Our agency stopped working. Best decision we’ve ever made.

In 2019, we decided to transition our agency to a 32-hr workweek. Because – why not?

It’s our business. We get to make the rules. Everyone is mentally drained on Fridays anyway. So instead of emptying the last drops of creative energy (never say ‘juices’ after ‘creative’ – ew), we overfill the tanks with a three-day weekend. Come Monday, we’re supercharged.

Burnout is a shady dude. Mental clarity is our superpower.

Surprisingly, it didn’t take much to convince the team. And with that, our 32-hour workweek was unleashed like a hustle-culture-canceling pterodactyl. Ready to do big dinosaur things (but only 4 days a week).

I know what you’re thinking.

“You can’t possibly get enough work done.”

Do get me right. We still hustle. We hustle with boundaries. Boundaries are a creative’s best friend — a grid, style guide, or creative direction gives focus. It creates constraints that make “infinite possibilities” a little less anxiety-inducing. Our new boundary is 32 hours.

Productivity never dipped. We just adapted.

Here’s the why. I get to see my wife and two kids for a whole extra day. I get 1,000 more micro-moments with each of them. Errands and chores and all the “stuff” we have to do get spread out across three days. Finding time to hang with friends is a bit more attainable. Your brain resets. And best of all? You’re ready to get back to work on Monday. Your mental state is set to beast-mode.

Okay – real talk.

We 100% respect the creatives that push themselves long into the night. Work/life balance is different for everyone. This just makes the most sense for us, at this time. Love Gary Vee’s thoughts on personalizing work/life balance.

We’ve certainly had times where we’ve made exceptions and had to come in on a Friday. It’s rare. We make it a point to be as consistent as we can without making anyone mad at us.

We don’t just talk about being bold. We do it.

Tell us why we’re crazy. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Email me: gavin@driftingcreatives.com

Author
Gavin Braman

Spread the love