If you could afford to live by working just 3 days a week…

Could you do 5 in 4? You get an extra day off but a full salary and it's not going to cost you anything extra eg childcare. Then retire early

I did when my son was small and it was the right thing to do. He is school age and I am now working full time, and spending that extra money catching up on home improvements that need doing, and saving extra into pensions to make up for the lack of ability to save while working part time. So while it worked in the immediate term and was very lovely, there are longer term financial implications, albeit, 'fixable' ones imo.

Do you have any outstanding student loan? I had a small amount left of a Plan 1 when I went on maternity leave, and the same amount left 7 years later due to only managing to pay off interest on my lower salary. You may consider that a good or a bad thing!

I’m actually looking for a part time job now as I volunteer 2 half days a week. But I’ve been ill
(psychiatric hospital) and although I could have a full time job I don’t want one. Plus I have savings.

Life can turn in a sixpence. Earn while you can to save for when you can’t.

Tbh no, not if I had a mortgage and no partner to share this sort of stuff with. I work part time and yes it is great, but I bear little financial responsibility for the household and put most of my salary in a pension

There are so many variables it’s impossible to say.

Me, personally, at the current time in my life, no, I wouldn’t. I could afford to live on three days pay but I’d like to do more than just exist and the extra two days pay comes in very handy to do that.

If I was 60 and the mortgage was paid off, then I might feel differently.

I would consider four, but tbh i think an adult in their prime really should be able to manage to work full time!

The economy needs people to work. You are obviously decently paid if you could afford to cut to 3 days, aren't weekends and holidays enough leisure time for you?

It’s your life. Do it!

I’m actually planning to do this. From January, we will be able to afford for me to work three days a week only, and I’m literally counting down the days.

I have so many other things I’d like to do - if you don’t have to work, and don’t particularly’want’ to, then why would you?

I work 25 hours over 2 long shifts. I try and have these as night shifts for the 30% pay uplift. It works great for me.

You’ll get lots who will clutch their pearls and scream “but your pension!” and that’s a fair comment but life is for living in my opinion. I have had 3 people close to me die young in the last few years. The latest was my early 20s neighbour who dropped dead unexpectedly last week.

I personally would rather do the things I want to do whilst I can and whilst my child is young. Once he’s older and more self sufficient then I’ll increase my hours and top up my pension. For now, I am happy, solvent and will remain this way.

I work 4 days a week and could never go back to full time again. I’m looking for another job though and it’s either full time at the same money I’m on now or a massive reduction in pay to go 4 days. I’m lucky with what I earn right now but only because I have been with the same organisation for so long.

The other thing you need to factor in is what you’ll spend on those 2 days you’re not at work. I could afford to drop to 4 days if I didn’t spend any extra on that day but then what would be the point if I couldn’t meet friends for lunch, do my hobby etc

Absolutely going part time was the best thing i ever did

I have a couple of friends who reduced to 90% ie alternate Fridays off. They said that made a big difference to their quality of life, but not huge drop in salary

It's all well and good saying "YOLO" etc, but I'm close to retirement and the difference in various friends' pensions / savings really hits home at this age

Also, "find a job you enjoy and you'll never work a day in your life" is true. I'm fortunate that I really enjoy my job and don't wish to cut down my hours

I can afford not to work full stop but I do it because I want to work. I save and also spend what comes in.

I'm planning to work a 25h week once my son is in school. We want to live a certain lifestyle, and I want to freelance for charities and good causes.

I have a considerable wodge in savings (several years income), and would retrain/qualify if I needed a boost to get back into the jobs market.

I like to think that a career doesn't have to have a single trajectory. It can meander and evolve into a different thing.

It's all a gamble isn't it?

You could spend your life working full time, exhausted, and end up (for whatever reason) not even making it to retirement, or coming into a large amount of money, etc.

You just don't know.

You have to find a balance of enjoying life now and planning for the future.

Is there something you would really like to do with the extra time?

I’ve done 3 days a week for a long time - albeit different circumstances to juggle childcare.

Im working 5 days now and work load is much more manageable, I get better pay and more holiday.

I would stay at 5 days a week, save and enjoy your annual leave.

I think it’s totally normal to feel like this at this point. You are reaching that halfway through your career to retirement. I did PT when my DD was younger and back up to FT from 6. However the big financial changes have come now shes 9. The plan had been to take more time off at this point however personal circumstances mean I need the money for security. So at this point no, I wouldn’t go PT. I want to have a secure future and a comfortable retirement.

It sounds like your personal circumstances mean you need to only factor in your own needs.

What would going PT do to your pension and will it be enough for a comfortable life. Do you also have any other savings except the 6 months? If you needed to draw down on the emergency funds for house or car repairs, would you easily be able to top it back up? Do you utilise your ISA each year? It sounds like you potentially need something in between the two

In these uncertain times I think it's best to work as much as you can, while you can.

I think it is role and organisation dependent. As others have mentioned, it is easy to be taken advantage of by doing the full time equivalent in part time hours. Job shares are increasingly common in public sector which when they work well are great all round. When they don't is a different story.

There is also that particular puratantical trait that sees it as good workers' duty to work at least 37 hours a week. I find that very easy to ignore.

It should be a reversible decision so no long-term harm done if change your mind

I'd quite like to do it. I could already afford it and I work quite short hours but spread over 5 days. I could make much more efficient use of my time if I could do it over 3 days, so long as I could choose the 3 days (I currently get one weekday off and I do several group activities then, so I'd want to keep the same day if possible).

Rather than going from 5 to 3 why not drop to 4? It’s an extra day off for you, and far less of a salary drop (I do 4 days). 6 months expenses is great; do you have things like life insurance, critical illness, income protection etc? What are your pension contributions?

In a heartbeat. I love just spending time at home pootling about; especially in what passes for a summer in the UK!

How about a compromise of 4 days?