Is it a good idea to do a 4-day week when you're only 26?
This is going to sound weird but when I was 26 I knew I had to stop doing five days a week of work.
I had no responsibilities beyond taking care of myself, paying my London rent, and a vague knowledge I should be saving for a pension. My weekends weren't particularly worthy either. I was living in a house-share and mainly interested in gigs, clothes, dining out and going on holiday.
And while my work was sometimes intense - I was an Account Director at a PR agency - it wasn't that difficult.
And yet, I found myself crying to my boss, telling her it was all too much and I needed some more time to myself. My solution? To work four days instead of five.
I had built some credit up within the company as I'd been there eight years - it was my first job since graduating and they knew I was a hard worker - so they said yes to my terms. But it certainly wasn't the norm in the company at that time. And it did involve a pay cut and an acceptance that I wouldn't progress at the same rate as my peers.
Do you know what I chose to do with my extra day? Art classes and yoga. That sounds so self-indulgent, doesn't it? (I'm a mum now and the thought of spending a day a week of pure "me" time, followed by a weekend of socialising is beyond imaginable).
Although I was a little scared about falling behind on the "career ladder" for the sake of indulging my artistic side, this decision was too important to be missed. As it turned out, it was the starting point for a whole new way of life that would ultimately lead me to live in France for a few years and set up my own business.
But that wasn't why I did it at the time.
I did it because I needed headspace to figure out what I wanted from my career.
I did it because my health needed my attention. (My body was sending me messages through severe tension in my shoulders and jaw and breathing difficulties.)
I did it because I felt my soul was sad from not being creative enough in my work.
I did it because I didn't really ever make a choice to work in PR - I just fell into it. And I needed to take control of my own life by giving myself time, freedom and headspace.
I did it because I knew I was young enough to make big, dramatic changes, if I really wanted to. I just didn't know what they would be yet.
In the end, I only did it for a year. Then I went back full-time to get some money together for an even bigger lifestyle shift - the move to France, which my boyfriend and I dreamt up after a few mellow holidays in Provence.
While it feels like a long time ago now, I really am grateful to my 26-year-old self for this unconventional move. I don't think I'd ever have had the courage and perspective to break away from the traditional career path if I hadn't tested the waters with four days a week. It showed me you don't have to follow the same route as everyone else, even if they have the same job as you.
Now I'm a career coach and guess what's the most common dream of my clients (who are all senior comms professionals)? To have a job that allows them to work four days a week.
Some have families and need the extra time to balance things out. Some just want to be in a more creative headspace so they can work on side projects that have nothing to do with comms. Whatever their reasons, they don't always believe it is possible to create this setup. But I know it is.
My advice if you're considering this step yourself, whatever your age?
Just ask for it. Be really clear that it's what you need to be at your most productive and happiest at work.
But pick your timing. If you've just started somewhere new, you might need to build some trust with your team before changing your schedule.
Be prepared to take the financial hit - it may be short-term and it will pay off in ways you don't know about yet. Make some savings elsewhere in your lifestyle.
Once it happens, set boundaries in place that mean you don't spend your free day checking emails and working.
And whatever you do, don't spend the day feeling guilty and worrying about work! Your team will cope without you and you will be more productive and happier when return to work the following day.
If you know 2023 is the year to make some fun and inspiring changes to your comms career, I'm running a free five-day challenge from 16th Jan to help you gain clarity for the future of your comms career. Here's the link to join:
https://amywatt295.lpages.co/clarity/