Recently, I have made some changes to the way I work. I really like my work--it is all kinds of things that I could never hope to find in any other scenario. I have flexibility, I am consistently challenged, I get to touch people, and I can make my work anything I want it to be. Having this freedom far outweighs any benefits that might be included in employment with some other entity. The notion of paid vacation hardly shines at all because it is so limited. I have my own health insurance--partially subsidized by a state program that exists for people who do not have access to employer-related health benefits. If I lose this subsidy, I have budgeted for my monthly premiums. Employee benefits just don't appeal to me that much. The absence of supervision and micromanagement alone eclipse a couple weeks of paid vacation and a crappy 401k. I'll save money aggressively and decline to answer the phone if I want to, thank you very much.
For a good while I have been very committed to a four day work week. I never work on Mondays, and with the exception of a grave emergency, I do not work on weekends, either. People have funny reactions to this four day work week. "Well, " they'll scoff, "It must be nice."
At first I felt I had to somehow defend my choice to work only four days, and I would hasten to say that on those four days I worked hard, as if working hard would somehow make it ok that I didn't work 5 days. And why would I need to work 5 days, or even work hard at all? What is the character value in that? And why did I feel I needed to justify it? There are some days when I do work hard. Other days, I don't work so hard. It just depends on what people need from me.
I spend a fair amount of my not working time reading about things that pertain to work, but I don't count that research time as work hours, it is just what I do. I do it to indulge my curiosity, to get smarter, to figure things out. I do it because I think this stuff is neat. Pharamacology--neat. Dopamine receptors--neat. Prions? Totally interesting. Is this work? Not really. It is who I am. Do I know how to help you improve your well-being? Probably. Is this something that needs to fit nicely into a 40 hour work-week model? I don't think so. Still, my patients benefit from all my non-working hours curiosity.
There is also a misconception that people like me, who provide a service for a fee, are always making that fee, every hour. If I made my full fee for every hour that I worked, yes, I'd be struggle-free when it comes to meeting my expenses. The thing is, I'm not making that fee each hour. Sometimes this is due to my schedule not being full. Or someone canceling at the last minute, or failing to show up at all. Sometimes this is because I am treating someone for trade, or at a reduced rate, or even for free, because I'm like that. I also have a chunk of overhead each month that isn't all that small. It is a price I pay for all the freedom I have--and I do it gladly. The next time you are using company toilet paper, think of me. I have to buy my own. Money, however, is not the point of this post.
The point of this post is that I have implemented the THREE DAY WORK WEEK. Like I said, I like working, but I like not working even more. I have started telling people this, and the reactions have been supportive. My work partners all thought it was awesome. They have similar schedules and full lives and they are also not rich people. Most of my friends think it is great. I am not sure I will let my patients in on my schedule change, however. I have one patient who has remarked that my four day work week makes me "semi-retired". She said this in the same breath as her complaint about how expensive it is to see me. She sees me once a month, and I told her that if my fee was too expensive for her, she would be welcome to drive an hour to the next nearest acupuncturist and see her for 10$ more per session. The thing is, my three day work week, which is awesome, is a full time job. I am running a business, seeing patients, doing research, keeping my books, buying toilet paper, going to the bank, commuting to and fro, and exploring what it means to me to have a healthy work-life balance.
I'm not busy. I'm just occupied.
What do you think about when you think about the notion of "work ethic"?
7 comments:
personally, i love my 2.5 day work week, so three days sounds awesome to me.
the notion of "work ethic" makes me cringe. it makes me think of people who are constantly stressed and constantly unhappy. people who are consumed by their job/career. people who work long hard hours at jobs and aren't sure if they contribute to a better world.
work ethic makes me think of my dad--whom i never saw because he was too busy working a corporate job. i don't think he was happy, mainly because when he was home, he was falling asleep on the couch. bills were paid, groceries were bought, vacations were taken, but where was my dad? his work ethic and that of his company rewarded him and us materially, but emotionally, us kids were robbed of a present and involved father.
i may only be in the office 2.5 days a week, but i enjoy a very full life. i like life more than i don't. i make time for things that make me happy, instead of waiting for retirement. why wait? life is happening right now, not when i'm 60.
Thanks for the comment, ECL. My dad worked for a corporation, too. He was nearly always cranky and gruff. He seemed to hate his job. He especially resented the people who managed him. Each day he would come home from work and complain bitterly about it at the dinner table, where all were mandatorily present. Like you, I experienced a father who wasn't necessarily present in the family because of work. We did have food and clothing, and later, my parents graciously bought my undergrad degree--and so much more. Still, I think it is too bad that all of those good things came at such a price.
Timely post, Zetta. I'm also thinking about venturing out on my own for all the reasons you mention here.
You're right--people don't often understand that the fee pays more than your salary, and that for every for or so hours of billable time, there's an hour or so of administrative work.
I don't think you need to defend your choices--you deserve the career you've organized for yourself and are worth the fee you charge. And having the career integrated into life because it's your thing (so you read books on acupuncture on a Sunday afternoon) is part of what makes life lovable.
I meant "four" or so hours. It's not even 8 a.m. yet. That's my excuse.
Brava, kudos, mazel tov, and like that to you, smart Zetta. As to what do I think ... work ethic, well, the question makes me think there is a lot to think about, largely along the lines of what ECL said. And I think your work ethic demonstrates what the term originally ought to have meant: zeal, balance, diligence, humor, focus, enjoyment, arranging your life so as to throw yourself into your work full-bore when and how you choose. I can't tell you how admirable I find that, and how pleased I am that you and some others have brought this fine concept to life in the here and now.
XO
Tue230
I think it's wonderful that you can earn what you need in a 3-day work week. The best of both worlds. I truly am proud that you can do that. I went to a 3-day week for a couple months before I retired and I LOVED it.
You have to understand about dads, though. Your dad and ECL's dad are from a different generation and are products of the generation before them. Bringing home the bacon was the admirable thing to do. Had he been able to do it in 3 days a week, I'm sure he gladly would have. But he did what he had to so I could be at home with you and your sister. That was important to him. He loved his work, just not where he was working. (Also, he isn't happy unless he has something to complain about.)
"Work ethic" to me is what your dad did - he showed up at work when he was expected to be there and he gave a day's work for a day's pay. Even though he'd have rather been somewhere else. Work ethic doesn't make me necessarily think of a person who is driven or a workaholic. Just someone who has a job to do and does it consistly and well.
Anyway, I hope this really works out for you. I know you've worked hard to get to this point and you deserve to be able to do this cuz you're really, really smart.
It is more about meeting your responsibilities. For example a stay home mom doesn't get paid or have set hours or an hourly rate or salary but she has a responsibility to her kids, that is her work ethic. Someone who is rich works a thousand hours a week but has no life or love for anything has a poor work ethic. A teenager who has an hourly job who always shows up on time, covers his shifts learns and does his job well has a pretty decent work ethic.
I think it is more about the commitment you make to the job you do and to do it well. Whether you work at McDonald's, for Donald Trump or own your own business. It doesn't matter if you work ten hours a week or 90. You make the choice and you follow through...
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