4-Day Week Architect
Design your ideal schedule. Visualize the transition to a compressed or reduced work week with precision and clarity.
Configuration
Adjust settings and click "Generate" to see your new life.
Mastering the 4-Day Work Week Transition
The global shift towards a four-day work week is more than just a trend; it is a fundamental reimagining of productivity and work-life balance. Whether you are an employee negotiating a new schedule or a manager implementing a pilot program, visualizing the logistics is the first step toward success. This tool helps you architect that transition by calculating the specific hours required to maintain your output.
Choosing the Right Model: Compressed vs. Reduced
There are two primary ways to implement a four-day week, and understanding the difference is crucial for setting expectations:
- The Compressed Model (100% Hours): This involves working your standard 40 hours across four days instead of five. The result is usually four 10-hour days. This maintains your exact contractual hours but grants a full extra day of freedom. It is excellent for those who prefer longer focused deep-work sessions.
- The Reduced Hour Model (100-80-100): This is the "gold standard" advocated by groups like 4 Day Week Global. You receive 100% pay for 80% of the time, provided you maintain 100% productivity. This requires a radical shift in efficiency, cutting out unnecessary meetings and distractions.
Optimizing Your Schedule for Peak Performance
When you remove a day from the working week, every remaining hour becomes more valuable. If you choose the compressed model, you must account for energy management. Working 10 hours a day requires strategic breaks to prevent burnout. Our planner includes a "break duration" setting specifically to show you when your day will realistically end. Ignoring breaks to leave earlier often leads to diminishing returns in the final hours of the day.
Strategic Day Selection
Which day should you take off? While Friday is the most popular choice for a long weekend, taking Wednesday off (the "Mid-week Break" model) can be powerful for preventing fatigue. It splits the week into two manageable 2-day sprints, ensuring you never work more than two days without a rest. Use the planner above to visualize how a Wednesday break changes the flow of your week compared to a Monday or Friday.