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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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The 4 Day Week summary
Andrew Barnes
Stephanie Jones
How the flexible work revolution can increase productivity, profitability, and wellbeing, and help create a sustainable future
25 mins
Brief summary
The 4 Day Week by Andrew Barnes with Stephanie Jones explores the benefits and challenges of implementing a shorter workweek. It offers insight into how this model can lead to greater workplace productivity, happiness, and work-life balance for employees and employers alike.
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The 4 Day Week
Summary of 9 key ideas
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Key idea 1 of 9
The way millions are employed in the twenty-first century has to change.
If you listen to Bruce Springsteen’s lyrics, you’ll be transported back to an era of heavy industry – sweat and toil in some Midwestern lumber yard or steel factory.
Though industrial work was hard, workers knew where they stood. They clocked in and clocked out at a definite time. They had a contract. If they were lucky, they got sick pay and a pension.
How many of us can say the same today? Many of us work jobs that don’t provide even the most basic security.
The key message in this blink is: The way millions are employed in the twenty-first century has to change.
With the advent of the gig economy, companies are no longer obligated to provide these basic guarantees. And though, theoretically, a gig contract provides freedom and flexibility for the employee, the reality is often a precarious existence. That’s because many in the gig economy are categorized as freelancers even if they appear to work full-time for their employers.
When you’re a freelancer, your employer doesn’t have to provide things like holiday pay or a pension scheme. It also means that you’re readily expendable, and companies don’t need to offer you redundancy pay. If you make the smallest mistake – like, say, a gig-contract courier arriving a few moments late with a package – you’re liable to be fired on the spot.
Overall, this amounts to an awful lot of stress for the modern precarious worker. Cumulatively, this employment situation can have terrible effects on the individual and society as a whole.
In fact, this instability is making us ill. Because gig-economy employees and those in other forms of temporary work mostly communicate with their workplaces via the internet, they have an “always-on” mentality. They’re always on call. So the distinction between labor time and free time vanishes. Unsurprisingly, without time to unwind properly or to organize important routines – say, eating healthily or exercising – we become more susceptible to stress and illness.
The problem is exacerbated by an ever-rising cost of living. As many workers can’t afford to live near their workplaces, they often have to commute early in the morning and late at night on crowded public transport. Naturally, they’re more likely to get run down or catch colds or flu.
So what does this mean for the company that employs these workers? Well, employees who are overstressed or ill are prone to mistakes and absenteeism. Eventually, this kind of employment model kills productivity and becomes a drain on the organization itself.
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Key ideas in The 4 Day Week
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What is The 4 Day Week about?
The 4 Day Week shows us a better way of working – one in which employees are able to maintain flexibility, preserve their well-being, and increase productivity. By avoiding all the pitfalls of the precarious gig economy and relieving the stresses that we’re inflicting on the planet, the four-day week is the future of work.
The 4 Day Week Review
The 4 Day Week (2019) by Andrew Barnes with Stephanie Jones explores the benefits of a shorter workweek and provides practical strategies for implementing it. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- It offers concrete evidence and case studies that demonstrate how a four-day workweek can increase productivity and improve work-life balance.
- The book provides practical tips and step-by-step guidance on how to successfully transition to a four-day week, making it useful for both employees and employers.
- With its fascinating insights on the future of work and the potential benefits for individuals and society, it's a thought-provoking read that challenges traditional work norms.
Best quote from The 4 Day Week
[T]he five-day week is a nineteenth-century construct that is not fit for purpose in the twenty-first century.
—Andrew Barnes with Stephanie Jones
Who should read The 4 Day Week?
- Business owners who want to maximize productivity
- Campaigners for workers’ rights
- Anyone with an interest in well-being at work
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The 4 Day Week FAQs
What is the main message of The 4 Day Week?
The main message of The 4 Day Week is that reducing work hours can lead to improved productivity and work-life balance.
How long does it take to read The 4 Day Week?
The reading time for The 4 Day Week varies depending on the reader's speed. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is The 4 Day Week a good book? Is it worth reading?
The 4 Day Week is a worthwhile read. It provides insights into a new approach to work that can benefit both individuals and organizations.
Who is the author of The 4 Day Week?
The authors of The 4 Day Week are Andrew Barnes and Stephanie Jones.
What to read after The 4 Day Week?
If you're wondering what to read next after The 4 Day Week, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
- How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell
- Free to Focus by Michael Hyatt
- The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
- The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
- Do Pause by Robert Poynton
- Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
- Less Doing, More Living by Ari Meisel