How easy is it to decide to stop?

Thrugelmir

bompey wrote: »

I’ve been following here for about 2 years due to being disillusioned/fed up with work.

Do you take regular holidays? Switch off your phone and email when you leave the office. There's ways of managing your own health and enjoying a better work/life balance. I walk every lunchtime for an hour when I'm work. Irrespective of the weather. There's ways of reducing the pressure on yourself. Let the other fools dig themselves an early grave. You are expendable. Little point in worrying when there's more important matters in life than work.

Start planning now for the future. Take control of your destiny. In order that you can do what you want to when the time suits you.

MancJonny

Triumph13 wrote: »

I can sympathise with you - I went through exactly the same things leading up to pulling the plug at 52 last October. It's a really complicated decision to make. For me it was about having enough money that the impact of an extra year's money was no longer worth as much as having the extra time. Then a bit extra to help me sleep at night.

Yes, me too. Plus, it gets no easier as time moves on - I'm 60 this June (2019) and am still dithering about working another year or two "just to be on the safe side"!

bompey

I appreciate all the contributions but having decided I am in the position that I could go, it now seems a very big step after 32 years of full time working to stop completely. In my line going part time or reducing hours isn’t really an option but psychologically going from 100mph to 10mph overnight is very daunting, some days I’ve had enough and I come home saying I will jack it in, and other days I get a buzz out of it.

AnotherJoe

bompey wrote: »

I appreciate all the contributions but having decided I am in the position that I could go, it now seems a very big step after 32 years of full time working to stop completely. In my line going part time or reducing hours isn’t really an option but psychologically going from 100mph to 10mph overnight is very daunting, some days I’ve had enough and I come home saying I will jack it in, and other days I get a buzz out of it.

It worked for me (my job was similar, not possible to go part time even if I wanted) . I was helped by some personal issues plus increasingly annoying pointless beauracracy at work driving me crazy. I havent missed it once in 2 years. If you do go, go soon so you get the summer off.

Malchester

I am 61 this year and have decided to retire. I have 2 DB pensions, one LGPS that I am taking now with full benefits, another DB pension I can take now with slight reduction, and a small DC pension I will put drawdown to supplement pension and interest for 5 years till state pension kicks in

MancJonny

Malchester wrote: »

I am 61 this year and have decided to retire. I have 2 DB pensions, one LGPS that I am taking now with full benefits, another DB pension I can take now with slight reduction, and a small DC pension I will put drawdown to supplement pension and interest for 5 years till state pension kicks in

Crikey!

Lend me a fiver till the weekend . . . !

(Seriously - have a happy retirement!)

Malchester

MancJonny - you are welcome to a fiver. My pleasure. Same interest as Bright House. So by the weekend you owe me £250. How do you think I can retire?!??!!!!!???

tigerspill

I have been planning to stop in my early 50s for some years. There was an opportunity in the summer to take a package to leave my work. I thought long and hard and applied, but was rejected. But that was my decision made.
Another opportunigh has come up and I have applied again (didn't give it a second thought as In had done all the hard thinking before). Inwas accepted and leave in a couple of months.
I hated my work. So it is a real relief. And I haven't had a second thought about it annam 100% sure it is the right thing. I am 53. No idea what I am going to do, but will spend some time off.

Pennysmakepounds

tigerspill wrote: »

I have been planning to stop in my early 50s for some years.

Its good to see people who have the foresight to plan for retirement, can reap the benefits.

tigerspill wrote: »

I am 53. No idea what I am going to do, but will spend some time off.

53 is a GOOD age in my opinion to take the foot off the accelerator and head into the 'Slow' lane of life whilst still being young enough to enjoy life.


That's roughly the age I am aiming at.


The way I see it, I've worked damn hard since 19 and want a few years of good health to be able to enjoy life before the body starts to fail its MOT

Mickey_seabright

I like bompey's analogy of going from 100 mph to 10 mph overnight. I retired just before Christmas, having given 3 months notice, but was probably at my busiest in the last 2 weeks; helping train my replacement, identifying all the tasks that I did and documenting these, carrying on with a sometimes very stressful but rewarding job.
I thought that I would find it very difficult to just stop, and was also convinced that they couldn't survive without me (we all like to think that we are indispensable), and that I would be back as an occasional consultant. I have in fact not missed it at all, they have had no need to call me, and I have no idea how I had managed to work at such a pace for so long. 10 mph is a fast enough walk for me now! Maybe 12 mph with a following wind - must cut down on the curries ��