Work 15 Hours A Week

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Do Less.

In 1930, deep in the darkness of the Great Depression, British economist John Maynard Keynes wrote a fascinating essay called “Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren”.

The bright idea (with a shocking dose of optimism, considering the time) was that technological advancements were accelerating to a point where it would – at some point in the future – no longer require a full-time income to live well.

TL;DR you’re working too much.

His prediction was that the 40-hour work week (which was a pretty new concept at the time, rather than working sunup-to-sundown 6 days a week) would be eventually whittled down to 15 hours.

The crazy thing was, he was right (If you ask me).

The question then is, why are we still working 40 hour weeks?

One theory is that consumption became disconnected from income (cough*debtcrisis*cough). We now buy because we want, not because we have.

Another theory is that when our hourly rate goes up, we value our time at work more, leading to the nagging feeling that we’re wasting time when not earning. In 2024 speak, FOMO. And not so many people are digging ditches and building bridges anymore (as a matter of percentage).

My theory on the matter is simple… we’ll never stop keeping up with the Joneses.

If you think about 1930’s living standards applied to today, you can probably get away with working 15 hours a week right now. That is… if you live in a 2 bedroom 1100 square foot house, with 1 car in the driveway (no garage), maybe a horse for backup transit, buy just one new pair of shoes per year, and only get to eat fruit, nuts, and candy at Christmas.

But the modern life is always tempting us to get more, more, more. It’s easy to want to fit in with those around us, to the point that nowadays simple living has become a radical idea. Tribalism runs strong.

The simple life is a choice, which by extension means that working like a dog is also a choice.

What do you really need to live well? Good health and lots of time with people you love are the truest measure of wealth if you ask me (I know, you didn’t).

So I’ll ask you…What are your priorities as we cruise into the end of the year?

Onward and upward,
Simon Trask

(Small business owner, advisor, and advocate)

P.S. – if you are a small business owner, you will get a ton of value out of the Profit Hiker newsletter. It’s one free gold nugget sent (from Simon) three times a week to help you elevate your business.