The productive 8-hour workday is a myth

The sun rises and it sets, and for eight hours in between, many of us go to work. This is a rhythm we are used to, yet it may not actually be best for our overall productivity.

The eight-hour work day is a relic of industrialization, when unions campaigned for the 100-hour work week to be reduced to 40 hours. But for knowledge workers, it may be impossible to squeeze creativity and deep thinking out of every minute of those eight hours.

“Early in my career, I was obsessed with productivity. I equated being busy with being effective. But the common definition of productivity is flawed because it focuses on how much you do, not how well you do it,” writes author Bec Sands in Fast Company.