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work/life balance

  • 04-09-2015 08:54AM
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,507 ✭✭✭


    Its probably something everyone wonders, but is it better to like your job and earn less or dislike it and earn more..I'm thinking the former but I do the latter :confused:


«1

Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 23,646 ✭✭✭✭qo2cj1dsne8y4k


    Earn more in the short time for a longer gain, it's important to have security behind you


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,507 ✭✭✭lufties


    Earn more in the short time for a longer gain, it's important to have security behind you

    You cant take it to the grave either.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,473 ✭✭✭halkar


    lufties wrote: »
    You cant take it to the grave either.

    But it can take long time to go to grave also :D


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 23,646 ✭✭✭✭qo2cj1dsne8y4k


    No but it means you can kick back and enjoy your life a little bit more later on with some security. I see my friends parents, in their 50s, he's still bursting his balls trying to make ends meet and they have no surplus cash for anything nice. No weekends away, no meals out. Nothing. Must be a horrible feeling tbh.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1 supercosmicking


    Do what you love because soon we will all be expected to work 60/70 hour weeks chasing endless economic growth. That's if you're not doing it already.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,495 ✭✭✭✭eviltwin


    Once I earn enough to pay the bills I'm happy. I worked years in a well paid job but the hours were awful and my home life suffered. Now I earn a lot less, do less hours but I have a life, I have time to do stuff, see people, my mental health is much improved. But it's a personal choice. I can see the logic in what Lexie is saying. It just depends on what you want to prioritise.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,507 ✭✭✭lufties


    eviltwin wrote: »
    Once I earn enough to pay the bills I'm happy. I worked years in a well paid job but the hours were awful and my home life suffered. Now I earn a lot less, do less hours but I have a life, I have time to do stuff, see people, my mental health is much improved. But it's a personal choice. I can see the logic in what Lexie is saying. It just depends on what you want to prioritise.

    Thats the million dollar question. My passion is surfing and holistic things like yoga, psychedelic music, eating healthy etc (I'm prob a bit of a so called hippy at heart). My job isn't stressful but its working with a big airline in London where I'm just a number, Its quite mundane to be fair as I work in quality assurance. I can put away about 800 pounds a month plus pension and voluntary contributions, so I'm not too badly off.

    I'm half thinking of joining an airline in the southwest of england, the money is 15k less but its working on small jets with better career progression in a better working environment. I'd probably have a better quality of life in the shorter term but obviously the money is a sacrifice.

    I do like my comforts like healthy food and a few posh beers :), but I don't have any majorly expensive hobbies.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,495 ✭✭✭✭eviltwin


    I worked in travel too, in tour operating. It's a thankless job. I never really switched off, even when I was home I was thinking about work. It wasn't great for my relationship either. I used to spend a lot, I worried about not having money to spend how I choose and I think that's what kept me in the job long after I'd burnt out. In the end the decision was made for me when the business went under. I live a simpler life now, I still can go on holidays and have nights out, it's just not every week. I have to budget a lot more but it's okay. I look back and its not the fancy holidays or designer handbags that make you happy, it's the stuff money can't buy.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,399 ✭✭✭eeguy


    I love my job.

    If I'm not busy with work projects them I'm at home doing my own projects.

    Engineering FTW!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,507 ✭✭✭lufties


    eviltwin wrote: »
    I worked in travel too, in tour operating. It's a thankless job. I never really switched off, even when I was home I was thinking about work. It wasn't great for my relationship either. I used to spend a lot, I worried about not having money to spend how I choose and I think that's what kept me in the job long after I'd burnt out. In the end the decision was made for me when the business went under. I live a simpler life now, I still can go on holidays and have nights out, it's just not every week. I have to budget a lot more but it's okay. I look back and its not the fancy holidays or designer handbags that make you happy, it's the stuff money can't buy.

    Thats so refreshing to hear eviltwin. I think its nice to have things like iphones and fancy cars etc, but does it make you happy? No I would say, if the trade off is a miserable working life.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 23,646 ✭✭✭✭qo2cj1dsne8y4k


    I suppose it's different for me, I actually love my job but it's long hours, it's thankless, but the more hours you put in, the bigger the return. I'm petrified of ending up with absolutely no security. It's not even about buying expensive things, it's about being able to support yourself when you're older and you're not working yourself into the ground in your 50s, worrying about when the time comes that you can't work. When you can't even heat your house with a job, what would you do without it? It's that thought that makes me work as much as I can.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,507 ✭✭✭lufties


    I suppose it's different for me, I actually love my job but it's long hours, it's thankless, but the more hours you put in, the bigger the return. I'm petrified of ending up with absolutely no security. It's not even about buying expensive things, it's about being able to support yourself when you're older and you're not working yourself into the ground in your 50s, worrying about when the time comes that you can't work. When you can't even heat your house with a job, what would you do without it? It's that thought that makes me work as much as I can.

    Exactly, my folks are in there late 50s, early 60s. Money is very tight for them as my dad is retired early due to illness with a small pension to look forward to.

    I dread ending up like that, I guess its finding that balance.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,519 ✭✭✭Sunny Dayz


    I think you don't appreciate a work life balance until you have left a crap job and find one that works for you. I worked in a job in which you were often given something to do late in the afternoon and assumed you would stay back to do it, there was bad moral in the company, the pay was good though and I was lucky I had started there in the Celtic tiger times.


    The job I am in now, have been in it for a few years, salary hasn't increased much in the last few years and I would be on a lower salary that most people with my qualification and experience . But it's a much nicer place to work in, the clients are lovely, I often get praise and thanks (which I never got in my old job). I get to finish early on Fridays and rarely do overtime, except at important deadlines. If I suddenly had to take time off, or nip out somewhere for an hour, it's not a problem.


    It's nice to be able to go into work each day and not have to worry or be stressed. In my old job I sometimes drove home in tears, and my back was in bits from being so tense on the drive in.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators, Paid Member Posts: 9,833 Mod ✭✭✭✭Manach


    With mobile phones, always on access and follow the sun work patterns the boundries between work and non-work are becoming blurred. There is an expectation to have work done at home and be on-call to handle work items there as well. So, IMHO the balance is out of kilter.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 304 ✭✭Panda_Turtle


    I suppose it's different for me, I actually love my job but it's long hours, it's thankless, but the more hours you put in, the bigger the return. I'm petrified of ending up with absolutely no security. It's not even about buying expensive things, it's about being able to support yourself when you're older and you're not working yourself into the ground in your 50s, worrying about when the time comes that you can't work. When you can't even heat your house with a job, what would you do without it? It's that thought that makes me work as much as I can.

    How many hours do you typically work and what is the job/industry?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 37,308 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    lufties wrote: »
    Its probably something everyone wonders, but is it better to like your job and earn less or dislike it and earn more..I'm thinking the former but I do the latter :confused:
    Like the job, and earn less, so you can stay in the sector and earn more.

    If you hate the job, your health will suffer in the long term from stress.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 23,646 ✭✭✭✭qo2cj1dsne8y4k


    How many hours do you typically work and what is the job/industry?


    Between 43-48 hours a week for the company I'm with and then maybe another 12-15 hours myself freelance. Beauty industry


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,014 ✭✭✭Monife


    the_syco wrote: »
    Like the job, and earn less, so you can stay in the sector and earn more.

    If you hate the job, your health will suffer in the long term from stress.

    This.

    I worked in a very stressful, thankless job. I constantly stayed late and am also the type of person who brings the stress of my job home. 15 months into the job, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at 26. While I might have always had a genetic predisposition of getting it, I think the stress of that job brought it on earlier than it should of. The average age of diagnosis is well into the late 30s or 40s. Medical research has also confirmed stressful events can trigger the disease.

    I then took a €4,000 pay drop and moved to a job with flexi time and a much better work life balance. I am 16 months into the new job now and while love is too strong a word (I work in pensions), I like my job and I don't fill with dread on Sunday afternoons/evenings anymore.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,467 ✭✭✭scarepanda


    Life over work or money everyday of the week.

    I was lucky to get a job in my chosen industry (construction) pretty much straight out of college during the recession. I love most parts of the job, loved working for my last company, well paid, but as a whole iv pretty much decided to leave the industry. Its just not worth it, long hours, working away from home, I was rarely able to switch off, even on holidays and my mental health eventually started to be affected.
    I'm not working at the moment, taking some time for myself and working on some plans that will allow me to have a better work life balance, even though it will mean less money. Over time the sacrifices you make in your personal life are just not worth it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,298 ✭✭✭moc moc a moc


    lufties wrote: »
    Its probably something everyone wonders, but is it better to like your job and earn less or dislike it and earn more..I'm thinking the former but I do the latter :confused:

    If you have any intelligence you'll get a job you like and become good at it through natural course, thus earning a lot.

    The choice then becomes whether to do this job you like for more hours, therefore building up a lot of reserve cash, or do it for fewer hours, therefore having more time to enjoy the cash you already make.

    Personally, I have chosen the latter.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,226 ✭✭✭boobar


    I really enjoy my job, on a very good salary as well.

    Plus, I was very lucky this Summer to take the whole month of August as holidays to spend time with my 7 year old daughter. She won't be small for long as they say.

    I gave up on the prospect of the dream job as it would mean having to sacrifice too much for the whole family. I'm ok with this, not saying I've given up on it for good, but definitely until my kid finishes national school.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,773 ✭✭✭Thepoet85


    I run my own physical therapy clinic, so although it's a lot of work, I get plenty of time of time to myself. I feel I get the best work/life balance. I work as hard as I possibly can, knowing that I'll be the main benefactor from my hard work. In addition to that, it's a well paid job so I don't need to put in 40 or 50 hours a week to make nice wage. I'll never be a millionaire, but I wouldn't swap my job for anything else right now :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 31,588 ✭✭✭✭Wanderer78


    If you have any intelligence you'll get a job you like

    now theres a strange statement!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,743 ✭✭✭Wanderer2010


    I learnt a long time ago you dont ever really get thanks for doing extra hours at work, despite what might seem like sincere thanks. I used to do x number of extra hours every week and although my boss said thanks and i would get the occasional email from management saying how appreciative they were. But i was always tired at the weekends, I literally spent Saturday and Sunday on the couch trying to recharge before another 55 hour week (or longer). I stopped seeing friends, my life gradually just became a blur of bed and office and only a few minutes of fresh air every day.

    One evening I stayed until after 9pm to implement a new design that I thought would assist the office and was so proud of myself as I left for home that evening. I came to work the next day and my boss "wanted a word", and he proceeded to tell me off, telling me I was supposed to inform him of ANY changes or possible changes to methods and that I was blatanty disregarding protocol", I was so shocked I didnt even mention how many hours I put into the project. I was very close to telling him to go fcuk himself and that he wouldnt have his costs down if it wasnt for my effort and my extra hours" but thankfully I pulled back and that day In learnt a very hard lesson: Do your 8 hours and come home because nobody likes a hero.

    I suspect my boss (who despite events is a decent enough guy) had a roasting from above and he had just split with his wife so I was the unfortunate punching bag, but the damage was done. From that day on, I only ever did 8 hours a day and although he was really annoyed about it at first, what can they do-sack you? I quickly had more energy for hobbies and friends etc and now I wouldnt do a second of extra time. Some people live for the "company" and have nothing else in their lives but I now will keep my work/life balance as it is.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 304 ✭✭Panda_Turtle


    Between 43-48 hours a week for the company I'm with and then maybe another 12-15 hours myself freelance. Beauty industry

    Do you spend most of your time sitting or standing? That many hours sitting I find difficult. Of course that many hours on your feet would also be hard but a balance would be nice.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 31,588 ✭✭✭✭Wanderer78


    Do you spend most of your time sitting or standing? That many hours sitting I find difficult. Of course that many hours on your feet would also be hard but a balance would be nice.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/health-32069698

    us humans just aint made for it


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 23,646 ✭✭✭✭qo2cj1dsne8y4k


    Do you spend most of your time sitting or standing? That many hours sitting I find difficult. Of course that many hours on your feet would also be hard but a balance would be nice.


    Mostly standing but can find myself sitting for long periods of time, depending on what I'm doing


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 31,588 ✭✭✭✭Wanderer78


    I learnt a long time ago you dont ever really get thanks for doing extra hours at work, despite what might seem like sincere thanks. I used to do x number of extra hours every week and although my boss said thanks and i would get the occasional email from management saying how appreciative they were. But i was always tired at the weekends, I literally spent Saturday and Sunday on the couch trying to recharge before another 55 hour week (or longer). I stopped seeing friends, my life gradually just became a blur of bed and office and only a few minutes of fresh air every day.

    One evening I stayed until after 9pm to implement a new design that I thought would assist the office and was so proud of myself as I left for home that evening. I came to work the next day and my boss "wanted a word", and he proceeded to tell me off, telling me I was supposed to inform him of ANY changes or possible changes to methods and that I was blatanty disregarding protocol", I was so shocked I didnt even mention how many hours I put into the project. I was very close to telling him to go fcuk himself and that he wouldnt have his costs down if it wasnt for my effort and my extra hours" but thankfully I pulled back and that day In learnt a very hard lesson: Do your 8 hours and come home because nobody likes a hero.

    I suspect my boss (who despite events is a decent enough guy) had a roasting from above and he had just split with his wife so I was the unfortunate punching bag, but the damage was done. From that day on, I only ever did 8 hours a day and although he was really annoyed about it at first, what can they do-sack you? I quickly had more energy for hobbies and friends etc and now I wouldnt do a second of extra time. Some people live for the "company" and have nothing else in their lives but I now will keep my work/life balance as it is.

    we all learn the hard way im afraid. im sure most have similar stories as do i. just do enough folks and reserve most of your energy for the most important things in life, i.e. family, friends and of course yourself


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 392 ✭✭j80ezgvc3p92xu


    lufties wrote: »
    Its probably something everyone wonders, but is it better to like your job and earn less or dislike it and earn more..I'm thinking the former but I do the latter :confused:

    I would say its better to prioritise life outside of work, unless, which for around 90% of people is highly unlikely, you have a passion for what you do in work. When you are 80 or so, how many hours you have slaved away in a corporate cubicle is not going to matter. Chances are you will want to have a nice big family around you, plenty of friends and the knowledge that you have made a positive difference in the life of at least some people.

    Having said that, it looks likely that I will be spending a lot of my time in said corporate cubicle in the next few years. I am a young man so I have to "pay my dues" or establish myself in the proffession of my choice. There is no free lunch. But I will definitely be cutting down on the hours I need to put in at work to a minimum after that. I see work as a means and not as an end. We were created for greater things.
    lufties wrote: »
    My passion is (...) holistic things like yoga, psychedelic music,

    PS New Age is bad mojo mate. All the best.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,507 ✭✭✭lufties


    I would say its better to prioritise life outside of work, unless, which for around 90% of people is highly unlikely, you have a passion for what you do in work. When you are 80 or so, how many hours you have slaved away in a corporate cubicle is not going to matter. Chances are you will want to have a nice big family around you, plenty of friends and the knowledge that you have made a positive difference in the life of at least some people.

    Having said that, it looks likely that I will be spending a lot of my time in said corporate cubicle in the next few years. I am a young man so I have to "pay my dues" or establish myself in the proffession of my choice. There is no free lunch. But I will definitely be cutting down on the hours I need to put in at work to a minimum after that. I see work as a means and not as an end. We were created for greater things.



    PS New Age is bad mojo mate. All the best.

    In my job I get travel perks, flying biz class free once year..it STILL doesn't compensate the miserable feeling of going into a building that looks like something out of an Orwellian dystopia.


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