may 2022 marks the 12th month of my time working for brave (this was an update that i forgot to give). it's also the 12th month that i have spent working 4/7 days per week (mon-thurs) — as opposed to the standard 5/7. this involved taking a 20% paycut, as i wasn't prepared to try and fit the same amount of work in the same timeframe. as you may well expect to hear from a deeply ingrained member of this growing cult, it's been quite a liberating experience.
summarised conclusions
- i spend my fridays doing very little. though i originally had some grand ideas of putting my mind to work in different ways on my extra day off, i quickly found that even 4 days of solid work necessitate a day of little more than just enjoying the present. fortunately, saturdays and sundays now have more purpose after spending a day in vegetation mode.
- i sleep much better than i previously did when working 5 days. i think having 3 nights of relaxation has lead to healthier sleep habits, which has also made it easier to relax on weekday evenings as well.
- the work that i do genuinely mon-thurs genuinely seems more interesting, and something that i have enjoyed doing. monday coming around is no longer a source of dread, like it used to be at times in the past.
- i feel the amount/quality of work that i do hasn't dramatically changed.
- overall, it's been worth it.
caveats
- the salary i get paid is well-equipped to pay for the cost of living in lisboa, so taking a 20% paycut didn't have a dramatic impact on my capacity to live fairly freely.
- i work as a contractor, so establishing non-standard working practices is easier than for those with contracted working periods.
faqs
- no, i do not check my messages on a friday, i really do very little. this feels a necessity after 4 solid days of work.
- no, i do not feel like i miss out on anything. fridays, in general, don't tend to throw up anything unexpected.
- no, friday is not a day for "catching up with my work". if that is the case, then you probably just have too many meetings on the other days.
- yes, i still need to take holiday and annual leave.