The eight hour day is . . . just . . . awful.

Every day when I’m at work, I try to be as productive as possible.  When I get in early in the morning, I’m at my peak production level.  I zoom through my assignments and tasks, and I feel unstoppable. 

But then . . . the 11 o’clock hour hits, and I start to slow down.  I lose concentration.  The effects of the cup of coffee I had earlier have worn off.  I start surfing the Internet.  I get tired and yearn for the days when I used to sleep until noon. 

When I eat lunch, however, I regain some energy.  I take a 15-minute break to eat and relax.  Then, when I get back to work, I find myself more productive.  I rifle through more research and writing.  I read faster.  My thinking is sharper.  I’m a machine.

But then . . . around 3:30 p.m., I lose it again.  I break down.  My mind wanders.  I lose focus.  Heck, I start wishing I could take a nap. 

I think that, at best, I generate only about 3 to 4 hours of high productivity each day.

What is wrong with me??

The “Eight Hour Day” Impossible

Nothing is wrong with me.  And if this has happened to you, don’t be ashamed.  Seriously, how often have you spent eight consecutive hours working on a business project or side task that involves mental analysis and creativity?  I mean 8 consecutive hours without allowing your mind to drift off somewhere else. 

If your answer is “never,” then you’re not alone.  We humans lose the ability to concentrate or apply 100% focus on something within just a few hours. 

eight hour day 1Different Cycles of Productivity

We do not maintain a constant level of productivity throughout the day.  It’s physically and mentally impossible.  Rather, we alternate between periods of high mental productivity and low mental productivity. 

Office-Related Jobs

These concepts probably do not apply to jobs involving manual labor because that type of work doesn’t involve or require significant mental analysis or creativity.  When I was a stock boy at the local grocery store, I never had a problem stocking grocery shelves for 8 straight hours because the work didn’t require much thinking.  (I am not saying these kinds of jobs are easy.  They simply require different skill sets.)

In jobs that don’t require physical labor and, instead, emphasize mental acuity, 8 consecutive hours of high productivity are impossible.

Why Employees Hate Their Jobs

This obvious, but rarely discussed, problem is the single greatest reason why the majority of office employees hate their jobs.  They are forced to be there from 9 to 5 every day regardless of their level of productivity. 

If employers allowed their employees to go home during their low productivity cycles or otherwise engage in alternative activities, people would be a lot happier.  Moreover, if employers allowed their employees to work from home, employees would be happier because they would be able to structure their day around their high productivity periods.eight hour day 2 

For example, they would work from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m.  Then they can take a break.  Exercise.  Eat lunch.  Maybe they can resume work around 12:30 p.m. and continue until 2 p.m.  Nap time from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.  Then work from 4 p.m. until 6 or 7 p.m. 

If employees could structure and balance their days this way, there would be less complaints.

Resistance From Employers

Nevertheless, employers are generally unwilling to acknowledge that the 8-hour work day is antiquated and inefficient.  They somehow think that it’s productive to trap tired, unfocused, and unproductive employees in office purgatory for 8 hours every day. 

(And they lose money by paying employees for 8 hours of work when, in reality, they only generate about 4 to 5 hours of good, quality work product.)

Motivation to Become an Entrepreneur

This problem is one of the main reasons for becoming an entrepreneur and starting a business.  Financial freedom is obviously a major incentive for starting your own business.  But the freedom to structure your day around your individual periods of high productivity is more valuable than you think.

As an entrepreneur, you don’t have the Man telling you that you have to work eight consecutive hours per day in some depressing office or cubicle.  Instead, you can build your own business and structure your day around the times when you work best.  You can get the most out of yourself when you’re most productive and focus on energy-recharging activities when you’re least productive.

If you like this post, please consider subscribing to my full RSS feed.  You can also subscribe by e-mail and have a copy of each new post automatically delivered to your inbox.

If you like this post, please bookmark it: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Propeller
  • Digg
  • Technorati
  • Reddit