Microsoft tried a 4-day workweek in Japan. Productivity jumped 40%

Re:Microsoft tried a 4-day workweek in Japan. Productivity j... by mywittyname on Wednesday March 17, 2021 @05:00PM (#26496715)

When we overwork, the line between work and personal time blurs such that they eventually become the same. So you don't feel guilty about slacking off.

Long hours in an office setting promote procrastination. Why do something now when you are going to be here at 8PM anyway and will need something to occupy your time?

Once you stop procrastinating, because you know you can't be at work late, then you build up work inertia. This is probably where all the efficiency gains are.

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Re:Microsoft tried a 4-day workweek in Japan. Productivity j... by humanlion87 on Wednesday March 17, 2021 @05:48PM (#26497191)

That's a great point. This explains why I have not been able to get anything done after lunch during this extended WFH situation. I used to think it was because I ate too much or something similar, but this had never been the case when I was in office. Now I need to figure out how to trick my mind to believe that I can't login after 5pm :(

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Re:Microsoft tried a 4-day workweek in Japan. Productivity j... by fendy3002 on Thursday March 18, 2021 @10:53AM (#26503302)

> Now I need to figure out how to trick my mind to believe that I can't login after 5pm :(

That seems easy, set an alarm on 4.30 or 4.45 as a warning, then add a scheduler / cron job to shutdown at 5.

However from my experience, I tend to slack if my tasks aren't urgent, and only productive for 4 hours a day (2 before lunch and 2 after).

IMO it's fine since it feels more like marathon than sprints. If I want to be more productive, I need to raise each tasks's sense of urgency.

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Re:Microsoft tried a 4-day workweek in Japan. Productivity j... by peruvian on Wednesday March 17, 2021 @05:07PM (#26496799)

Yup. I am always more productive when I force myself to log off at 5pm.

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Re:Microsoft tried a 4-day workweek in Japan. Productivity j... by ekianjo on Wednesday March 17, 2021 @05:26PM (#26496977)

In Japan, staying long hours at work is not about productivity, as I explained in my other comment. It's to make sure to understand that now, your office, your peers = your life. That's for the exact same reason you invite co-workers and your boss to make a speech at your wedding once you get married: your work is your new family (whether you like it not).

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