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Create a 4-Day Work Week

Create a 4-day work week so that you can have more free time to enjoy yourself. This plan doesn't mean to work less but to rearrange your time, so you can get it all done in four days instead of five.

Working five days every week is overrated. Who doesn't want only to work four days each week and potentially gain a three-day weekend for the rest of their career? While this seems like a dream that is too good to be true, you may be successful at obtaining this goal if you discover a way to work with your company to get what you want.

Create a Four-Day Workweek

create a 4-day work week Now this goal is not necessarily going to be easy to achieve, especially when you work with a manager or company that has their way of doing things. However, by getting a little help and learning to talk to decision-makers persuasively, you may be able to get what you want, a four-day workweek.

Create a 4-Day Workweek


  • Working 4 Days
    Learning to negotiate a reduction or change in your hours while still getting paid the same amount of money can be a difficult skill that needs to be acquired. However, the trick is to learn the art of compromise and persuasion. Although some of these tactics may work for some, it doesn't mean that they will always be successful. You need to have a good feel for your situation to know what types of things you can do or say to get what you want.
  • Assess Your Workplace
    Check your surrounding departments and the company in general to discover the trends and patterns that come into play regarding scheduling. Now because no one else in your company has four-day workweeks doesn't mean that they will automatically reject you when you request it.

    Observe the environment to determine the stress levels and workloads that each department has to handle. For example, have you found a department that encounters a high-stress level and ridiculous workloads? Then the management is going to want to have all of their employees around as much as possible. However, if it is a slightly more relaxed environment, you may have a better shot at getting four-day workweeks.
  • Take it Slow
    You can't go over to your manager and ask them to give you one day off every week. You have to take it in stride. A suggestion is to bring the idea to the attention of your boss and request a trial period. You can ask to have one week in which you work four days but phrase it so that you are sure that you will be able to get the same amount of work done in less time. Perhaps you could work two extra hours each day to work 40 hours still? Whatever the suggestion is, make sure that you come to a compromise.

    If you are an hourly employee and you still need to make the same amount of money, take the extra hours and distribute them among the other days. You may have a much heavier workload, but it may be worth it if you can handle it.
  • Suggest Alternatives to Still Get Work Done
    As mentioned above, you are going to have to provide an alternative to prove to your boss that you are still able to complete your work as well as if you had worked a full five days. Either suggest working more during the four days that you show up to the office, or even consider working part of the time from home. Home offices are such a popular notion in the workplace that it wouldn't be such a stretch to suggest it.
  • Consider Changing Companies
    When all else fails, and you don't think you can negotiate with your current employer, you might want to think about changing companies. During the interview process, you should make it clear what you would like your desired hours to be.

    Can you convince the Human Resources manager that your work ethic is good enough for you only to have four-day workweeks? Then you may be able to negotiate a contract in which you get the schedule for which you have been striving.
While it is ideal to simply persuade your current employer to let you have a four-day workweek, it is not the only option. Sometimes switching companies may be the right choice for your situation. If you want to create a four-day workweek, it is not impossible to obtain, but you have to know how to use the art of rhetoric to get what you desire.