[Source](https://pixabay.com/illustrations/talking-friends-worker-talking-8734281/)
Have you ever wondered who decided that a week should consist of 5 working days and 2 days off? I never gave it much thought until now. Probably Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle had something to do with it. Those guys are everywhere. I imagine a famous person, maybe a scientist, wealthy person, or President, suddenly feeling bored, declared this; “Let’s divide time into weeks, months, and years, and give people 5 days to work and 2 days to relax. I'm sure that person didn't put much thought into it, and gullibly, every other country followed without question.
At some point in our lives, we’ll find ourselves in situations where we’ll have to work, whether it's a remote job or office work. Some people are lucky to get comfortable jobs, where their schedule is not tight, and they have spare time to spend with their loved ones. On the other hand, some people unfortunately find themselves in uncomfortable jobs where they have to struggle with tight schedules and limited time to rest. The latter reminds me of my dad.
I grew up in the shed of my parents. My mom is a nurse and she worked shifts. Sometimes, she would go to work in the morning and come back at night. Other times, she goes to work in the afternoon and comes back in the evening. She had enough time to spend with us. On the other hand, my dad was a really busy person. He took his business seriously. Maybe too seriously. He'd go to his workplace every day of the week. Yes, from Monday till Sunday. He'd come back at night, while on Sundays, he'd come back very early. Growing up, I didn't spend much time with him because of his busy schedule.
Whatever the case may be, whether you're a part-time worker, a full-time worker or you simply work from home, everyone needs rest. For me, without rest, my eyes would become really heavy, which increases tendencies for me to be cranky. As a student, I often find myself wishing for an extra day to be added to the weekend. Attending classes for five days straight, running around to submit assignments and projects, group meetings and presentations, and other responsibilities can be so draining and overwhelming. Having just two days to rest feels like punishment. Am I the only one who feels like the weekend hours are flying by way too fast? It's like I blink on Friday evening, and before I know it, Monday morning is knocking on my door forcefully. It would be so better if we had three days to rest.
Do you think if we had only four days of the week instead of five, things would be better? Meaning, shorter days at the office, but longer hours as well. Or is it just better the way it is- five days a week and 24 hours? It is important to note that there are two sides to every coin. There are disadvantages and advantages to having fours days in a week and longer hours. One of the advantages is that it will improve productivity. For example, a 4-day workweek with longer hours, a teacher can experience improved productivity. With more time in each day, they can dedicate more than to planning notes, teaching students, marking and grading. Similarly, with longer hours in a 4-day workweek, writers have more time, increasing productivity. They have more time to write, revise and publish.
One of the downsides of longer hours is burnout. For instance, as a student, having a 4-day week with extended hours means spending more time in class, which can be exhausting and lead to burnout.
Conclusively, I would still prefer to maintain the five days working period with the normal hours. In my opinion, the benefits of having five days a week outweigh that of 4 days a week and longer hours.
Thanks for reading.
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