The Exhausting Reality of the 40-Hour Work Week
How Your Life is Being Stolen From You
It’s quite normal in the Netherlands to work 40 hours a week. I usually work even more than that. At least, that’s when I’m talking about working for my employer. If I also considered Medium as work, that would add another 20 to 25 hours per week.
Even though I enjoy writing, it’s also ‘work’. I’m trying to build something up next to my ‘normal’ job. My dream is to be able to make a living from content creation, including writing. I see it as someone who starts doing extra jobs in the evening to eventually start their own business.
So, it actually comes down to me working about 70 hours a week. But let’s forget about those content creation hours for now, so we’re just left with the ‘normal’ 40 hours per week. Not even the time you spend on preparations and aftercare. I mean, think about preparing your food, showering, getting dressed, etc. — all specifically for your work. So add at least 10 hours to those 40.
That’s an insane amount of time, right? Or is it just me?
I don’t think it’s crazy that I feel like I don’t have enough hours in a day. I know for sure that I’m not the only one who feels this way.
And then of course it’s also important that we stay healthy. Many of us move less and less with all the technology today. For example, I’m an IT professional, so I don’t move much during my work. All that clicking and typing doesn’t do much for my physical health. I have to make do with regular trips to the coffee machine and a walk at lunchtime.
This means that I actually have to exercise in the evenings as well. Now, I’m quite sporty, mind you. But even so, I don’t feel like it quite often. I’m simply exhausted in the evening after a long day (especially if I’m having my kids around when working from home). I would prefer not to move at all in the evening and just veg out in front of my laptop. Or shamelessly game all night long.
But hey, it’s called “setting priorities”, right?
And I notice that I also have the most energy during the day. Sometimes I feel like I can take on the world, but unfortunately I have to spend that time working. Sure, I get it, we have to earn money. And when you have a family, it can never be enough. You want the best for your children and make sure they never lack anything.
When I think about that, every minute I spend fighting, hustling, or whatever you wanna call it, is worth it.
Of course, in combination with still having enough time for them.
That’s why it would be ideal to be able to make a living from content creation. If I just look at how this article came about:
I created it at the gym!
Seriously, speech-to-text is a real lifesaver for me when it comes to ‘writing’ articles.
What do you think about this? Do you think 40 hours is too much?
If my words hit home for you or if this was valuable, consider showing some love — buy me a coffee. It’s cheaper than therapy!