If you don't work, what do you do?

[pinkstanleycup]

Just that really.

How do you fill your day and stop yourself getting bored? Do you ever feel or get lonely?

I've got a 21 month old and she keeps me very busy all day!

When I've had dc in childcare I've spent time at the gym, doing courses, sports, visiting museums and art exhibitions, watching theatre and cinema shows, mooching around shops, redecorating, lunches out, taking guided walk, exploring different parts of the city, doing photography. I don't get lonely or bored. Looking forward to having the time back when toddler is in preschool!

eating cookies IS work. and it's a very underappreciated role.
and this beautiful blue fur does not maintain itself I can tell you!

I can’t imagine i will be able to stop working anytime soon (I earn 2/3 of the household income) but I’m paying as much into my pension as possible and praying for good health to be able to retire and enjoy it!

I retired at 50, having worked since 16 with a mortgage from 23. Mortgage paid off. Many of my friends are in the same situation. We spend our days walking, going to the gym, going out for lunch/dinner, caring for our elderly parents, visiting exhibitions and galleries (we are on outer London) Some look after their grandchildren but I don't have any yet. My sister (54) is also retired so I hang out with her and her granddaughter once a week. We bake, we garden, we plan holidays and experiences. We have a walk up the o2 scheduled, lunch and viewing at the Shard booked, an archery afternoon booked, an overnight stay at marco Pierre whites place with dinner, holiday to Spain in July for my friends wedding. I help my adult children with decorating - both have their own places. Both have good jobs and mortgages. We thank our lucky stars that we are no longer commuting. I'm commuting at the mo to my elderly mum in hospital in town. I so don't miss it.

PS my exH is semi retired at 52. He does consultancy work (design engineering) for a lot of money. We are still friends. He mostly spends his spare time on holiday. My parents worked until their late 60s. No way would I want that for myself or my kids. They will be mortgage free by 50 and I hope they will enjoy their later years.

We moved semi-rurally a couple of years ago. I look after the pony, the sheep, the dogs and the cats. Also all the gardening, ( trying to become self-sufficient for fruit and veg). Ride-on mowers are the best.

Look after the house ( badly), do the washing ( well). Cook all meals ( very well) and look after my youngest who is still in primary school ( extra well). Also keep tabs on the older DC who now live in a different city as are adults.( regular drama and consternation from 1, other two all sorted).

Organise all family get-togethers, including xmas and birthdays. Regularly help out my very elderly parents who live reasonably closely ( part of the reason we moved from the city)
. Read when I get a minute. Swim in our pool when I can convince DH or DS to come with me. Just signed up to pickleball ( like an abridged version of tennis) and flyball ( that's a dog programme - we had oopsy puppies last year and kept one - now that was very time consuming but so wonderful).
Generally just enjoy life ( also spend too much time online)
Keeps me busy.

I decided to retire a year early, although I am still doing a little bit of casual work.

I go walking - often several times - every day. I get up at the usual time, but stuff around on my laptop (MN!!) or read until 9 am or later. The days just seem to fly past, even though I never seem to get around to all the things I said I would do when I retired. I catch up with friends for coffee every two or three weeks, and we can take as long as we like. I'm not lonely - I live alone anyway - and I am far more happy than I ever was working.

I am studying. I see friends once or twice a week. Volunteer twice a week. School runs. Plan travels and holidays. Gym and exercise. Walk dogs. Paint. In the summer I swim outside and read under the trees.

I host foreign exchange students,

It's not technically work but I get paid for food for them etc.

Having multiple teens around some of whom are homesick and all of whom need help learning British culture takes up a lot of time and emotional effort

@XenoBitch Thank you for the spoon theory info: I've seen variations of this usually in relation to emotional labour - and with beans or similar
It's a simple yet amazingly good way of explaining a condition or helping someone manage their 'resources'

So chuffed you didn't miss a good bragging opportunity 😂

Loving these posts. I'm jumping off the crazy train in the next few months, selling my house and leaving teaching. I plan to tutor for a few hours a week and can't wait to fill my days with bird watching, reading, sewing, actually talking to my husband and walking the dog.

Beware the barrenness of the busy life.

I’m a SAHM so my life is split into school weeks and holiday weeks.

School weeks I do:
school run (everyday)
after school activities with daughter
shopping (everyday)
cleaning (once a week)
laundry (couple of times a week)
see friends (once a week)
yoga (4x a week)
look after chickens/bees/goats (everyday)
tasks related to growing fruit and veg and cut flowers (Try to do every day as it’s my hobby but usually 3x a week)
life admin managing finances, investments, planning house projects, holidays etc ( as and when should do more)
decluttering (never ending)
taking stuff to charity shops/vinted
baking (bake all our own bread/cake/cookies once a week)

school holidays
all of the above with child in tow except I replace school runs with lie ins and we go on holidays/trips out.

I never stop, but love it

@DoAWheelie sorry to hear about your father. Your life sounds lovely and full despite your limitations. You seem to work together so well.

I’ve had periods as a sahm and I just take on projects to fill my time - redecorating / gardening etc which are jobs too. The only difference is I don’t get paid to do these jobs and i lacked variety and company. but I gained in freedom and flexibility.

Housework, reading, napping, gym, gardening, visiting friends. It's not to bad as my husband wfh so I hang out with him a lot.

Although I have just had two job offers and am now considering whether I actually want to work (I'm lucky that I don't need to financially).

I do get bored some days.

Knitting, sewing, baking, yoga, reading, drawing, playing games, growing things.

I'm never bored!

I was a sahm until my youngest was in year 1, so I had a full year at home to myself.

I did housework, a long walk every day, did a grocery shop one day a week, met my mum one day a week, met a friend occasionally, batch cooked, did life admin, did projects in the house - painting and redecorated etc

I mostly enjoyed it but yes I did find it lonely. I wouldn’t say I was bored.

Walk for about an hour a day, talk to family about our days/lives/ thoughts, read, relax in the bath or listening to the radio, clean the house, buy food, cook food, clear up after meals. See friends every other week or so.

Having lots of time means, for me, doing things at a leisurely pace and in particular it means I get enough sleep and enough fresh air and so my mental health is much much better.
when I’m working I’m much less relaxed and don’t sleep as well, everything goes downhill from there.

I'm a stay at home mum to a baby and a 2 year old with additional needs. I also do all of the cleaning, cooking, laundry, gardening, life admin etc. I wish I had the time to be bored.
I don't feel like there is the same judgement of "oh, what do you do all day" for my husband. This is despite the fact that his job finishes at 5pm and then he can just sit down and relax. I never seem to stop.