Summary: Thursday is the New Friday: How to Work Fewer Hours, Make More Money, and Spend Time Doing What You Want by Joe Sanok

• Discover how to transform your workweek and enhance your life with “Thursday is the New Friday” by Joe Sanok.
• Embrace the four-day workweek and unlock the potential for more leisure and productivity—read on to find out how.

Recommendation

The five-day workweek is a social construct – but one that’s firmly entrenched in the collective psyche. This remnant of a bygone era is ripe for change, argues mental health professional Joe Sanok. He contends that by taking control of your schedule and adapting how you spend your time to better match how your brain works, you’ll be more productive and less stressed. Sanok offers a history of the standard five-day, 40-hour workweek and explains why it’s a recipe for burnout. He provides specific tools and tactics to work more effectively and, in so doing, to enjoy a happier, healthier life.

Take-Aways

• The five-day workweek is an obsolete remnant of the Industrial Age.
• Three internal inclinations – “curiosity,” an “outsider approach” and the ability to “move on it” – are predictors of individual success.
• Embrace your curiosity – the innate drive to understand the unknown.
• Adopt an outsider approach, questioning and examining entrenched ideas and processes.
• Move on launching a product or service by striking a balance between speed and accuracy.
• Slow down before you burn out. Take time to recharge, recover, and gain creative insights and direction.
• Set daily, weekly and monthly nonnegotiable boundaries on your time.
• Escape the industrialist “hustle” mind-set.
• Alternating cycles of sprints and rest is the most productive approach to work.

Summary

The five-day workweek is an obsolete remnant of the Industrial Age.

Unlike the 24-hour day or the 365-day year, the seven-day week is a social construct: No natural phenomenon occurs every seven days. A year could just as easily comprise 73 five-day weeks. When the Babylonians invented the seven-day week, the rest of the world followed suit. In 1926, Henry Ford popularized the five-day workweek, though its roots reach back to 1886, when labor unions protested for safer working conditions at Chicago’s Haymarket Square.

The industrialist movement that aimed to optimize systems while cutting costs viewed workers as cogs in a machine. Workers, lured by improving workplace conditions and the promise of stability, conformed to this perspective. Until COVID-19’s mandatory lockdowns, working onsite from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., five days per week, was the status quo. However, new research shows that working remotely, in many cases, increases productivity and job satisfaction.

“We’re sick of productivity development and innovation that doesn’t help our bottom-line time or happiness.”

The consequences of working long, rigid hours can be detrimental to individuals’ health, sleep and relationships. Technology that enables people to work around the clock exacerbates the problem. But it does not need to be this way. You have the power to create the life you want. Slow down, set boundaries and shrink your workweek to spend more time with family, practice self-care and make a meaningful contribution to your world.

Three internal inclinations – “curiosity,” an “outsider approach” and the ability to “move on it” – are predictors of individual success.

Before shortening your workweek, you must first learn to optimize your time. Assess your internal inclinations – the factors that compel you to act – to determine why you make certain decisions. These inclinations can stem from your DNA, upbringing, culture and experience. Start by identifying your innate inclinations: Consider when you’re most productive, what types of projects and activities put you in a flow state, and how others view your personality.

“The brain is agile: It can adapt if given time and space to create new neural pathways.”

If your current inclinations aren’t serving you well, you can learn to develop the specific inclinations you need to do your best work. Interviews with 500 business leaders identified three internal inclinations that predict individual success: curiosity, an outsider approach and a willingness to “move on it” – to act without complete information.

Embrace your curiosity – the innate drive to understand the unknown.

Society warns against curiosity. Consider the tales of Pandora’s Box and the Forbidden Fruit, for instance. Yet curiosity, a trait embedded in human DNA, fuels progress and a deeper understanding of the world. A 1968 study found that children experience four stages of curiosity when confronted with a new stimulus – in the study’s case, a toy. First, they get excited. Second, they interact with the new object. Third, they test its functions and limits. And fourth, they continue to explore in a variety of ways. Adults, too, endeavor to expand the breadth and depth of their knowledge when a novelty piques their curiosity.

“Those who are curious and proceed despite the warnings are the ones that truly make an impact. Curiosity is what sets them apart from the norm.”

Boredom, a thirst for mastery and “incongruent resolution” – when new information contradicts a currently held belief – are the principal drivers of curiosity. Accepting that your assumptions may be wrong leaves room for alternate explanations. Pursue your interests with open-minded curiosity and seek improvements to the status quo. Author Isaac Asimov said, “The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds discoveries is not ‘Eureka’ but ‘That’s funny.’” “That’s funny” occurs when you notice something that defies expectations and explore it further to discover something new. Strengthen your curiosity muscle by freeing your mind to roam, observe, question, explore and react.

Adopt an outsider approach, questioning and examining entrenched ideas and processes.

Disrupters – the people who refuse to conform, such as physicist Albert Einstein or artist Frida Kahlo – bring fresh points of view to a problem. An outsider perspective challenges the status quo and acknowledges that there might be a better way of doing things. Entrepreneurs often start with an outsider approach, but once their businesses grow, the industrialist mind-set tends to creep in.

“The outsider approach starts to die when we think conforming is safer than being unique.”

Humans are social animals who gravitate toward group membership and try to avoid social rejection. This innate rejection sensitivity impedes people from donning an outsider approach. Building your immunity to rejection helps you reduce feelings of vulnerability. For example, you may feel nervous the first time you speak in public. But with repeated exposure, your sensitivity lessens, and you become a more confident speaker. Mindfulness practices such as meditation also reduce psychological vulnerability.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are standard quantitative business metrics. However, a standalone KPI, such as earning more or working less, lacks heart and a compelling narrative, so dig deeper. If you examine what’s driving your KPI – your why – you might discover that you want to feel secure or to spend more time with your family. Identify personal KPIs – for instance, a weekly yoga class, a regular snowboarding morning or a daily coffee with a friend – which offer you a fresh outlook and perspective. These seemingly trivial needs, unique to you, cost money, but they bring joy and freedom. Thus, they are “the most powerful fuel for getting more done in less time.”

Move on launching a product or service by striking a balance between speed and accuracy.

The quest for perfection can be paralyzing in business. A minimum viable product (MVP) leads to faster improvements over several iterations. When perfection paralysis strikes, remember that few decisions have permanent consequences. In most cases, you can fix a mistake easily. Even if what you try fails, you’ll likely learn from the experience.

Three types of “thought distortions” amplify the fear of failure: “Polarized thinking” reduces scenarios to win or lose; “disqualifying the positive” exaggerates the downsides of a situation and downplays the positives – for example, you lose 10 lbs [4.5kg] on a diet but only focus on the 25 lbs left to reach your goal; and “magnification” occurs when you overestimate the effect of a given outcome, such as believing that your children won’t have successful lives if they don’t, say, attend Ivy League universities.

“The internal inclination of jumping before you are ready is about standing up against the predominant narrative that we ‘practice until perfect.’ When we move on it before we’re ready, it gives us a download of information that informs our path to action.”

The “move on it” approach strikes a balance between speed and accuracy. Aiming for extreme accuracy leads to anxiety and perfection paralysis. Yet excessive speed that results in substandard or incomplete work is also undesirable. “Movers” deliberate just enough to identify a general goal and plan a direction. Creating and launching an MVP is a method for exploiting the power of speed over accuracy. When developing a new product or service, apply the “three questions to launch” rule:

1. “Describe the pain” – What does it take in terms of time and costs to develop and introduce this product or service?
2. “Describe the magical product” – What product or service is the best solution for this problem?
3. “How much would you pay for what you just described?” – Will people pay enough to make the time and costs required to develop the idea worthwhile?

Slow down before you burn out. Take time to recharge, recover, and gain creative insights and direction.

Slowing down is essential to your well-being, but three factors keep people on the busyness treadmill:

1. “Nonstop access” – When you’re available to your boss and clients around the clock, you become anxious if you miss a call, text or business update. You lack time to recharge or recover. The human brain functions best when it works in sprints interspersed with rest periods.
2. “Generational leveling” – Parents naturally want their children to have a better life than they experienced. But this desire becomes problematic when it puts pressure on children to compete and excel at every activity.
3. “Unnatural neurosyncing” – Most people adhere to a schedule that is out of alignment with their natural rhythms. They work ceaselessly until they burn out, only slowing down when the hectic pace becomes untenable. Slowing down first and then partaking in a work sprint promotes unbeatable creativity and focus.

“We’ve raised the bar to such an extent that there is no way we can meet it, and it increasingly makes us feel like crap.”

Research supports the business benefits of slowing down, practicing mindfulness and spending time in nature. Keep your schedule lean and focused by mastering the following three tenets:

1. “Stop, eliminate, reduce” – Eliminate redundant tasks, projects and activities.
2. “Growth over reaction” – Anticipate problems, and be proactive rather than reactive. Empower team members to address problems as they happen. Afterward, create systems or put preventative measures in place so the issue does not recur.
3. “24/7 profits” – Discard the belief that, however hard you drive yourself, it’s never enough.

Set daily, weekly and monthly nonnegotiable boundaries on your time.

Eliminate “creep”: the impulse to do just one more thing or to spend a few more minutes working when the allotted time is over. Doing so enables you to leave unnecessary meetings, stop participating in low-return activities and reject projects or requests that don’t align with your priorities. Reduce interactions and activities that sap your energy and harm your spirit. For example, be intentional about how you use technology by turning off distracting apps or notifications and monitoring the time you spend on digital devices. Outsource, eliminate or delegate personal and professional tasks that are not the best use of your time, such as meetings or housework. Finally, reduce stress by assessing which clients, activities or relationships are worth your time and effort.

“Once you start observing how much of your time is taken by others, you’ll be best positioned to then decide how you want to slow down.”

Increase the time you spend doing activities that contribute to your health and well-being, such as going for walks, meditating or spending time with people you love. Nurture your relationships, pursue interests and hobbies, or volunteer for an organization that addresses an issue you find meaningful.

Escape the industrialist “hustle” mind-set.

Many people link their self-identity and value to their work, which leads them to undervalue fun. Moreover, working hard releases feel-good chemicals in the brain, which makes work addictive. To break the cycle, erect clear boundaries between the work you love and your private life. Journal or keep a vision board to help you maintain focus on your goals. To galvanize action, use a trigger. For example, if you put your morning medicine next to your toothbrush, you’re less likely to forget to take your pills. Slowing down optimizes your brain power just as the following steps in the FIRST model boost business growth:

• “Fruit: low-hanging fruit” – Augment the areas of your business that are already working well.
• “Inflect: act as if…” – Manifest your goals by acting as someone who has already reached them would.
• “Reinvest: make the business stronger” – To quote Peter Drucker, “Do what you do best and outsource the rest.”
• “Specialize: stand out and micro-niching” – Focus on the activities and clients that produce the most enjoyment and money.
• “Time-limited: six- and twelve-month goals” – Prioritize short-term goals to remain focused and agile.

Alternating cycles of sprints and rest is the most productive approach to work.

When embarking on this new way of working, schedule your “best work first” to ensure you complete it. Prevent creep and give yourself tight deadlines to increase your productivity. Keep learning and exposing yourself to new experiences; refuse to stagnate. Alternate sprints – bursts of hard work – with rest. Identify which of the four styles of “sprinters” best describes your preferred approach to work:

• “The Time-Block + Automated Sprinter” – You focus on one project for a set period.
• “The Time-Block + Intensive Sprinter” – You work solely on one project for consecutive sprints.
• “The Task-Switch + Automated Sprinter” – You change tasks with each sprint for variety.
• “The Task-Switch + Intensive Sprinter” – You front-load one task before tackling other less-important items.

“Life isn’t really a marathon where we never stop. Instead, it’s a bunch of sprints and rests; it’s like a pause button and a fast-forward button.”

Periodically assess your KPIs in areas such as sales, productivity and outsourcing. Decide how to spend your time to earn the greatest return on investment. Then begin focused sprints in 20-minute increments. Determine your goal for each sprint, and eliminate possible interruptions by silencing your phone. Set a timer and stay on task until the sprint ends. Stop at the end of the sprint to take a break, even if you wish to continue. This builds anticipation for the next sprint and gives you time to reflect and prepare.

About the Author

Joe Sanok is a mental health professional and the host of The Practice of the Practice podcast. He is the founder of Slow Down School and Killin’ It Camp, as well as a business consultant and speaker.

Genres

Business, Nonfiction, Productivity, Leadership, Self Help, Time Management, Personal Development, Work-Life Balance, Entrepreneurship, Career Development

Review

“Thursday is the New Friday: How to Work Fewer Hours, Make More Money, and Spend Time Doing What You Want” by Joe Sanok is a book that challenges the traditional five-day workweek and advocates for a four-day workweek model. The author, Joe Sanok, shares exercises, tools, and training that have helped professionals across various fields to create schedules that allow for less work, greater income, and more time for personal pursuits.

Sanok outlines strategies he used to transition from working 60-hour weeks to working four days a week or less. He provides a practical, evidence-based methodology to help readers understand how they can apply these principles to their own lives. The book also delves into the psychological research behind the four-day workweek, suggesting that we are more productive with one less workday.

The book has received mixed reviews. Some readers appreciate the concept and find inspiration in the stories and testimonials of those who have successfully implemented the four-day workweek. Others criticize the book for its storytelling style, lack of transitions, and poorly researched arguments.

In summary, “Thursday is the New Friday” offers a revolutionary take on redefining work-life balance by compressing the workweek. It empowers readers to discard unnecessary tasks, learn efficiencies, and dedicate more time to hobbies, family, and friends.