Do you ever wake up in the morning and feel something is missing in your life? Believe me you aren’t alone. Most of the clients I have spoken with will all tell you something in their world is a little off, it’s a feeling they just can’t shake. Looking at it from an external perspective you would think they have everything, but somewhere in their being is a tiny small void that can be a massive weight holding them back. The key to filling this void is to find the true source of discontent. When we inspect the finer details in our lives we start to get a deeper understanding of what makes us tick. Do you find yourself making these statements? I work too long, I don’t have enough hours for myself, or I don’t like my position. Possibly you just aren’t specifically sure what works for you.

Now you’re asking what this has got to do with working a 20hr week. Unless you have actually worked a 20 hour week the answer may not be that obvious. First off you really need to dig deeper into what’s going on for you. I recently asked a friend of mine who works in HR how she thought it was possible to achieve a 20 hour working week. Her answer was simple, you work bloody hard and put in those tough yards at the start. Keep doing the right things and make the most of the opportunities that come your way. While I agreed with some of this, for me it’s not that black and white. In my mind the concept of working till you retire is very out dated. Who wants to sit around for 10 years being idle? My motivation for doing this work was to escape the rat race, earn a high monthly income, and work less so I could live more. I like the idea of working in my latter years but I want it to be under my control and it not being dictated by who I work for.

So how are you going to achieve this? Realistically the majority of people will need to reduce their schedule by 50%, while keeping or improving their current income, the bills still need to be paid. As an I.T contractor in my early twenties I would take on 3-6 month contracts, work as many hours as possible and then take a break for 4-5 weeks. I’d live for that break and I would use it as the motivation to ensure I never missed a day. Those breaks were essentially mini retirements, the weeks off were my chance to recharge and do the things I was most passionate about, by the end of the few weeks id be refreshed and ready to jump back into I.T. The next factor people need to take into account with a 20 hour week is how do you spread it out and what exactly are you going to do with the time off? Mon – Friday the majority of your circle will be in work. It’s harder to hit the golf course or go on an adventure when you are on your own.

How about this scenario. You work through what was niggling away at you in the first place. You identify the reasons you are unsettled and you concentrate on those issues. What you might find is that it is something else in your environment needs to be changed and when you alter this your working week becomes a whole lot easier. Once you get to this point you might all of a sudden realise that dropping to 20 hours is not the answer. You may decide to structure your work life balance in a different way and still be able to devote your time to your family or the pursuits that give you the most pleasure. Once you create a paradigm shift in relation to family, time, and money you will be surprised at the results you can achieve. Obviously what works for one person isn’t going to work for everyone but you can scale up or down. If you keep putting off those ideas because you are waiting for the means to achieve them, they may never materialise. Remove those limiting beliefs and grab one dream at a time