-week. One week, you can go for your hike. The next, you spend the day at home and let your do what it is she wants. Maybe even plan out every third week for you to hire a babysitter and explore the world together.