To suddenly not want to work anymore?

[MasterGland]

I want to sit at home with my cats and read books. Perhaps bake occasionally, play board games with my son. Weed the garden.
I have realised that I can easily fill my days with these things. They make me happy. I am really struggling with motivation at work. I used to be quite career oriented, but now I keep calculating the minimum I need to retire, and how I might do it as soon as possible.
It is a sudden change for me, and not sure if it is related to the current lockdowns... but have not directly been affected by them really as worked straight through both. Anyone else had a sudden change of heart about the pursuit of endless work?

I wish I had been furloughed.

I'm 48 and currently working 80 hours per week and feeling burnt out. I can't retire I have another 19 years on the mortgage plus two kids who haven't even reached the uni years yet.

I will choose my next job wisely. I can't hack this pace for the next 19 years!

Laughing at the idea of teachers having half the year off as holidays . Yup I must have really screwed that one up to have got burnt out after only 30 years. OP - next time you want to set some work while you take a look at the birds out of the window go right ahead and do it. In fact, encourage the kids in class to notice the birds too. It will do wonders for them. I am pretty certain they can mange to do a damn worksheet for 5 mins whilst their teacher resets themselves. No wonder so many teachers are struggling when we have posters like that. Here it is just one poster having a go. Now times that by multiple parents who love nothing more than a chance to have a dig - either online, via email or face to face. Not all of them - thank you to the many, many supportive parents out there.

Sorry to hijack the thread OP.

I feel exactly the same. I used to crave going to work for adult conversation, a bit of a laugh with work colleagues and used to pride myself at being really good at my job.
Just before the pandemic hit I had the sudden realisation that the business I was in would not survive lockdown, so I quickly changed jobs, into something that was completely different. Turns out I was right about the business not surviving and i would of undoubtedly been made redundant. However I’ve worked all the way through this pandemic with minimal time off and i knackered. I find that I am quite bitter towards those that have been furloughed ( only because I’m jealous ) and I just would like a break myself for a few months. I realise I am fortune to have job security at the moment. But I wish I could of spent lockdown making memories with my kids instead of having to send them to school and just get on with the mundaneness of life.

Completely agree op, fir the first time in my life I truly dread work, hate Mondays and get a horrible feeling after some time off, even if only a day.

I hope this feeling goes away, due to divorce I have no hope of buying a house, let alone paying one off, or early retirement.

Op I feel exactly the same. I have always loved working and I’ve recently reached a very high level in my career.
But recently I’ve had a big change of heart, and it did start during lockdown when I wished I wasn’t stuck in endless zoom calls and just hanging out with my family. I also just want to potter in the garden, read, spend more time with my DC and friends and just slow down.
I can’t afford to retire yet as the dc are still young and we have years of expenses to cover still...
I can still dream and plan though

Yes, would love this. I worked through so didn’t get the time off some of my colleagues had but the pace of life was slower without school runs and having to go anywhere.

I’ve got no chance of early retirement - I’m on a low income and rent so have no pension except the one through the government scheme and if anything I’m looking like I’ll have to work more not less in the coming years once my tax credits stop just to pay the bills :(. Not looking forward to it. Need a job that pays triple what I currently earn so I can survive and only work part time!

I'm sure lots of people would love to retire or at least go part time. Those that have any choice are the lucky ones. The only person I know who was able to take a sabbatical was a vicar. The church do allow this after ten years apparently.

Covid 19 will have to be paid for by someone. Many will have to work until they drop. How many can really afford to give up work at 50 and fund 40+ years of retirement? The state pension ages is only going one way and that is not down.

as a teacher is just so happens that next month you will have a very long holiday to look forward to! Most people do not have almost half the year at home, and yet you still don't think it is enough. Honestly self indulged entitlement doesn't even cover it

I left for work yesterday at 7.30 am and got home at 9pm. In the school I work in, I'm part time and that requires me to go in six days a week.

Tell you what, if our job is so enviable, why aren't you doing it?

Yes! Feel like this at the moment despite enjoying my job. Full time teacher and it is full on at the moment. I've got 2 staff off for various reasons and it is tough, relentless and tiring.

To counter the busy week, my weekends are as restful as possible. Would love to work part time but just not possible financially.

You’re not wrong, OP. I’ve never been one of those “if I won the lottery I’d still go to work” types. Would I bollocks! I’d have a lovely house, and time to quilt and paint and write instead of cramming those hobbies into tired minutes left in the evening. There would be cakes baked! Hours pottering in the garden! There are so many books to read and walks to take!

At the moment DP and I are just on a “mortgage and nursery fees” treadmill and all we talk about is the pipe dream of changing it. Roll on the four-day week for everyone, to at least claw back some balance.

Same OP. Also a teacher. I'm so over it. Time to do something new.

Retiring from work early is quite a few people's dreams. I wouldn't want to spend it with cats but we all like different things.

Maybe a career change to something more fulfilling - working with animals, with books etc?

It's true though. Teachers do get long holidays. Why be sensitive about it?

@burritofan that sounds so nice.

Me too! I actually love my career but I still want to be able to just set my own times, faff with my horses and play with the kids/have a tidy house. I’m on my own though so no chance.

I think it’s the lockdown affect, working from home constantly is shit because you don’t get the people interaction and a day on zoom makes your head spin by the end. Also hearing about everyone’s lovely furlough time for months and months drives me insane, how they are so bored and building their own dream gardens/walking all day/reading a thousand books/baking etc. Or all the lovely stay at home mums with their range rovers paid for by hubby spending time at the school gates stressing over how to make Christmas just “perfect”.

I know I should not be jealous, that they have they own stresses and should be pleased to be in a secure job that I love and am good at but I am a bit

How long did it take some posters to tell teachers how lucky they are.

If you think it's such a doss, do it yourself or shut up.

"Work just gets in the way"
So true. I remember tara palmer tomkinson hod bless her hilarious soul being asked if she might get a job and she listed off all her fun activities and then at the end sighed with an unapologetic sum up 'so how could i work?".

Wish i had CASH AND LOTS OF IT!! so that i could live my best spiritual non materialistic life.

There was another person the other day saying they have applied for endless teaching jobs and so many applicants that they couldn't get a job. Not sure of the subject. Then there are many posts from teachers who are obviously not happy in their chosen careers. If genuinely unhappy then plans to change direction of life does make sense whatever career has been chosen.

Simplistic but swap careers - retrain to something else. I wonder why so many continue when so many seem unhappy, or is it just the ones on MN that are so unhappy. Barely see posts from unhappy nurses, doctors, solicitors, accountants, police officers, and other public service professions - they are either very happy or don't post.

Not being sensitive about the holidays, but teachers do not get half the year off though!! And yes - the long summer holiday kept me sane. I will not go into a detailed breakdown of actual hours worked but trust me the school got VERY good value for money out of me.

Going back to the OP - yes, teachers do have good holidays, but for me I really never got to totally relax during that time. If I wasn't actually doing the job (marking, prepping etc) then I was thinking about the job. It wasn't until I stopped that I realised how I was not often 'in the moment', just enjoying what I was doing - time is a very, very precious gift. I could not afford extended maternity leaves so got very little time to be at home with my dc when they were tiny babies. I missed so much with them - never saw a sports days or got to go into schools on the open days. I missed several of their parents evenings because they clashed with mine. They are all grown up now and I am so looking forward to being able to enjoy this gift of time with future grandchildren.

Good point @Reborn2020
You would think nurses would be less happy than teachers but you dont read those posts...

I can relate, OP. I am 50 but can't afford to go yet. Seem to have lost motivation since Covid started, have worked all through this nightmare but just want to be at home cuddling my dog and looking after my family.

I've seen plenty since covid from NHS staff saying they have had enough , depends what you read ...

I know I'll get flamed, but I never understand why all the knackered teachers don't just retrain or do something else. Why does the alternative to what you currently do have to be retirement?

I'm probably not talking to my tribe here as I'm someone who could afford not to work but chooses to, but I'm 41 and couldn't contemplate another 30-40 years on the planet pottering around my house and garden.

I've never particularly enjoyed working, I've always been slightly rubbish at it too so it's constant full of anxiety. Getting furloughed for two months was amazing. I absolutely didn't get bored and I actually got pretty depressed when I had to go back to work. Made me wish it was still affordable / socially acceptable to be a sahm. Sigh. Only 30 more years to go..

I completely get what you mean. I’m only 30 and work just gets in the way of my life.

I was furloughed over the summer for 3 months and I loved it. Everyone else was saying how bored they were but I was loving being able to work on my hobbies.

I actually have a really easy job, it pays really well, I can work from home and my employer is lovely to work for. Despite all of that I have no motivation to work.

I used to be so motivated at work. I lost the motivation once all my professional qualifications were done. Until that point I felt like I was working towards passing exams but once passed I wasn’t working towards anything.

I’m currently TTC so I keep thinking in my head that at least I will get a year off when I have a baby.