A Better Argument for Working Less

Sure, working fewer hours has—in almost every reduced-time experiment—led to higher levels of productivity. But we shouldn’t just work less because it makes us better workers. We should work less because it makes us better people

But the real benefit of working less isn’t that it gives us space to pick up a side grind or to “recharge” for when we’re back on the clock. The real benefit is that it allows us to pick up our kids from school and have dinner more often as a family. Working less makes us better friends and neighbors. It allows us the space to exercise regularly and to read for pleasure, and to create art that no one has to see.

With a work-centric existence, we don’t just give our best hours to our jobs, but our best energy, too. It’s no wonder that when we get home—or switch from the work laptop to the personal laptop—we often can do little more than turn on Netflix. Nothing against Netflix, but finding meaning outside of work requires active forms of leisure. It requires us to do things. And in the words of Esther Perel, too many of us bring the best of ourselves to work and bring the leftovers home