Prioritizing Creativity Over Working Hours in an Agency

The four-day workweek has been an integral part of the Cosmic Agency since 2011, but it didn’t come without some learning and growing pains. As a guest on the Agencies That Build podcast, Eric highlights the power of the four-day workweek. He shares what worked and didn’t work as the four-day work week was implemented and why agencies need to prioritize creativity over working hours when handling projects and clients. He also highlights the value of merging creativity and sustainability for more effective and balanced efforts at work.

“Creativity is something that you can't brute force. You can grind, hustle, and push hard for a certain amount of time, but you also need time to rest, rejuvenate, and reflect on real life, which is where you draw inspiration from.”

Episode Highlights:

• Myth-busting in the agency world- you don’t have to give up your personal life in order to succeed. [1:30]
• Optimizing for a creative output starts with a sustainable, balanced approach to work. [3:27]
• Eric’s experience and advice for successfully implementing a four-day workweek. [7:18]
• Tools and tactics for navigating the obstacles of the four-day work week. [14:16]
• Cosmic’s approach to a fair, project-based pricing model with clients. [22:10]
• Insights about the social impact sector work at Cosmic. [27:57]
• Overcoming the challenges that Cosmic has faced as a niche. [34:01]
• Eric’s continued creative and business learning efforts as the agency owner. [38:58]
• What excites Eric about the future of social impact? [45:55]

Quotes:

“It's more helpful to come fully prepared, fully rested, and fully creative each day during a four-day workweek, rather than working five, six, or seven days a week and functioning at only 60%, that's just not helpful.”

“Deadlines and tight turnarounds are not deal breakers for a four-day week. It's about ensuring each team member shows up at their best every day.”

“We've found that the types of clients that come to us need more of a holistic partner- they don't want to hire us just for one thing.”

“Change is scary, but change is also interesting and can lead to more just and equitable ways.”

Resources:

Agencies That Build