Dear listener,

How do they do it? I came back last night from three days in Turin. And although it was a brief holiday my work brain kept asking "how do they do it?" By "they" I mean of course the Italians. And by "it", well, perhaps it would help if I tell you that my favourite photograph of the week was of the closed and barred door of a shop with cardboard clocks showing that it was open for business from 0930 to 1220 and from 1530 to 1900. That comes to just six hours and forty minutes of trading a day. And this shop was in Turin's retail destination street, Via Roma.

Despite those three or sometimes four hour lunch breaks (further south), Italy is a wealthy country with a strong industrial base, an enviable infrastructure of roads and public transport, and it makes the top 10 in the world for economic activity, just behind European partners France and the UK. Its output per person is $40,450 according to the International Monetary Fund which is 23rd in the world. The workaholic UK produces about 10% more at $45,681 and makes 20th. Here, with retail almost a 24/7 activity, shops do not generally close for lunch and are open more like nine or 10 hours a day than six and three quarters. So, I ask again, how do they do it?

My brother's theory is that long lunch hours and a very home-centred existence mean that when people do work they do nothing but. No tea breaks, no chatter, no displacement activity. Just work intently for three or three and a half hours at a time. Then stop working and eat. Two hours later (this is France not Italy) back they go for three or so more intense hours of work. Then they knock off and never give their job a second thought until the next day. That seems to be the Continental method of productivity. Perhaps there is a lesson there for us 24/7 workaholics.

*** ON MONEY BOX THIS SATURDAY ***

In our intense 24 minutes of work this Saturday we will be trying to squeeze in...

Ten days after Quantitative Easing was announced the effects are being seen in lower pensions. We explain why.

A government scheme to ease borrowing to small businesses is criticised by firms which say the banks are refusing to take any risks even though the government will bear 75% of any loss. Tough conditions and personal guarantees from directors seem to be the norm.

Women are told to pay extra contributions into their state pension before the price rises by 50% on 6 April. Who can benefit, who can't, and who shouldn't bother anyway?

And people who buy mobile phones are being targeted by crooks who use the bait of cheap insurance to get their debit card details and take money from them.

Phew. Productivity or what! Find out what's in and what's out by listening to Money Box. Saturday at noon. Or if you miss that the repeat is on Sunday at 9pm. To make sure you never miss Money Box why not subscribe to our podcast – we had 150,000 downloads in January. Just go to our website bbc.co.uk/moneybox where you can also listen online or look at lots of other exciting stuff, including videos.

Best wishes

Paul

PS: Don't forget the programme taster on BBC Breakfast between quarter to nine and nine o'clock. If you miss it, you can watch it on our website.

e-mail Paul Lewis