All we do is work, work, work

[Ivedoneallthedumbthings]

Spending hours a week working. How depressing. We’re labour slaves.

I know how to count my blessings. I’ve been lucky in life.

But can’t ignore the gnawing work, work, work, week in week out. It’s always there bubbling under the surface.

As it is for millions of us.

I mean yes? What do you do outside of work?

It is depressing op. And both my parents died before retirement age so I do wonder if I'll ever get to the age where I'm not spending most of my life working.

Yes I work but I meet friends, laugh and have fun too. I'm doing a cooking course after work today.. we eat what we cook.

I agree. The work/leisure balance seems all wrong.

So who would pay you not to work?

It was ever thus, and the wealth gap will only make it worse for the growing majority not born lucky.

Your birth determines how hard you work. There’s very little you can do about it, no matter how good your saleable skills are.

Yeah I get it, I'm devoting a large part of my life to increasing someone else's profit margin, and I work in an industry that enables people to enjoy themselves and I'm not particularly being well compensated for it either, I can just about survive on it, enjoying the fruits of my labour doesn't happen.

But what are you gonna do? It's the structure we're in and unless you're going to go completely off grid and make that work, it's just how it is.

I get the feeling though, I sometimes feel the only reason I exist is to be of use to other people.

Maybe it's time to look for a different job? One that brings you more joy/money/satisfaction?

I do think a 4-day week as standard would help people to get a better balance. I expect they would be more productive when at work too, and would rediscover FUN. It would be brilliant for families and would encourage more men to do their share of parenting. We have developed our technology so much yet it hasn't really made our lives more leisurely. As Kate Atkinson says, 'Things improve but they don't get better.'

I saw a headline last week about AI replacing 40% of jobs. Maybe Universal Basic Income will have to be a thing soon.

Yes, we're all enslaved. Now our rewards for working is much much less which is why it feels worse now.
All those hours of work, work, work, just to be able to survive with the basics of shelter and food and no luxuries.

Not really - most people (I appreciate not all) only do a 9-5, and we have weekends and annual leave - didn't used to be the case. If you look at life for the working poor 200 years ago, we are so pampered now.

You also didn't used to have a state pension, education till 18, etc.

Would you just die in the gutters if you didn't work and ern money?

The problem with "4 day weeks" is it will require more staff to cover jobs that need to be done 24/7. And we barely have enough staff as it is. What if farmers decided to do 4 day weeks? And we don't have enough food in the shops? It always seems to be people that work in less essential jobs that complain about working too much and that "everyone" should work less. Really they just mean them. Not the people the provide things they want.
I have a friend who went a bit conspiracy theory over covid. She's decided that working is just the Government's way of controlling us and we shouldn't have to pay for anything essential like food/ water/heat. When asked who pays the farmers or fishermen or supermarket staff she just keeps saying its all control. She doesn't have an answer for it. She only wants to work 2 days a week to pay for fun things. That's what she thinks we should all be doing. But obviously not really all. Because she gets annoyed already that some things don't open on a Sunday. That sometimes the film she wants to see isn't on when she's off work. Or her hairdresser is off the same day she is so can't get her hair done. Etc etc.
People want everyone else to work and be available for them whenever they want. But at the same time think "everyone" should be part time.

Ive been like that before. constantly anxious about work or working at the work. I have almost no recollection of my eldest between ages 3-6. Now my littlest is in that age range and I see her everyday and I am present, and I feel deep guilt and curiosity how I could have missed my « eldest years » so much.
i realised a few years back that while externally hyper successful it wasn’t adding up. I thought self worth was attached to what I did. Then. I did the work to now feel I am valuable for who I am / not what I do.

your internal compass is telling you something’s amiss … listen to it…

This. Most of us will spend a lot of our lives working, and having a job you enjoy makes a huge difference.

Before the IT revolution took place it was being confidently predicted that we would all be able to work less and have more leisure time. What actually happened was that employers used technology to employ fewer people.

I got into the thing of kids and work, kids and work, and the second I could I was in pyjamas and into bed, dreading the next day. Dh did one of those things where you rate eg how money is health family hobbies etc and I started making myself stay up late, getting back to reading, writing, watching things I really wanted to watch, doing jigsaws etc and then I booked into a swimming class even though it was an hour after work in the evening and made life probably more difficult!! It’s all about doing what you want to do and what you do in work just pays for it!!

I am retired and 6 months ago had to find a job. My circumstances changed and my state pension is not enough to cover the bills and living expenses so it was a no-brainer. I have a small private pension - not even enough to cover the community charge, so getting a job was absolutely necessary but empowering.
Since I got the job I value the time I spend when not working, but I thank my employer regularly for giving me the power to pay my bills, which was a massive worry for me.
Anytime you resent working, remind yourself why you do it and it will not feel so bad.

Ps I heard the worst thing ever last year. (In Ireland) 70% of people asked (survey of 10000), said they dread work so much on a Monday that they actively worry on Sunday night. I find that horrible

That's because we all want things, things, things! Sometimes I definitely wonder if the simple life is the way to go

Yes, definitely go for a simpler life. State pension here. Forgot who it was said ",get a job you enjoy then it's not work".

The trick is to find a job that fulfils you. That you enjoy, that gives you a healthy work/life balance and that pays enough for you live comfortably and with enough spare to do things that you enjoy.

I know that's not possible for some. But I'm sure that more people could get into a role that suited them better if they had the confidence or mentoring.

"The trick is to find a job that fulfils you. That you enjoy, that gives you a healthy work/life balance and that pays enough for you live comfortably and with enough spare to do things that you enjoy. "

The holy grail.

I don't know many people who enjoy their jobs. Even those who worked hard to get where they wanted (drs, accountants, teachers) are not enjoying their jobs.
The people I know who do enjoy their jobs don't get paid very well.