Work/life balance rethink. A shift in general attitude?

413x

413x

413x

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https://www.theguardian.com/money/2...-watch-the-sunset-is-this-the-end-of-ambition

The above article certainly resonates for me.

I've never been particularly career focused. I work to live not live to work. I don't like or dislike my job. I can do it. It pays OK, it's in demand.
Critically, I have no desire to over achieve.

And for me it was covid, a health scare and the years it ripped away that really made me reassess my life. Or more.. Accept I am not career driven

Id always felt 'stupid' or 'lazy' for not caring about my career. But during covid I started to value 'time' much more. Hobbies, holidays, experiences.


I gave up on chasing career progression. You should progress right?

I consciously decided.. If I get more salary I'll take on more responsibility. I felt I was at the point of demismishing returns.

I don't think I 'need' any more money. By that I mean. It won't make me happier. Obviously things may change if cost of living rockets.

Also.. Seeing my well off miserable workaholic parents is another reevaluation point. They have much more than I'll ever have. But aren't happy. In fact I'd go as far to say that it's made them more unhappy.

I find myself now spending rather than just saving. Planning holidays I'd think were 'a waste' before covid.

Pursuing hobbies rather than working late. Because I thought I should work to get that "good" rather than "average" end of year review.



Seems like it's a growing trend. Probably.. People are realising they will be working forever, and won't have a retirement like my parents for example.So make more use of now. Because you'll be working forever anyway.

Anyone else in same position?
 
Same as me.

I earn as much as I believe supports my families lifestyle, and chasing more money/the next pay grade brings a lot more responsibility... I've told my boss very clearly I don't want to 'progress' to more senior roles anymore :)
 
Now you're climbin' to the top of the company ladder
Hope it doesn't take too long
Can't cha see there'll come a day when it won't matter
Come a day when you'll be gone
 
Yep same here. I earn enough to live reasonably comfortable because I don’t live a lavish lifestyle, I have no debt only a mortgage. I’m good.
 
I came to this conclusion when my son was born.
I spent the first 20 years of my career chasing more responsibility and bigger salaries. Progressed up the ladder from a 1st line tech support person when I started out in 1997 to a Senior Solutions Architect by the time I decided to can it all in 2015.

I now manage the IT in a school for about 20% of the money I used to be on. I'm so much happier. I have time to enjoy my family and my hobbies and the job is 0 stress.
 
I got chatting to guy who owns a garage but recently passed it down to his son. He started to really open up to me about how he regrets not having a close relationship with his son, because he choose to work all hours of the day and as many days as he could. He was haunted by the memory of his kids birthday that he missed because he had to work. But that’s what you are programmed to be from a young age. A productive worker.
 
I’ve reached a level that I’m happy with now. I went all out on the career side of things for the first 20 years of my career - I then moved into consultancy which really sent the working hours crazy. I left my last job to move into another consultant role, but I told them on the interview that I wasn’t working daft hours anymore and they were happy enough to offer me a role based on that, so I do my standard hours and that’s it, I switch off as soon as work is done. What works really well for me is the pace of it is naturally a lot slower than the environments I’ve worked in before, but everyone acts like they’re super busy. So I just play along and agree with that, which is great cause overall the whole thing causes me basically no stress.
 
Gave up the grind in finance about 10 years ago now to get into games. Took a huge pay and seniority cut at the time, but actually games (programming at least) pays alright now at senior levels. Decent money, interesting and fun work. Just need to get more holiday sorted out, considering buying loads more holiday days, or just going contract and not working every summer.
 
mid_gen said:
Gave up the grind in finance about 10 years ago now to get into games. Took a huge pay and seniority cut at the time, but actually games (programming at least) pays alright now at senior levels. Decent money, interesting and fun work. Just need to get more holiday sorted out, considering buying loads more holiday days, or just going contract and not working every summer.
Click to expand...
Certainly tempted by contract. Part of the idea of getting a 5 Yr fix on mortgage was to open that door. Work winter/spring/autumn. Have summer off. Not sure yet.
 
I went up into management roles quite quickly when I was younger, but just as quickly jacked it in and went into what would be considered a dead end job working nights in a factory for over a decade. I realised that as long as I had 'enough' money, without the stress of constantly chasing the next promotion I was much happier.
There's an old saying I've always liked 'nobody on their deathbed wished they'd worked longer hours'
Time has always been much more important than money for me.
Saying that, the only way I would have done things differently is if the FI/RE movement had been better known when I was young, then I'd have worked my arse off for a few years and quit work even earlier than I did.
 
This topic comes up a lot.....

Packed up a progressing career in the oil industry as a wellsite geologist after ten years working my way up the ranks. Why? crap Lifestyle/time lost does not really get compensated by earning silly money after you cross a certain age/mental barrier.

Now i make salads in a Hospital restaurant near the Swedish arctic circle....:cry:

I earn more than enough to be happy, travel 3x a year, own a house, Its bonkers really. The only stress i have is if i lose a blue plaster in the coleslaw or my iceberg lettuce isn't up to my standards.

electric here is about 5p a KWh, suck that! /me turns on all the lights!
 
Doobedoo said:
I got chatting to guy who owns a garage but recently passed it down to his son. He started to really open up to me about how he regrets not having a close relationship with his son, because he choose to work all hours of the day and as many days as he could. He was haunted by the memory of his kids birthday that he missed because he had to work. But that’s what you are programmed to be from a young age. A productive worker.
Click to expand...
sounds like he's passing the burden to his son who can now make the same mistakes
 
arknor said:
sounds like he's passing the burden to his son who can now make the same mistakes
Click to expand...
Maybe who knows but they are nice, decent hard working people. It was actually quite touching to have him open up to me. Fortunately or not depending on your outlook I’m not that work orientated. Work to live is my motto.
 
413x said:
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2...-watch-the-sunset-is-this-the-end-of-ambition

The above article certainly resonates for me.

I've never been particularly career focused. I work to live not live to work. I don't like or dislike my job. I can do it. It pays OK, it's in demand.
Critically, I have no desire to over achieve.

And for me it was covid, a health scare and the years it ripped away that really made me reassess my life. Or more.. Accept I am not career driven

Id always felt 'stupid' or 'lazy' for not caring about my career. But during covid I started to value 'time' much more. Hobbies, holidays, experiences.


I gave up on chasing career progression. You should progress right?

I consciously decided.. If I get more salary I'll take on more responsibility. I felt I was at the point of demismishing returns.

I don't think I 'need' any more money. By that I mean. It won't make me happier. Obviously things may change if cost of living rockets.

Also.. Seeing my well off miserable workaholic parents is another reevaluation point. They have much more than I'll ever have. But aren't happy. In fact I'd go as far to say that it's made them more unhappy.

I find myself now spending rather than just saving. Planning holidays I'd think were 'a waste' before covid.

Pursuing hobbies rather than working late. Because I thought I should work to get that "good" rather than "average" end of year review.



Seems like it's a growing trend. Probably.. People are realising they will be working forever, and won't have a retirement like my parents for example.So make more use of now. Because you'll be working forever anyway.

Anyone else in same position?
Click to expand...

Yep this is where I'm at.

I do a job I currently like. It's not brilliantly paid, but it is above average at least, and it is conveniently very close to my home (10 minute cycle). I get good holidays (42 days + public), never have to work overtime, get to work from home 2-3 days a week and get by comfortably on what I earn.

Trying to climb the career ladder would inevitably mean adding more stress to my life, spending more time commuting, doing less of the stuff I enjoy doing, for money I don't really need.

Not worth it IMO. Choose life!
 
Pre Covid I was gaining experience, working my way up the ladder, desperate to get to the top. Then Covid hit and my whole outlook changed.

I earn more than enough money, any further earnings would continue to get hugely taxed and would massively eat into my own time. When the promotions finally came round my colleagues were shocked when I didn’t go for them. Instead I put an offer into our hopefully soon to complete beach house and will spend more of my time there.

Plus I’ve seen my dad ‘work/save for retirement’ only to then get a stroke and heart attack thus limiting his ability to enjoy the money.

I guess we’re also lucky that we have some decent equity and future inheritance for our own retirement.

Even my wife has left management for some work life balance.

I’m seeing this more and more, especially in the younger generation joining our profession. I can’t blame anyone who chooses this, work to live imo. Fair enough if you really enjoy work though, each to their own.
 
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I work 2 jobs. 7 days a week. 8-9 hour days. I’ve resorted to the fact that I want to make a better life for my child/children.

I enjoy it some what, but I’ve had to sacrifice family life for it. I still get to spend time with them, but I rather not be in a bad position if the cost of living rises even higher.
 
I can completely understand this. I’ve felt the same way. Probably why I’ve got so heavily into FIRE. I really lost interest work during the pandemic. So much has changed in the workplace, things still feel very dysfunctional. I feel all the reasons I wanted to work before are basically gone and my interests have shifted. That career driven ambition has shifted more towards what are the things I would do if/when I move on from the world of work.
 
I took a paycut by £500 a month to live a happier life with my wife and kids, I'm now able to drop the kids to school before work, I work Monday to Friday so we have the weekends to plan trips etc and we're all happy...

I'm also able to save £100 a month still so my savings are still climbing... I'd rather work a less stressful job and get family time, I still have another 30+ years of work to do
 
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