It appears researchers are making the case that you should be
working less. Intrigued? Indeed, a major movement in
productivity research for the last several years has focused on
so-called “strategic renewal” – the idea that taking daytime
workouts, short afternoon naps and walks, and more vacations
will boost your productivity and job performance. And now,
additional research is making the case that working less won’t
just make you more productive, but it could also save the earth.
An article in U.S. News and World Report points to some new
research by The Center for Economic Policy and Research that
claims working less just might reduce carbon emissions.
According to the study, if people adopted a “more European” work
schedule (read: more time off and more vacations), it could
“prevent as much as half of the expected global temperature rise
by 2100.” Economist David Rosnick, author of the study, writes
that the correlation between shorter work hours and lower
emissions “is complex and not clearly understood