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How hard do you like to work?

Indylady

Indylady

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Apr 28, 2008
Messages
5,777
If you had the option between a pretty well paying, relaxed job or a super well paying busy job, what would you take (let's say that a goldilocks middle ground is hard to find)? Does your work give you glory, or is it just a thing you do for a paycheck?
 
Money is not the chief motivator for me for wanting to work.

I need to be able to learn and to enjoy what I am doing.

I am giving up one of my contracts as I am not enjoying it.

However, I am looking for other opportunities that could suit me better in terms of work life balance.

I would rather go out less and buy less blings, then to find I have earned a lot yet with little time to go out and about doing other things that I would like to do, such as charity work and something simple like going to the cinema during weekday afternoon when it is quieter!

DK :))
 
I'd take busy. I work(ed) best under a little pressure, and the time passes more quickly. If the job is relaxed I get lazy and bored.
 
Busy does make the time go faster! The test for me is whether or not I would have the mind space or energy for the rest of my lifestyle with the busy job. Will you be able to leave it behind at the end of the day mentally? Will you have enough energy left over to enjoy the rest of your life or will it be all consuming and draining? Money isn’t the be all, end all for me but make it while you can if it won’t consume your whole being.
 
I am already in the first category with my current job, do I get bored? yep! do I care? nope! I am just hoping to glide to retirement (4 years and 9 months away) with as little stress as possible......
 
I would say more pressure than not. Not that I am super well paid.

Hey wait a minute....
I've been robbed!
 
Honestly, at this time in my life, I’m just glad I don’t have to go out to work anymore. My last job I enjoyed, until I didn’t, then I gave up. Too much red tape for my liking, it wasn’t my job to be a social worker and interfere when I didn’t know the whole story.
 
Good question @MMtwo! My brother and I are both in Director level positions in the large multi-billion dollar companies. He probably makes 20K more than I do (base salary), but he works 80 hour weeks, while I work 40 hour weeks. I make a comfortable living, and would not trade that extra 20K for double the work hours or stress.
 
To be honest, I'd rather not work at all. I'd rather keep my hobbies as my time commitments. I don't mind working hard but my larger motivator is my free time. I'd rather work hard for 36 hours a week (like I currently do) than work an easy job for 60 hours a week (like I used to do). I took a sizable annual pay cut to drop down from a salary position to an hourly position to give myself free time and I'll never look back
 
I'm lazy. I don't want to work. I don't like to work. I'm really tired of working for the last 35 years. I'm only in it for the very modest paycheck.

I am looking forward to retirement when I will lay on the couch, eat bon bons, and watch TV all day.
 
jaysonsmom said:
Good question @MMtwo! My brother and I are both in Director level positions in the large multi-billion dollar companies. He probably makes 20K more than I do (base salary), but he works 80 hour weeks, while I work 40 hour weeks. I make a comfortable living, and would not trade that extra 20K for double the work hours or stress.
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Funny, my husband makes 3x more than I as a medevac helicopter pilot. His work culture encourages a rested crew, so he gets (are you ready for this?)... SAFETY NAPS. Less stress for the most part but his margin for error is rather tight...don't eff it up or everyone dies. When he has a call with a gunshot wound in the back of the helicopter, trauma nurses trying to save the patient, blood flying, but he is busy flying with night vision goggles, ignoring the screams and bad smells and getting them to trauma care fast without hitting a goose or a mountain, probably pretty stressful. He is a badass. <3

I stress more at 40 hours for less money. Think of it as a higher-level support and training and IT role. I walk away at 5PM. No one dies.

However, looking back at a varied and at one-time, blue-collar career, the less education you bring, the harder you work with less benefits. Stress is not directly correlated to money. I remember working while vomiting, because if you don't show up, you can be replaced.
 
I'm with @stracci2000. I have a very comfortable office job (albeit with longer hours than my husband enjoys), with good pay and great benefits, and a small team of co-workers who I truly enjoy, and I can't wait to be done with it. My husband's job will allow him to retire with a healthy pension in as little as 3.5 years, with us just around 50 at that point, and I see myself retiring by 55 at the latest. We might move overseas. Being a professional house sitter sounds kind of nice.
 
I used to work as a NICU nurse full time and got paid much more than I do now. Now I work 20 hrs a week as a Vascular Access nurse. I make less money but my job is so much less stressful than when I worked in an ICU setting.
I am also able to pursue other interests. Currently I am apprenticing as a nail tech in a nail salon. I know I would never have been able to do this with the previous job I had.
 
Just working to pay the bills here. Actually, that’s not totally true, since I’m on my feet a whole shift in a bakery, it is forced exercise. Otherwise I am a lazy sloth ;)
 
I work smarter, not harder. I love teaching. I could be a principal, but I wouldn’t enjoy it. I would have to give up my summers and evenings and even weekends. The pay is about 20k more a year than my current pay— so it’s a paycut, given the extra hours you put in. And the duties do not appeal to me.

My district offers so many opportunities to make extra pay, that some teachers earn more than principals and still work less hours. But I’m not one who takes these opportunities because I don’t want to burn out. I don’t want to be overworked and drained because my students will suffer.
All in all, I have 12 weeks off a year, and I do not bring any work home during the week. I’ve always been efficient, so the one hour prep period I get daily is enough for me to do my grading, planning, etc. I know how to prioritize. I don’t view teaching as work. I view it as a shared purpose between my students and I. I am truly blessed.
 
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probably not what Nala ment but i have only ever done jobes that require physical labour requiring sweat and they have all been bl**dy hard work and not terribly well paid
i have had a job where i used my brain a lot but honestly its less brain work now but for more money so im not complaing about a lot less stress plus the people and the customer/client base is much nicer and eaiser to please
i knew in my old job i worked really hard and did a good but i was so underappreated
sometimes i miss using my rain more but when i lock up and walk out that door i dont have to think about work till the next day and that is way better for mental health and happy relations at home but also saddly why my jewlery is on the lower end of PS and my house is in not as nice a neighbiurhod as i grew up in
 
YadaYadaYada said:
Just working to pay the bills here. Actually, that’s not totally true, since I’m on my feet a whole shift in a bakery, it is forced exercise. Otherwise I am a lazy sloth ;-)
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its been so hot this summer
the owner brought us a new aircon and its top of the line but even then it can only do so uch
but its the concrete floor that is killing me knees
ive ben taking the bus to work this summer and not walking to try to rest them
 
Indylady said:
If you had the option between a pretty well paying, relaxed job or a super well paying busy job, what would you take
Click to expand...

When you phrase it this way, the busy, better-paying job for sure. A boring job is terrible; the hours drag on and the days never end. And you see nothing and learn nothing. I can't even imagine what a "relaxing" job is. In my job, you have to see a lot to grow and excel; you can't get there by reading or pondering.

At the very outset, I accepted a career trajectory in my profession that was supposed to be low-paying relative to other gigs but it has worked out fine. Spouse was similar. It is often painfully busy but there is a sense of accomplishment. Lately, I spend more time helping others in the "company" than I do helping "clients" and that has been pretty cool and occasionally awful like today.
 
Daisys and Diamonds said:
probably not what Nala ment but i have only ever done jobes that require physical labour requiring sweat and they have all been bl**dy hard work and not terribly well paid
i have had a job where i used my brain a lot but honestly its less brain work now but for more money so im not complaing about a lot less stress plus the people and the customer/client base is much nicer and eaiser to please
i knew in my old job i worked really hard and did a good but i was so underappreated
sometimes i miss using my rain more but when i lock up and walk out that door i dont have to think about work till the next day and that is way better for mental health and happy relations at home but also saddly why my jewlery is on the lower end of PS and my house is in not as nice a neighbiurhod as i grew up in
Click to expand...

good spelling thankfully has never been a requirment for being a shop assistant
that was ment to say brain but too late to fix it
 
Daisys and Diamonds said:
probably not what Nala ment but i have only ever done jobes that require physical labour requiring sweat and they have all been bl**dy hard work and not terribly well paid
i have had a job where i used my brain a lot but honestly its less brain work now but for more money so im not complaing about a lot less stress plus the people and the customer/client base is much nicer and eaiser to please
i knew in my old job i worked really hard and did a good but i was so underappreated
sometimes i miss using my rain more but when i lock up and walk out that door i dont have to think about work till the next day and that is way better for mental health and happy relations at home but also saddly why my jewlery is on the lower end of PS and my house is in not as nice a neighbiurhod as i grew up in
Click to expand...

I've done both kinds, Daisys and Diamonds. I worked as a welder making car parts, as a baker, a shop assistant in hardware stores for almost 20 years before my "second act" at a desk. It is no contest in treatment. The harder you work physically (in my experience) the less respect is given for work life balance or need to be home sick.
However, like you said, walking out the door allows one to leave it there. No fretting over deadlines or upcoming travel. An honest day's wages deserve respect and I wish the management was kinder to those who have to hustle so hard.
 
It depends on my stage in life. When I was younger, I wanted super busy and exciting. I prefer relaxing when I had young ones. Back to super busy when they are grown. And a return to relaxing now that I am an old fart.
 
When I was working in my chosen profession I enjoyed being busy. I work better that way. Keeping my mind engaged. Loved it.
I always give everything my all. If I’m not passionate about it I don’t do it.

So yeah I worked hard and loved it.

Now I am retired from my career but still passionate about life. And everything I do I give it my all. Whether it be cycling, hiking, volunteering, supporting my friends, etc. I am not lackadaisical about anything lol. My loved ones have all m energy and love and that’s how I feel my best.

Work never felt like work per se because I was fully engaged and enjoyed helping others.
Money wasn’t and never will be my motivating factor. Because we have enough. It might be different if circumstances were different. But I’m fortunate in that I don’t need to factor in financial considerations. And I am supremely grateful to be in this position and it’s part of the reason I want to give back with all my energy and passion ♥️
 
At this point, I'd take the good (but not great) paying job that is more relaxed. Too much of myself was given in the past to people and jobs that ultimately didn't reciprocate. It used to be for the glory, but the work also broke me down physically and mentally. Now that I'm comfortable knowing I'm a replaceable cog in the wheel so to speak, work is something I do because I enjoy contributing meaningfully to a team and mission, but ultimately it's how I fund doing all the activities I want to do outside of work. That doesn't mean I don't give it my best effort, but I do so within much more narrow parameters.

My big dream is to be able to replace my spouse's income in the next few years and give him the opportunity to either take a part time job or take a year or two off.
 
MMtwo said:
I've done both kinds, Daisys and Diamonds. I worked as a welder making car parts, as a baker, a shop assistant in hardware stores for almost 20 years before my "second act" at a desk. It is no contest in treatment. The harder you work physically (in my experience) the less respect is given for work life balance or need to be home sick.
However, like you said, walking out the door allows one to leave it there. No fretting over deadlines or upcoming travel. An honest day's wages deserve respect and I wish the management was kinder to those who have to hustle so hard.
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hardwear is so heavy -well probably so is welding
my last job (14 years) i went there to the garden centre and ended up 7 years in builders hardwear on the trade desk
Mr Pasloe was very heavy indeed
i remember one xmas week i had to put away a months worth of wire netting (a lot of bussiness in NZ shut down for 4 weeks at xmas), it was boiling hot
and two days latter there was recall notice for it and i had to pack it all up again

for three years inbetween i was the cashair upstairs in a coat cubpard of an office (that job is now out sourced)

workers do indeed get treated better in the office, (well at the three places i had exprience with all at store level. one very large international conglomerate, one listed regioanl company and a mom and pop (actually a bro and a sis) francized hardwear store
but its like (in my experience) that the shop workers are treated bottom of the heap when we are litery the front window of the company interacting the most with the client base (and you know also bringing the money in)

what i like about my job now is my bosses muck in and help
well our owner bakes the bread in the middle of the night and he will happily hop behnd the counter to help and also chat with customers and our store manager will help do dishes and sweep the floor
yesterday i said to her, "dont do that ! thats what im here for", she said "i wont ask anyone to do anything i wouldnt do myself"
so even though my knee is killing me im in such a safe happy place at work with no shop/office politics or cattiness going on
i have 13 sick days up my sleeve, the most iver had in my whole life and rememebering ive had to take a few when Gary is not well, but also we wear masks and sanatize and we have a counter between us and the customers so i just havnt been sick at all except a week with covid we caught all caught from our managers husband
i think sick leave can indeed be quite telling of how happy one is at work
 
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I work to live, not the other way around. Work will never be my life and I prefer to get my pay cheque and keep my free time (and sanity!) for my family. I’m not a fan of the hustle mentality personally.
 
If I'm going to be working, I want to be busy. For me, that makes the work day fly by. When I'm not busy I'm bored. I don't equate busy with stress though. Certain work issues can stress you whether you are busy or not and they can weigh on your mind, disturb your sleep, etc. You don't have to be busy for that to happen. I'm close to retiring, and it's those issues that stress me out when I wake up in the middle of the night that I'm happy to leave behind. Not the fact that I'm busy all day. In fact, I'm so used to being busy that I worry that I won't keep myself busy enough when I retire.
 
I love to work hard.
But at my advanced age I can hardly remember the last time ... Oh, never mind. :oops:
 
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I work primarily with happy people celebrating happy times. I love what I do and I love helping people achieve their perfect piece. I was retired for a couple of months and nearly went out of my mind with boredom.

Put me in the column that lives to work because working makes me happy.
 
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