Psychological burnout is growing; While burnout is nothing new, it’s now on the rise – it’s fair to say it’s been a stressful year for many of us, so it feels like a good time to think about how we can manage our energy.
When our workload gets overwhelming, we often resort to working longer hours. However, the problem with this is that the number of hours we have in a day is finite, but energy on the other hand, is not. If we can better manage our energy, this can have a positive impact on wellbeing. We’re going to exploring this topic over the coming weeks, and we’ll be discussing how we can better manage our energy on our next Reset Show.
The burden of remote work along with increased fear of job loss is starting to have an impact. While there’s no doubt that our mindset will impact our wellbeing as we navigate life post Covid-19, it is also useful to explore how companies can respond. Organisations are increasingly searching for solutions to help prevent their employees from burning out.
We wanted to shine a light on one very simple, yet elusive idea: the 4-day work week. Working for four days and being paid for five might sound beyond the realms of possibility, but it’s an idea that’s starting to gain attention. The aim of the 4-day week is to establish a healthy work-life balance. In turn, this should decrease stress levels, boost productivity and generally promote a healthier life for workers.
For some people, this is already a reality. Andrew Barnes, entrepreneur & philanthropist, became the face of this concept after writing his book; ‘The 4 Day Week’. He completed an 8-week trial in his company, Perpetual Guardian, and the results were impressive. He found that engagement was up by 30-40%, stress levels decreased by 15%, employees worked better as a team, and were better able to handle their workload, despite reduced hours. This is now how his company operates permanently.
In the Ted Talk where he introduced this idea, Barnes explained the inspiration behind this was that the average person in the UK is productive for roughly 2.5 hours per working day. This means that if we were to be productive for an additional 45 minutes per day, we would generate the same output in 4 days. If his staff could deliver this level of productivity, they would be rewarded with an additional day off. He added that his staff are now “the best they can be in the office, but also the best they can be outside”. It enabled people to cement their relationships, spend more time on their hobbies and come into work feeling refreshed and be more productive as a result. In other words, they were better able to manage their energy.
Managing your energy effectively is a skill which is often overlooked. We often believe that if we work longer hours, we get more done – but it isn’t always as black and white as this. Have you noticed that sometimes you can work for 10 hours straight and get very little done? Other times we can work for 3 or 4 hours and be really productive?
You may have heard the analogy, ‘it’s a marathon, not a sprint’ when talking about how to avoid burnout. What this is saying is slow down so you don’t burnout. However, this might not be the best way to manage our energy. Instead of seeing it as a marathon, we could look at it as a collection of ‘short sprints’. By this, we mean working in a way where you really focus for a short amount of time, and then take a rest to regenerate your energy. A good way to do this is to set a timer for 45 minutes, focus on a specific goal, and then take a 10 minute breather.
The 4-day week could be beneficial, as it helps us to work at our optimum productivity for the time we are at work, with the bonus of then having more time to actively rest on our days off.
Reducing our working hours goes beyond just this:
- For instance, at any given time, 1 in 5 people in our workforce is living with a mental illness. This could be a great opportunity to enable workers to make their mental health a priority.
- A 4 day-week could alleviate pressure regarding childcare as well – this may be particularly relevant when it comes to reducing the gender pay gap.
- Some claim (New Economics Foundation) it would be hugely beneficial for the economy in the UK, for example by helping businesses reduce costs.
It may not be the perfect solution but it’s certainly a thought-provoking one. The way we work now might not always be fit for purpose; and this idea could shape the future of work.
To find out more about managing energy, join us for The Reset Show – more info can be found here.
