I feel as if even a three day weekend would make me feel so much less stifled by work.<p>I love my job. I love what I do. And yet the grind of going day after day, five days a week, every week except for maybe three or four times a year when I take vacation (and I try to take more than I'm allotted believe me...). It's just stifling. It's tiring. It makes me not want to get up for work in the morning. But after a three day weekend and with only four days to work in the week, I always feel better.<p>If it doesn't happen at my work here I'll figure a way to make it work somewhere else I hope. But it's not an option for most people, and maybe it should be.
There is a similar article in the Orion Magazine:<p><a href="https://orionmagazine.org/article/the-gospel-of-consumption/" rel="nofollow">https://orionmagazine.org/article/the-gospel-of-consumption/</a><p>that goes a little more in depth into the history of the 40 hour work week.
There's also a system of 9 hour days Monday-Thursday and then every other Friday off. It averages out to 40-hour weeks but you get two 3-day weekends a month.
My company works a four-day week, and it's excellent. Note that the transition from five to four days has the most pleasure impact (+50% weekend) for the least work cost (-20% work). The next two transitions – 4->3 and 3->2 – would be a lot harder. But I'd love to make it to three days a week, when you work fewer days than you relax.