Age 56. Can't be arsed at work anymore.

[Whosaidthattt]

I'm a tired 56 year old. All these 'initiatives' and 'CPD'- I just can't be bothered anymore. Been there, did that 20 years ago. I have NO INTEREST in pretending to be excited/motivated by these 30 year olds and their enthusiasm! I get that they are young and excited about how they can change things but I just can't be arsed. Hoping to retire at 60 but that means another 4 years of excited puppies bounding about with their ideas. I'm not sure I can take it (or even care). How can I get through this final part of working life?? Help!!!

Definitely this…
Add in women generally assuming the burden of childcare, homework, housework, cooking etc. etc., ageing parents, the very long stretch of perimenopause / menopause, possible illness, life stress, it’s entirely unsurprising that this thread reads as it does.

All well and good saying 'do something else!! Retrain!! Change careers!!!''

I've tried. I want to get into project management and so have tried to get my PMP. But I can't pass the fucking test, and every PM job asks for.

So in the meantime I just take my good salary from my boring, unchallenging job.

And whinge about it on here

What emily2023 said too

Most of us are trying our bests really

We’ve been told that our generation of women can have it all. It’s 50 years since women have been able to get mortgages and credit cards in their own names.

We’ve been very keen to do just that - to have it all but in reality for lots of us that just means that we do it all. Our willingness to join the world of work hasn’t been met in many cases by men taking a step back. Women end up having children, mostly assuming the burden of childcare, taking on the supervising of homework, organising out of school clubs, housework, shopping, cooking, planning for birthdays, Christmas, holidays etc. That eats up a lot of time and brain space and all on top of working outside of the home.

Our dc are teens now. They still need taxiing about, taking to sporting events most weekends before Monday comes around again, too quickly. Then we have parents who are needing more of our support and, in my case, the added joy of a chronic illness to manage.

If we just had our careers to focus on, I doubt this many of us would be feeling like we’ve had enough of trying to have it all so far in advance of retirement age.

Yes "have it all" kind of means, or has ended up meaning, "OK you can do all the jobs men do as long as you don't stop doing all the other stuff as well".

Obviously those things make total sense and are necessary. I'm talking about things like the time we were asked to do a time and motion study for months on end with no additional time given. We had to list every single thing we did with each patient and the number of minutes it took to each task. In a manically busy clinic. I ended up having a mental breakdown snd going off for 3 months. We never heard anything about the time and motion study ever again.

This. I get a good salary but am bored.

💯

No advice, but understand you OP! Your post made me smile as I've been feeling the same since I was 45... I changed jobs and this helped a little and work more on my own, with a slightly older team.

I feel exactly the same way. No hope of imminent retirement, sadly, but yes.. I hear you.

Feel the same. I'm trying not to be one of those eye rolling senior colleagues that used to get on my nerves when I was younger.
Working from home a lot helps. And hinders because I'm more likely to roll my eyes.
I have seen all the initiatives. I was fully behind them back in the day. They fizzled out or turned to shit. Seeing them back again is so wearying.

I felt like that too at 56 and was lucky an early retirement scheme was brought in. Twenty years later, I've never looked back. Lucky at that but not much else. Good luck

Is there any chance you could change your job to one without the excited puppies and initiavitis?
I definitely felt like you at 58 although I loved my team and liked what we were working on as a team, just not my part in it and all the bullshit that came with a corporate job. However, while being made redundant at 60 gave me a ££nest egg, I'm struggling a bit with retirement I have to admit! I hate not having enough to do. And lets face it, all our financial futures are a bit uncertain and any money you can pack away pre-retirement would be useful.

You can just tell your manager. I have a couple of people on my team who have been very open with me that they're winding down to retirement, like the jobs they do now and have no interest in being developed. Part of being a good manager is having development conversations with individuals and knowing what they want/don't want.

Oh I SO know how you feel!! It’s such a bore and yes, all the ‘new’ ideas have been tried before. Just stick it out until it’s feasible for you to retire. Hang in there - smile and wave, smile and wave……

I'd like work more if I got more out of it. But in the current cost of living crisis it doesn't go as far, no overtime at my work or bonuses etc, so motivation starts to wane without reward.

you have another 12 years to retirement. Ok, you are rich.

Oh dear…

I’m 5 years younger than you and feel that!
I’ve decided to just smile and nod and not volunteer any knowledge (as they don’t seem to value my input) and leave them to it !
Im considering a career change instead

That.

defo keep your job. Don’t change 4 years prior.

can you seek financial advice? Maybe you could halfe this time and it would be bearable? Smile and wave is also all that I can advice… it is the lot of the tired and less tired.

Good luck 👌🏼

I feel exactly the same; I am 62 and plan to go in the next few months; I, like you, have zero interest in all the new initiatives and CPD. I have literally got to the point where I am half-arsing it and just want to do the basics and nothing more. In some ways I miss the days where I felt the kind of enthusiasm for the job you describe in your younger colleagues, but recognise that I have been round the block too many times to not be as cynical as I have undoubtedly become

Yes, look up quiet quitting

What a depressing thread. I’m in my 60s. Loved my job but had done it for a long time and couldn’t see new challenges so I went v part time, took a massive pay cut. Started my own business. Now employing 7 people plus a couple of freelancers. It’s a tech-based business and my team are all 30s and under. They are great. Smart, motivated, dedicated. The work is super interesting. Everyone has Friday afternoons off. Life is short. Don’t spend it time wasting and envelope pushing. It’s rubbish for your employers too and demotivating for colleagues who really do want to do something worthwhile.

34 and already feel like this

I feel you OP. I'm 59 and feel exactly the same way as you. The older we get, the worse it feels 'working for the man'. When you're younger, you've got more energy, more to look forward to in terms of enjoying nights out, dressed in the latest fashion and dancing the night away! I can barely be arsed to roll out of bed in the mornings.
I'm going down to three days a week next year, that might make it a bit more bearable and I'm certainly not working until the national pensionable age of 67. The government are hoping we will all drop dead the minute we start drawing it.