Work Fewer Hours — Guaranteed

Joe Brinkley’s wife had been complaining about his long hours at work for years. But now, things were different. Joe and Brenda were now in my office for “divorce counseling.” Brenda laid out her position by stating, “If Joe decides to work more than forty hours a week ever again, I’m going to file for an immediate divorce.” I could tell Brenda was serious, and so could Joe. Joe adored Brenda, but then again, he also adored his job. His reasons and excuses for working upward to 65 hours a week fell on deaf ears. I told him that, if he wanted to save his marriage, he was going to have to free himself from working so much. Thus, the “Cold Turkey” approach to working fewer hours was born.

Joe had agreed to be home by 6:00 p.m. every night, or else face Brenda’s determined exit. In a private counseling session with me, he asked for advice on how to change his ways. I had two suggestions. First, I suggested he get a watch that had a multiple alarm function, and set it for 5:00 p.m. That would remind him that he had thirty minutes before he had to begin his drive home. Then, I advised him to set the second alarm for 5:30. No matter what he was doing when he heard that alarm, even if he was in the middle of a meeting, I advised him to immediately drive home. That’s it. A simple decision, a simple commitment, and no room for excuses.