Why Do We Work So Much?

How to structure employment so workers are more creative, productive, and happier.

Topics include:What percentage of employees work at home due to the pandemicHow many hours per week do men and women work in both paid employment and unpaid caregivingHow workers have been allocating the time saved by not commutingWhy the economy would still prosper if we worked only four hours per dayWhat is the cult of efficiencyWhat is the difference between leisure and amusementWhy employers reward busyness at workHow work can be more satisfying and create


Thanks to LinkedIn and Policygenius for sponsoring the episode.

Show Notes

60 million fewer commuting hours per day: How Americans use time saved by working from home by Jose Maria Barrero, Nick Bloom and Steven J. Davis

Mental health: C-suite struggles in the pandemic by Rachel Ranosa—Human Resources Director

Deep Work (Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World) by Cal Newport

In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell—Harper's Magazine

Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving by Celeste Headlee

Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle translated by Robert C. Bartlett and Susan D. Collins

Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

The Art of the Siesta by Thierry Paquot

When More Is Not Better: Overcoming America's Obsession with Economic Efficiency by Roger L. Martin