What would you do if you didn't have to work?

deviladvocate · 18-02-2015 12:37PM #1

I just read the thread about what people do after work, and thought a lot of people's lives seem routine and quite frankly a bit dull and repetitive. There's a pretty limited number of responses.. Some form of exercise, TV, kids, boring home tasks, basic necessary life functions such as eating or going to the toilet....
I'm just out of university and into my first proper job and have found myself falling into this trap and it's awful, I don't know how people stick it at all!

My day begins getting up around 6.30 to leave just after 7. I get home around 5.30. If I were getting the recommended 8 hours sleep a night I'd be going to sleep at 10.30, meaning that during the week I have at most 5 free hours a day (21% of my day, assuming I'm a selfish cnut and don't do anything anyone asks me to do outside of work) which is barely enough time to do half the stuff I used to love doing!

Why do we spend around 80% of our time doing sh*t we'd rather not be doing, only for the fact it gets us money? If the system was better proportioned to give us more free time, what would you be doing?

kneemos · 18-02-2015 12:40PM

Scrumpy Jack and fishing.

18-02-2015 12:41PM

I'd be riding!

whiskeyman · 18-02-2015 12:42PM

I'd probably search out some kind of online forum, and try my darnedest to post witty puns and smart comments.

I can but dream...

MonkeyTennis · 18-02-2015 12:43PM

kneemos wrote: »

Scrumpy Jack and fishing.

Not sure about the fishing.

Shenshen · 18-02-2015 12:43PM

I'd work. But if I didn't need the money, I'd work a different job.

kylith · 18-02-2015 12:45PM

Shenshen wrote: »

I'd work. But if I didn't need the money, I'd work a different job.

This.

I know from past experience that not having anything to get out of bed for means that I stay up until 3, sleep until midday, and generally lose the little get-up-and-go that I have. I'd have to either work or volunteer.

eviltimeban · 18-02-2015 12:49PM

You'd still need some sense of achievement - I think that's what makes humans move forward with their lives. Whether it's making babies, doing up your house, having a nice garden, or creating art, poetry, music, or something else that you can sell, supply, or deliver.

Personally, I would create music as that's what I like to do, and though I have released stuff I haven't made a lot of money out of it. If I didn't need to worry about money I would be happy to create the music. However I'd still want people to hear it, and that's where the achievement bit comes in again.

Either that or buy a private plane and a yacht and follow the Formula One season around the world...

valoren · 18-02-2015 12:49PM

Isn't that the test to see what you really want to do in life?

You are guaranteed your current wage, each and every month.
Only on the condition that you have to leave your current job.

You are free to do as you please.

What would you do to fill the time? How you would fill the time is what you should really be doing.

The Peanut · 18-02-2015 12:50PM

Decided in 2012 that I was working too hard and missing my kids growing up. Handed in my notice during summer 2012. From September 2012 to September 2014, I stayed at home with my kids and did an online masters by night. Loved it. I had a brilliant time with the kids, got to do jobs in the garden and the house by day when they were in school and studied by night to stimulate my brain (discovered boards in Apr of last year so there goes the brain stimulation!).

I realise how fortunate I was to be able to do it. Got two glorious summers at home, back working very family friendly hours now. If I didn't have to work, I'd love to be able to spend more time with them and balance it would some studying and community work to stimulate my brain.

charlietheminxx · 18-02-2015 12:51PM

I would volunteer at an animal rescue centre and take up some classes.

megaten · 18-02-2015 12:53PM

Sleep well.

Aongus Von Bismarck · 18-02-2015 12:54PM

Firstly, welcome to the real world.

I'm reaching a point where I've made enough money to be able to consider giving up work and living relatively comfortably for the rest of my life. I don't want to do this though. I absolutely adore my job, and the sense of personal satisfaction I get from it is worth even more to me than the very generous remuneration.

That said, I sometimes have this idea about buying a smallholding. Grow organic vegetables, free range chickens and pigs, great beers. What would invariably happen I think is realising some of the products I'm producing are world-class and then to start selling them.

Rinse, wash, repeat!

shakencat · 18-02-2015 12:55PM

i love my job, and if i had the money, i would still do it- but build my own pool( maybe work a few less hours :P)

I manage a childrens/adult swim academy full time.(one of the lucky ones, very hard to get a full time job in this industry!!)

its hard work but i do enjoy it.

if i was loaded,
I would work part time teaching and in an animal shelter...

id also like to open my own kennels,

but money is always the problem..

Your Superior · 18-02-2015 12:58PM

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

Firstly, welcome to the real world.

I'm reaching a point where I've made enough money to be able to consider giving up work and living relatively comfortably for the rest of my life. I don't want to do this though. I absolutely adore my job, and the sense of personal satisfaction I get from it is worth even more to me than the very generous renumeration.

That said, I sometimes have this idea about buying a smallholding. Grow organic vegetables, free range chickens and pigs, great beers. What would invariably happen I think is realising some of the products I'm producing are world-class and then to start selling them.

Rinse, wash, repeat!

I would imagine you mean remuneration.

I have an investment in a company that sells organic produce, and it is something I will probably become more involved in if I decide to retire. I could comfortably retire now, but I love my company and it is almost like a part-time role now anyway.

deviladvocate · 18-02-2015 01:01PM

kylith wrote: »

This.

I know from past experience that not having anything to get out of bed for means that I stay up until 3, sleep until midday, and generally lose the little get-up-and-go that I have. I'd have to either work or volunteer.

Why is this so bad? 3-12 is 9 hours sleep, a little more than what's recommended, but not excessive! What would you do in the hours you're awake? Why does it matter what those hours are if that's what you would naturally do, and like to do? Plenty of people work night shifts, so are they useless for sleeping all day?

I'm loving the responses so far!!!

Captain Chaos · 18-02-2015 01:04PM

Follow my body's natural body clock of going to bed around 3-4am and getting up 11-12 mid day. I follow my hobbies more and give them the time I need. Do some nixers I've being putting off. Do some jobs I'd be interesting in doing for free as they wouldn't hire me otherwise.

jimmii · 18-02-2015 01:07PM

I'd be doing the exact same thing but it would be on a much bigger scale!

FURET · 18-02-2015 01:08PM

I'd probably continue to work on a part-time basis, because I really enjoy my job and love the conversations I have with my colleagues.

Apart from that, I'd travel a lot for extended periods, mostly in sparsely populated areas like the South Pacific, but also to see some of the landscapes I've always been curious about.

I'd also spend a lot of time just reading and researching topics that interest me. Mrs FURET would undoubtedly wander the world in search of the perfect photo.

the_monkey · 18-02-2015 01:18PM

I wouldn't be making the fat cat rich sociapathic pigs in this world richer that's for sure .

I'd think i'd like to do some good, like set up a training academy in sports for kids that can't afford it ..

Ush1 · 18-02-2015 01:18PM

I'd like to travel and write a book (or finish a book that I've started). But the travelling would be difficult because I don't like being away from my young son......so I'd prolly just get jarred in random pubs during the day.

Birneybau · 18-02-2015 01:51PM

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

Firstly, welcome to the real world.

I'm reaching a point where I've made enough money to be able to consider giving up work and living relatively comfortably for the rest of my life. I don't want to do this though. I absolutely adore my job, and the sense of personal satisfaction I get from it is worth even more to me than the very generous remuneration.

That said, I sometimes have this idea about buying a smallholding. Grow organic vegetables, free range chickens and pigs, great beers. What would invariably happen I think is realising some of the products I'm producing are world-class and then to start selling them.

Rinse, wash, repeat!

We need a stronger smiley than :rolleyes:

BrokenArrows · 18-02-2015 01:57PM

If money wasn't a problem id pickup up a load of cool hobbies.

Learn to be a pilot. Skydive (Ideally with a backup pilot!!), learn to sail and sail around exotic places, race expensive cars on track days, train to be a great rock climber and go climbing in all the cool spots around the world (try and avoid having to cut my arm off and have a movie made about me).

If money was no issue there is loads you could do, your only barrier would be your own ambition.

BrokenArrows · 18-02-2015 01:59PM

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

Firstly, welcome to the real world.

I'm reaching a point where I've made enough money to be able to consider giving up work and living relatively comfortably for the rest of my life. I don't want to do this though. I absolutely adore my job, and the sense of personal satisfaction I get from it is worth even more to me than the very generous remuneration.

That said, I sometimes have this idea about buying a smallholding. Grow organic vegetables, free range chickens and pigs, great beers. What would invariably happen I think is realising some of the products I'm producing are world-class and then to start selling them.

Rinse, wash, repeat!

Just make sure you buy a place with **** soil and no rain. Very little chance of producing something world class then!!

beks101 · 18-02-2015 02:06PM

I'd probably have to find some form of routine for myself as left to my own devices I'd stay up til 5am, sleep in til 2pm and survive on fizzy cola bottles and takeaway lattes and be dead by 40.

I think I'd commit myself full time to exercise and also become a perpetual student. Do a Masters or two in something daft, get a PhD, write a few books.

Set some plan where I'm always training for some big event. Up at 7am to run 20 miles and then spend the rest of the day studying or reading or writing for six months of the year.

Then spend the following six months travelling, road-tripping, country-hopping and meeting new people.

Sleepy · 18-02-2015 02:14PM

I'd still have to get the kids to school for 8:15 so I don't think I'd be able to indulge my natural inclinations towards a nocturnal lifestyle.

I would definitely make it to the gym more often, go ocean swimming when the tides/weather suited and would probably either find somewhere to volunteer or a part-time role in something I really enjoyed (e.g. an aquatics shop) possibly even just pick up some occasional contract work to keep me going.

The summers, though, are where it would be for me in this situation. From June to September every year, I'd be loading the wife and kids into a camper van and taking them off around Europe for the summer.