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Thursday is the New Friday: How to Work Fewer Hours, Make More Money, and Spend Time Doing What You Want
Create your own schedule, maximize your leisure time, and work less while making more by following the revolutionary--yet realistic--four-day work week outlined in this groundbreaking book.
In Thursday is the New Friday, author Joe Sanok offers the exercises, tools, and training that have helped thousands of professionals--from authors and scholars to business leaders and innovators--create the schedule they want, resulting in less work, greater income, and more time for what they most desire.
Outlining the exact same strategies Joe used to go from working 60-hour weeks in the beginning of his career to now working 4 or less days a week, Thursday is the New Friday will help you:
Understand how you too can apply these principles and customize them for your own situation to be more productive at work while enjoying more leisure time.
Discard unnecessary tasks and learn efficiencies that would not have been discovered otherwise.
Find inspiration in the stories and testimonials from Joe's clients and colleagues who have implemented his methodology into their own work lives with incredible results.
Understand the psychological research behind the principles of the four-day workweek and why we are actually more productive with one less workday.
Most importantly, Thursday is the New Friday empowers you with a practical, evidence-based methodology to create your own work schedule and dedicate more of your precious personal time to pursuing your hobbies and spending time with your family and friends.
In Thursday is the New Friday, author Joe Sanok offers the exercises, tools, and training that have helped thousands of professionals--from authors and scholars to business leaders and innovators--create the schedule they want, resulting in less work, greater income, and more time for what they most desire.
Outlining the exact same strategies Joe used to go from working 60-hour weeks in the beginning of his career to now working 4 or less days a week, Thursday is the New Friday will help you:
Understand how you too can apply these principles and customize them for your own situation to be more productive at work while enjoying more leisure time.
Discard unnecessary tasks and learn efficiencies that would not have been discovered otherwise.
Find inspiration in the stories and testimonials from Joe's clients and colleagues who have implemented his methodology into their own work lives with incredible results.
Understand the psychological research behind the principles of the four-day workweek and why we are actually more productive with one less workday.
Most importantly, Thursday is the New Friday empowers you with a practical, evidence-based methodology to create your own work schedule and dedicate more of your precious personal time to pursuing your hobbies and spending time with your family and friends.
254 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 5, 2021
40 people are currently reading
1788 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
May 12, 2021
I am a sucker for any and all business and productivity books, so I was intrigued by Joe Sanok's promise to help you create the schedule you want. Constant hustling will just lead to burnout, and Sanok is dead on that you need to combine rest and slow down with focused sprints to be your most productive and happier.
Unfortunately, Sanok is a terrible storyteller, miserably failing to connect his personal anecdotes into larger concepts and completely lacking in transitions between anything - topics, chapters, even paragraphs. The occasional pieces of decent advice are obscured by boring scientific statements, pointless tangents, and cliché personality tests. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from HarperCollins Leadership through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Unfortunately, Sanok is a terrible storyteller, miserably failing to connect his personal anecdotes into larger concepts and completely lacking in transitions between anything - topics, chapters, even paragraphs. The occasional pieces of decent advice are obscured by boring scientific statements, pointless tangents, and cliché personality tests. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from HarperCollins Leadership through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
October 22, 2021
The title is not really a good indicator of what to expect
I expected this to be more focused on explaining why we should make Thursday the new Friday and then on principles that will help make you implement it. Instead the chapters don’t cleanly contribute to the overall message of the book, there are poorly researched arguments and a general rambling style that could do with some heavy editing. If you want a self assessment or internal self-examination focused on how you think, feel and act rather than a set of clear principles to make Thursday the new Friday, this might be just the thing. But I found that even when this does get to the “how to” it is overly long and rambling, annoying and not particularly inspiring. An alternative in this genre worthy of your time and money is Michael Hyatt’s Win at Work and Succeed at Life.
I expected this to be more focused on explaining why we should make Thursday the new Friday and then on principles that will help make you implement it. Instead the chapters don’t cleanly contribute to the overall message of the book, there are poorly researched arguments and a general rambling style that could do with some heavy editing. If you want a self assessment or internal self-examination focused on how you think, feel and act rather than a set of clear principles to make Thursday the new Friday, this might be just the thing. But I found that even when this does get to the “how to” it is overly long and rambling, annoying and not particularly inspiring. An alternative in this genre worthy of your time and money is Michael Hyatt’s Win at Work and Succeed at Life.
February 18, 2022
Some compelling points about the value of slowing down. I loved his point about how we took the wrong moral from the Tortoise and the Hare fable--we're more geared to work like the hare, just make sure to set an alarm to wake up when you need to (and also don't be a jerk.) The author does self reference ("I can prove this point because here's my process of writing this book you're currently reading") once, but it didn't detract too much. Nothing revolutionary, but all in all, I'm always up for another voice pointing out the value of unplugging, and a reminder that momentum is messy, and things don't have to be perfect before putting yourself out there.
Gems:
P108-109 polarized thinking, disqualifying the positive, and magnification. “When we look more closely at what hinders us from Moving on something and identify our cognitive distortions, we’re on the path to removing those blocks that are a part of our inner world.”
P120 “Our brains are wired less like the tortoise’s and more like the hare’s. In general, we’re better at sprinting toward goals and then resting. Nonstop movement (even if it is slow like the tortoise) is not natural. As a society, we’re addicted to nonstop movement forward. We feel like we have to do something, rather than rest. The hare actually got it right.
P139 “The person most-involved should be most invested in the plan implementation.”
P143 “Proceed until apprehended; do your best and we’ll figure it out later.”
P146 Acceptance and Commitment Therapy:
--Acceptance and mindfulness strategies
--Commitment and behavior change strategies
--Goal to increase psychological flexibility
P147 keep a to-become list instead of a to-do list. This places intentions over expectations
P154 “Once you start observing how much of your time is taken up by others, you’ll be best positioned to then decide how you want to slow down.”
P173 “Developing new hobbies, friends, and social engagements is often difficult for adults. We undervalue free time and look for an ROI on it. But free time for the sake of free time often leads to more productivity and creativity in the workplace without directly associating it.”
P196 1. Do your very best work first. 2. Be uncompromising about your boundaries. 3. Give yourself less time.
P200 “During this sprint, I will achieve ____”
P202 use the word “shift” instead of “tools” or “actions.” It feels delicate, easy, just a slight tilt
P203 “Fall in love with the pain and the people before you ever pitch a product.”
Gems:
P108-109 polarized thinking, disqualifying the positive, and magnification. “When we look more closely at what hinders us from Moving on something and identify our cognitive distortions, we’re on the path to removing those blocks that are a part of our inner world.”
P120 “Our brains are wired less like the tortoise’s and more like the hare’s. In general, we’re better at sprinting toward goals and then resting. Nonstop movement (even if it is slow like the tortoise) is not natural. As a society, we’re addicted to nonstop movement forward. We feel like we have to do something, rather than rest. The hare actually got it right.
P139 “The person most-involved should be most invested in the plan implementation.”
P143 “Proceed until apprehended; do your best and we’ll figure it out later.”
P146 Acceptance and Commitment Therapy:
--Acceptance and mindfulness strategies
--Commitment and behavior change strategies
--Goal to increase psychological flexibility
P147 keep a to-become list instead of a to-do list. This places intentions over expectations
P154 “Once you start observing how much of your time is taken up by others, you’ll be best positioned to then decide how you want to slow down.”
P173 “Developing new hobbies, friends, and social engagements is often difficult for adults. We undervalue free time and look for an ROI on it. But free time for the sake of free time often leads to more productivity and creativity in the workplace without directly associating it.”
P196 1. Do your very best work first. 2. Be uncompromising about your boundaries. 3. Give yourself less time.
P200 “During this sprint, I will achieve ____”
P202 use the word “shift” instead of “tools” or “actions.” It feels delicate, easy, just a slight tilt
P203 “Fall in love with the pain and the people before you ever pitch a product.”
July 2, 2022
This is an immensely practical guide for anyone who wants to work smarter - not harder. The author has conducted his fair share of masterminds and workshops on this topic with real people, so the quizzes and advice given here are more realistic than in many other books on slowing down.
Before diving into the workload slashing, however, there's an entire section about getting to know your strengths and weaknesses (are you naturally curious, do you take action even if it's not entirely perfect) that's designed to help you focus on key areas of your worklife and pinpoint what's draining your time.
There are also helpful tips on how to slow down without feeling guilty, and how proper rest actually helps us be more productive. The final sections are about the power of short and focused sprints as an antidote to long, pointless days spent with our backsides in chairs doing busywork.
I definitely recommended this to anyone who's self-employed or runs their own business and wants proven and research-backed ways to boost their productivity. Or to anyone who's realized during the pandemic that it doesn't actually take them 50 hours a week to do their jobs.
However, the typos and the few instances of chunky non-flowy writing were disappointing - the book needs a good edit before it's thrown into the world (I read an advanced copy from NetGalley).
I also found it bizarre that the author mentions a lab rat he had in school who he'd deprived of water for half the day - just for the insight of seeing the rat frantically push a buzzer for a single drop. Really, do modern adults still do these Victorian-style "experiments" to learn obvious facts?
Instead of flippant mentions of pointless animal abuse, perhaps the point could be better made in a way that befits a civilized human on a planet - which we're no longer the center of - that's burning to death.
Sorry, little guy. Still very much worth reading.
Before diving into the workload slashing, however, there's an entire section about getting to know your strengths and weaknesses (are you naturally curious, do you take action even if it's not entirely perfect) that's designed to help you focus on key areas of your worklife and pinpoint what's draining your time.
There are also helpful tips on how to slow down without feeling guilty, and how proper rest actually helps us be more productive. The final sections are about the power of short and focused sprints as an antidote to long, pointless days spent with our backsides in chairs doing busywork.
I definitely recommended this to anyone who's self-employed or runs their own business and wants proven and research-backed ways to boost their productivity. Or to anyone who's realized during the pandemic that it doesn't actually take them 50 hours a week to do their jobs.
However, the typos and the few instances of chunky non-flowy writing were disappointing - the book needs a good edit before it's thrown into the world (I read an advanced copy from NetGalley).
I also found it bizarre that the author mentions a lab rat he had in school who he'd deprived of water for half the day - just for the insight of seeing the rat frantically push a buzzer for a single drop. Really, do modern adults still do these Victorian-style "experiments" to learn obvious facts?
Instead of flippant mentions of pointless animal abuse, perhaps the point could be better made in a way that befits a civilized human on a planet - which we're no longer the center of - that's burning to death.
Sorry, little guy. Still very much worth reading.
October 6, 2021
3.75 rounded to 4⭐️
Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins Leadership, and Joe Sanok for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thursday is the new Friday. Just saying that title makes me intrigued and I immediately want to hear more! Who doesn’t want to work fewer hours? Have more time to spend with loved ones? Have more time to relax? In a day and age where we are constantly overdoing it and expectations are sky high it couldn’t come at a better time, especially on the tail end of a pandemic.
I found this book to be quite interesting and informative. I knew going in there would be a lot that did not apply to my job due to the field I work in, but it still gave me a lot to think about and resulted in me taking a different look at and approach to the work I do and the life I live outside of my job.
A great resource for entrepreneurs, this book gives a history on how our work weeks came to be and the process it took to get there. It teaches how to manage your company in such a way to allow yourself less time there, and it also has lots of tips on how to grow your business (and how to talk to your clients about what they are looking for to help facilitate that growth.)
I can see this book being a stepping stone to a new future and I really hope that is the case. Burnout needs to be a thing of the past. If you are looking for ways to start, grow, or step back from your own business, give this one a try! And while you’re at it you will learn about work/life balance and why it is important!
Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins Leadership, and Joe Sanok for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thursday is the new Friday. Just saying that title makes me intrigued and I immediately want to hear more! Who doesn’t want to work fewer hours? Have more time to spend with loved ones? Have more time to relax? In a day and age where we are constantly overdoing it and expectations are sky high it couldn’t come at a better time, especially on the tail end of a pandemic.
I found this book to be quite interesting and informative. I knew going in there would be a lot that did not apply to my job due to the field I work in, but it still gave me a lot to think about and resulted in me taking a different look at and approach to the work I do and the life I live outside of my job.
A great resource for entrepreneurs, this book gives a history on how our work weeks came to be and the process it took to get there. It teaches how to manage your company in such a way to allow yourself less time there, and it also has lots of tips on how to grow your business (and how to talk to your clients about what they are looking for to help facilitate that growth.)
I can see this book being a stepping stone to a new future and I really hope that is the case. Burnout needs to be a thing of the past. If you are looking for ways to start, grow, or step back from your own business, give this one a try! And while you’re at it you will learn about work/life balance and why it is important!
May 22, 2021
My curiosity led me to this book and it's interesting because at the core of everything we do there are plenty of motivating factors. We get bogged down by the 8-5 or 9-5 lifestyle and for someone who's had a tough time with this, it took me years to finally admit that I did not want to work by someone's schedule rather my own- and it made me seek out enumeration jobs which meant travel working in various communities, weather profiles and just setting deadlines on my one.
This book does not promise to abolish the 8-5 or 9-5 work cycle, but rather it offers insights on time management on scheduling, on maintaining and even improving on curiosity to get things done. It's a good read and I did not care much for the practicals- however, it was good to read a different, humane and self-fulfilling approach to work and productivity from someone who has done the research and lived it.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.
This book does not promise to abolish the 8-5 or 9-5 work cycle, but rather it offers insights on time management on scheduling, on maintaining and even improving on curiosity to get things done. It's a good read and I did not care much for the practicals- however, it was good to read a different, humane and self-fulfilling approach to work and productivity from someone who has done the research and lived it.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.
January 30, 2022
Nataly Kogan had Joe Sanok on her Awesome Human Hour on Wednesday. He was talking about his book Thursday is the New Friday. I admit that this one was in my NetGalley queue to read and review, but I was dragging my feet for some reason. I thought the book was going to be along the lines of the 4-hr work week or something, but it was so much more. In the AHH session, he was taking about how our concept of work time was developed by the Industrialists and how we have seven days in the week because the ancient Greeks needed better telescopes. That had me intrigued. In the book, there were a lot of mentions of not just the history of work but also the psychology. Examples such as the theory of how work will fill the available time you have for it as well as the number of staff. A lot of the book was about mindset shifts and habits. I am very intrigued by the idea of how it takes 26 minutes to reset after interrruptions from work. It concepts back to a lot of concept I have read from other authors. I highly recommend managers read this book because the workforce is changing since the pandemic started (and even before that!) and this helps explain a little of why that is.
November 4, 2021
Thursday is the New Friday!!🎉
Wouldn’t that be nice??
Actually, for years and years Thursdays have always been our Fridays.
We recently changed our schedule and now we have Mondays off.
Alyssa and I could never go back to a 5-day work week, so this book is speaking our language!☀️
I am loving everything about Thursday is the New Friday by Joe Sanok! Here are some key points:
* Understand how you too can apply these principles.
* Discard unnecessary tasks and learn efficiencies.
* Find inspiration in the stories and testimonials.
* Understand the psychological research behind why we are actually more productive with one less workday.
Thursday is the New Friday published on October 5th!
I love that this is available on audio!
You can find this book on our Amazon Storefront!
Thank you @tlcbooktours for this gifted copy!🧜🏼♀️🌺
Wouldn’t that be nice??
Actually, for years and years Thursdays have always been our Fridays.
We recently changed our schedule and now we have Mondays off.
Alyssa and I could never go back to a 5-day work week, so this book is speaking our language!☀️
I am loving everything about Thursday is the New Friday by Joe Sanok! Here are some key points:
* Understand how you too can apply these principles.
* Discard unnecessary tasks and learn efficiencies.
* Find inspiration in the stories and testimonials.
* Understand the psychological research behind why we are actually more productive with one less workday.
Thursday is the New Friday published on October 5th!
I love that this is available on audio!
You can find this book on our Amazon Storefront!
Thank you @tlcbooktours for this gifted copy!🧜🏼♀️🌺
December 23, 2021
In today's world, it's not uncommon to see people working fewer hours and enjoying their lives more. But how did we get to the idea of the 5-day work week? How can we break the walls of what we consider "normal"? In Thursday is the New Friday, Joe Sanok details the ways in which everyone can live their lives more fully by scaling back their idea of work, one step at a time.
I think this book would be a great read for someone with a more typical job schedule or someone who is a business owner. There were many things I couldn't relate to, but that's mostly because I have a more flexible schedule than described in the book. I would love to hear someone's perspective on this book who has a "standard" in-office job!
Thank you so much to Harper Collins Leadership for the complimentary copy!
I think this book would be a great read for someone with a more typical job schedule or someone who is a business owner. There were many things I couldn't relate to, but that's mostly because I have a more flexible schedule than described in the book. I would love to hear someone's perspective on this book who has a "standard" in-office job!
Thank you so much to Harper Collins Leadership for the complimentary copy!
May 2, 2021
I received an ARC from NetGalley in advance of writing this review. This book was written by a therapist turned entrepreneur. I was initially intrigued by the title especially given conversations about how work will look post-pandemic. The early chapters of the book do highlight that the units of time that orient our lives (weekend, 8 hour day) are often historical accidents but the bulk of the book is about self-assessments and tips and tricks for individuals interested in spending more time doing what they care about. The quizzes might set this book apart from standard productivity fare if you are into that sort of thing but they aren't going to meet anyone's definition of rigorously backed by research.
March 18, 2024
“Thursday Is the New Friday” by Joe Sanok, has cracked the code on work-life balance, and I’m here for it! 🙌 If you’re ready to reclaim your time and challenge the norm, this book is your roadmap. Sanok introduces the revolutionary concept of a four-day workweek. He shares practical strategies that have helped professionals across various fields reclaim their time, boost income, and prioritize what truly matters. 🕒💰
Sank brilliantly highlights the importance of work-life balance in today's fast-paced corporate landscape. As a millennial navigating the trenches of Corporate America, I resonate deeply with his message. We've been programmed to grind non-stop, but Sank argues that "Thursday is the New Friday" mentality is the key to unlocking productivity and happiness.
August 2, 2021
2.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my review. While the first chapter did a wonderful job of proving why four-day workweeks are best for productivity, the rest of the chapters took the book in a completely different direction. It was more about personality tests and other assessments to help you understand your levels of curiosity among other subjects. It's a hard book to rate for that reason. I wish it would have stuck to the main theme all the way through the book.
September 4, 2021
When I saw the book, I was intrigued. Because since the pandemic lockdown, I had been practicing Thursday as my new Friday. Personally, my career had a sudden shift into a work from home setup. I was thinking that I could get meaningful takeaways that I can apply to myself, given my situation. The book provided self-assessments to help the reader to analyze better understanding of oneself. Most likely, I found this book sharing insights on time management, re-evaluate your priorities and giving importance to what matters most.
February 7, 2022
The author has some interesting theories on how to reduce how long we work and at the same time increase the value (if not the productivity) we have during the time we do work. It is not applicable to every work situation and there are dozen of other ideas and theories that don't have to do exactly with the main topic of the book. Still, you just need one new idea that makes you think a bit differently and there were a couple there that did make me pause and think. So overall, I think it was worth the time spent reading it.
July 23, 2023
This is the first book this year that I DNF-ed. I managed to get through 25% of it and had to admit that I didn't have the willpower to finish it. Life is too short to waste it on this bland book. I picked it up from the local library because I'm interested in the idea of a 4-day week. The book started promising with a story about the author's grandparents, but what followed then was absolutely non-useable and disappointing. I gave the author 1 star for trying (while, in all honesty, it deserved 0).
February 5, 2022
I found so much of this to make sense just with my own personal experience and have found a lot of good advise on how to get the most out of life and how to lower my stress levels. I related so much to this book and was even able to make parallels in live of people close to me as well. This is with out any of us working in the example fields of work. I think everyone can get something from this book and highly recommend reading it
May 24, 2024
To be honest, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this book when I started it. The writing was clunky and challenging for me to engage with. However, as the book went on, I found it incredibly insightful. I appreciate books that offer prompts for reflection and practical takeaways - this book has loads of them. Among business books, this might be one of my top picks for new business owners, especially therapists going into private practice.
March 5, 2022
I received this book via Goodreads giveaways.
I was very optimistic to read this book. The author has some great ideas on how to be more efficient in working and provide opportunities for individuals to reduce time worked with the same productivity. But it is really geared to the entrepreneur, not your average worker whose company is not going to allow you to work 4 days a week.
I was very optimistic to read this book. The author has some great ideas on how to be more efficient in working and provide opportunities for individuals to reduce time worked with the same productivity. But it is really geared to the entrepreneur, not your average worker whose company is not going to allow you to work 4 days a week.
April 19, 2022
This book is a good idea to think about work-life balance. After reading the 4-hour work week and convinced that Thursday is the new Friday.
Over the past year I have seen more productivity with less workers and clear focus.
I agree with the Parkinson's law on work and time. Work expands to the time given to it.
So we should use our time wisely and we truly believe that less is more.
Over the past year I have seen more productivity with less workers and clear focus.
I agree with the Parkinson's law on work and time. Work expands to the time given to it.
So we should use our time wisely and we truly believe that less is more.
January 26, 2024
If you work from home, and your work life feels out of balance. This is a must-read.
I'm always chancing a more streamlined week where I can crush it at work, have time for my family, AND have a moment to myself to relax. This book aims to help you figure it out.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.
I'm always chancing a more streamlined week where I can crush it at work, have time for my family, AND have a moment to myself to relax. This book aims to help you figure it out.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.
December 18, 2021
I won this book from a giveaway and donated it to Women's Prison Book Project.
April 12, 2022
A slow start but ends up being a hidden gem! Learned so much from this book!
April 22, 2022
Valid ideas on slowing down to avoid burning out, with more self-promotion than I bargained for.
June 22, 2022
“The people, experiences, and environment you surround yourself with will create the outcomes.”
Work less, make more & spend time doing what you want? I’m in 👍🏼
Work less, make more & spend time doing what you want? I’m in 👍🏼
June 28, 2023
Good and actionable advice.
I am personally a sucker for the personality tests, so those didn’t bother me, but I would appreciate it if the book was a bit more concise.
I am personally a sucker for the personality tests, so those didn’t bother me, but I would appreciate it if the book was a bit more concise.
January 1, 2024
DNF - 50% completion
February 8, 2024
it wasn't terrible but i don't feel particularly enlightened. many things are obvious but i did enjoy the overall message, a good reminder of being present.
February 13, 2024
I liked it but it feels like a self promotion, like I just read 225 pages of advertisement
March 30, 2024
2.5/5 There were some good arguments for shortening the work week but most of this book felt like padding.
November 18, 2021
Some interesting techniques to put into practice for better time management although it has a lot of unnecessary waffle and gets a little self absorbed.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews