9-to-5: The rat race

120 years ago, working from 9 to 5 probably felt like a vacation.

Whaat?

Unbelievable, I know.

In the times when most workers were accustomed to exhausting shifts of 12 hours or more, Henry Ford’s proposition of an 8-hour gig in a car factory was quite innovative for the time. 

In the early 1900s, this was a step forward and a progressive mindset. In 120 or so years, this has become the norm - the standard work hours we all expect. This means we are evolving. That’s great! 

A century later, however, we are living and facing the next big revolutionary change in how we see work and productivity. Times have dramatically changed.

So far, old thinking by company managers as well as inertia were the only things holding us back from upgrading the 9-to-5 model.

It’s time to consider other options and to keep improving our lives and minds.

In the past, we didn't possess the technologies to easily connect people, so there was more of a need to herd everyone together in the same place. With a variety of online video platforms, interactive and conversational software and the means to instantly send messages and communicate with people around the world, there is no longer a need to keep doing what we’ve been doing for the last century.

It's been proven that people work best when they have control over their schedules. They are happier and can organize their days around their biorhythms, chores, home responsibilities and hobbies. It's likely that they’ll actually spend more time working and their productivity will be enhanced.

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change” - Albert Einstein.