24 Hours, by the Numbers – Benjamin Al-Doory

When it was first whispered to me that a transition to a 4-day work week was being considered at ARV, I quickly decided that this opportunity was life changing. “This is LIFE CHANGING ,” I thought, in capital, italicized letters.

I immediately began to wrangle the numbers in my head. At some point in the perplexing, inarticulate metamorphosis from child to adult, modern humans seem to become obsessed with quantifying everything. I am no exception. I began to line up every numerically expressible benefit of a work week thus abbreviated: 8 hours a week, times 52 weeks a year becomes 416 hours. Dial in the lunch hour (which may not be paid, but is still a consequence of the workday), and we’re up to 468 hours per annum. Then, there’s travel to and from the shop, just about another hour total each day, 520 hours of additional time that is now mine. That’s nearly 6% of the total hours in a year! Don’t we adults just love percentages?

These are just the perks I considered in terms of time, and time is by absolutely no means the only perk I can express in a numerical format. Who considers time without considering money? Commuting costs money. I drive 24 miles a day round-trip. If I drive a gasoline car, and gas is $4 a gallon and my car gets 25 mpg (it doesn’t), it costs 16 cents per mile in just fuel. I’ll spare you the equation, but that’s

$998.40 per year driving to and from work, moreover, with a rather generous assumption of fuel economy. Many of my coworkers drive farther and in vehicles that consume twice the fuel per mile. In my case, I’d save $200 per year by omitting 1 out of 5 workdays. The aforementioned coworkers will save much more, ironically enough.

Spend $15 a day eating lunch out? Some people do, and that’s $3900 per year (yikes). Eat at home on that fifth day, save nearly $1000. Between fuel and lunch, we’re already up to what equates to a $1.38 per hour raise, if one were inclined to see it in such terms. Working one less day for a full salary in itself is already a 20% raise.

Virtually any cost one can associate with being present and available to work will be reduced by 20%. One-fifth. Two of ten. Between that figure, and all the precious, irreplaceable time, my perception of this as life-changing almost seems like an underestimation.

But wait, there’s more!

Then, there are the benefits that defy quantification, the intangible yet invaluable things that can be overlooked when our heads are willfully submerged in a sea of numbers. For example, I have the freedom to sleep in one more day each week. Do I? Not often, but just having the option enhances one’s feeling of control, which I find comforting. I get one more day each week with that “Friday Feeling,” that blessed voice whispering in the back of my head, “Guess what? You don’t work tomorrow! Smile, you ingrate!” (I have to teach that voice some manners.)

The non-time/money perks piled up faster and higher than I would have imagined: I can stay out later if I so desire; I can go to the BMV, the dentist, the vet, the post office, all before noon on that extra day, and never again have to squeeze those necessities into a busy weekday evening after work.

I’ve found that the increased likelihood of completing a home-improvement project over a 3-day weekend has made me far more inclined to undertake such projects. I have moved my piano lesson to my day off, and I work out and help more with household chores.

All this results in an overall lower stress level. Not only can you spend more time with loved ones, but that time is of a superior quality. The trickle-down effect is nearly a cascade of positive change. It has already become apparent that the participants in the study are happier people in general. Their families, friends and anyone with whom they may interact will benefit by proxy, regardless of their work schedule. Can one put a monetary value on lowered stress? I’m sure health insurers try to, but I won’t.

I recently came across a published article about the 4-day trial study. In one case, a participant was able to spend more time with a terminally ill family member. Can one put a monetary value on that?

LIFE CHANGING.

Ben is a member of the finishing team at ARV where he contributes his decades of experience working with wood, leather, and fabrics in the pipe organ industry. He has been playing guitar for over 30 years and restores vintage motorcycles in his free time.