Yesterday my therapist, She's So Lovely, asked me an interesting question.
I was describing a potential contract job I've been put forward for and another interesting role I've applied for in a completely different industry.
"Could you," she asked, "work a four day week?"
I blinked. "Well," I said, "in a way, I have been. I used to work most Fridays from home."
"Not the same thing," she said. "You were still working, right?""Sure," I said, thinking back to the fact that Fridays could often be the most productive day of my week.
She went on to tell me that depression, anxiety, stress - all these things are often caused by a sense that we don't have control over our own lives.
If you have just that one day a week that is yours - to do something creative, to see friends, to go to a dance class - it can make a big difference in your ability to deal with characteristics of corporate jobs like pressure, ambiguity, politics, empire-building, resistance to change, the blame game and lack of work/life balance.
It's a very tempting thought, but I wonder if any employer would go for it?