Twelve 30-Hour Work Week Schedule Ideas
What is a 30-hour work week?
A 30-hour work week typically comes in one of two forms: 1) 6 hours of work per day for five days, or 2) 7.5 hours per day for four work days (also known as a four-day work week).
Table of contents:
- How many hours do you work per day?
- What are the benefits of the 30-hour work week?
- Where can you find 30-hour work week jobs?
- 30-hour work week schedule examples
After nearly 100 years, people are starting to question the 40-hour work week. The 32-hour, four-day work week is catching on. Companies using that schedule have reduced typical working hours by 20%, and many report no loss (or even a gain) in productivity.
The 30-hour work week is a reduction in typical work hours by 25%. Although there are not many companies that offer a 30-hour work week for full-time employees, there are lots of entrepreneurs and freelancers who work 30 hours per week. I asked our list of contributors to share their weekly work schedules if they work about 30 hours per week. I received 28 replies; we’re highlighting the most useful ones here.
30-Hour Week Broken Down Daily
There are two common schedule formats to fit 30 hours per week into days:
- Four days of work (Monday – Thursday) for 7.5 hours per day
- Five days of work (Monday – Friday) for 6 hours per day.
The more common format for shorter work weeks is a four-day, 32-hour work week (but that’s functionally the same). If a 30-hour work week is done by an entrepreneur or freelancer, it can come in many formats.
How long can we perform at work each day?
I interviewed Dr. Dale Whelehan, the CEO of 4 Day Week Global. Dale completed a PhD in behavior science focusing on the impact of sleep deprivation and fatigue on surgeons. He’s a wealth of knowledge about work time.
Here’s an interesting video clip from the interview.
What are the benefits of a 30-hour work week?
I’ve worked about 32 hours per week over a four-day work week since the start of 2020. These are the benefits I’ve experienced working the reduced schedule:
- Improved work-life balance
- Increase in happiness
- Fewer meetings
- More time for personal use and development
- Lower childcare costs
You can read more about the benefits I’ve experienced here and the benefits we experienced as a company here.
Can you find 30-hour work week jobs anywhere?
Since we all still think in eight-hour work days, a full-time, 30-hour job is rare. I know that sounds arbitrary, but it’s true. If you’re looking for a full-time job, the closest setup you’ll find is a 32-hour work week, or four-day work week. Many companies have adopted that model.
If you’d like to see what’s out there for flex-schedule positions and companies, take a look at Flexjobs. You’ll find dedicated filters to “flexible” and “alternative” schedules.
See Also: 55 Places For Work From Home, Make Your Own Schedule Jobs
30-Hour Work Week Schedule Examples
My 20-30 Hour Work Week
I work about 25 hours per week on average. You can see a picture of my weekly calendar above and you’ll notice that I use the calendar in reverse. I add blocks to indicate when I’m not working and then back into my work hours after that. The white/blank space is my opportunity to work. Typically, I’ll work about 25 hours per week but I can increase that by starting earlier, working at night, or grabbing a block of time on the weekends. Here’s the pattern of when I work: My wife and I trade off afternoons working and spending time with our kids during the week. That way, we each get to about 20-25 hours per week and have plenty of family time. Having bursts of work time in 1-3 hour blocks really helps me focus, too. |
Flexible 30
Working 30 hours per week over Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
I usually do six to eight hours per day, four days a week. I don’t always take the same weekday off; sometimes it’s a Friday, sometimes it’s a Monday, and sometimes it’s midweek. I work mostly during the day (9 to 5), but if the sun is out, I might spend the day in the garden and work in the evening.
My work — online marketing — is very flexible. I structure my work around my family, the weather, and other non-work commitments. Other things are primary, and work comes next. We homeschool our children and I work from home, so if we decide to do a day trip or something like that, not working isn’t an issue!
– Daniel Morris of Fire and Saw
Descending Four-Day Week
Working 30 hours per week over Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Start with the heaviest and most important tasks on Tuesday and taper them off by Friday. A chunk of my work is finished by mid-Thursday. By structuring it this way, I’m working more in an energy management style rather than a time management style, and I’ve found this to be very effective.
A four-day work week has changed my life so much that I actually feel happier in my head knowing well that I have checked off all tasks and have so much time for myself, too! Never thought these two things could co-exist before I started this schedule.
– Sam Lockwood of 52 Editions Website
Three-Day Weekend
Working 28 hours a week over Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
I like to keep Tuesdays clear of meetings and calls so I can get my head down and make a good dent in the work for the week. I try to fit all meetings on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so I can work on business admin and marketing on Fridays.
Since starting my own company, I’ve always aimed to have a three-day weekend. This new schedule is a healthy approach between having enough time in the week to grow the business while still having plenty of time on the weekend for family and friends. I’m also fortunate that my partner works four days a week, too, and we share the same days off. We tend to use Mondays as a day together for just the two of us to do something nice, as most of our friends and family are back at work.
View other unique work week schedulesThis is part of our series highlighting unique work schedules. Have a look:
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