The 15-Hour Workweek That Never Happened

Hey Rebel.

In 1930, economist John Maynard Keynes predicted we'd all be working just 15 hours a week by now. Instead, hustle culture is alive and well—and we’re busier (and more burnt out) than ever. (Please, be patient as I’m going through the editing process of the Unhustle book. Thank you to everyone who joined the advanced reader program. To be the first to get a copy of the book, join us.)

So, what went wrong from that 15-Hour Workweek prediction?

Greed? Capitalism? Materialism? Inflation? Tough job market? AI?

Lately, I’ve noticed hustle culture creeping back into the mainstream—especially in tech. But it’s not just tech. Marketers, HR leaders, founders, and entrepreneurs tell me the same thing:

👉 The old “perks and pampering” era is fading.
👉 The new workplace mantra? “Do more with less.”
👉 At Google, employees now hear: “Hustle and be scrappy.”

The result? Fear. Pressure. Long hours. Burnout. Resentment. Mistrust.

But here’s the thing: More hours don’t mean better work.

The Truth About Productivity (Based on 303 Million Hours of Work)

A massive, multi-year study from ActivTrak’s 2025 State of the Workplace Report analyzed 218,900 employees across 777 organizations—and the results are eye-opening:

🚀 Shorter days, higher impact:
The average workday is 36 minutes shorter, yet productivity has increased by 2%.

⏳ Multitasking is killing focus:
Workers spent 27% more time collaborating but 5% more time multitasking, causing focus levels to drop 8%.

🏡 Remote workers outperform office workers:
Remote employees** are 29 minutes more productive per day** than their in-office colleagues.

🤖 AI isn’t your automatic productivity hack:
AI usage skyrocketed (+107%), but AI users actually worked 8 minutes longer with 27 fewer minutes of deep focus.

💡 The Takeaway?

⛔ More hours ≠ More productivity.
⏳ Working longer ≠ Working better.

The data is clear: Smarter work wins.

⚡ Your Unhustle Experiment for This Week

This week, experiment with working less—but with greater focus.

📌 Try this: Block 90 minutes of deep, uninterrupted work (no Slack, no email, no distractions). Then, take a 30-minute recharge break (walk, nap, meditation).

See what happens. You might get more done in less time.

Hit reply and tell me: How many hours a week do you actually need to do your best work?

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Want to Go Deeper?

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Until next week,

Milena Regos