[Closed] Any tips on how to find work "relaxing"?

Change your attitude. Work to live not live to work. Work takes 37.5 hour of your week and then its over. Do the work, enjoy the rest of your life.

Anyone who finds work " relaxing" either has a very soft job or is somewhat odd

Have kids? Then you'll be glad of work for a bit of peace 😉

Once you reach the conclusion that work is only a way to earn money to support the times you are not working then you're viewpoint will change. You will the be able to see work for what it is and probably begin to relax and see the benefits of why we work and how we work.

If you are worried about how "well" you do your job you'll be less likely to enjoy it.

Trust yourself and let others do as they wish. Leave it at the door on your way out.

Work does not have to be relaxing - it is work after all. It does not have to be stressful either - (easier said than done I know)

You are worth more than your job.

Anyone who finds work " relaxing" either has a very soft job or is somewhat odd

A good friend of mine can't go on holiday as he finds holidays stressful (as opposed to work, which he likes). He can only do working holidays. He is odd.

Join the prison service for say, 6 months, then go back to your old job?
That should work. 😉

Quit and live on benefits then.

I'm lucky. After hating work for years I finally found a job that is actually interesting. I have work problems that I am interested in, and want to solve. So it's not relaxing, as such, but it's stimulating and satisfying.

This is not very helpful other than to point out that job happiness seems to be related to the having the right job.

Find a job that allows you to post on here all day. There should be plenty of recommendations.

Do something you enjoy ?

Stating the bleeding obvious, obviously.

Yer mates not stressing about holidays he's stressing about fear of missing out on work or his workload piling up

I made it clear when i took my new job that don't bother trying to contact me out of hours unless the buildings burning down and I'm the only one with a hose. - other than my job share back to back he can call any time

One of the project engineers who do full time text me on time off " DiD you get my email" - "no sorry did you not get my out of office"

As per tj work to live not to work.

Don't buy the big house the fancy car the big TV. Just work less and live life

Why do you expect work to be 'relaxing'?

Do you mean that you find it stressful?

Perhaps silly questions, but I don't really understand what it is about work that you are finding an issue?
Do you worry that your performance isn't good enough? Worry that you aren't doing the job right? Find it difficult to be around others? Aren't finding it fulfilling?

I don't find work relaxing. There are bits of it that are relaxing I suppose in the sense that I am doing a repetitive process that doesn't require much thought and I can switch off; but that is the exception, rather than the rule. The rest of the time it can be many things; stressful, boring, annoying, nothing......

Some people really enjoy work - by bro-in-law for example just can't switch off. Even when he isn't 'working' you can tell that he's thinking about a contract, or a deal or how to do something that he's been struggling with. He loves talking about work. Me - once I'm out of work, I generally forget about it. Every now & again something that I've been struggling with will pop into my head & I'll mull it over but generally once I'm in the car driving away from the building I don't think about it until I'm back at work.....

Create a really shit homelife - then work will feel like a break! 😀

my job is pretty relaxing. 8 hours to waste talking bollox on here, or spend tinkering with bikes round the back.

a few off here have visited me at work and will testify to this.

😀

I doubt its the job you may be just feeling anxious in general which is a common human condition.
You can try to rationalise your own way through it or get some help.

The popularity of relaxing activities like cycling, running or hill walking (or booze) with middle age folk with responsibilities in not coincidental.

Yes, I agree trying to find it "relaxing" is perhaps too ambitious, although I do know people in high pressured jobs who describe it as such.
I think the ideal has to be to find something I enjoy and find fulfilling, not a clock-watching exercise that happens to pay me whilst I watch my life disappear.
On the question of flexibility, I've deliberately chosen not to have a family as I saw this issue with my dad, tied to a job he hated just to keep everyone happy. I have no responsibilities by choice.
Hitting the job ads as we speak...

Try to think of work problems in terms of how they will make other people feel rather than how they will make you feel. Solving them makes you feel like a better person and you don't end up spending time dwelling on what a rubbish day you are having.

listen to music. Whenever I have a task that doesn't require any talking to or interacting with other people I slip on my headphones and put some mellow beats on. I enjoy mixes by british duo called technomatic. try this: https://soundcloud.com/technimatic/better-perspective-mix

Cycle in. Set off early and enjoy it. take the long route home.

Go for a walk at lunchtime. Any nearby fields with footpaths/canals/woods/old railway lines.... anywhere without any people. Or drive out somewhere even a little bit rural and have your lunch in the car with a bit of a view without any other people around.

Drac - Moderator
Find a job that allows you to post on here all day.

What's the pay like for STW Moderator?

Does anyone find work relaxing? You're basically paid in proportion to the stress / responsibility / danger / decision making aspects of your job, so if that bothers you I can't see any alternative other than finding a different line of work even if it means a pay cut.

We live in a society where the media insists we should all have fulfilling jobs; and where people curate the good parts of their lives/jobs/careers and humble-brag on social media and thrive on the envy they can elicit from others.

Have you ever spoken to a lottery winner? Or someone who has sold their business for a huge sum of money that meant they never had to work again? What about someone who has inherited or married into huge wealth? Having a few friends who fall into the latter two categories, the one defining link between them is a feeling of complete and utter uselessness and dissatisfaction. All of them have returned to work within a couple of years, albeit that they're in a position to pick and choose what they do...

I often see a similar mentality in 40-50-somethings who feel the same after 20 or 30 years in the same 'career'.

Now, bear with me, I have a theory... We, as Homo Sapiens, are hunter-gathers. Our brains are hard-wired to feel satisfied after a hard day hunting or gathering. Ever had that wonderful feeling of dopamine and exhaustion after a hard day's graft? It's intoxicating, and it's what we should feel at the end of a day hunting, gathering, building, preparing and making a safe environment.

The problem with creaming profits off your hedge-fund and spending it on castles in Scotland or Italian Exoticars is that there's no tangible link between the hard graft, and the reward.

After years or decades in a job, people lose that tangible link between the hard graft and the few grand that appear in the bank account every month. The daily grind becomes routine; the salary is just a number that appears on the bank statement.

What's the answer? I'm not sure, possibly CBT to try and relink what you do to the rewards you get...

Personally, after [s]years[/s] decades of business-to-business work where projects drag on for months and payment can often be in a different calendar year to the 'hard graft', I set up another business that involves making something with my bare hands and handing it over to a customer in exchange for cash money... And the buzz I get from it is indescribable!

Almost overnight, my outlook and attitude to money changed, everything I spend is now measured against what I can produce...

Obviously, it's not the answer for everyone to start a manufacturing business, but I would have thought a change in mindset might achieve similar results.

Sorry for the rambling post, hope it gives some food for thought - I wish I'd figured it out 10 years ago!

wee joint first thing in the morning helps. 😆

Now, bear with me, I have a theory... We, as Homo Sapiens, are hunter-gathers. Our brains are hard-wired to feel satisfied after a hard day hunting or gathering. Ever had that wonderful feeling of dopamine and exhaustion after a hard day's graft? It's intoxicating, and it's what we should feel at the end of a day hunting, gathering, building, preparing and making a safe environment.

The problem with creaming profits off your hedge-fund and spending it on castles in Scotland or Italian Exoticars is that there's no tangible link between the hard graft, and the reward.

After years or decades in a job, people lose that tangible link between the hard graft and the few grand that appear in the bank account every month. The daily grind becomes routine; the salary is just a number that appears on the bank statement.

If I may attempt to paraphrase, you are saying that work is necessary for self-actualisation - the top part of Maslov's hierarchy of needs.

[img] [/img]

I'm sure this is true for many people, but as someone with a decent range of hobbies and interests and a healthy dislike of office life, I'm quite sure I could happily find long-term fulfilment from cycling, running, gardening and the like.

Does anyone find work relaxing? You're basically paid in proportion to the stress / responsibility / danger / decision making aspects of your job

I've never particularly thought about it before, but I would say I find work fairly relaxing (on a good day) and on a bad day the worst it gets is "neutral"

I drive well over 1000 miles a week, and find driving relaxing, and meet a lot of clients, some regulars, some new. Which is all very amenable and social, cups of coffee and a chat etc, bit of business and I'm on the road again.

A get a decent salary, and sales bonuses, but I've never had anyone chewing my ear about targets etc. I'm just left to get on with things and manage my own time. Only in the office for half an hour each morning, home by 5pm every day.
Never need to work weekends as none of my customers do.

(Currently sat in Starbucks filling out my expenses)

Really interesting post @councilof10.
I do miss the buzz I used to get when I was self-employed and finished a piece of work, but then again it was a trade off for security and reliable income by going full-time.
Then again, most jobs now aren't secure anyhow.
It's similar with mountain biking, the highs of completing a descent which had me shaking at the top is pretty indescribable, but then the normal desire for comfort zone kicks in and all that.

I'm quite sure I could happily find long-term fulfilment from cycling, running, gardening and the like.

I'm sure most people *think* they could... We're told from every direction that we should have jobs we love to do, but the overwhelming majority of us don't. Sports' popularity are due largely to the dopamine rush they give us - something that we don't all get from our work.

I know one guy in particular who sold his business in his early 30s and now dedicates his life to racing his bike and time trialing. He treats it like a job, and to be honest, I pity him.

I treat it like a hobby, and it's fun.

I drive well over 1000 miles a week, and find driving relaxing, and meet a lot of clients, some regulars, some new.

See, that's something I can never understand, how people find driving relaxing either! I think I would have a breakdown having to drive all those miles for work, but apples and oranges etc.

I'm sure most people *think* they could... We're told from every direction that we should have jobs we love to do, but the overwhelming majority of us don't. Sports' popularity are due largely to the dopamine rush they give us - something that we don't all get from our work.

I know one guy in particular who sold his business in his early 30s and now dedicates his life to racing his bike and time trialing. He treats it like a job, and to be honest, I pity him.

I treat it like a hobby, and it's fun.

You're right. I hope to retire relatively early (within a little more than a decade or so, mid 40s) - not by earning tremendous amounts, but by living well within my means - and then supplement my income with a nano-business or two and resuming my role in the army reserves. That's where I'd derive my challenge and satisfaction. As you and others have alluded to above, I think the key to enjoying work (if not actually finding it relaxing) is getting yourself into a position where you don't actually *have* to do it.

councilof10 nailed it. You don't need to even 'make' something

I was inestimably happier cleaning the road gullies than I ever was sitting in front of a PC. Teaching outdoors also.

You need to be thinking how truly relaxed you feel *after* work, not during. I find that in an intense business/tech environment I never relax, either before during or after. You can't beat the feeling of feeling physically tired and no backlog. Most computer/desk jobs are endless backlogs. Sh*t or get off the pot. If you're constipated then change your diet?

*Edit, when you say 'any work' would that in include menial labour? Long-distance lorry driving? Joinery? Conversely, if you truly have an unshakeable negative response to literally any 'full-time' work then maybe two concurrent part-time jobs?

See, that's something I can never understand, how people find driving relaxing either! I think I would have a breakdown having to drive all those miles for work, but apples and oranges etc.

I listen to audio books. I get through 3 books a week sometimes. Makes me look forward to getting back on the road.
I don't speed, and I'm never in a rush. So no lane weaving and battling to get in front.
I just sit back and relax.

I've always enjoyed driving though.

Cruise control for driving. Revolutionised my hatred for driving.....I used to actively avoid driving.

Won't buy a car without it now.

Malvern/councilor have nailed i think
I sacked off my office job(technical engineering dealing with problem jobs so always firefighting usually once it had gone beyond the point of no return) and went back on the tools delivering tangibles.

Feel so much better at the end of a shift now.

I also got rid of my works iPhone and hence my emails. Which is the biggest thing as your forced to turn off and I'm also no longer on 24hr call...

You're right. I hope to retire relatively early (within a little more than a decade or so, mid 40s) - not by earning tremendous amounts, but by living well within my means - and then supplement my income with a nano-business or two and resuming my role in the army reserves.

Personally, I'm not planning to "retire", I'm mid-forties now and I still feel like I don't know what I want to be when I grow up! 😀

Most of us are going to live to be 90 or 100 years old and the biggest problem we'll face is funding a "retirement" that could last several decades. To expect to be able to work for 20-odd years and then enjoy a comfortable existence for half a century is, IMHO unrealistic, and probably not very mental-healthy! So you're right to adopt a "scale-back" approach rather than out-and-out retirement.

My recent new business is something that I can move over to fully when I've had enough of the cut-and-thrust of corporate work, and it's one of those businesses that would work perfectly well 2 or 3 days a week.

so always firefighting

Now there's an idea...

Edit, when you say 'any work' would that in include menial labour? Long-distance lorry driving? Joinery? Conversely, if you truly have an unshakeable negative response to .iyerally any 'full-time' work then maybe two concurrent part-time jobs?

I'm not cut out for working with my hands, I'm useless at it, so there is the option of just going back to part-time freelance work.

I'd also like to build a business on the side (I work in a growing and very lucrative industry), I just haven't had any good ideas until recently.

People have been fleeing my current organisation and that is always a sign that it isn't just how I feel about it.

Then again, most jobs now aren't secure anyhow.

Exactly. I got fed up of redundancies and politics so went freelance. The security is no different in my line of work (software), but I'm way more relaxed and definitely work to live, and don't get involved in the politics. The money has also allowed me to build a buffer up keeping me with income even between jobs and that reduces stress also.

I treat the work as just work, even with permanent jobs. Get the work done, go home, switch off and enjoy life.

Flexible conditions also help. Work from home options even more so. If the type of job allows it, there's no reason for modern businesses to be set to 9 to 5 (and expect people to work much later), tied to an office desk in one location. Sadly a lot still do and a lot don't trust flexible working. I find the smaller and younger businesses are the most flexible though.

I recommend masturbating on your break. Seriously.

If you're in an open-plan office then put in some iem headphones and listen to your favourite music all day 🙂

Im a coach driver, I don't get stressed out by driving either, like nealglover above, i don't lane swap or battle to get in front.
Entirely coincidentally, im rarely more than a minute or two behind the guys who do all the lane jumping etc.

On the original post, i think any job is what you make it, some people naturally get more stressed out than others.
I never think about my job unless im actually there, its the best advice my dad ever gave me (apart from 'put a rubber on it')

What's the pay like for STW Moderator?

You'd struggle to get by day to day.

Don't be careless, but care less.

Don't rush .... there'll only be another job waiting.

I learnt the first one years back and its served me well.

And the second one I have also know for a good while but haven't, until recently, been able to slow down ... Its made a difference though taking my foot off full throttle.... ( a bit like those chaps up there cruising along in their cars)

Good luck

The problem is as you get older and take these more relaxing attitudes, some companies realise they can replace you with kids that are gullible, enthusiastic, and cheap. Trick then is to be bloody great at your job while not giving a crap at the same time.

Yep ... and to have been at the place for sooooo long it'll cost them a small fortune to make you redundant

Some people really enjoy work - by bro-in-law for example just can't switch off. Even when he isn't 'working' you can tell that he's thinking about a contract, or a deal or how to do something that he's been struggling with. He loves talking about work. Me - once I'm out of work, I generally forget about it.

I often think about deals and contracts when not at work, but all my career there isn;t really a gap between work/not work. So I also think about other interesting things when at work.

My work has always had an element of stress and pressure. I thrive under it - the less I have to do, the less productive I become.

But one thing I'm not is a workaholic.

My SO is a workaholic. As in: she's addicted to her job and can never let it go. She's exceptional at what she does, is highly driven and hates it all at the same time. Not a healthy place to be..!

My advice OP: get a more challenging job. You won;t have time to worry about being relaxed...!

My neighbour won the lottery, like well into 7 figures, spent loads on cars and a really ott house. Now 10 years later hes sold it all and regrets the whole experience, moved back into his old house.

I used to admire his car collection, he says everyone does as they dont have to pay the maintenance. Apparently he never got a bill below 2k for anything. He had about 10 supercars, i bet they appreciated as were q rare.

Yep, money just brings more expensive problems... My friend in Surrey who married into literally unimaginable wealth never stops moaning about things like his Endless Pool isn't functioning properly, or his outdoor pool isn't reaching temperature.

Apparently his house costs £40,000 a year just to heat - doesn't matter how much money you have, that's a helluva lot! Then you've got staff costs... I do feel sorry for him 😉

Spot on, this chaps house was so ott he reckoned his monthly maintenance cost was 30k, it was so hi tec he had teams of workmen to get it working. I ve seen inside it really was bad taste, his architect must have been having a laugh.

I'm lucky. After hating work for years I finally found a job that is actually interesting. I have work problems that I am interested in, and want to solve. So it's not relaxing, as such, but it's stimulating and satisfying.

This is not very helpful other than to point out that job happiness seems to be related to the having the right job.

I disagree I think this is a useful as Councilof10's post. I have been merely looking at the job market and I find I'm very interested in what I see.

I agree with the above, mental work can be very dissatisfying - I still maintain that the best job I ever had was braising a gazillion brackets onto a gazillion arms making clothing wall hangers for superstores. You'd turn up, work, tea break, work, lunch break, work, tea break, finished get paid a wedge of cash at the end of the week every night go home tired by weirdly satisfied.

The best job I ever had was only for a week. Temp job through an agency gutting an old building. Literally getting paid to break everything. I went home every night feeling thoroughly relaxed, yet filthy and with aching muscles. That, or working as a habitat destroyer (gardener) for Kirklees council one summer. Proper days physical work outdoors.

listen to music. Whenever I have a task that doesn't require any talking to or interacting with other people I slip on my headphones and put some mellow beats on. I enjoy mixes by british duo called technomatic. try this: https://soundcloud.com/technimatic/better-perspective-mix

Hoofing - thanks for sharing the link....!

Up until last June I was in a job that was becoming ever more stressful and it was making me ill and miserable.
Then I got kicked out, one of an ongoing stream, it seems, and had to find something else.
I now drive cars for the logistics wing of a national car auction company, and I'm loving it, I don't get stressed by traffic, I get paid by the hour, for as long as I'm away from home, because I take a car home in the evening and deliver it next day.
I'm perfectly happy sitting in the car with the radio on, with the world passing by, and no politics and bullshit to have to deal with every day.
Oh, and I get to drive a wide variety of vehicles, from the mundane, like a builder's Transit, up to high-end Mercs, BMW's, even a Maserati!

My job has got a lot less stressfu, and a lot more relaxing, as I have become more and more experienced at it. Lacking confidence in ability is probably one of the biggest stressors of all.

Now I mostly enjoy it (sshh don't tell the boss)

The rules are:

1) Things could be so much worse - even when it's super stressful I remind myself I could be working for a big catalogue/sports company in a warehouse, on zero hours minimum wage, with a big commute to get there.
2) Everyone makes mistakes, even the best of folk, so forgive yourself and move on if you do.
3) Don't let people (employees/employers/clients) get to you. Ultimately you are just there to do a job to the best of your ability and be civil to others. You don't have to 'get on like a house on fire'. You can rarely chose your colleagues so enjoy the time with the ones you do like and smile through meetings with the ones you don't gel with. Most people are good people though, so remember that too.
4) Value others like you would like to be. So if someone does something for you, try and see the good in it first, and thank them for it, even if it isn't perfect. Soothing other's stress often reduces yours too.
5) Work doesn't just have to be about the job, you can still be a good person whilst you are there, you can chose to change your perception to it.

🙂

I know a couple of people who have purposely put themselves into lines of work they love (writing & photography), and they seem to constantly bemoan how little money they make. One I am quite sure only survives because his wife works full time and his writing "career" is in reality an indulgent hobby.

I, OTOH, have ended up doing work that I seem to be OK at, while rarely [i]enjoying[/i] it. But I don't have any money worries.

Count your blessings, I guess.

@sundayjumper, yes I also know people like that.

House-husband would be my ideal career 😀

Having done a bit more research into this, I see that some researchers have concluded that part-time work is actually the key to happiness, using the example of the Dutch. But how they manage to get by on part-time salaries is beyond me.

My work is far from relaxing, but i make every effort to make my working environment comfortable and relaxing...

Shoes off, nice coffee, good snacks, great tunes, good usable IT and a bit of structure and planning. After 5 years, I have my own budgets, trust from higher-ups and respect from colleagues...even in spite of my shoes-off in the office policy.

Despite the demands and pressure, I don't at all mind being in the office.

I try to encourage the same in my staff...wear what you like except when receiving/hosting guests, work the hours you want, take as long as you feel you need for lunch...these are your responsibilities, meet them. That's it.

@sundayjumper, yes I also know people like that.

House-husband would be my ideal career

I think that as a species, we're fundamentally lazy... Our brains have developed to become our most powerful asset and what we like to think of as efficiency, is just our inherent laziness.

Sure, I know there are people who are absolute dynamos who work a ridiculous amount and seem to have boundless energy, but they're the exception rather than the norm, and I suspect they *need* to work in order to tire themselves out enough to sleep!

The above suggestion about part-time work is quite useful, but I'd go a step further and suggest that long-term 'careers' are the problem. Referring back to my earlier post, there's that detachment that develops over time between the graft and the reward, and no matter how challenging and varied your job, there's always a common theme that can make it mundane or routine.

The more experience you gain in a job, the less of a buzz you get from achieving a good result. When you try something different, you get a renewed sense of satisfaction.

So perhaps not defining yourself by a career and being open to completely different challenges and jobs might be the answer - although I appreciate, the financial rewards tend to be far smaller if you keep putting yourself to the bottom of the ladder!

Learn to say "no".

In my experience a really good boss is vital otherwise it's going to feel like a slog at some point.

[quote="badnewz"]House-husband would be my ideal career

Ah, but have you actually tried it ?

For years I was convinced my lethargy & general discontentment was due to having to go out to work, and I dreamt of the house husband lifestyle. Then in 2015 I was made redundant and became a house husband by default. After the initial novelty wore off I got bored quite quickly. It was just a different form of drudgery. And unpaid ! I had seven months off in total, and was actually quite glad to get back into a boring old normal job.

As a former colleague used to say: "The grass might be greener, but it's just as hard to mow".

Part time is the way to go if possible. I work every Mon/Tue for one job. Then I have another job which is zero hours. I'm offered shifts but I can take or leave them. So for the first 3 weeks in March I worked 5 days a week. This week I'm working 2 days then going away for a 4 day weekend. Later in the year I'm in the USA for 6 weeks.

I tend to work 30-35hrs over 4 days but interspersed with weeks where I only work 2 days

In a way the 2nd job doesn't feel like work. I don't need to do it. The work itself is stress free and lets me catch up on my reading. I'm a driver for the out of hours doctor service. So I drive 10-15 mins then read for 15-30mins whiole the doc does a call then repeat.

But - to get here I worked full time + overtime in a stressful (but enjoyable) job doing shifts for 30 years.

Best tip - you spend a lot of time a work - a job you enjoy is better than more cash.

Edit - I had an 8 month period not working. After a 3 month bike tour and catching up on anything round the house I found I preferred working some of the time to not working. No work - days run into each other. Work part time and days off feel like days off again.

So perhaps not defining yourself by a career and being open to completely different challenges and jobs might be the answer - although I appreciate, the financial rewards tend to be far smaller if you keep putting yourself to the bottom of the ladder!

I think this is good advice anyhow given what is happening to the job market and the ending of the job career as formally understood. I think however some people are just suited to the boring career - they are happy to compromise in exchange for a reliable, increasing income over time, and there will always be fields where you have to dedicate your whole working life - such as medicine, some academia, dentistry.

On the other hand, people can too readily take up the "portfolio career" and just end up not earning very much in increasingly competitive fields.

In order to succeed financially, I think you need to be in a field which is growing exponentially, and ultimately build an enterprise of some sort which you can exit at a later date, i.e. more a serial entrepreneur.

Or you can get by as a consultant but you need to constantly upskill and put a lot of effort into growing and harnessing your network.

I recommend [s]masturbating[/s] arguing about [s]Brexit Trump religion vaping[/s] on your break. Seriously.

FTFY

[quote=irc ]Edit - I had an 8 month period not working. After a 3 month bike tour and catching up on anything round the house I found I preferred working some of the time to not working. No work - days run into each other. Work part time and days off feel like days off again.
I took early retirement and found much the same. My current part-time job is only for April-October and I know I'll treasure the days off more during that time than I do in the winter months 😉

So on reflection, the choice for me is: start my own business / startup in a growing area (which is the one I'm currently in) with an exit strategy so I can kick-back afterwards (I've done this before but the exit was a moderate amount which I spent on a year out travelling), or go part-time/freelance again through consultancy and ride my bike a lot more but have less money.

Either way I'm fairly sure I just don't have the personality for a full-time career, I just know this about myself and it also came up when I saw a therapist, who basically said the same thing!

Have you ever spoken to a lottery winner? Or someone who has sold their business for a huge sum of money that meant they never had to work again?

Ah, but have you actually tried it ?

For years I was convinced my lethargy & general discontentment was due to having to go out to work, and I dreamt of the house husband lifestyle. Then in 2015 I was made redundant and became a house husband by default. After the initial novelty wore off I got bored quite quickly. It was just a different form of drudgery. And unpaid ! I had seven months off in total, and was actually quite glad to get back into a boring old normal job.

As a former colleague used to say: "The grass might be greener, but it's just as hard to mow".

My brother did the former - (sold a company) ... and I did the latter...
Neither resulted in less stress ...

However shit work looks I try and imagine how attractive it would be after spending 6 months not working and with no salary.

It always puts a different perspective...

Either way I'm fairly sure I just don't have the personality for a full-time caree

I imagine a decent proprtion of the population feel the same.

I've been reflecting on this thread, particularly as my current role has come to a natural end. Which means find something else in the organisation, or take a cheque and find something elsewhere.

The challenge for me is getting my CV into the best possible shape for wider choices: I've got a fair idea what I'm good at, and what I rely on others to be experts in. I could go back to what I started out doing (lawyer) but not sure that's the right answer: I'm keen to move forward, rather than back.

My maternal grandfather was someone who did a variety of jobs in his time. Money didn't seem to be an issue, rather he was more interested in something interesting. I'm slightly different - money and status are important to me - but variety is key. And I think my boredom threshold is getting shorter.

I think working out that you're not suited to a conventional career or full time work is a good thing. Learning how to harness that to your satisfaction is key. Don't be disappointed!

Nice post @ourmaninthenorth, especially about trying to realise this is a positive discovery, not a guilt-ridden one.
I come from a culture and particularly family where work is everything (they called them the working class for a reason!). I remember my dad taking me into work with him as a 12 year old, where I did some oddjobs, and him telling me on the way home, "This is what the real world is like, school is just a bit of fun in the meantime. So you'd better get used to it."
I remember thinking at the time, "Thanks for having me then, and introducing me to a world you fundamentally despise!"
My longer term hope is that with the rise of automation, things like basic income, people will be ultimately freed from Wage Slavery to pursue the things that ultimately interest them, whilst creating value through part-time work.
As discussed above, people who love their full-time jobs are either odd or just very lucky.

My job is stressful and hard work - and very tiring. However it also has its moments that are very rewarding and without that it would be soul destroying ( palliative care / complex care nurse). Relaxing it certainly isn't.

I did do 10 years of bank work which had its advantages but became somewhat dull. during that time I worked an average of 8 shifts a month

I can't wait to retire in 4 years and I know I will have plenty to fill my time up. I have 4 years worth of stuff to do planned out already

I am very happy with my work/life choices

I recommend:

Don't work more than 3 days a week
Work for yourself as a consultant/freelancer if possible
Work for a charity

Certain adjustments are required for this to work:
Make adjustments to expectations - buy things second hand, fix things yourself, cook your own food etc
Don't have children

I simply don't understand the notion of work being relaxing. That's what holidays are for (and I can't not work on those either). I'm a live to work sort of person and I always feel that I can work longer and harder. It's cost me at least a couple of relationships. It seems to be an unfortunate combination of having a competitive, addictive personality and the Protestant work ethic.
Fortunately, my work allows me to be largely independent and highly creative and I do enjoy it. But even if I was stacking shelves I'd be out there doing it faster and more neatly (are those the two main metrics?) than anybody else. Which is quite sad.

To me the balance of the time at work is wrong. A Lot so people suggesting part time but most couldn't afford to do that and most services couldn't operate as would be effectively halving the workforce to cover same hours.
If the working week was 3 days or the working day 4 hours I am sure the majority would be much happier.

If the working week was 3 days or the working day 4 hours I am sure the majority would be much happier.

Some jobs could be 4x10hr days rather than 5x8hr days. Lots of 3 day weekends and weeks with a random Tue/Wed/Thu for getting stuff done like doctor/dentist/car service/etc.

Why not? Most Mon-Fri jobs could have 1 5th of the staff off each day.

Think I'm getting closer to cracking it. End game is to do safety/environmental contract work part time. But think I've got at least another 4-5 years in the corporate grind. Interested in the work but the too much of it is listening to people whining or making excuses for doing shit they know they shouldn't have or why they're not going to do what they need to. Usually expending more effort than it would to just get whatever it is done. Not sure I can make it....