How do you motivate yourself in those last few years of work before retirement?

[Spiceup]

In 52 and financially could go comfortably at 55.

All my working life I've been driven, ambitious, conscientious, always looking to prove myself with one eye on the next job and enjoying a sense of achievement.

Lately, I really don't care. I do just enough to not mess up too badly, but have no interest in doing anything new or exciting.

What's worse is, I'm SLT in school and of the 6 people in that group, I'd say 5 are in the same boat. For the next 3-5 years the school is going to be run by people who've lost all interest. Things still get done but there's no oomph.

What can I do to shake myself up and what can we do as a group?

So you're a teacher, right? I've got friends who gave up teaching because they lost interest. They went on to run self employed workshops. And had a lovely time!

I'm 49 and in the last few months have felt exactly the same (not a teacher). I'm hoping it's a working at home thing and am now going back into the office a couple of days a week - it's not enthusing me so far!

@Dillydollydingdong

So you're a teacher, right? I've got friends who gave up teaching because they lost interest. They went on to run self employed workshops. And had a lovely time!

It's not so much that I've lost interest in the work itself, but in actually working. All my career has been about progress but whatever I do now is only for the short term.

I do think Covid has played a part. I can't quite articulate why but lots of the things we used to think were very important indeed suddenly became not important at all.

Please try to remember your lack of oomph equates to vast productivity outside the school environment.
The sliding scale which you are comparing yourself to is not usual in my experience in work outside secondary education.

You are probably working in a more healthy and sustainable way.

I’m surprised to read this. I would have thought covid would have given you plenty of get up and go.

I have just retired. I made the decision over a year ago. Covid meant that in my last year, I had to embrace new technologies and working practices to get my job done. There was no option. My workload was manic right up until the day I left. I was still tying up loose ends a month later.

How about retiring now and tutoring, my teacher friends seem to really enjoy the one to one. Poor kids though - have seen too many teachers with no oomph, kids end up hating the subject they once loved.

Tutoring is really dull. Easy money but dull.

I think you have two choices.

1. Concentrate on succession planning, coaching and developing the next SLT.
2. Step back from SLT and take a purely teaching role without the added responsibility. You may find your love of the classroom again without the other distractions. Obviously this one has financial implications that may not work.

I don't actually think the fact that it's teaching is an important part of this situation. It's very unfortunate for the school that all of SLT are at the same stage in life, but I imagine these last few years would be a struggle in any career?

I’m 57 and have come home today thinking I’m not sure I can continue as is. I work in a secondary school (senior support) and I am knackered. I have worked in public and private sectors previously but I have never worked as hard as I do in this job. It’s not sustainable so something is going to have to change but I’m not sure what yet. I’m toying with going part time but have DCs at uni so need the money for the next three years.
I don’t have seem to have the same interest in the role as I did previously and I feel like I’m slowly killing myself by having such a full on job. My main pension from elsewhere kicks in at 60 and I think that’s when I’ll scale right back. I could drawn down some an scale back now but that’s a bit scarey.

I think it’s partly covid related as I’ve been in all the time right the way through and the intensity of the past 18 months has not let up at all. It seems to have really damaged my mojo.

I was talking to a younger (40) SLT colleague today and she is also at her limit right now and says it can’t go on as it is.

I'm wondering whether you're SLT at ny school. Sounds very familiar . In some ways doing enough not to mess up is ok. I'm sure you've probably gone above and beyond for years and now you're doing enough. That's ok.

@Spiceup

Tutoring is really dull. Easy money but dull.

But it sounds like you are finding teaching full too? In our industry the good senior players take an advisory role - no one wants to work with people who are just doing enough not to get fired it’s soul destroying.

I’m surprised to read this. I would have thought covid would have given you plenty of get up and go

Why do you say that?

no one wants to work with people who are just doing enough not to get fired it’s soul destroying.

Really? IME that's almost the entire workforce Both in school and in my 20 odd year career in industry before that.

I have three years to go and am not a teacher and feel exactly the same. I’d retire next week if I could.
I am bored. I have worked for so long and want a rest and a change.

Solidarity with you all.

I felt like that as a teacher since about the age of 48. 57 now and managed to get out with ill health retirement.

Best thing l did. Sorry, l know this is no help!

I feel the same as a teacher. 23 years in and I’m 45.

23 years to go…

I feel the same and would love to know how to get my mojo back.

But I'm 57 years old, self employed as an accountant. For me, the whole covid situation has drained me. I've lost so many clients who had to give up their businesses/self employment due to the lockdowns, lack of govt support (a fair proportion were excluded), and a couple of very long term clients committed suicide when they lost their businesses and faced losing their homes. I am doing the bare minimum, still doing the work properly, not cutting corners, still giving the right advice etc., but I can't motivate myself to do the required training courses, can't motivate myself to do any marketing/advertising for new clients (I used to get regularly get new clients approach me, but not had a single phone call in the last 18 months, so if I want to grow the business again, it's back to doing proper networking, marketing, etc).

I'm definitely on the verge of just retiring early and shutting the business. I just don't have the energy/mindspace to "relaunch" the business which is effectively what's needed.

I think part of the problem is that expectations in the workplace have changed radically in the last few years. Gone are the days when you could just turn up at work, do your job and go home at 5 (however I wasn't a teacher and I know you probably couldn't ever do that! ) Now we're all expected to 'live the values' of the organisation, take on 'projects' and involve ourselves with departments that have nothing to do with our own jobs. And most places are severely understaffed so it's no wonder we end up demotivated and stressed.
I felt the same as you OP and am so glad I'm no longer on that treadmill.

Ooh I've met my tribe 

Motivation after lockdown is so hard. I work in a fast paced and demanding tech company. I've been off sick for weeks with long covid and not working has been lovely (though the illness not so much !)

I just have zero tolerance now for the politics, misogyny, ridiculous demands. But like most will need to work to cover uni fees for next 2 years or so. I get stressed just thinking about it.

I think a lot of us are a bit burnt out after the demands and stress of the last 2 years. So much uncertainty, changing ways of working and new demands. In the old days I'd have travel, meetings in a variety of places, down time between appointments. Now it's wall to wall zoom for 8-10 hours a day. No let up, no remission, no variety, little proper human interaction. It's made me fall out of love with working. It sounds like teaching is the same.

I know I'm lucky to have a job and I cling onto that.
My plan is to coast the next 2 years as much as I can. Doing the basics well , leaving others to go above and beyond (just like I've done for nearly 40 years !)

For @Spiceup I bet that your current input is still far more than many peoples' full throttle! Things are likely to gradually change over tine so I wouldn't feel too guilty. I saw a post on here recently with a parent pleading to just focus on school basics , not millions of additional 'things'. Maybe parents feel the need to simplify and scale back too ?

I'm 56 and feel exactly the same.

I'm in the civil service, my plan was to stay until 60 when I do get a small pension, and supplement it by providing supported lodging for care leavers until my other pension kicks in at 65. I'm an adopter so its not such an off the wall idea.

I am in a COVID related job, and it has finished me off. I'm knackered. There is nothing I want to do here, time to leave it to the young (er) ones.
So in the last few weeks I've decided that's it. I will see COVID out, but over the next few months I will be applying to the fostering agencies and I will leave at some point in the next 18 months to work as a full time foster carer.

I'm sick of work and it's not helped because all my friends bar one, have retired (I'm the only one FT). I don't have a private pension so I have to carry on until I'm 66. I really do want motivation to carry me through the last few years.

I do have lots of hobbies ready for when I retire and my friends are ready and waiting for me to join their clan of ladies who lunch.

God, I know the feeling. I just don’t give much of a shit these days and I didn’t give that much of a shit in the first place tbh.

I’m in my fifties too but will be retiring early next year, releasing equity and downsizing.

OP, can you discuss as an SLT and decide to each play to your strengths and have as much fun and job satisfaction as is possible in the time you’re still there?

I like the creative part of my job so I do as much of that as I can and I try not to take any of it that seriously really. I make a big effort to get enjoyment where I can, so chats at the beginning and end of Zooms, blocking my calendar out so I have working time (erm, like now!) and finishing on time.

Working feels like a choice right now although I probably need to keep going until April so I’m hanging on in there until then. I work at home though and not in an office so I’m not part of the politics and in person meetings and that helps enormously.

Sympathy to everyone in this boat, it’s an odd time of life. Made even more so by Covid

I know I am being a bit ridiculous, but I am 50 now and know I need to keep going until 62. I have lost all motivation for work gradually over the last 2 years. I have tweens and the wfh has helped me with collecting them, household tasks, no commute etc. To make matters worse, dh is 54 and loves his job. He joined CS before me and will get a full pension at 60. I will only get the full pension if I keep going til 65. I hope to take the reduced pension and go at 62.

How to motivate myself for 12 years? The dcs are still young so there isn't loads of free time or energy outside of the working life to take up an interest/hobby.

I feel I can't talk to anyone about it in real life. A lot of my female friends/acquaintances work only 2 or 3 days a week, having done so since they were 30 with young families, and they are now 50s ....

I know part time would be the answer but I already do 90% hours (9 day fortnight) and don't want to make the pension even smaller by doing less. Of course if I have no energy over the next few years, I will have to go on reduced hours and just let the pension be small.