I took a 20% pay cut to work 4 days a week. I've never looked back.
I started working four days a week in 2021 — and it fundamentally changed how I see work and life.
I’m taking on 1-2 new clients this summer! See my consulting work here. If you know anyone who’s building a growing team or navigating structural change, send them my way: timcasasola@gmail.com.
In 2021, my last employer (garden3D) piloted a four-day workweek: opt into a 20% pay cut, and you got Fridays off. I was like, yo, sign me up. I joined the first cohort and stayed on a four-day schedule until 2023.
It changed my relationship with work.
I had time to grow as a rock climber, deepen my relationships, and actually rest — all while continuing to deliver my best work.
I felt lucky. My employer recognized burnout as a problem and did something about it.
And they weren’t alone. The research is clear: four-day workweeks are good for people and good for business.
What the Research Says
Between June and December 2022, 61 companies in the UK piloted some version of a four-day workweek. The results were encouraging:
56 of the 61 companies continued the program.
18 made it permanent.
71% of employees reported reduced burnout.
39% felt less stressed.
54% found it easier to balance work and home life.
Company revenue stayed steady — and even grew compared to previous years.
Employee attrition dropped by 57%.
And this one really stuck with me: 15% of employees said no amount of money would make them return to a five-day schedule.
Like I said, I’ve never looked back. Even now as an independent consultant, I still take Fridays off.
If the Benefits Are So Clear, Why Aren’t More Companies Doing It?
A lot of my peers already kinda have lighter Fridays:
There are no meetings.
It’s remote-only.
Fridays are off in the summer.
Or it’s just “a chill day” — respond to a few Slacks and keep the green dot on.
So if we’re already halfway there, why don’t companies go all in?
Common Fears About the Four-Day Workweek
Here are the objections I’ve heard — and how we might reframe them:
😱 “We’ll lose money!”
→ What would it take to adapt your business model for a 4-day week? You might shift from billing hours to billing by deliverable or week. You might run Monday–Thursday sprints instead of Monday–Friday ones.
😱 “People won’t be as productive.”
→ The opposite tends to be true. Constraints force focus. And remember Parkinson’s Law: work expands to fill the time allotted.
😱 “We’re already overloaded. How will we get everything done?”
→ Maybe the problem isn’t time. Maybe it’s prioritization. Reduce your WIP (work in progress) and prioritize what truly matters.
😱 “What if a client emails us on Friday?”
→ Set expectations. Let them know your company invests in well-being. You might be surprised — they’ll often appreciate (or even emulate) the boundary.
Knowing ≠ Doing
We know the five-day workweek is an outdated legacy from factory floors.
We know people burn out fast.
We know most of our jobs don’t require 40+ hours of screen time.
We know humans aren’t meant to stare at computer screens 40+ hours/week.
We know shorter workweeks improve retention and attract talent.
But knowing ≠ doing.
Change is hard — but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
Think about the cost of not changing? Burnout, turnover, disengagement.
At my last employer, the 20% pay cut was a way to test the model with minimal impact on the business, while giving people a real choice.
The important part was this: they made it safe to try.
We Need More 4-Day Workweek Stories
I’d love to hear from you:
Have you worked four days a week — as a freelancer or at a company?
Have you been part of a team or org that transitioned to a four-day workweek?
How did it go?
Other relevant links:
New research on the 4 day workweek — from Juliet B Schor, an economist and sociologist at Boston College.
The Sabbatical Project helps people (and companies) take sabbaticals.
Why companies are still reluctant to introduce the four day workweek
Quit my job last year, and have played with 4 and 3 day weeks. It's been delightful. I expect that, for most, moving toward a more equalized balance of work/life would be a beneficial shift.
Recently though I feel like my work and life are blending, and with the blending, the need for balance is disappearing. When work feels like play, when our inner compasses are tuned toward joy, what is the need for 3 or 4 day weeks?