What it's like to shun the paycheque and reject the 40-hour work week – the full story

Those of you who are in New Zealand might have seen my pretty face in the Sunday Star Times last weekend. They asked to interview me for a story about leaving the 40-hours-of-work-a-week world which I was happy to do.  If you missed it, here is the story.

Given I know under how much pressure the media are these days to squeeze a lot of stuff into as few words as possible (to leave more space for ads and to cater to the ever-declining attention span of most people), I wasn’t surprised that only a fraction of the information I had shared with the journalist made it into the story. 

But I thought her questions where really good, and since I have done the work to write down my answers, I thought I'd share the full story here for those who are interested in learning more about why I chose to work less and what it's been like. 

1.    Why you opted to work less?

This was in mid 2017. I was doing really well career-wise and with life on the whole but was starting to question things. I was earning good money, but I realised that it didn't really mean that much to me. Even though I enjoy the work I do, I struggled to stay motivated and was starting to question what I'm doing it for. People around me were using their money to buy houses, fancy cars, go on holidays, start families, etc. None of that felt right to me – but at the time, I didn't know what would be the right future for me.

Initially, I decided to scale back on work just for a while. I wanted to give myself time to figure out what I want to do with my life and what matters to me. I pretty quickly realised that time and freedom are the two things that make me the happiest. So the temporary reduction in work become a long-term thing.  

I actually went back to working full-time for five months earlier this year when one of my existing clients asked me to fill in until they found a new permanent person. After having had time and freedom for over 18 months, I struggled to re-adjust to a 40+ hour workweek. I felt stressed, uninspired, and my health suffered. I didn't eat well and struggled with back pain – which disappeared the second I went back to my not-work-dominated lifestyle. 

2. What you were doing beforehand, and how is your life different now? 

I had been working as a marketing contractor for a number of years before I decided to scale back work. At the time I made the decision to take a step back, I was on a full-time contract as Head of Marketing with a software business, and I was also doing work for other clients on the side.

My life was probably much like many other people’s. I would wake up in the morning, rush to work, spend 8-9 hours in the office, get home, make dinner and crash exhausted on the couch – often still doing more work in the evening or just trying to stay on top of life-admin stuff. 

I struggled to find time for the things I enjoy – and more importantly, struggled to find the energy for them. 

Today, my life is very different. On average, I do about 15-20 hours of paid work per week. That is enough to cover my costs, and I even save a bit most months. And it leaves me with plenty of time for the things I love, like travelling around our beautiful country in my campervan, surfing and kitesurfing – and writing. 

The most amazing thing happened after I scaled back at work. I felt so happy, relaxed and inspired. I started writing a lot more again, which had always been a passion of mine but something I hadn’t had time and inspiration for in years. I ended up writing a book about finding happiness by following your own path in life and even managed to find a publisher for it. It’s called One Size Does Not Fit All and will be out in a few weeks (you can find it on Amazon now). I’m super proud of that achievement and know that it would have never happened if I had kept working 40+ hours a week.  

The other real difference I've noticed is that I'm so much more productive when it comes to working. With the stress gone, I find I do things quicker and better than I used to. I think being able to focus and not having to worry about the 20 other things on my to-do list had a very positive impact on my work – so in a way, my clients benefit from this lifestyle as well.

3. Why do you think more people are choosing to work part-time?

I think more and more people are starting to figure out that materialistic possessions and wealth are not all that it’s cracked up to be. I think people are realising that all the stuff that money can buy doesn’t really make them any happier in the long-run. With money often being the main motivator why people are working so much, that awareness probably results in more and more people working less – and earning less. 

I also think we’re starting to see a shift away from a materialist-focused society to one that starts to care more about things like spending time with friends and family, having different experiences and having the opportunity to develop as an individual. I think people are more aware now of how much they sacrifice when they spend so much time working – not just in terms of the actual time but also in terms of energy, inspiration and mind-set.

4. Does more time to yourself outweigh the potential stress around less income?

YES!!!!!!!!!!! I have to say in this context that I'm probably a bit lucky in that I have skills and experiences that qualify me for work that I can do part-time and remotely and that pays well enough to cover my costs even when I don't work full-time. Not everyone is in a situation where that would work. 

However, I also would say that I have cut back on my spending significantly. For almost two years now, I've been living either in my campervan or been housesitting and not paying rent makes a huge difference. I don't spend money on things like designer clothes, expensive make-up or other luxury items and I generally do think more about what I spend money on. 

But, honestly, none of that feels like sacrifices to me. I am the happiest I've ever been!

I think a lot of people would find that they can afford to work less if they are willing to cut back on how much they spend. I think it all comes down to knowing your personal values and living by them. If you’re interested in learning more about your personal values, check out this free exercise.