Ever since I was a youngster I was perplexed at the fact our species still needs to work five days out of seven to subsist. It's disproportionate and if viewed in the extreme, uncivilised.
Not counting annual leave, this as a percentage means until we retire we work 71.4 per cent of our working lives.
The consequences to our mental and physical wellbeing, don't bear thinking about.
My young children still give me a quizzical look when I leave the breakfast table in a hurry to get to work, and ask, "why?"
I've yet to respond to them with anything that makes sense.
Either way, whenever the four-day week dream makes national headlines the heartbeat ups a tick or two in positive response.
There are, of course, fish hooks.
Firstly, success or otherwise would be industry dependent.
Secondly, the entitlement of annual leave hinges on days worked so that would unearth employment law issues.
And thirdly, how does anyone accurately measure productivity?
The risk too, is that by reducing work hours that would hike stress on staff to maintain objectives - yet apparently the opposite was found in said trial.
Maybe it comes down to the fact we've been conditioned to think of a five-day week and an eight-hour day.
But as a former boss used to remind me: "You're not paid for the hours you do but the job you do".
Amen to that.
Here's hoping the exciting Auckland case-study will spark a broader conversation across the country.