Chicago Man's '6-Week Cycles' Gives New View Of Work-Life Balance

CHICAGO, IL — Imagine sitting down to begin your usual workday tasks when your boss announces that, as of today, everyone in the company gets a two-week break at the end of every six weeks of work. What would you do with those two weeks? Would you work harder knowing a break was on the horizon? Would you do more for yourself and those around you? These are questions to consider as more companies implement these 6-week cycles into their workplace culture.

Joe Martin, a Chicago entrepreneur — and author, designer and speaker — from Schiller Park is an expert on the trend. His book, "6-Week Cycles," will be released on Amazon this June. He describes the concept as "a workplace methodology for happier employees," and "a new perspective on productivity, corporate culture, and an understanding that family should always come first," according to the 6-Week Cycles website.

Martin, 38, lives in Streeterville. A Schiller Park native, he went from doing web work for his high school rock band to leading his own company, Martin Creative. He has nearly two-decades of work experience in the creative industry, experience in website strategy, leadership, mentoring, marketing and design, among stints at big corporations and small businesses. He is also the founder of The Entrepreneur's Workshop, an education-focused community for Chicago entrepreneurs.

Martin started using 6-week cycles at his own company a few years ago and is currently working with other organizations to implement their own 6-week cycles. He said he first saw the concept at a company called Basecamp, run by Jason Fried.

Martin practices what he preaches in his new book, writing on his website: "We shouldn't use 'time' to measure performance, it should be about results."

"How do we expect employees to finish a workweek and have a (motivated) attitude of, 'I can do things!' 'I can actually make things happen!' in a world where people constantly get new requests or tasks dumped on them throughout the day?" Martin asked. "Everything then gets backed up, and you have to keep switching things around."

So what happens during those six weeks on? According to Martin, more projects are completed, thanks to the power of planning and an increase in productivity from each team member.

By allowing time for goal setting and detailing project tasks, you'll find that you and your team move faster through tasks. Implementing visualization techniques and talking through tasks helps employees and managers stay on task. — "6-Week Cycles"

"Everyone is able to come in with a clear expectations of what they needed to get done or move forward with," Martin said. "I think having that alone is such a stress relief."

Martin added that he's read about how we only have a certain amount of decision making units per day, and we blow through those on smaller things, instead of just focusing on what is important to get done.

"I think it goes back to the idea of motivation and really creating motivated people in the work environment," Martin told Patch. He also said if people end their workweek feeling motivated, they are more likely to spend more time with their families, or do something positive for their community.

Martin said his favorite part of the workweek is the check out meeting they have at the end of the week. Martin also said his team spends two minutes in silence writing down what went on this week or anything else on their minds, both at home and at work. This, Martin said, allows him understand more about what's going on in his employees' lives and how it could be impacting their time at work so that, ultimately, he can help.

"What I think a lot of work environments do is try to shut that out, and the idea that whatever happens outside of the office is not relevant to what you need to get done in the office," Martin said. "But that impacts every level of relationship, and then determines productivity."

Martin added that beating people down during the week and not knowing what's going on in their lives can make the smallest tasks seem like mountains.

"6-Week Cycles" is also about making improvements to your company's culture. Martin has learned to take a deeper look into what's going on with his team members and their families.

'More money' is not a strong enough motivator for the millennial workforce. But time off, the ability to work independently — see what this does for your team's morale. Would you work harder for 6 weeks knowing you get a break for 2? — "6-Week Cycles"

Martin said at the end of the day, if "6 and 2" doesn't work for companies, he hopes they'll at least maybe look at ways to give people a break and be reminded that family should always come first.

"Thanks to your guidance our team has found the planning that goes into each 6-week cycle during the 2-week off cycle makes each day's planning time much more efficient, structured and effective; both for that day and in context of the bigger picture," Jonathon Eisler, managing director of Perspectives Organizational Consulting Group, said in a statement to Martin.

I want to see what happens when we start giving people time. Time to take their kid out of school for the day go the zoo. Time to get their home in order. Time to have an impact in their community. — "6-Week Cycles"

That's ultimately what he wants: a family.

When Patch asked Martin what he likes to hear when he meets someone knew, he answered, 'Something amazing they've gotten to do, or something they've gotten to do with their child."

"You don't sit there at our death bed and you think, 'Oh man I really should have gotten another project done,' Martin said. "We should know that we don't have all the time in the world."

Martin said his father bought a printing company years ago and still works there today. His father is also the oldest of five kids and the only one who isn't retired. Martin said his grandmother played a big part in raising him, and he said his dad still works every day — that's another reason Martin implements 6-Week Cycles in his own life. Plus, he loves having time to enjoy hockey, music, company outings and other less stressful happenings.

Martin said the ability to shut off or tune out the work part of your brain and leave it at the office before you go home is another issue stemming from traditional work schedules.

"It carries into people's homes, and people bring their family into their work life because they think they can't miss a meeting," Martin said. "Or, they'll bring their sick kids in to work."

If two weeks off is too much for you, don't worry, Martin said you can still plan during that time, but wherever and whenever you prefer, without the additional stress of bringing your work home.

When asked what Martin would like to see over the next few years as a result of 6-Week Cycles, he said, "One more person being able to spend more time with their kids."

For more information, and to order Martin's book, visit 6weekcycles.com. Learn more about Marin at hijoemartin.com. And, if you'd like to see him in person, he will be speaking at the TedX Youth @Wrigleyville event August 4th.