Now, 40 years ago, in 1967, the working hours of ordinary employees were 44 hours per day. week.
Since then it has gone down, to 42.5 hours of work week in 1968, then 40 hours of work week, and in 1990 the working time was 37 hours per week. week. And never has the stress thermostat been as high as it is now in the 21st century.
So reducing working hours does not lower stress levels as the only factor.
It is thought-provoking.
That we have as much free time as never before, and are as stressed as never before.
And that those who want to work more, self-employed and managers etc., who all probably work self-selected more than 37 hours, for many people work really much more and spend large parts of their free time at work.
It is not time that is crucial, I think. But the way we spend time and the amount of demands and expectations held up against the amount of resources we have that help create the condition called stress.
I think that the social partners have made good negotiations over the last few decades and have reduced the working hours of the vast majority. The challenge and challenge for us as human beings then becomes how we each make sure to have it in the time we take time off.
- We have to figure out what’s charging us.
- We need to find out what framework we want to live and act in, and whether it is affordable ambitions we have.
- We must find out that the grass is greenest where it gets watered and learn to have access to our satisfaction every single day.
Yes, in general, I think we need to take many more aspects of our lives as a learning process. We have to ask ourselves much more often than before: what can I learn from this / what do I think about this ?, so that we not only become part of a rushing maelstrom, but integrate a balance between activation and deactivation, so that the balance , which some call happiness and others call harmony, are within our own reach.
I have written it before and I have said it often. And I still mean it.
Time is perhaps the only factor that all people have the same amount of, so it is never time that is in short supply. For it is constant. If you hear yourself say “I do not have time for that”, then turn the slant once and consider whether it is the most sincere answer. Or whether the answer is rather “I would not prioritize this as important right now”, or “I would rather do something for myself and my family than check work emails on a Saturday afternoon”, etc ..
All change starts with B.
All change starts with consciousness. If you want to change something so you can benefit from the time you have, then become aware. About your values and your choices, about your intentions and your actions. So you are master of your own house, instead of a victim of stress.
