It’s no secret that most Americans work more than 40 hours a week, but are those extra hours necessary? "So many people say, ‘I have to do this,’ but they might just be putting those expectations on themselves," says Maura Thomas, productivity expert, author, and founder of RegainYourTime.com. Many people make assumptions about what their boss wants without ever testing the waters to find out if it’s true.
"You shouldn’t need to work more than 40 hours a week consistently," says Tracey Gritz, productivity expert and owner of The Efficient Office. If you’re getting ready to go on vacation or you’re working on a big project, you might need to clock more than 40 hours a week, but as a general rule, 40 hours a week should be sufficient to get your job done, Gritz says.