AIBU to have ‘gone off’ working?

[haribofiend]

Okay so I realise I am unreasonable!

But does anyone else feel the same?

I’m not a lazy person, have always worked v.hard, too hard at times, if anything!

But lately (since Covid / lockdown, but maybe it’s just a coincidence) I’m so fed up of it. I’m not in the wrong job - I like my work well enough… but not as much as I’d like leisure time I find I’m wistfully looking forward to retirement, and I’m only 34!!

I’m a bit shocked at myself tbh. Is it just me who’s had this change of heart lately and needs a big old boot up the bum?

Oh count me in, feel so tired, unmotivated, weak, lazy and son on....worked so hard from a very early age.
Would be fantastic to just hang around, read, walk and eat 😊

What is happening with the mid 30s right now? It is scary but tooooooooo tired to actually care.

I feel ready to retire but apparently 30 odd years away from it.... how? tell me it is just a bad dream!?

My son is 42 and has always been quite positive about work. He's done well and has a good job. But he too is feeling unmotivated and rather down about work at the moment.

Having that break in routine has made many people feel unsettled. If at all possible, perhaps it's time to do something completely different, even if it impacts on money and lifestyle. I know it's a daunting thought and easy to say but it seems many people have done just that an have not only survived but thrived.

I wish I had done that during my working life. I spent years doing a job that I disliked and regret not branching out and doing something different.

@FridaRose

'*The question is ...

What are my coworkers actually doing with their days to make me look so good?' @D0lphine*

I conceived my baby during work hours. 💅🏻😆

We're both wfh and take breaks whenever we want.

You are an inspiration @FridaRose

You were literally paid to conceive your baby. Bravo!

I have also been paid to definitely not conceive a baby but have a lot of fun!

Nice to see so many people feeling the same. I'm seriously trying to get a viable business of my own off the ground.

@Imissmoominmama

I want to wander the hills all day with a flask, some sandwiches and my dog. If only there was a job with those requirements.

Dog walker? Shepherd?

I am 53 and, even though I like my job and work hard, I am counting down the days till I can take early retirement. I’m just so tired and want to spend my days walking and listening to podcasts. I think it’s the menopause mainly.

Thank you for much for saying this ! I left a well paying professional job which I trained for years to reach. After Covid I no longer felt the majority of our time should be spent at work. I am still figuring out what I want to do now. I am in my mid forties.

Bizarrely despite spending at least 50% of my wfh "working" days on Mumsnet I appear to be quite highly regarded at work and am meeting my deliverables plus volunteering for loads of extras to try to keep myself motivated. Maybe I look hard working because I fanny about so much then end up working late to get things done.

It's highlighted how much time our organisation used to spend debating and thrashing things out to come to a decision. Now generally we just pick a decision and stick with it until proven wrong. Also I used to spend a lot of time chatting, which I miss dreadfully still.

Yes I feel like this.Jan blues really and the fact I work unsociable hrs and have done for yrs.
12 hr days that I now feel like I'm selling my remaining Christmas, mothers days and weekends for.
I retire in 12 yrs approx.Lockdown showed me how ridiculously hard I work and how little I see family.

@rookiemere

Bizarrely despite spending at least 50% of my wfh "working" days on Mumsnet I appear to be quite highly regarded at work and am meeting my deliverables plus volunteering for loads of extras to try to keep myself motivated. Maybe I look hard working because I fanny about so much then end up working late to get things done.

It's highlighted how much time our organisation used to spend debating and thrashing things out to come to a decision. Now generally we just pick a decision and stick with it until proven wrong. Also I used to spend a lot of time chatting, which I miss dreadfully still.

Honestly I reckon so many office jobs could be done part time.

Honestly I reckon so many office jobs could be done part time.

Agree.

OMG that’s exactly the same as me. Lately I have found myself clock watching which I have never done in my working life. I have another 17yrs till my mortgage is paid off so I am f@*$ed if I have another 17 years of feeling like this

Mine can absolutely be done part time but management find so many ways to fill our days with things that aren’t our actual jobs, we all end up working over:

• Brainstorm sessions
• “New for 2022 – what would YOU like to DO?” Er, not work here
• Everyone update their word templates!
• Whoops, again because we got the IT wrong
• Come to our interactive Zoom session on our new esignatures
• Team meeting
• Midweek team meeting
• End the week meeting
• Cross-vector buddy session
• Zoom social hour
• Take this staff survey!
• Annual anti-bribery training but no one will ever offer you a bribe
• Weekly 1-2-1
• Reporting up!
• Reporting down!

Me too ...although finding my job unfulfilling too
I'm a TA !!!
55
Never done anything else
Think I'm stuck ...sigh

Like you many posters here OP, I feel the same. I like my job, but I don't want to have to do it anymore. It's burnout, but it goes deeper than that. I like being at home, reading, doing my hobbies and spending time with my kids (who are slowly growing up and becoming fun companions rather than being little liabilities requiring constant care), but there's hardly any time for that. I'm just fed up and actually angry at the fact that we must spend so much of our only lives at work, just to be able to survive. The whole way our society is organised feels wrong.

Same. It takes me such a while in the morning to get into just a basic work rhythm! Just want to be more productive...

I'm late 30s by the way

What I love about trucking is that I don't need to try and be productive. I just connect my phone to stereo, fill my mug with coffee, and drive.

Just to say that I bless the day I retired in May 2020. Always resented the time given to work and never felt defined by it.
Every night when I go to bed I get a little jolt of joy at not having to get up to the alarm.
My time is now my own to do as little or as much as I wish....,
Took 50 years to get here though but understand how you all feel.
It's true that once you have gone from your place of work you are soon replaced and life moves on ....

@EightWheelGirl sounds like bliss. If only I wasn't such a poor driver, I'd seriously consider a career change .

@whywouldntyou

Oh me too! Thing is I'm over 60 so I can really see the end being nigh which almost makes it worse! Might manage to go part time in the next year or two. The thought of doing this for another 5 years is awful though. So bored of it all!

I can imagine. I wouldn't be trying to impress anybody at 60. I'd be like robinson crusoe crossing off the months! I'm 51 by the way I don't mean it's impossible to impress at 60, I just mean how could one's motivation be to get more involved, take on new projects, try new things, shake it up ... at sixty I'd find it a struggle. I'm still trying to be just plain valued (I don't think I am, they only ever notice what you don't do).

The older I get, the less value impressing some middle manager at my workplace holds though, even though I'm ver conscientious. I am valuing my time more.

But I need my wages. I don't earn much! No mumsnet salary here. very modest.

[quote rookiemere]@EightWheelGirl sounds like bliss. If only I wasn't such a poor driver, I'd seriously consider a career change .[/quote]
It has its moments but I defo don't regret leaving office work. I often do 10 hour days but I was regularly doing nine hours as a proposal/ bid manager as I always had 9am meetings and couldn't just waltz in on the dot. When I'm driving between sites it doesn't really feel like work.

Not worked more than six hours any day this week due to weather and was same for whole of Dec. Thankfully get paid a day rate.

This thread gets me thinking where are all our managers? Can't they tell their staff aren't motivated? My own manager's flaws have been exacerbated by WFH. She freely admits that she's winging it most of the time. That works when she's in the office and can pick up on the team's conversations and what we're working on but not when we're working from home. Maybe she can't be bothered to put the effort in either. Three of us in the team are looking for new roles, I don't think she has a clue how we're feeling because she doesn't take the time to find out.

I have had jobs that I've found "pointless" and dull, where it's been impossible to motivate myself and I agree with previous posters, it's soul destroying. But having a job that you love and feel passionate about can also be a curse as it's easy to let it take over every aspect of your life. My problem for the last three years has been the latter.

I used to think it was a choice between those two states, a job that feels pointless and bores you or a job you're passionate about but is all consuming. Now I've realised there is a middle ground but it depends on me changing my attitude to work. So from next month I'll be doing three long days so I have two days a week to myself.

I've also taken my work emails off my phone, I've started leaving on time even if that means people have to wait for things and I'm delegating more. I've stopped constantly volunteering to do 'extra' stuff at work as I've realised it's always the same people putting their hands up and none of us get a medal. It's been something of a revelation to me that in spite of all this, people still think I'm good at my job. I've realised the pressure was coming from me, no-one else.