There are three basic ways to change the schedule of when you complete your work, you can: flex, reduce, or compress your work. The flexed work week entails working flexible hours at or outside of your office. The reduced work week can range from part-time to almost full-time, depending on your situation. A compressed work week means working longer shifts over a shorter amount of time - possibly three 12-hour shifts, or four 10-hour shifts.

Here are some good questions to ask yourself when considering how to change when you work:

When do I absolutely have to be at work? Do I have flexibility in terms of which shift I work? Could some of my work be accomplished during non-business hours? What responsibilities do I have outside work, and when must I be available to take care of these? What are my most productive hours of the day? If I were to set up an ideal schedule, what would it look like?

Throughout the Finding Flexibility section of the website, we are using Adam's story to help illustrate each concept. Adam works a full time sales job from home and shares in the care of his two children after school with his wife.

Adam's story
Adam's job as a U.S. salesman for a mid-size import-export company allows him a lot of flexibility in terms of when and where he works. Adam set up a home office, and works his job schedule around his children's childcare needs; as a result, Adam is able to transition quickly between work and home responsibilities.

Adam quickly realized that the bulk of his work could be done over the phone and via email and faxes, and to some degree at various times during the day and night. As a result, Adam schedules different pieces of the work he does for different times of the day. For instance, he saves work that doesn't require customer contact, such as quotes, to do at night after his kids are in bed. And he even knows some customers in earlier time zones who are comfortable talking to him late afternoons while he is preparing dinner for his family. Flexibility is the key.

For more ideas about redesigning your work, click on the following pages:
How much does your job require you to be Physically Present to accomplish it?
How much can you control the quantity and Work Flow of your job?
How easily can someone else do the work you do - is Substitution an option for you?