Prosperous & Creative Soul Year 4

jwil

Enjoy your week off!

Blackcats

The recent changes at work are bound to need some time to adjust to and some fortitude to navigate.  No wonder it's feeling a bit tough for you.

I watched Inside My ADHD Brain this week.  I found it interesting and useful to try to see the world from an ADHD perspective.  Have you watched it?

savingholmes

Thanks KK, DIA and Sunshinegirl and Jwil

SG2 - Shame I didn't know you were so close. It would have been nice to say hello in person. 

KK - I'm still chuckling over the ceilings comment - it is that sense of humour that has helped me stick with my counsellor.

DIA - love the reference to bulbs as buried treasure. My garden is looking lovely - I gave it some water earlier around the back but still need to do the front. Alliums are my next 'show' bulb and some I need to look up the name of that had a long name beginning with a T. I also bought a mini red rose and a yellow dahlia this week so need to water them in and plant them. 

Thanks Jwil - so ready for a break. Finished at last! Going to see ill family tomorrow which could be tricky but lots of happier things planned for next week.

savingholmes

Thanks Blackcats - treating people like mushrooms is not a way to build a happy and engaged workforce. Some of the categoric denials e.g. of planned redundancies during the consultation on their plans - have been reversed already (i.e. they lied) and we are only 6 weeks in to the change. The people affected by the upcoming redundancies are happy about it but I'll miss them. I'm also a little jealous as I have my all important birthday next week (to trigger unreduced pension if they make me redundant after that). I don't think I'll be directly affected for some time as their restructure is glacially slow despite being tight for £. 

I spoke to one person today who said I was unlikely to get sacked for speaking my mind as that would require them to actually put their feet on the floor and do something... I was horrified at the phrase given the department this person worked in and their role but is showed how awful morale is across the organisation we just transferred into. 

So relieved to be finished for the week. The start of the week was a huge struggle but overall I've been productive. I had a really good chat with HR yesterday. We've agreed I can have more paid breaks as part of my adjustments and we'll schedule some regular catch ups to make sure I'm okay. I've also had my 4 day week made permanent. 

I've been paid this week which is a win - and although my investments are still up and down they are closer to where they should be. Another £1K went into my AVC pension this week. I'm now over 20% of the way to my age 60 mortgage neutral target (for my pension Tax Free Lump Sum elements). I am hoping that the stock market will recover and do some of the heavy lifting but it isn't in my control... The target is what's due to be left to pay after my standard mortgage payments...

Turning 55 will also mean that if the worst came to the worst I could leave and get some pension - plus access to my AVCs - and I could survive over a year. I'd probably try and delay taking my current pension until at least after my next birthday using my savings as cashflow but it's nice to know it's an option. I could also take a sipp that has around £4.4K in it. Because I'm due to remortgage end 2026 though - it would be better to try and go from a job to a job if I leave but who knows... I've sent £50 to savings this week. I now have a new 0% spends card though which I'm planning to use for some of my holiday related and other spends. I cancelled the card for an existing CC this week. That has to be repaid by September or the balance transferred - and I can potentially do that for 2.99% which is less than I currently earn in interest on my savings. I keep reminding myself I have options - a parachute to deploy if it gets too much and I just want to jump!!

Hope life is treating you all kindly.

beanielou

THat's a lot to process. Hope the weekend goes ok. 

SandyShores

So many unknowns, but good that you have back up plans and an emergency escape route.  I'm glad you are getting your four day week and adjustments sorted.  Its really important to take care of yourself while all this change is going on.

lucielle

Glad you’ve got your 4 day week. When do you go on holiday?  I love alliums they’re so cheery!
L

KajiKita

That sounds like a pretty toxic atmosphere to work in but I’m glad that HR are so positive and proactive with you - long may that continue. 

I’m also glad that you can see that you have options. You work hard and deserve them! 

KK

jwil

Glad you've got your 4 day week.

I feel for you with the work situation as it sounds very similar to what I went through and I know how painful that is.  Hopefully they get on with it.

doingitanyway

Good you are making 'safety' plans. You never know what the future holds and cannot control it. But we can control our individual responses and you are doing that well.