Why You Shouldn't "Work Like Hell" (Sorry, Elon)

“Work like hell. I mean you just have to put in 80 to 100 hour weeks every week. [This] improves the odds of success. If other people are putting in 40 hour work weeks and you’re putting in 100 hour work weeks, then even if you are doing the same thing, you know that you will achieve in 4 months what it takes them a year to achieve”
–Elon Musk

While this quote from our real-life version of Tony Stark may be inspiring, it’s hard to rationalize with scientific research (and basic logic). 

John Nevison published a widely cited study called The Rule Of 50. He compiled data from a number of other studies and found that there’s a productivity threshold when people work over 50 hours in a week. He even found that more hours worked has a negative effect on total productive hours. For every 50 hours worked, Nevison found an average of 37 highly productive hours. When that number rises to 55 hours per week, he found a negative correlation with truly productive hours. Those dropped to nearly 30. 

In his book, Free to Focus, Michael Hyatt makes the case that much of our productivity “wisdom” comes from industrial era thinking. Working longer hours makes sense when you’re talking about assembly lines and repetitive motion. But in the digital age in which many are knowledge workers, the brain has a threshold. It can only produce so many productive hours per week. 

Are you feeling fatigued and tired after your work day? Are you having trouble maintaining completely productive hours for the duration of your week? Maybe your brain is telling you something. Maybe you aren’t being lazy. Maybe your body is helping you find the balance it needs to enjoy the time it has here. 

Take an afternoon off. Good luck out there.