HACKER Q&A
📣 feetleed

Would working less than 40 hours a week make you more productive?


I’m wrapping up a gap year, working 40 hours a week as a software engineer, and honestly, I can’t wait to return to university. Over the past year, I’ve realized that my productivity doesn’t seem to correlate with the number of hours I work. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been less productive than I’ve been in this full-time job. I just feel drained.

Is it just me? This was my first full-time role, and I completely underestimated how challenging it would be to maintain focus and energy for 40 hours a week. I feel like I’d get a lot more done working less hours, but instead, I spent a good chunk of my time just watching the clock.

I’m curious: Could shorter work weeks lead to higher productivity, or has tiktok just completely fried my brain?

  👤 glitchcrab Accepted Answer ✓
In short, I'd say yes. But there is a huge caveat to that in that the company needs to fully embrace it too. About 2-3 years ago my current company dropped to a 32 hour week (no reduction in pay) and whilst this obviously involved a lot of change and adaption, the overall outcome has been good from both a company and personal perspective.
👤 abstractspoon
> my productivity doesn’t seem to correlate with the number of hours I work

My productivity correlates with how much I'm enjoying the work and how few obstacles there are between me and my goal...