40 Hours per Week Is Too Much
 |
| Image by Imgflip via: https://imgflip.com/memetemplate/282682633/ Michael-Scott-And-I-knew-exactly-what-to-do |
I recently decreased my weekly work hours at my job. I was working 40 hours per week with an intense billable expectation, which for those who may not know is how may hours of billable services I need to complete. We usually schedule 30-35 hours with billable appointments to make up for cancellations and no shows. It was all becoming too much.
I started exploring the idea of going part-time, but the more I researched, the more I realized that unless I wanted to go without health insurance, that was not going to be possible. Then, there's the issue of getting supervision hours for my LPC licensure that I am working on right now. So, the less hours I work the longer it is going to take to get my license. Honestly, though, if I can't make it to the end due to burnout, what's the point anyways!
My boss and I started talking about this together and she was trying to help me come up with solutions so I did not have to decrease hours. Some of it helped, but it was never enough. I was still running around with back-to-back appointments, with no breaks to eat/use the restroom/write notes. I think I should mention that this position is salaried...so they could make us do whatever they wanted in terms of the schedule. I finally sat down with my boss and said enough is enough, I cannot continue at this rate and be successful.
She did some research within the company I work for, and she offered me 32-hours per week, an hourly position, but it had insurance! I was ecstatic...and terrified all at the same time. If I decrease my hours, I will have to work longer to get my license to practice as an independent therapist and, the more obvious issue, it is less money. My husband and I worked it out, and agreed that it was worth a try.
It is currently week 4 of this type of schedule and it is a WHOLE NEW WORLD. I feel ready for the week on Monday and having three days off in a row is a wonderful balance. Day one, you do nothing because you are recovering from the week. Day two, you get stuff done around the house because you don't want to do it during the week (at least that's what I do). At this point, before the decrease, I would be going back to work and not feeling rested or ready. Now, day three is a day to enjoy and fully relax because I have had time to separate myself from the job. I feel like I have a life outside of work!
Long story short, if this is something you have struggled with, I highly recommend trying it (so long as you can manage financially and your job provides insurance to part-timers if you cannot obtain insurance otherwise). I am really grateful that my job made this work for me.
I was thinking today, though, "why did it take 4-years to allow myself to explore this idea?" Well, I discovered that I have internalized my father's voice who has told me that "you can always do better," and "if they can do it so can you!" Honestly, it was helpful for a while because it provided me motivation. However, then it turned into, "why can't you be like them," or "I know you're tired but keep pushing yourself, you can do it!"
And then it hit me...just because I can do something does not mean it is good for me. This has now become my life motto. I am done making decisions based on other people's expectations of me and of what they think work ethic looks like. Dropping down to 32 hours does not make me a failure, it makes me more successful. It also is another moment of me practicing what I preach in therapy, "self-care, self-care, self-care!" No one else is going to provide you with the relief you need, because they can't. Only you can do this for yourself.
So, here is your sign to continue following your gut feelings, or start doing so. Taking care of yourself does not make you weak, a bad worker, or unsuccessful. Grind-culture is over, people, it's toxic and unproductive in the long-term. If you are interested in some of the research I have done about switching to a 32-hour per week schedule and how that effects productivity, check out the links below. Also, please feel free to share your experience and/or thoughts about a 32-hour work-week in the comment section below.
Comments
Post a Comment