Losing the will to work!!

dunroving · 29 September 2017 at 5:04PM

About 5 years ago I had a knee replacement at age 55, which was the first time I had taken any meaningful time off work, ever. It was a watershed moment as it allowed me time to do the calculations and realise that I would not need to work until state pension age, provided I was willing to live modesty (have always done that), and that I planned carefully to plough the maximum I could into pension investments. It also allowed me time to reflect on what was important in life, and reevaluate whether I really wanted to continue working 60-80 hour weeks.

Since then, I have continued to work hard and was planning to retire in late 2018 or 2019. I recently got the opportunity to go even earlier, via a voluntary severance scheme. I can honestly say I haven't slacked off in the past 5 years, in that I have continued to meet my contractually obliged hours, but I *have* cut back all the unpaid "overtime" I have done, so that rather than work 60-80 hours, I was taking more time at weekends and evenings for myself. No more sitting at the laptop until late night or foregoing the chance to take a sunny bike ride on a Saturday, in order to write yet another research grant application.

I retired effective from today, and am definitely ready. Rather than get bored with working, or demotivated, I was able to spend time appreciating the positives about my 40-year career, while at the same time accepting that it was time to move on to another phase in life.

Nual · 29 September 2017 at 6:01PM

Congratulations! I hope you enjoy the rest of your life as much as I am

OldMusicGuy · 29 September 2017 at 6:18PM

dunroving wrote: »

I retired effective from today, and am definitely ready. Rather than get bored with working, or demotivated, I was able to spend time appreciating the positives about my 40-year career, while at the same time accepting that it was time to move on to another phase in life.

You sound very similar to me. I am just coming up on 40 years in my career. I haven't chopped and changed industries, I've been pretty consistent so after 40 years I have had enough of my field of specialization. I can take pleasure in what I have achieved but it really doesn't motivate me any more.

Congratulations on the retirement! I am jealous......

fly-catchers · 30 September 2017 at 1:10AM

I am planning on taking my NRA60 pension next year when I hit 60. Alas my DB scheme was changed like others to career average and them frozen to a certain year. And part of my 60 pension was shifted to NRA65.. But still calculate that taking my 60 pension and perhaps my 65 with 25% reduction will be able to afford to leave. I have savings and S&S ISA. And the work is starting to hurt my health. And rather than allowing a slow down of work they have actually increased it quite a bit!! I am sure they are doing this to get rid of me and replace with cheaper P/T labour. So ironically my lasting memories won't be the fairly happy times there which covered about 26 years but the more stressful and tiring last 4 years! Will they miss me- hell no! Will I miss them? Who?

Purplebonnie · 30 September 2017 at 8:38AM

I feel like that and I have just started a new job! Luckily I am based at home now and can organise my own hours which hopefully will make things easier than 'having' to get up and go into work every day. Just need to keep the end game in sight, lucky you to have an actual date

GibbsRule_No3 · 30 September 2017 at 9:24AM

Great thread. Glad it is not just me who is feeling like this. Just under 18 months ago I decided to go down to a 3 day week after working for 44 years with the same company and turning 60 2 years before. I did fall into the WASPI age group and would have retired a year before my State Pension kicked in but could not eek it for the extra time added. So 3 day week, getting more than SP per month and adding the COPE money I will have added, plus better return on new pension than interest in a bank, is making it bearable, I still like the work, what I don’t like is the isolation and non-involvement that is taking place now, not helped by colleagues, including boss leaving, so new regime and people, massively younger than me now being there. I still do the work and put myself out to help when asked but as I’m often not asked I am just going through the motions. It would be nice to know what they actually want of me and if they’d use my experience. Waiting for my yearly one to one and will bring this up, two years is a long time to not use me, heck some of the other people will probably leave before me, judging by how many youngsters seem to chop and change so often. Money payment at end of the month is the only thing easing the pain.

Wenlock · 30 September 2017 at 1:52PM

I decided to quit my job during the course of a lunch break. Unfortunately I had to work another 3 months before I hit 50 and could actually retire. So I advised my boss of my plans but didn't say anything to my colleagues until the final few weeks.

I found it extremely hard to work those final 3 months - it was only the (misplaced?) loyalty I had to the job and my colleagues which made me continue to turn up and put in the effort.

If I had my time again I would probably just ring up and say "I won't be coming back from lunch - ever"!

dunroving · 30 September 2017 at 3:16PM

Wenlock wrote: »

I decided to quit my job during the course of a lunch break. Unfortunately I had to work another 3 months before I hit 50 and could actually retire. So I advised my boss of my plans but didn't say anything to my colleagues until the final few weeks.

I found it extremely hard to work those final 3 months - it was only the (misplaced?) loyalty I had to the job and my colleagues which made me continue to turn up and put in the effort.

If I had my time again I would probably just ring up and say "I won't be coming back from lunch - ever"!

My goodness, what did you have to eat?

Wenlock · 30 September 2017 at 6:07PM

:j

dunroving wrote: »

My goodness, what did you have to eat?

I don't think I ate anything!

I had an email from my manager before lunch advising that we had to discuss my performance appraisal and other equally pointless matters. I decided I was utterly sick of all this nonsense so I went for a walk to decide if quitting was a good idea or financially possible. I decided it was and returned to my desk to hand in my notice.

3 years later I haven't regretted it for a second.

Cat_House · 30 September 2017 at 6:48PM

Very interesting thread, thank you! I have 4 weeks left to go of my 3.5 month notice period. I only needed to give a months notice, but a 4K carrot helped. Taking early retirement a week before my 58th birthday due to some health issues. Have been with the company 19 years. Loved my job to bits until the restructuring took over. Now I hate it and things have really, really dragged for the last 2 years. Now I have taken the plunge, time is surprisingly zooming by. Now spending all my time writing work instructions and training 6 people up on my job. I feel obligated to my colleagues, but not to my company. I think I will be working up to the last minute of leaving. I really cannot wait for it all to be over, but it has come much quicker than I thought it would. I am a WASPI woman. Have a bit of savings, a couple of ISA's, have transferred my FS pension, have a current DB pension and I am mortgage free. I am not rich by a long shot and will have to live fairly frugally, but I do really feel on top of the world right now.

Losing the will to work!!

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