“I always give 100% at work: 12% Monday, 23% Tuesday, 40% Wednesday, 20% Thursday, 5% Friday” is a popular saying on many gift items, such as T-shirts and posters. The daily percentages vary, but the most work appears to get done on Wednesday, with workers slacking off on Friday. The jocular saying has been cited in print since at least January 1999.
24 January 1999, European Stars and Stripes (Hesse, Germany), “Lite Side,” pg. 15, col. 3:
A longtime employee, in explaining the ropes of the job to a newcomer, said it is always necessary to give 100% at work:
. 12% on Monday
. 23% on Tuesday
. 40% on Wednesday
. 20% on Thursday
. 5% on Friday
—New York Times
Homeless People’s Network
Always Give 100 Percent At Work
Judy Olsen (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address))
Sun, 21 Mar 1999 18:54:45 -0800
(...)
Always give 100% at work…
12% on Monday
23% on Tuesday
40% on Wednesday
20% on Thursday
5% on Fridays
Google Books
1001 Internet Jokes:
Get the Jokes You’ve Been Missing
By D. M. Schwab
Lincoln, NE: iUniverse
2001
Pg. 71:
ALWAYS GIVE 100% AT WORK:
14% Monday
24% Tuesday
40% Wednesday
20% Thursday
2% Friday
Google Books
Business Wit & Wisdom
By Richard S. Zera
Washington, DC: Beard Books
2005
Pg. 279:
Always give 100% at work: 12% on Monday, 23% on Tuesday, 40% on Wednesday, 20% on Thursday, and 5% on Friday.
Google Books
Politics and Schooling in Cameroon
By Dr. Joseph F. Wotany
Trafford Publishing (trafford.com)
2012
Pg. 331:
My eyes caught a work productivity-related flyer from a Senior Helpers main office in Baltimore, Maryland, that ran thus: “I always give 100% at work. Monday 13%, Tuesday 22%, Wednesday 26%, Thursday 37% and Friday 2%.”
Freakonomics
Work: 12% Monday, 5% Friday?
Daniel Hamermesh
02/23/2012 | 10:28 am
The picture on this t-shirt is a joke. It states: “Always give 100% at Work: 12% Monday; 23% Tuesday; 40% Wednesday; 20% Thursday; 5% Friday.”
But it’s interesting that its creator chose not to spread the work evenly across the week. His/her view of labor supply suggests a temporal dimension that seems sensible: More work on Monday than on Friday, more on Tuesday than on Thursday, with peak work effort on Wednesday. In terms of labor productivity, this does not seem very far wrong.
Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.
Recent entries:
•“I read old books because I would rather learn from those who built civilization than those who tore it down” (4/18)
•“I study old buildings because I would rather learn from those who built civilization than those who tore it down” (4/18)
•“Due to personal reasons, I’m still going to be fluffy this summer” (4/18)
•“Do not honk at me. My life is worthless. I will kill us both” (bumper sticker) (4/18)
•Entry in progress—BP16 (4/18)
More new entries...
Above, Big Apple Corner at 54th Street and Broadway in Manhattan. Google Maps. Stolen and missing, 2021-2024.
Above, John J. Fitz Gerald, from the Aug. 15, 1931, Binghamton (NY) Press, pg. 14.
Listen to Robert Emmerich introduce "The Big Apple," a hit song from 1937. Music written by Bob and performed by Tommy Dorsey's Clambake Seven with Bob on piano. Lyrics written by Buddy Bernier and sung by Edythe Wright. Audio provided by Dorothy Emmerich.
Also listen to a 1937 "The Big Apple" song by Ozzie Nelson and his Orchestra. See a 1929 photo of John J. Fitz Gerald and a 1931 photo of John J. Fitz Gerald.
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