9–5?

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Abstract

r homework, preparing and having dinner, showering, and putting children to sleep. Let’s say it’s 8.30 p.m. Our hero is now exhausted but washes the dishes, does a little laundry, and prepares the clothes for the next day, barely standing.Now, with this schedule, when could you find the time for a side hustle? Let’s imagine, for the sake of it, that our hero could stay awake until 11 p.m., having left to sleep around six hours. I don’t know about you, but if I can’t sleep eight hours minimum per night, I’m a walking zombie.So, let’s do the math together. Is this 9–5 schedule allowing our hero to dream the Dream? Or is it the silent killer of all of it — family life, passion, pure living?I wonder if working 9–5 five days a week is still the solution for most of us. Times have changed and things have changed. The pandemic made us realize that we need something more than being enrolled in corporate roles. We need to breathe fresh air, not to be stuck in closed cubicles. We need flexibility, and we have to stop asking permission to have a break or needing to visit a doctor. 9–5 doesn’t need to be 9–5 anymore. It could be 8–12, 5 -10, or whatever we need to finish our tasks.Instead of 9–5, we should focus on “complete tasks.

Options

” When I started my career, I was a legal advisor working for a factory. We needed to sign up in the notebook for our arrival and departure. If we were late for work, we would be embarrassed in front of the whole team, so everybody was in a constant hurry.One day, one of my eldest colleagues, rushing to sign in, tripped and fell, breaking her arm. It was an accident waiting to happen, but things didn’t change. Still, we needed to hurry under the strict watch of our manager, and we dreaded every single moment of that job. Besides that, we needed to write every moment what we were doing so the management could analyze who was doing what. That was until they introduced the surveillance system, funny, isn’t it?Why do I tell you that? 9–5 is from that era, from the times people were different and the laws unclear. But in this digital era, when we can work from anywhere, and all that matters is finishing our tasks, 9–5, working in the office is not only outdated but life strangler.And I must say that a good thing came out of the pandemic — that I could spend more time with my family. And I could work from anywhere, even from a mountain’s peak, in my own time and pace. That’s the life I wish for my children. How about you?</article></body>

9–5?

Isn’t it so last season?

I don’t believe in this nonsense called “don’t leave your 9–5”. There are voices here that preach that, and also for side hustling along the “9–5”. For an average person, I wonder how that might work without destroying your health.

Still, only some can afford to work from home full time and save time wasted commuting. Most of us have to stay in traffic for at least 2.5 hours to do the work that can be done from home, but there’s a story for another time.

Let me give you an example: an average employee wakes up at 5 a.m., does a little workout, prepares breakfast for the family, takes children to school, and arrives at work around 8 a.m. That specific employee finishes work at 4.30 p.m., takes children from school, and spends another hour in traffic, coming home at 6 p.m.

At home, it’s time for helping children with their homework, preparing and having dinner, showering, and putting children to sleep. Let’s say it’s 8.30 p.m. Our hero is now exhausted but washes the dishes, does a little laundry, and prepares the clothes for the next day, barely standing.

Now, with this schedule, when could you find the time for a side hustle? Let’s imagine, for the sake of it, that our hero could stay awake until 11 p.m., having left to sleep around six hours. I don’t know about you, but if I can’t sleep eight hours minimum per night, I’m a walking zombie.

So, let’s do the math together. Is this 9–5 schedule allowing our hero to dream the Dream? Or is it the silent killer of all of it — family life, passion, pure living?

I wonder if working 9–5 five days a week is still the solution for most of us. Times have changed and things have changed. The pandemic made us realize that we need something more than being enrolled in corporate roles. We need to breathe fresh air, not to be stuck in closed cubicles. We need flexibility, and we have to stop asking permission to have a break or needing to visit a doctor. 9–5 doesn’t need to be 9–5 anymore. It could be 8–12, 5 -10, or whatever we need to finish our tasks.

Instead of 9–5, we should focus on “complete tasks.” When I started my career, I was a legal advisor working for a factory. We needed to sign up in the notebook for our arrival and departure. If we were late for work, we would be embarrassed in front of the whole team, so everybody was in a constant hurry.

One day, one of my eldest colleagues, rushing to sign in, tripped and fell, breaking her arm. It was an accident waiting to happen, but things didn’t change. Still, we needed to hurry under the strict watch of our manager, and we dreaded every single moment of that job. Besides that, we needed to write every moment what we were doing so the management could analyze who was doing what. That was until they introduced the surveillance system, funny, isn’t it?

Why do I tell you that? 9–5 is from that era, from the times people were different and the laws unclear. But in this digital era, when we can work from anywhere, and all that matters is finishing our tasks, 9–5, working in the office is not only outdated but life strangler.

And I must say that a good thing came out of the pandemic — that I could spend more time with my family. And I could work from anywhere, even from a mountain’s peak, in my own time and pace. That’s the life I wish for my children. How about you?