Why do we still have the 8-hour workday?

One of the most consistent aspects of our lives today is the standard 8-hour workday. Data supports this: the average American works 7.75 hours daily, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In a post-COVID America, the ideas surrounding how we work (and how long we work) are beginning to be challenged. Being as I work an “on-call” job at the time of this writing, this doesn’t fully apply to me, but the majority of America still lives in the 9-5, 8 hour window.

However, knowing the average daily work hours doesn’t necessarily reflect the efficiency or productivity of that pattern. This has been my personal experience as well. So, what is the ideal hourly work rate?

With success stories ranging from working 4 hours a week to 16 hours a day, determining an optimal amount is challenging. Instead of relying on intuition, which can be unreliable, we’re going to explore research on work time and how to optimize it for happiness and success.

Why even 8 hours to begin with?

Let’s start with the current norm: a typical workday of around 8 hours. But how did this standard come about? The answer lies in the Industrial Revolution.

In the late 18th century, as companies aimed to maximize factory output and operate around the clock, workers endured 10-16 hour days. These extended hours proved unsustainable, leading Robert Owen to champion a shorter workday. His campaign promoted the idea of “Eight hours labor, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest.”

It wasn’t until later that Ford implemented the 8-hour workday, setting a new standard.

One of the first businesses to implement this was the Ford Motor Company, in 1914, which not only cut the standard work day to eight hours, but also doubled their worker’s pay in the process.  To the shock of many industries, this resulted in Ford’s productivity off of these same workers, but with fewer hours, actually increasing significantly and Ford’s profit margins doubled within two years.  This encouraged other companies to adopt the shorter, eight hour work day as a standard for their employees.

So, there you have it. The 8-hour workday isn’t based on scientific research or careful consideration; it’s simply an old norm established a century ago for running factories efficiently.

We need to manage energy, rather than time.

Without wanting to fall into the same trap, it’s time to ask a better question. How many hours we work every day is barely important any more in today’s creative economy.

Instead, the right focus is your energy, according to famous author Tony Schwartz:

Manage your energy, not your time.

Tony Schwartz

Schwartz explains that we manage four types of energy daily:

1. Physical energy – your overall health
2. Emotional energy – your level of happiness.
3. Mental energy – your ability to focus.
4. Spiritual energy – your sense of purpose and motivation.

Unlike machines, which operate linearly, humans operate cyclically, a distinction many of us often overlook.

For a workday that aligns with our natural rhythms, it’s essential to focus on ultradian cycles.

The concept is that our minds can concentrate on a task for 90-120 minutes before needing a 20-30 minute break to recharge. This cycle helps maintain high performance for subsequent tasks. Here’s a clearer representation of the ultradian rhythm:

So instead of thinking about “What can I get done in an 8 hour day”, we need to change my thinking to “What can I get done in a 60 min session”.

Now that we know to divide our work into 60-minute chunks, let’s break those sessions down further.

The Core of a Productive Workday: Focus

A crucial element in understanding our workflows is our ability to focus. Research by Justin Gardner reveals that focusing involves a two-step process:

1. “Sensitivity enhancement”: This step involves taking in all the information in a scene or setup and then narrowing your attention to what’s important, similar to a blurry photo coming into focus, as described by Lifehacker.
2. “Efficient selection”: This is where you zoom in on the task at hand, allowing you to enter the “Flow” state, as Mihály Csíkszentmihályi calls it. This is where actual productive work takes place.

The following figure illustrates this process effectively:

In Figure A, when our brain is focused on a single task, it can distinguish between distractions (blue) and what’s important (yellow).

In Figure B, with multiple tasks, our brain becomes more susceptible to distractions and blends tasks with irrelevant information.

Gardner’s study suggests two key actions:

1. Avoid multitasking to minimize distractions in your work environment.
2. Remove distractions even when working on just one task.

While this may seem obvious, implementing it consistently is challenging. The good news is that we can actually rewire our brain to improve focus through practice. Here are some practical tips:

4 tips to improve your workday

There are 4 distinct changes we can make to implement the research above in our lives each and every day.

Increase Task Relevance Manually: Many of us struggle to focus, especially when no deadline is set. According to researcher Keisuke Fukuda, adding your own deadline and a reward can significantly boost task completion by overriding your attention system.

Divide Your Day into 60-Minute Blocks: Instead of viewing your workday as 8, 6, or 10 hours, break it into several 60-minute intervals. This approach makes it easier to tackle multiple tasks each day.

Plan Your Rest Periods: Tony Schwartz emphasizes that optimizing rest is crucial. Often, we focus so much on planning work that we neglect how to rest effectively. Plan your rest activities in advance, such as taking a nap, reading, meditating, or having a snack.

Eliminate Notifications: Following Joel’s advice on Zero Notifications has been highly effective for me. Turning off all digital alerts on your phone or computer helps prevent interruptions and maintains your focus.

Implementing these has the potential to dramatically change how you approach each day. Stop thinking about the 8-hour workday as the end all be all. We aren’t factory machines. Restructuring your workday has the potential to make you both happier and more productive. Give it a try!

8-hour workday8-hour workday8-hour workday8-hour workday8-hour workday8-hour workday