How to do it
- Start and stop times, every day, for two weeks. One week can be a fluke.
- Count evenings, weekends and email on the phone. If you're answering it, it's work.
- Total each week. 55 hours is where the risk estimates start.
- Under 55 and still worn out? Look at how much say you have and what you get back for the effort, not only the hours.
What the count tells you
- Counttwo weeks, written
Start and stop times each day, evenings included. My method, not a tested one.
- Totala number, not a mood
Too much becomes hours you can hold up against a line. That's my reasoning, not a finding.
- 55 hourswhere estimates start
WHO and ILO estimated higher stroke risk and more heart-disease deaths from 55 hours a week, compared with 35 to 40. Below 55, the evidence was weaker.
- Youknow where to look
Under 55 and still worn out? Little say over your work has more evidence behind it for low mood than long hours. Applying that to you is a guess.
Why it works
"Too much" is a feeling. Hours are a number. Two weeks of writing them down tells you whether the problem is how long you work or something else. That's my reasoning; nobody has tested the counting. Evidence: worth trying
The number matters above 55. WHO and ILO estimated that working 55 hours a week or more went with a 35% higher risk of stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from heart disease than working 35 to 40. Evidence: decent Below that, long hours have weaker evidence behind them for low mood than having little say over your work. Evidence: decent
The long readEvery step of the chain, each study with its numbers, and what's still unproven. 2 min read.
What happens in your brain
This chain is a way of looking at your week, not brain areas.
You count. Start and stop times, every day for two weeks, evenings and phone email included. My method. Evidence: worth trying
You get a total. Hours you can hold up against a line, instead of a sense of drowning. Evidence: worth trying
55 hours is where the estimates start. The WHO/ILO estimate covered 194 countries. In 2016, 488 million people worked 55 hours or more a week. Evidence: decent Compared with 35 to 40 hours, that went with a 35% higher risk of stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from ischaemic heart disease, the kind where the heart's own arteries narrow. Evidence: decent At 49 to 54 hours, the stroke evidence was rated limited, so 55 is where the estimates start, not a cliff edge. Evidence: decent
You know where to look. In studies that followed workers over years, the evidence linking long hours to rising low mood was limited; for little say over your own work it was moderately strong. Evidence: decent Putting in a lot and not getting back what you put in went with a slightly higher risk of coronary heart disease across 11 European cohorts, right at the edge of chance. Evidence: decent So if the total is under 55 and you're still worn out, look at say and reward before hours. Applying group findings to you is a guess. Evidence: worth trying
The proof
- WHO/ILO, 194 countries: 488 million people worked 55 hours or more a week in 2016. Evidence: decent
- 55 hours or more, compared with 35 to 40: 35% higher stroke risk, 17% higher death rate from ischaemic heart disease. Evidence: decent
- 745,194 deaths in 2016 put down to long hours; men carried more of it than women. Evidence: decent
- These are modelled from observational studies, which watch rather than test, and the heart-disease review behind them was disputed in print; its authors replied. Evidence: decent
- 11 European cohorts, 90,164 people followed for close to ten years, 1,078 coronary events: high effort with low reward went with a 16% higher risk, a borderline result. Evidence: decent
How to do it
- Start and stop times, every day, two weeks. One week can be a fluke. Evidence: worth trying
- Count evenings, weekends and email on the phone. If you're answering it, it's work.
- Total each week. 55 is where the risk figures start. Evidence: decent
- Under 55 and still worn out? Look at how much say you have and what you get back for the effort. Evidence: decent
Watch out
These are estimates, built on studies that observe rather than test, and they have published critics. Evidence: decent They describe risk across millions of people, not what your next long week does to you. The counting is untested. Evidence: worth trying
If the job fixes the hours and there are too many, that can be raised with HR, a union or independent employment advice.