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.

I retired early through ill health but still manage to find plenty to do: reading, knitting, crochet, dog walking, gardening, craft club, seeing friends and family, planning a house move . I honestly wonder how on earth I fitted work in! I guess I was much fitter and energetic then.
I always had hobbies so was rarely bored.

I actually thought I would die before I got my pension so perhaps it’s serendipitous!

Flippingfair Sorry I thought it was about retirement & not having to go to work again 🙂

@ivykaty44

Flippingfair Sorry I thought it was about retirement & not having to go to work again 🙂

You're absolutely right. Talking about what you would do if you won the lottery is a completely different discussion for another thread.

Translating literature - sadlyit doesn’t pay enough to live from for most.
Reading in bed till late with coffee and toast.
Adopting rescue dogs.
Volunteering to teach languages at primary school.
I can’t bloody wait for retirement.

Enjoy being able to have a normal sleep pattern (I work nights)

Then it would be the usual. Running around after kids and their various activities and being available for school stuff at the drop of a hat without worrying "but I need to sleep".

Then I'd spend more time walking the dog, going the gym, keeping ontop of house stuff, baking and cooking.

I absolutely don't have to work but I've actively chosen too.

I didn't for a few years and was so bored. It was dreadful for my mental health.

What I did do in those years was: hobbies and craft, shopping, lunch with friends, sports, lots of lovely solo cinema trips. Still wasn't enough.

Writing. I love it but don't have time or am too tired after work / home life / caring for parents.

@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.

Reading, walking, volunteering, films,art galleries,museums, gardening,music, traveling. It's brilliant.

Oh, forgot philosophy discussion group, online lectures (and soon lectures in person), extramural courses

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.

Nope, I'd find it very easy to fill my time and I can't nap and don't watch much tv. I'd travel (if funds allowed), walk, knit, crochet, continue learning the language I'm learning and pick up another one, take up a musical instrument, read lots.

Firstly more exercise, healthier eating and weight loss

Secondly pro bono legal cases for ordinary people that have been screwed over by big companies. I did one once as a run up to Christmas project in my early 20s for an elderly neighbour who had her TV fried and the contents of her fridge and freezers ruined by a power surge and outage. The electricity distribution company refused to pay her compensation and doubted her. A small claims court filing was quickly followed by out of court settlement, full compensation and £500 on top before it ever got to court.

In a very legal nerd weird way it felt like a really Christmasy thing to help her out and I thoroughly enjoyed fighting her corner against the big evil company 😀

I love this thread. I fantasise about this now that I am nearing retirement, actually not. I am early 50s but a girl can dream.

First I will step down from my senior role and take a mid-senior part time role so that the buck stops with my boss (how I would relish that, woohoo!) and focus on training, supervising juniors and taking on the complex work but training someone up to do it now that I have more time. This is a good thing because my job is broadly combatting financial crime and my way of giving back but still keeping my foot in a private competitive organisation so I stay sharp and on top of the latest developments. Intellectual stimulation and sense of belonging.

Then I will step down further and do a part time course in creative field (perhaps digital animation or games art). My job has always been so cerebral - I can do it almost entirely on a laptop and a phone. It will be delicious to actually create something. I loved that as a child but the inconvenience of earning a living in a well paid job put paid to that.

I would volunteer, not in a foodbank, but using my legal and writing skills. Dh however tells me that I will greatly dislike working with the general public and I am inclined to agree.

So then I will read voraciously and do flights of fancy in my head. I will clean, tidy and organise - makes me happy. And cook, bake and go for fancy meals with dh.

Happy as a clam. Cannot wait.

Not having my time restricted by working patterns will be wonderful. My work takes up 50 hours of my week, when you take in my commute & lunch. To be able to travel when I want and organise my days as I please will be great. I’ll achieve dar more of what I want to do

Can’t imagine being able to afford not to work! But I’d definitely do volunteering, and probably some studying. I’d also do plenty of napping.

Without work it would just be nice to be able to ‘wax and wane’ - have busier and quieter days rather than the constant hectic treadmill working life seems to be (with all life admin squeezed into evenings, weekends and holidays)

On the basis my income was still comfortable

• probably a holiday of some sort every 2-3 months, even a short U.K. break - I love having a change of scene on the horizon and something to research / plan for

• probably finally get in to my garden / DIY rather than putting stuff off or paying someone else to do it

• have a lot cleaner and tidier house than I do now

• be fitter than I am now, with no work commitments I’d have no reason not to exercise 3 times a week

• cook more

• maybe finally write that novel!

Thanks for making me yearn for a work-free life, OP!

Assuming a reasonable income and good health, I would love it! There's so much I'd like to do if I had the time. Gardening, reading, get really fit, do classes in interesting things, visit all the places I'd like to see but aren't top destinations for holidays, sort the house out and declutter, decorate everything that's looking a bit shabby, spend more time with my retired parents... I could easily fill my days!

And I wouldn't watch a second of daytime TV 😳

I volunteer for 2 charities, sing in a choir and play an instrument, book club, online uni classes 1 day a week, pub quiz, swim, theatre and exhibition trips. And all without the stress of horrendous daily commute and office politics.
I don't have time for daytime TV (unless it's on whilst i'm cooking dinner!)

I got a job because I was so bored ! I know a few retired people who have done the same !
I wouldn't want to work full time again but part time for the social side suits me just fine !
I spent 10 years doing school runs and being bored out of my mind ( my son has snap much tricker to get childcare etc ) I love my part time job !

I would read, write books and articles and start a blog, take some other creative classes, join a choir and a dramatics group. And play tennis and go to Zumba. Hoping I will be out of my unhappy relationship by my retirement so hoping I will also be dating and meeting interesting elderly gentlemen!

I am in my early sixties, so I have been considering what I may do if I ever retire (and, quite frankly, I do not think I will ever be able to retire).

I would definitely help my sons more. They both have MH issues and one has autism, so I would spend more time making sure they had the support they needed. I would do some voluntary work because I do need to get out of the house and meet people. Animal charities appeal to me. I would also like to spend time writing. I believe I could write a book, and I would like to try.

However, I also see the dark side of retirement (if this is what the thread is about). I worry about not having the financial security to live a comfortable life (and by that, I mean one in which I am warm, well fed and can afford a few minor treats). I worry that health issues will mean I do not function well enough to do even the small things I want to do. I worry about loneliness and isolation.

I’d drop my daughter at school then spend most of the day at a nice gym like a David Lloyd one where I could alternate between working out/swimming, studying whatever the hell I liked or chilling with a book.

Interesting study on wellbeing here, you can have too much of a good thing

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/sep/09/study-links-too-much-free-time-to-lower-sense-of-wellbeing?CMP=ShareiOSAppp_Other

Welcome to my world!

I now enjoy 2 leisurely coffees when I get up. I read more. I love a jigsaw. I spend more time with friends. I spend more time with family. I always have some embroidery on the go. I love shopping (off shopping in a moment, just to browse really and soak up the festive atmosphere). I play on a very successful pub team quiz. DH and I go away for more weekends. I did Couch25K earlier this year with DD2, really loved it, and just started running again. I love that I can be much more spontaneous nowadays.

Pottering. Pottering. Pottering (and yes, maybe the occasional nap. I take Tamoxifen and it can make you tired).

I absolutely bloody love my life ❤️❤️❤️

What I love now I don't have to work...

Having struggled financially as a single mum with no support

The freedom. Waking up each morning and not feeling the pressure to do everything, please everyone and hold it all together.

The ability to put something off til tomorrow

The way I can take my time over things rather than rushing.

Not having to decide what to sacrifice in my free time. I can exercise AND socialise. I can see family AND friends.

What I don't like....

Not feeling a purpose each day

Not appreciating the good things because when there's no drudgery everything becomes more mundane.

Missing the social side of working with people.

Having less to share with DP at the end of the day. When you've spent a lifetime moaning about your colleagues or boss, it feels odd not having that!