Four day work week

You can file this entry under “I simply don’t understand how the rest of you function as adults.”

Even without a job, I still find myself incredibly busy, with not much time to spare for unexpected nonsense. Such nonsense presented itself today in the form of the filter on the fish tank going on the fritz. So, not only did this completely upend my schedule for today —  as I had only budgeted 30 minutes to siphon the tank, in addition to all the other chores needing attention — but will spill into tomorrow as well, as I’ll have to take an hour or two out of my day to go get a new filter.

It’s fine, please disperse, nothing to see here. We all know these things happen on the regular. Your car battery malfunctions; you realize you just ran out of toilet paper, dish soap, laundry detergent, and coffee all at the same time; your pet needs to be rushed to the vet; you get an important phone call you weren’t counting on. This is life, and we all have to contend with the unexpected.

But, as I sit here typing this as an unemployed person, I am reminded of how ridiculous the time crunch is that permeates every single facet of our incredibly busy lives. And to that end, I think it’s high time we had a national conversation about our obsession with work. I know some people love their jobs and don’t mind being on the clock 50 hours a week, and I also know that some folks actually are addicted to work. Were you aware there is a 12-step program called “Workaholics Anonymous”? Unfortunately, in this society, it seems those are the folks setting the high bar to which the rest of us are expected to ultimately adhere.

We need a four day work week, period. You work hard for four days; then you have one day to do nothing but simply rest and recover; then one day for laundry, cleaning, shopping, etc.; and then a day to actually get out and do something that feeds your soul. It’s as simple as that, and you know what? They’re normalizing this in various places around the world and finding that productivity actually increases as a result. Also, every single American worker should get 4 weeks paid vacation. Nonnegotiable.

I guess with AI about to replace most of us anyway, it’s time to talk about Universal Basic Income. Which is all just stupid anyway, as money is inherently dumb. Let’s ditch that old Protestant work ethic and create a society where people can actually devote their lives to, well, living!

Myself, I’m in the midst of the most explosive creative period of my life. Compare that to the 2-1/2 years I spent working full-time at Saint Thomas, when I literally didn’t even pick up my instruments the entire time, and I would submit that this current situation sees me flourishing and actually being a contributing member of society.

Whether or not society is paying any attention to those creative contributions is another question. Maybe it’s all for posterity anyway.

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