Why Are People Complaining About 40 Hours a Week?

[Anonymous]

I work well over 70 hours a week across multiple jobs, plus manage several Airbnbs. I’ve automated most of the Airbnb work, so it’s not hands-on every day.

Even with that schedule, I’m home every night. I’m married, spend time with my spouse, take my vacation days and travel, and I’m at all my kids’ events. I don’t feel overworked or burned out.

So what is it? Am I just wired differently, or have expectations for what’s considered “too much work” shifted?

[Anonymous]

Who is complaining about 40 hours a week?
This sounds like a made up reason to humblebrag how amazing you are.

[Anonymous]

I'm not complaining about 40 hours a week. I enjoy having my nights and weekends free. I would be complaining about 70 hours a week, but more power to ya. You're just so much better than the rest of us. Congrats.

[Anonymous]

Can you hand your phone to your spouse so she can tell us how much of your lifestyle she’s enabling?

[Anonymous]

I don't know who is complaining about 40 hours a week. But I will say 40 hours is easy if you have an office / desk job. If you have a job that requires physical labor - even just being on your feet like a waiter - 40 hours a week is a lot, and should certainly pay enough for a person to support themselves.

[Anonymous]

I would never complain about 40 hours a week! That sounds like a breeze compared to the 60 or so I usually have to put in just to stay afloat.

[Anonymous]

People I know are desperately looking for jobs, so WAY TO BE INSENSITIVE, OP. You are posting on DCUM, in an area that depends on federal jobs.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry but I don't see how you can actually work 70 hours a week and be at every kid event. I suspect you're overestimating your work hours.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure. As a SAHW, I don't understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you hand your phone to your spouse so she can tell us how much of your lifestyle she’s enabling?

So much this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry but I don't see how you can actually work 70 hours a week and be at every kid event. I suspect you're overestimating your work hours.

One guy I know stopped working in the evening to be with his kids, but then worked far into the night, and some weekends. I guess it depends how many events the kids have and how flexible your work is.

[Anonymous]

Yes, you are an outlier, OP. Please don't expect everyone, including your own spouse and kids, to work as much as you do.

[Anonymous]

I think maybe the issue is that you're fabricating all of this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry but I don't see how you can actually work 70 hours a week and be at every kid event. I suspect you're overestimating your work hours.

These men always claim that they start working at 0500. Alarm goes off at 445 and they look at 4 emails that came in overnight. This takes 20 minutes, max, but they claim the hours between 0500 and 0900 (when 40 hrs begins for plebes) as “working.” Occasionally they take a single quick call ar the gym/during a run between 0500 and 0900.

— married to this guy.

[Anonymous]

The fact that you work more does not make it a universal truth that working 40 hours is easy or desirable.

Especially in today's world where many jobs now force you to take 30 or even 60 minute unpaid lunch and affordable housing comes with a 60+ minute commute your "40" hour job is really 60+ when counting all the unpaid extra time you're forced to devote to it.

People are more productive than any other point in history and studies show that after about 20 hours a week you get seriously diminishing returns on output. There is literally no reason we need to be working 40 hours and the only reason we're forced to is so the 1% can get even more money despite the fact that they already have more than they could possibly spend in a hundred lifetimes.