"Sian Again?": How Singaporeans Cope with the 5-Day Work Grind

Waking up every weekday and realizing there’s still five full days of work ahead—yeah, it hits hard. A Redditor recently asked r/askSingapore how people manage to accept the reality of a 5-day workweek, and the responses were a mix of humor, resignation, and strategies for survival.

The Harsh Reality: Work is Just About Paying Bills

For many, the answer is simple—there’s no choice. Work is a means to survive.

“Your bills/debts/loans will help you accept it.” – Skeith_yip

“Welcome to adulting, it sucks right? The funny thing is, financial pressure only gets worse—when you start a family, need to pay off your mortgage, parents need medical help etc. That’s why many of us are working hard to FIRE. Suck it up early, but get out of the rat race sooner.” – Davichitime

“Mate, unless you can generate other sources of income, trading time for $$$ is the only way for now.” – SaberXRita

Is There an Alternative?

While many accept the grind, some argue that people unconsciously trap themselves in a cycle of financial commitments.

“Funny thing is that people are willing to choose to get a mortgage and have children—basically following a pattern that increases financial liability. You’re also free to choose the other alternative. Nobody says you must own a house, nobody dictates how many children you must have. You can rent and be flexible, work in different countries every few years, etc.” – Guinea_Duo

“Life honestly is too short and precious to spend doing things you feel suck the life out of you. Take this period as a learning experience, and either find meaning in your job or start something that can support the life you want.” – Economy_Parsley_7611

A few even suggested breaking away completely:

“Most of the comments here gonna tell you to suck thumb. But actually, why not don’t accept it? Take some time to think how you can not accept it. Are there other ways to live?” – squidink_spaghetti

Finding Joy in the Little Things

For those who can’t escape the 9-to-6, many recommend finding small things to look forward to.

“I still don’t like how short the weekend feels, but the type of work and people I meet help me get through the workday. If it helps, having things to look forward to that break your after-work routine helps in a big way. It can be just watching shows, having date nights, or even buying groceries.” – sagittarivs

“Going out for dinner during the week with my bf, family, friends, colleagues makes my week much more enjoyable. You don’t have to do it all the time of course. Some weeks I just want to go home and rest/play games and that’s okay. I also do short weekend trips to JB with my family every now and then. Just take it one week at a time.” – heyitsaki3

“Having friends at work helps. I know some people will say your colleagues are not your friends, but this is the one of the things that helps me to keep going—making plans for what food we’re going to try next, silly conversations during lunch, what bubble tea / sweet treat to get on Friday.” – 227sundown

Some Have It Worse

For those struggling with a 5-day workweek, some veterans pointed out that it could be worse.

“I started my work life with 6 days a week, so I was pretty grateful when I switched to 5 days a week.” – uncertainheadache

“When I was working in a diagnostic lab, we were on 5.5 days. Always working more hours than just half a day on Saturday. There were just too many samples.” – Nimblescribe

“In the past, office jobs were 5.5 days (half day on Sat) so 5 days was actually a nice shift haha.” – beatrootread

Conclusion: Accept It or Change It?

The 5-day grind is a reality for most, but how you handle it makes all the difference. Some embrace the financial stability, others seek an escape route, and many just try to find small joys to make it through the week.

At the end of the day, as NervousAnalyst7709 puts it:

“Time is the most precious commodity in everyone’s life. Trade it/spend it wisely!”