How content are you?

[Bridie20]

My aibu is whether I should just get on with things or should I be looking into a life (let’s be real, job) change.

I feel I have no job satisfaction. I work full time onsite, no flexibility. I’m there from 7.30-4.45 on a shorter day, sometimes stay till 5.30. Still end up working evenings and weekends.

I have enjoyable weekends with my family. Yet I feel like I’m just not content with how things are. I’m run down, sick a lot, tired and feeling very much in a rat race. Not much recognition in my job, the opposite in fact, always feel I’m doing something wrong. And what I find really hard is there’s just no time for me to be me. I want to have something that makes me me, beyond work and being a mum.

AIBU to feel like this? I really do not know where to start with looking for something else. Has anyone done this and made the leap?

Kind of know how you are feeling although obviously everyone's experiences are personal to them. One day, after my husband had another crappy 3 hour commute to and from work and my idiot boss had annoyed me one too many times I actually made us sit down, and over a few weeks we analysed all our incomings, outgoings and what we really wanted from life. We decided we were in a fortunate position to retire super early and follow our dream. This was dependant on many things all aligning and making some sacrifices but we have made it work. Sometimes you just have to think outside the box, which can be really, really hard to do. But not a single day goes by where I am not grateful.

First obvious question: can you afford to cut your hours back? Working 4 instead of 5 days, or reducing your daily hours, could make a big difference. I work 80% FTE and I’m so much happier for it