This 3-Day Workweek was Enough
There have been occasional articles in the news about switching from 5 day workweeks to 4. A few countries and companies are trying it. This week I had just a 3 day workweek... not because of any policy change but because Monday was a national holiday and Tuesday I used PTO. And after just 3 days of working this week I am spent.
The crux of the matter is that my 3 working days this week were packed. I had meetings starting as early as 7am and my calendar was booked nearly solid each day. I finished each day worn out, and after 3 days I'm glad it's the weekend already.
Part of the reason my calendar was booked nearly solid is that I created appointments for work that normally goes unscheduled. For example, when I knew a slide deck I'd need to present to a customer first thing Friday morning was in rough shape, I booked an hour late in the day Wednesday to work on it. My boss asked me to complete a course certification by the end of next month, so I've been booking hour-long blocks twice a week to work on that. Protecting time during the workday to do these important tasks is how I keep my workdays sane. Though it feels insane that I'm so worn out after just 3 days.
The crux of the matter is that my 3 working days this week were packed. I had meetings starting as early as 7am and my calendar was booked nearly solid each day. I finished each day worn out, and after 3 days I'm glad it's the weekend already.
Part of the reason my calendar was booked nearly solid is that I created appointments for work that normally goes unscheduled. For example, when I knew a slide deck I'd need to present to a customer first thing Friday morning was in rough shape, I booked an hour late in the day Wednesday to work on it. My boss asked me to complete a course certification by the end of next month, so I've been booking hour-long blocks twice a week to work on that. Protecting time during the workday to do these important tasks is how I keep my workdays sane. Though it feels insane that I'm so worn out after just 3 days.