4 hours a day is enough: Chetan Bhagat says prioritise your work, not the clock

“I work 4 hours a day and that is enough if you do it with full dedication,” Chetan Bhagat, the author, motivational speaker, entrepreneur and TEDx speaker, said during a recent event in Bengaluru. His words came at a time when workplaces in India and elsewhere are being discussed not only for the number of hours people spend in offices, but also for what they do with those hours.

Speaking about the approach he follows in his own life and work, Bhagat said, “If you genuinely do work for 4 hours in a day, that is enough, good enough. It doesn't mean you have to include meetings, breaks, Wi-Fi issues, and other hunky-dory stuff that the offices often witness. In those 4 hours, you have to prioritise everything you put on the table.”

The 18th edition of PMSAS, held in Bengaluru on October 3, attracted hundreds of industry experts, including prominent names such as Ankit Jhamb, motivational speaker and CLO at Great Bharat Thompson, Usha Shrikanth from IBM, and startup founders.

Chetan Bhagat, who was also asked how work-life balance can be prioritised, answered, “No one cares for you unless you are, do what makes you feel happy, follow 11 rules of life.”

The point, as he put it, was not simply to count four hours and leave the rest behind.

It was to decide what deserved attention and to give that work full dedication. In a corporate setting, where meetings, breaks and other interruptions can become part of the working day, the distinction becomes important.

For corporate employees, the office still follows a familiar rule: the longer one remains at work, the more work one is expected to have done.

The rules governing working hours also differ between sectors and states. For the labour force in India, the working week is governed by labour laws, while corporate offices may follow different rules and state policies.'11 RULES OF LIFE'

He also spoke about ideas from his popular book in which he discusses 11 rules of life, covering subjects that include health and the need to put oneself in order. The advice is simple in its nature: look after the body, fix the hours of sleep, decide what matters and begin the work rather than waiting for a better time.

That approach also finds a place in the present discussion around corporate life. Workplace culture has become a subject of regular debate, with questions being raised about how working hours can be made more productive rather than merely longer.

The discussion became sharper last year when Narayan Murthy and other IT figures spoke in favour of workweeks of 90 hours or more. Such remarks led to concern among the estimated 40 lakh IT employees and the millions of people working in corporate offices.

Against that background, Bhagat’s four-hour remark may sound like another argument about working time. But his larger point appears to be about what happens within that time: choose the work, put it first, and do it with full attention. For an employee, the number of hours may remain a matter of debate.

What one does with those hours is a different question.- Ends

A news writer who finds stories in the everyday, turning the ordinary into captivating news. With an eye for detail, Rishabh makes current events both informative and enjoyable, always seeking fresh angles to bring the latest happenings to life. A history enthusiast, he also loves weaving historical perspectives into modern narratives.