Can you imagine a time before the weekend? If you lived life in the U.S. prior to the 1940’s, you might. And while life without these coveted two days may seem impossible, the reality is it took a combination of events to secure its place in our lives.

Some of those events include…

Time: First introduced in 1908, it took over 30 years to implement the weekend, as we know it, nationwide.

Climate of change: To prevent layoffs during the Great Depression, policy makers reduced the hours worked – Serving as a partial remedy during drastic times.

But, what are the possible disadvantages of a valuable idea, like the weekend?…

Stuck in time: When something has appeared to work for a significant period of time, our thinking can become rigid, preventing us from seeing new possibilities.

Resistance to change: A good idea can become a stale idea if it does not evolve with its environment. For example, technology has increased efficiencies without a significant change in the workweek.

Good ideas have an enduring quality to them, and existence without them can seem incomplete. But all ideas, even the greatest ones, must evolve as we do.