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The concept of a world without work has intrigued people for a long time. In a 1891 essay, Oscar Wilde envisioned a future where machinery would handle all the necessary work, allowing humanity to indulge in leisure, create beautiful things, and appreciate the world. With rapid advancements in artificial intelligence today, the question of whether machines could eventually replace human labor entirely has resurfaced. While skeptics argue that humans have a knack for finding new forms of work, let’s imagine a world where technology leads to increased leisure time. Would we be able to adapt?
In 1930, John Maynard Keynes speculated on the economic possibilities of a future without traditional work, envisioning a potential “nervous breakdown” as individuals struggle to break free from generations of ingrained work habits and instincts. However, almost a century later, we still appear ill-prepared for a life of leisure. Unlike Keynes’ time, where weekly working hours steadily decreased with each generation, the trend towards less work has halted since the 1990s. Full-time workers across OECD countries continue to average around 40 hours per week.
While some sectors and countries advocate for more leisure time, others remain fiercely attached to work. A recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in the US revealed that 46% of workers do not utilize all their entitled paid leave. Reasons cited by these workers included not feeling the need for more time off and fears of falling behind. Platforms like PTO Exchange have emerged, allowing Americans to exchange unused leave for other valuable assets like retirement funds or student loan repayments.
Leisure time itself has transformed into a more performance-oriented pursuit, focused on accomplishments and goals. Activities like running are no longer merely enjoyed but also timed and shared on social media. Oliver Burkeman discusses this discomfort with “wasting time” in his book Four Thousand Weeks and encourages readers to engage in activities without specific end goals. However, even these atelic activities are sometimes abandoned due to this pervasive need for productivity.
The constant pressure to utilize every hour is not inherent to human nature. Historical accounts show that during England’s cottage industry era, people worked diligently but also traded income for leisure when the opportunity arose. Perhaps we should start reclaiming the lost art of leisure now instead of waiting for a fully automated future that may never come. As Alex Soojung-Kim Pang argues in his book Rest, “rest has never been something you do when you’ve finished everything else. If you want rest, you have to take it.”
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