Most of us working-age stiffs are putting in far more than our 40 hours a week at work, but Professor James W. Vaupel of the University of Southern Denmark argues that adults should have a permanent 25-hour workweek, but work well into their 80s. "There is strong evidence that elderly people who work part-time are healthier than those who don't work at all and just sit at home," he told ScienceNordic. "This is simply because working improves people's health."
Vaupel says that this paradigm wouldn't decrease the number of total hours each individual spends working -- it would just redistribute those hours. "The main argument is that this would give young people aged 20-30 more time to care for their children, do sports and other important activities that improve their lives," he adds. "The way it is today, young people are slaving their way through work, looking forward to a long retirement. But why not move that retirement period around a bit so that young people get more valuable time off work?"
Professor Vaupel's idea reminds me of the mini-retirements Tim Ferriss proposed in "The 4-Hour Workweek" -- regular 1-to-3-month trips for perspective and general enjoyment, or the mini-vacations author Brendon Burchard suggests we take every 90 days.
There's no reason to delay life. What's holding you back?
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