I’ll echo what others are saying about four days preventing burnout and leaving mental space for other activities.
Just for last year, I went back to five days to get something out the door. Being there every day with my team was nice, and I balanced the heavy mental work with exercise at night or on weekends. But hobby coding — or writing or anything requiring mental juice — stopped entirely. By the end of the year as we got close to shipping, I was drifting into that “what the hell am I spending my life for” mindset.
Going back to four days this year fixed it. Each work day is still mentally exhausting, but I’ve been using my day off for personal stuff and, randomly, to practice slack lining with a small group of flexible friends. I’m so grateful to have this option.
Just for last year, I went back to five days to get something out the door. Being there every day with my team was nice, and I balanced the heavy mental work with exercise at night or on weekends. But hobby coding — or writing or anything requiring mental juice — stopped entirely. By the end of the year as we got close to shipping, I was drifting into that “what the hell am I spending my life for” mindset.
Going back to four days this year fixed it. Each work day is still mentally exhausting, but I’ve been using my day off for personal stuff and, randomly, to practice slack lining with a small group of flexible friends. I’m so grateful to have this option.