If you never had to work again, how would you spend your days?

[humbugaboo]

I’m wondering if a life of not working is really all it’s cracked up to be? I think with time you can probably end up just binge watching TV shows and napping.

Sewing, knitting, hiking, sailing, cooking, reading, tv, meeting friends, swimming, gardening ....I've a long list piled up, as well as big bins of fabric and wool, piles of books, etc.

I would be really interested in only working for a few months a year - say November to March or April. Rest of the year I would spend mainly outdoors!

I love being outdoors, so would hike, cycle, play tennis and spend time doing longer walks including abroad. Lots of travel, short breaks, reading, going out for meals, theatre, galleries. Also helping out at a local charity which I do already. Am planning early retirement & this is how I’ll fill it.

Live by the coast, run, walk, see friends more often. Volunteer, donate to my favourite causes. Travel more with dh. These are my retirement plans so no need to wait if I didn't have to work!

Volunteering where I work now.

I'd travel and then move to my favourite place from my travels. Once there is volunteer at an animal sanctuary. I'd travel for as many years as were possible.

@MrsPleasant

If retirement means looking after grandchildren, meeting friends for coffee or going for pointless walks, I fully intend to work until I drop. None of those things is an adequate substitute for going to work. I like my job, it keeps my mind and body active and I see no point swapping that so I can bake a cake on Tuesdays rather than Sundays.

Retirement is whatever you want it to be. Why would you do things that you don’t enjoy, just because other people do them. Surely you have hobbies & passions that you would pursue if not working?

I gave up my job last year due to a seriously ill child (who is loads better now thank heavens but also has significant SEN). I never have to work again for a few reasons, and although we are not profligate we are okay and manage our finances pretty well.

I spend my days doing everything I can to support my DCs. My disabled DS and his brother. So that takes up a vast part of the day. I am also undergoing alot of training in DS1's disabilities so I can support him better. But the main joy for me is being able to have the time and space to be able to do this. Before I was trying to do so while working as well in a ridiculously un-family friendly job (corporate law). I find this new path and new focus meaningful and demanding (and heartbreaking all too often). I am hopeful that when the world turns itself the right way up again then I can spend our school holidays travelling and providing rich experiences for the DCs. I was lucky to be brought up in a couple of different countries and I want to be able to share that with the Dcs. Workd definitely got in the way.

frowned upon nothing that would be a passion if I did it full time. I like bookending my work with the fun stuff - if I did it all the time, it would not be fun.

Oh and my DPs retired at 54. They spend their time gardening, meeting friends for coffee, babysitting dogs, travelling, painting. They are incredibly fulfilled.

I don’t work.
We have a large garden and a bit of a smallholding, with goats, chickens and ducks.
I grow lots of fruit and veg.
Volunteer with search and rescue with my dogs, and volunteer at various places with my dogs as official visiting therapy dogs.
I also help run a local kids water sports club.
I don’t have time to be bored and or watch daytime tv!

@Witchymcwitch - I had a demo of the search and rescue dogs. You all do amazing work!

Hope to

Continue travelling to new foreign places (covid has put a stop to this currently)
And
Travel more locally in the camper van
Also
Perhaps join some group expeditions
And
See where all of the above take me

Get fitter, enjoy a stress free, work free life

Quality time with my family, volunteering, crafting, holidays around the UK

I'd learn all the things I wanted to but can't because of cost and lack of time

• Professional nail art course
• Art Classes
• Writing a book
• Holidays to all the places I want to go
• Online game streaming (I have done it before and loved it but it was a lot when working full time)

There is SO much i'd fill my time with. I'd certainly not be bored!

This is my life now. I love it. I can get up when I want, am learning French, belong to a walking group, am saving a fortune on grocery shopping as I gave the time to faff along the High Street instead of a one stop grocery shop, have time to cook, do lots of reading, meet friends etc I couldn't imagine having to follow someone else's timetable now.

Retired,cook from scratch always batch. Knit,sew,DIY,big garden. Grow most of our own fruit and veg,which needs prepping, freezing. Two disabled sons one im carer for. Bubbled child care with youngest DD they are all 90 minutes away on a good day. Two dogs. Daily workout, weights,cardio,e bike. Wednesday, coffee and vino with a friend, technically a day off, but still have a lot of the other stuff still to do

I used to work part time, 24 hours a week, then I dropped to 10 a week. On Christmas Eve I will be finishing work for good.
I spend my days doing whatever I feel like doing. Some days I hit the shops, other days I potter about in the house and garden or visit the kids on a weekend.
There's only myself to please as DH works away and only comes home briefly once every four months.

@WorraLiberty

in my experience that rarely works

@godmum56, we have 3 volunteers at work who are ex employees. It's a great place to work, so unless that changes before I retire it should be fine.

cool!

Well said godmum56 I was never defined by the job I did and although it came to an end sooner than I imagined I don't miss work for a minute. I don't have piles of cash either but I have enough to do what I want. I live modestly and am very happy.

Pottering around, I dream of stress free & time.

@IntermittentParps

Thank you, godmum56 No, I agree, 'meaningful' does not exclusively mean 'paid'; but it can. To me it does (again, not necessarily exclusively though). I find my paid work 'significant and rewarding'. I know I'm lucky to be able to say that and lucky that I love what I do. Of course there are unpaid things I find 'significant and rewarding' as well.

This probably doesn't apply to you but I will say it anyway as someone may read it and find it helpful. Beware of an all eggs in one basket life. There is a business round here where the employees work on shifts in permanent teams that become like families. Its a serious problem for a good proportion of them once they retire as they have very little life outside of work. The work base is a secure one for safety and national security reasons so they can't drop in for coffee and a chat and many of them have no real place in their families beyond what they could do and maintain the shift pattern. The adjustment is hard and a good few of them don't succeed.

Pottering, housework, gardening, walking meeting friends for coffee/occasionally lunch. Most of us are still working in some capacity but maint self employed or part time. I catch people when I can, usually individually.
Studying with OU - a long awaited dream of mine and hope to get my degree before I'm 60. Helping my mum out ( she's frail)
Live near coast and I swim and paddle board in summer. Bit of childcare for my grandson which is fun, help a friend out with her horses, including riding a couple of times a week. Never watch TV in the day, but I read a lot and listen to podcasts.
I work part time, but have plenty of time to do my own thing.
I make sure I get a good brisk walk in on the days I'm not at stables.
DH still works full time (wfh) so I do the bulk of housekeeping so he's free to enjoy his time off. He sticks very solidly to his basic hours now as he's nearing retirement.
We have done our fair share of working and rushing about so I feel not a shred of guilt, though I would if I wasn't working at all.

Meal plan, shop and cook for elaborate meals.
Game.
Get my hair, nails etc. done.
Volunteer
See friends and family

I'd go slowly mad. I need structure to keep me going and my mental health on track.

I might go part time though, so I'd have more time to go to the gym.