4 Ways To Become Rich Working Less Than 5 Days a Week
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Andrew Lisa
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Rebekah Evans
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With the election around the corner, a lot of emphasis has been placed on the role of unions lately. For more than a century, these groups have been fighting for workers to gain crucial protections and working conditions, with standards like the five-day, 40-hour workweek coming about thanks to unions. But perhaps there’s room for even more favorable schedules, whether you’re in a union or not.
In countries such as Belgium, Spain, Iceland, Sweden, Germany and Japan, four-day workweek experiments or recommendations have been implemented, and even some U.S. companies have embraced shorter workweeks.
While being able to work just four days per week — or even fewer — might increasingly become the norm, it still takes some effort to find these situations — especially if you want to still build wealth and enjoy financial security. Here’s how to do it.
Pursue a Career With High Pay and Short Weeks
Although the path toward achieving a condensed workweek is neither short nor simple, the most direct route to perpetual three-day weekends is a position that pays 100% salary for four days of work. It’s more prevalent than you might think — but you may have to do some digging to find these companies, especially if you want a high-paying role.
“The four-day workweek is a growing movement,” said career coach Phil McParlane, founder of 4dayweek.io, which bills itself as the world’s largest job board dedicated to short-week positions. “In a post-COVID world, companies are offering employee benefits that differentiate them in a tough hiring market — and the four-day week is one of them.”
The site lists nearly 1,400 four-day-per-week jobs as of September 2024, many of which are in tech.
“And just because they work fewer hours, this doesn’t necessarily mean they pay less salary,” McParlane said.
He offered the following examples of current open positions with four-day workweeks:
- Software developer: $195,000
- Product design manager: $260,000
- Financial analyst: $110,000
- VP of sales and marketing: $185,000
Zoe Wallace, chief human resources officer at Culture.org, agrees that “the best way to get rich while working less than the standard five-day workweek is to choose high-paying careers.”
But how can you prepare so you’ll be ready when you get to a job board like McParlane’s? “Do relevant upskilling, gather certifications and experiences, then brand yourself as an expert,” Wallace said.
That, of course, is easier said than done.
“Though the process is relatively simple, it takes a long time to do it all and become an expert,” Wallace said. “Studying the basics and then upskilling takes a considerable amount of time, plus you have to gain experience, too. Hence, the earlier you start, the better, so you can maximize your earnings immediately.”
Largely echoing McParlane, she cited data science, software development and marketing as fields with high potential.
Become Your Own Boss and Give Yourself Three Days Off
Not everyone is going to land a job that gives you three days off and pays six figures — but you might be able to build your own business instead of working for someone else’s.
“Becoming self-employed is the best way to get rich without working a standard five-day workweek,” said Laura Adams, MBA, an award-winning personal finance expert, author and host of the “Money Girl” podcast. “For instance, based on your skills, interests and experience, you might become a real estate agent or freelance as a consultant, writer, virtual assistant, graphic designer, website developer, audio editor, video producer, bookkeeper or tutor. Offering professional services with potentially high revenues and work flexibility could be the ticket to earning more on your schedule.”
It can start as a side hustle — just don’t quit your day job until your pay matches your passion. From there, you can build up your business to potentially earn more while having a shorter workweek.
“You might start growing a business on the side to eventually make a full-time income by working part-time hours,” Adams said.
Market Your Knowledge, Experience, Skills and Expertise
You don’t have to change fields or roles to shorten your workweek. Instead, you might do similar work to what you’re doing now, but on a part-time basis that still enables you to become a high earner. Adams mentioned consulting work; and, if you’ve spent years in a high-pay, high-intensity job that requires long hours for a big income, the knowledge you’ve accumulated along the way might be the ticket to regaining your time without downgrading your lifestyle.
“If you possess expertise in a particular area, I highly recommend becoming a consultant,” said Alasdair Cunningham, entrepreneur, business coach and mentor. “This line of work allows you to leverage your skills to help others while working on your own terms. As a consultant, you can set your own rates and choose the projects that interest you, providing flexibility in your work schedule.”
When you think of consulting work, the fields of law, politics or medicine might come to mind. However, nearly every industry is willing to pay a handsome sum for specialized institutional knowledge.
“Sрeciаlized skills like prоgrаmming, design оr mаrketing саn fetсh greаt hоurly rаtes,” said Shri Ganeshram, who was recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30, is the CEO of the real estate platform Awning.com and managing partner at Fresh VC. “Severаl plаtfоrms аllоw professiоnаls to offеr thеir serviсes оn а project bаsis.”
Among them are Comatch, Catalant, MeasureMatch and Zintro. And once you build a network, a few good clients are all you might need to shorten your workweek while building your wealth.
Ganeshram said, “One of my friеnds, а grаphic dеsignеr, wоrks just three dаys а week but eаrns mоre thаn hеr рeers in full-time positions, аll thаnks to hеr niсhe exрertise аnd а strоng рersоnаl brаnd.”
Put Your Money To Work
Lastly, putting your money to work can help you earn more while working less. This also coincides with being smart with your money, such as by learning to live on less. The more you can save, the more you can invest, which then can help you generate more income through dividends and capital gains. That can enable you to live a fulfilling lifestyle while working less than five days per week.
“Compound interest and a healthy relationship with money are the greatest wealth generation tools, period,” said Marly Garman, creator of the lifestyle and financial site Simply Living Happy. “Establishing investment funds as close to 18 years old as possible is the surest way to find financial security as an adult, no matter your income level. Pair this with choosing to live happily below your means, and you’ve created a formula for success.”
If investing aggressively, you might aim for a movement like BaristaFIRE, where you work part time at a job like being a barista to earn a little bit of money while gaining benefits like health insurance; yet for the most part, your investments support your early retirement.
Ultimately, there are many paths to working less than five days per week while still gaining wealth. It’s up to you to determine which one best fits your lifestyle and capabilities.
Jake Safane contributed to the reporting for this article.
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