How do you gear up for 35 more years of work?

[MCGrindah]

I'm 33. If retirement age is still at 67 when I get there (as if), I should have another 34 years left at work. That means I should be looking at working longer than I've been alive so far.

This terrifies me.

That's 34 years of early mornings; commutes; getting home in the dark; being subject to the whims of employers, policies and governments. It's another 34 years of only having two down days per week which themselves get pretty filled up with life admin. It's 34 years with the only thing breaking it up is a couple of weeks annual leave per year.

Don't get me wrong, I like my job. I'm well paid, I have security, I have a lot of freedom. I'm aware that looking at 34 years working in low paid insecure work is much worse. I'm not looking to change job.

I'm planning on early retirement so I'm hoping I won't end up working for 34 years but I need to plan for the worst case scenario of course. I'm just wondering how on earth you get your head into the mindset of another 34 years on the same thing year-in, year-out without any breaks or downtime?

Amazing that capitalism has convinced us this is a good way to live a life!

Can't you look at reducing down your hours to part time once kids have grown up, mortgage is paid off etc?

Gosh that’s so depressing I have no suggestions, I’m younger than you and had never really thought of it. Capitalism sucks.

I don't have children. Fortunately my mortgage will be paid off in a couple of years so that'll give a degree of flexibility so I could consider PT (though from what I've heard from other people it's basically fitting 5-days work into 4)

Hard work is like growing old - the worst thing in the world....except the alternative... grin]

All I can suggest (as PPs have said) is early retirement, paying off the mortgage early or reduced hours.

I'm 46 and feel the same, only it feels like I'll have to keep going until I'm 70. My mortgage still has 18 years to go! I will try to downsize if possible, but not an option for everyone.

It is depressing - especially as I know somebody who worked until she was 60 odd, retired and planned to travel the world with DH. A month after she retired she was at her husband's funeral.

I've found having a plan works for me.

Like you I realised a couple of years ago that I have a somewhat mind numbing amount of time left at work (though mines only 26 years!)

I intend to stay in the organisation for that time but not in the same role. Fortunately there's plenty of opportunities for sideways movement if I don't want / am not qualified to move up. I've told myself that I will look at around 5 year stretches and see how I feel then.

Realistically I will likely need to work beyond retirement age anyway so I figured it's best to be proactive about making sure I enjoy it

I've got 15 more years at work and the way I see it, it that it's best to work for an employer as long as possible and then go self employed once you've paid the mortgage and your kids are grown up.
It gets very gratting to have a teenager being your boss, the older you get.

It is totally depressing when you put it like that.
I’ve done 30 years and still have another 10 or so to go.
But you know life has treated me well.
I’ve a very interesting and extremely rewarding job, I’ve been able to try different things, all have been rewarding and fascinating.
I’m bringing up my kids, and don’t see work as a drag at all.

Depends on your outlook I guess.

@TreacherousPissFlap That's a really nice approach - taking things in five year chunks. Thank you!

@Tensixtysix I would like to be self-employed but it's a big leap so not something I'd do until the mortgage is done and I've got a wedge of cash as a buffer. I'm also not actually sure what I'd do self-employed but, meh, details

I am 38 and feel exactly like you. So - I have gone down to three days a week. Money is tight but I figure that having the time to live life is more important.I also plan not to retire until I am ready to drop and just work 3 days a week forever, even past retirement age.

I know it's a long way off, but I can't see myself ever wanting to do nothing at all as it would make me feel depressed. 3 days is far more sustainable, means you never feel like work is taking over your life and you never feel like you need a holiday. So I do feel I could do this as a long term plan.

PS - I also have no children. I figured if I did have them I'd probably be part time to save on childcare. So why not go part time anyway and save money by not having kids!

By the time I retire, I'll have worked for 51 years.

I think you just have to accept that it's just the way it is to be honest. At the moment I've been working for 36 years and I've another 15 to go.

@crosser62 I guess my point is that it's not about the actual job you do, more about spending more time I've already been alive going through the processes of work (early mornings, commutes, only weekends downtime etc.). Like you, I have an interesting, varied job which can be incredibly rewarding. It's more the actual act of working for another 35 years that I'm over-whelmed by.

If that makes any sense at alll....

Groundhog Day isn't it.

Tbh if your mortgage will be paid off in a couple of years you're in a much better position than most. Take a sabbatical, travel, enjoy life!

Oh and I'm 49, fully expect no state provision for pension and to be working till 70.

Totally get what you're saying. It's the process and the monotony of the daily toil even when you enjoy your work. My intention is to stay put until kids are out the other side of school/university and then like others have said go self employed. I'd like to do something completely different to the office work I have done to date. I'd love to do something more creative that's more like a hobby I can make money from.

Yes it totally makes sense.
It’s the seemingly endless repeated weeks/months/years ahead, so SO many of them.
Makes you think “is this it?, is this life as we know it?”

@inwood Yep, groundhog day is completely right I totally recognise I'm in a good position with the mortgage paid off soon.

@IRememberSoIDo I'd like to do this too but I'm not sure what I'd be self-employed actually doing. The other issue is that it'd most likely mean a big drop in my income. This is fine for a better work/life balance but also a bit of a scary prospect

I think we will see more people taking semi-retirement as the years go on - using savings or releasing a portion of occupational pension to top up earnings from a lower hours, lower-responsibility job until state pension kicks in.

I went self employed after having my own children. Started off as a childminder for about 10 years, then started to clean houses and I'm now cleaning and gardening for elderly (rich) clients who have massive houses and gardens.
Earning more than I did childminding and I'm only working 4 day week.
My DH still has a full time job, but he will be due for retirement in five years (he's older than me).
We will then let our DDs run the house and we're going to live in a campervan for half the year .

I have worked for the last 40 years in jobs I totally enjoyed. I have another 10 years left to work. Husband retired early and found it quite hard to adjust to, so I'll just carry on working to get me out of the house!

rent your house out and go off travelling somewhere cheap once you are mortgage free!!

I've quit my job about 6 times now went off travelling and plan to do the same in retirement when im older!

I try not to worry too much!

At one point about 3 years ago I rented a small apartment with my husband in India for 6months and it only cost us £500 for the whole time we were there!! cost of living was so affordable as well !

there are other options!

I dont want to depress you but im sure my retirement age is 67.8 - as it stands - you might be retiring later.

The reason I dont look at working for another 20 years of work with horror is because I’m passionate about my work AND because I’m self employed, I can organise myself exactly the way I want it so it works FOR ME.

Tbh it’s actually even nice enough for me to contemplate working AFTER retirement age.....

It doesn’t have to be like this @MCGrindah

This depresses me alot especially as nor everyone even gets to enjoy retirement, I am a single parent to my son, he sees his dad but he pays nothing and have a full and part time job. I do have a lot of good things but the permanent exhausting feeling is a killer and my mortgage is until I'm 68.....