Am I mad to be considering this...

[Coldemort]

So start of a new year coming up, big birthday next year... having the 'what am I doing with my life' crisis.

Don't particularly like my job, don't hate it. It's just mainly bloody boring. Bum on seat, clock watching boring. So have looked into reducing my hours. To go from 9-5 to 10-3 (to start with would kill the 'hour' lunch). If I did this after all bills it would leave me with about £100 a week (about £150 a week less than I have now).

I live on my own, no dependants. I smoke and have genuinely got to the point where I just don't want to anymore. So that's £50 a week I can save straight off. Plus work lunches and drinks after work (at least twice a week) that could potentially be another £50.

I'm a 10 min walk to/from work. I'd have a lovely leisurely morning, then be home at 3.15. I could have at least 4 hours to do other things. I'm looking into a masters (student of the 90's only just found out you can now get a student loan for a masters). I also had a few bits of writing published in my younger days, but am very realistic it's nearly impossible to make a living writing - but could maybe earn a bit to supplement my income? Plus other 'at home' ideas such as matched betting.

Job wise I could make a case to reduce my hours. I wouldn't find it stressful, in all honesty I could easily fit my current 7 hours into 5.

I do like nice things in life, nice clothes, holidays, meals out etc. Which with my current disposable income of about £900-£1,000 a month I can afford. It would only take a few changes and tbh I have enough clothes to last a decade. And would I desire a holiday so much if I was out of the 9-5 drudgery?

So am I mad??

Sounds like you’ve got it all sorted and you’re ready to go!!!! I don’t think you’re mad at all. Good luck!!!

Sounds like a pretty good plan to me!

Sounds good. Just check about compressed hours, sometimes work require you to have a break (even if you actually work it)

Pension?

I just feel a pressure that if I can work full time hours (healthy and no kids) then I should.
And not sure if I'm being unrealistic in the drop in disposable income.
Thanks for tip on compressed hours, will look into :)

Why not put more effort into changing your job? Even with shorter hours it’s still going to be hours of tedium. Perhaps you could ask for the reduced hours and then use that time to apply for better jobs.

It’s easy to think that you can survive on a lower salary and go without luxuries and in the short term you can. But months or years of missing out on treats and holidays frivolities and nice stuff (not to mention what you do when you need money for e.g. your car breaking down, the boiler dying, a household appliance needing replaced) turns your life into even more of a slog.

You don’t say if you rent or own. If the former then it really would be quite short sighted not to maximise your income and save for a deposit if you can.

Why don’t you live on the reduced income for a few months and see how you go. Put the extra away as a bit of a buffer if you decide to go pt.

Go for it!

I cut my hours by working a 4 day week for the two years before I retired, my tax and National Insurance also reduced so it was not that a big pay drop but a better life.

I own (well mortgage) but that in itself is a poisoned chalice as pp pointed out it also makes me responsible for household repairs.
@Crocky that a very good sensible idea. Suppose I'm currently a bit giddy and in the mindset of if I don't have it I wont spend it

Why don’t you live on the reduced income for a few months and see how you go. Put the extra away as a bit of a buffer if you decide to go pt.

Agreed. I was going to ask if you have an emergency fund. If not, this would create you one (or boost it).

The masters sounds like a good idea - you need a shot at a more exciting life and/or increased earning power. Just be prepared for it to be ... challenging (if the course is good) both intellectually and financially (even with the loan) as well as in terms of energy.

Also, boring jobs are somewhat vulnerable to redundancy - so it would be good to be ready to move on.

@Crocky that's a great idea and with the money saved op, you would have a rainy day fund for any household emergencies. Give it 6 months and then go for it.

I'd look into five days over four. Yes they're long days but you still get full time pay and have an extra day off a week. Then once you've saved a bit and have a buffer as pp suggested you could look at dropping the day and just working 4 normal days or similar?

It’s not mad but you may want to think about the long term effects of reducing your hours - by which I’m talking about any potential redundancy and also your pension calculations. Otherwise it sounds great.

Instead of working 10-3 five days a week, what about working 9-5 three days a week? And then you’d have long weekends every weekend. Having whole days off would give you a lot of flexibility. Like if you wanted to do a class that started at 9:30 or 10 or 10:30 or whatever, you would be able to go. Or if you wanted to say volunteer for a day (not saying you should by the way) or do a day trip or drive to the coast or whatever, you could. Harder to do things like that when you have to be at work for 10am.

Spend your time getting a job you like instead. This might work for now, but you are still stuck in the same job

Not to be a Debbie Downer but by the time you get home you’ll think you’ve almost put in a full day. I know, I work from 8-1 and by the time I get home I even feel I’ve almost put in a full day.

So hang on a sec, they’re paying you for a certain amount of work and you’re offering to do the same amount of work in less time for less money? Erm no.

@TowerRavenSeven do you think that's a bit with your early start? I'm a bit of a night owl so on a 10-3 I could get up at 9 and still have 45 minutes to myself before I need to leave. Would free the late afternoon up..