Current Events > "If I didn't have to work I'd just be bored"

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Man some people have no imagination at all. Imagine having an extra 8-10 hours in a day and enough money to do what you want with that time. I would be the opposite of bored, I'd be dangerous

I don't get that either. Once I can retire I'm gone.

Must be nice for those who could find a way to get paid to do something they enjoy.

I never understood it either. I'd go hiking, I'd write, I'd go back into art, etc.. The possibilities are endless

I'll take boredom over breaking my back for not good enough pay. And these folks never heard of hobbies? Maybe they haven't because they think they have to work work work. Some people would be happy to work until they drop dead.

I cant tell if people really mean that or if its like a virtue signal thing

I never understood it either. I'm never bored. If I had more time, I'd exercise more often, read more, play more games, maybe learn playing piano...

boomgetchopped3 posted...

I cant tell if people really mean that or if its like a virtue signal thing

I think its one of those things with a kernel of truth to it that then gets taken too far. If you go from having something that fills your time to suddenly having loads of time on your hands, its an adjustment and there may be an adjustment period where you feel off balance. That said, its an adjustment that would be well worth making and would certainly be possible if your situation allowed for it.

I drink too much when I'm not working

If I didn't have to work, I could find PLENTY of stuff to do.

At a bare minimum I could do volunteer work, at a hospital or old folks home, work with kids or the homeless.

And that's just stuff I could do to help others, there is plenty of things I could do just for me.

Im home from work for 4 weeks now due to viral infection that needed surgery with at least 4 more to go, hopefully no more then 6 and Im bored AF.

That's what the boomers who don't have hobbies tell me.

hmnut7 posted...

If I didn't have to work, I could find PLENTY of stuff to do.

At a bare minimum I could do volunteer work, at a hospital or old folks home, work with kids or the homeless.

And that's just stuff I could do to help others, there is plenty of things I could do just for me.

I feel like saying that saying youd be fine without work because you could just work isnt really in the spirit of it.

Glob posted...

I feel like saying that saying youd be fine without work because you could just work isnt really in the spirit of it.

Not in the slightest.

Anything 'can' be work. The key is things you HAVE TO do, vs things you WANT TO do.

If I didn't have to work, I could finally have time to write the novel I've wanted to write for years. Why do I want to write it? Because it would be fun, fulfilling, an accomplishment I could be proud of... but "writing" is still work, actually very hard work.

I could take dance lessons. Dancing is still "work" I have to use time and energy to do it.

Volunteer work is something you do for self satisfaction not because you "have to"

Right now I give up 8 hours of my life to do work that I do not enjoy for the benefit of a cause I do not believe in, because I HAVE TO.

If I didn't HAVE TO do that, I would not be bored, I could find a better use of my time, either for myself or for others.

Just had this conversation with a Co worker.
Like, if you're gonna be bored in retirement, it's been cause you are a boring person.
Also, if you miss work, just go get a seasonal job at Lowes to remind yourself why you retired.

I need to be a productive member of society to thrive, working gives me that opportunity with little effort on my part

Some people do like some sort of sense of purpose or an obligation to fulfill. I think it's just personality types, mostly.

Covid lock down taught me that id thrive in an environment where I'm just left to my own devices. My workout routine was on point and I made more progress than ever. I deepened relationships with friends and family. I enjoyed plenty of leisure time. It was the best period of my life

GeraldDarko posted...

Some people do like some sort of sense of purpose or an obligation to fulfill. I think it's just personality types, mostly.

I think we all need a sense of purpose, I'm just not sure it has to be from a paying job

Jiek_Fafn posted...

Covid lock down taught me that id thrive in an environment where I'm just left to my own devices. My workout routine was on point and I made more progress than ever. I deepened relationships with friends and family. I enjoyed plenty of leisure time. It was the best period of my life

I wish I could have lived this side of the lockdown. I had to work more than ever and face the possibility of getting COVID every day at work. Because I was a "hero"

boomgetchopped3 posted...

I cant tell if people really mean that or if its like a virtue signal thing

This

pinky0926 posted...

Man some people have no imagination at all. Imagine having an extra 8-10 hours in a day and enough money to do what you want with that time. I would be the opposite of bored, I'd be dangerous

It's more you appreciate your free time more when you don't have as much of it.

When I have nothing but free time it quickly devolves into me setting around doing much of nothing. Sleeping all day etc.

pinky0926 posted...

I think we all need a sense of purpose, I'm just not sure it has to be from a paying job

No, it doesn't. But that is a thing--when people retire or have a really long time off of work or something, not having any structure or purpose can be bad for your mental health. When you imagine it, just being lazy and doing whatever may seem amazing, especially if you're currently in a situation where you are too busy and never have time to do that. But the reality of having nothing but free time usually isn't that great. In practice, it can make you feel really shitty and I remember reading that retired people stay healthier and live longer if they work after retirement (assuming it is not a stressful or physically demanding job of course).

I don't think you need to have a job. Just as long as it's something constructive. It can be a job, especially if you like the job and find it rewarding. And you can make it part time. Or do volunteer work. Or something creative. Just something that you find rewarding that you're getting out of bed to do every day.

The main thing is structure. Most people do better psychologically when they feel like their life has structure.

There were times I didnt work and yeah i was bored. And i was doing stuff i liked.

Maybe if i didnt have to work and i got paid for it, that would be different.

Things I would do if I had more time:
-Get back into drawing.
-Impromptu history research on topics that have always had my interest
-Play more games, possibly even clear my backlog.
-Watch more streamers because honestly most of them are fun and interesting people.
-Possibly pick up German and Japanese again for language studies.
-Get in shape.
-Play MMOs.
-Read more fantasy novels.

There is SO MUCH we can do if we had more time to do. Especially for those of us who are single and have to take care of our houses on top of working.

If someone gave me a budget of 4k a month, and told me to just faff about all day, I'd 100% do it.

Reminder: This is what Wealthy people already get to enjoy. Their money works for them, so they pursue their other hobbies, and even end up monetizing those. For Musk it's his space shit, for Trump it's golf, for Soros and Buffet it's their philanthropic endeavors.

During covid, saved so much as a recluse that when i got laid off technically didn't have to work anymore due to being fugal.

That was in sept 2023, and i'm not bored yet. If cash flow is positive, why bother? My lifestyle is not for everyone - just always enjoyed peace, solitude, and quiet.

Literally 60 million square miles of land on this planet, and some people can't think of anything to do.

It really just doesn't add up.

My dad is this person. Every weekend he would get bored, start some bullshit project around the house, and demand that the entire family spend the Saturday helping him.

He doesnt have any hobbies that he can do at home. It drove me nuts.

pinky0926 posted...

I think we all need a sense of purpose, I'm just not sure it has to be from a paying job

Who says that it "has" to be?

If that works for some people, why does it matter? Because it's not your thing?

I can't say that work is my bag, but if it fulfills some people in a more "meaningful" way than it does most others, what should it matter to me?

ReturnOfDevsman posted...

Literally 60 million square miles of land on this planet, and some people can't think of anything to do.

It really just doesn't add up.

Well, i can understand in a sense that prisoners don't know what to do with themselves after a long sentence once they are let out the gate. You're use to the 9 to 5, and use to adulting around that. There is a sense of "order" to it that's now gone?

El_Marsh posted...

Who says that it "has" to be?

If that works for some people, why does it matter? Because it's not your thing?

I can't say that work is my bag, but if it fulfills some people in a more "meaningful" way than it does most others, what should it matter to me?

Workaholics are a thing.

I have so many games to play...

Jiek_Fafn posted...

Covid lock down taught me that id thrive in an environment where I'm just left to my own devices. My workout routine was on point and I made more progress than ever. I deepened relationships with friends and family. I enjoyed plenty of leisure time. It was the best period of my life

Agreed. My mental health was so improved during lockdown that I was able to take so many steps towards self improvement. As soon as I was back to overworking myself for pennies, all that progress I had made completely disappeared.

I took the summer off work. Didn't get bored for a minute.

hmnut7 posted...

Not in the slightest.

Anything 'can' be work. The key is things you HAVE TO do, vs things you WANT TO do.

If I didn't have to work, I could finally have time to write the novel I've wanted to write for years. Why do I want to write it? Because it would be fun, fulfilling, an accomplishment I could be proud of... but "writing" is still work, actually very hard work.

I could take dance lessons. Dancing is still "work" I have to use time and energy to do it.

Volunteer work is something you do for self satisfaction not because you "have to"

Right now I give up 8 hours of my life to do work that I do not enjoy for the benefit of a cause I do not believe in, because I HAVE TO.

If I didn't HAVE TO do that, I would not be bored, I could find a better use of my time, either for myself or for others.

Im with you for the most part, but volunteer work is still just a job you dont get paid for, in my book. And I say that as somebody who does a fair bit of it. But then, I enjoy my job, find it fulfilling and it is for a cause that I do believe in, so maybe were just coming at it from different perspectives.

boomgetchopped3 posted...

I cant tell if people really mean that or if its like a virtue signal thing

I think it's more the fact that people's job are such an energy drain that when they get home from work they just eat dinner an then lump in front of the TV the rest of the night.

These are usually the same people that say they "never have time to work out" even though they're done eating dinner at 6:30 and don't go to bed until 11pm. It's usually not a matter of lack of time, it's lack of motivation.

So if they eliminate the 8-10 hours of work, they assume it's just 8-10 more hours of sitting around.

At 46, if I all of a sudden had the means to never have to work again, I'd probably still get some sort of job that's more of a "hobby" than a job. Something like an usher at the local minor league ballpark or something.

I used to work 3 doubles a week or so, because I worked at a prison where we got mandated a lot. I worked there for 13 years. I was then injured on the job and am now disabled. On one hand I have enjoyed the time with my kids, but on the other hand I do experience a lot of feelings of remorse. I miss working a lot because I took a lot of pride in having a job.

I have done a lot of things to compensate for this. I was pretty overweight. I have turned around and lost a really significant amount of that weight, and am really finding myself. But yeah, I do understand people that feel like theyd miss their job. I dont miss the job I had, but I miss having something to do sometimes

Glob posted...

Im with you for the most part, but volunteer work is still just a job you dont get paid for, in my book. And I say that as somebody who does a fair bit of it. But then, I enjoy my job, find it fulfilling and it is for a cause that I do believe in, so maybe were just coming at it from different perspectives.

we could debate if volunteering is work all day, but that misses the point.

For me I just mean doing something for the benefit of others. If I didnt have to work and I found myself getting board, I could take up baking, I could bake cookies and sell them or give them away or sell them for charity.

There are people who baking is their day job they HAVE to do it. But I could choose to do it both for fun but also as a way to help others.

Any positives I could get from work I HAVE to do I could find a way to do it without someone forcing it on me.

boomgetchopped3 posted...

I cant tell if people really mean that or if its like a virtue signal thing

Its virtue signaling about 80% of the time.

Yeah I truly feel bad for people who dont know how to entertain themselves without work.

About ten years ago, I had to be out of work for a few months because of an injury. Before I left, so many people were like youll be so bored! You wont wait to come back to work! and let me tell you, there was not one single second when I was off where I was like gee, Id rather be at work right now getting screamed at by customers, hauling stuff around all day, dealing with incompetent management than hanging out at home doing whatever the fuck I want.

It sucked being in pain, of course, but aside from that, I had a blast. Not having to wake up, not feeling that constant anxiety of dealing with work crap. I have tons of movies and toys and books and video games to keep me amused for a very long time.

Maybe my view on work is just skewed because all Ive ever had were high-stress, low-paying jobs, but Im so over it lol. Id be the happiest motherfucker on this planet if I never had to work a day in my life again.

Imagine gaming 16 hours a day or more. Thats basically the perfect life

boomgetchopped3 posted...

I cant tell if people really mean that or if its like a virtue signal thing

Some people really mean that. One of my mom's neighbors has been retired for decades now. The main thing she does all day is sit in front of her living room window and watch everything that goes on in the neighborhood.

She used to call my mom and tell her about everything going on with the other neighbors, as well as anything I was doing (like if I didn't go to school).

I'd be bored as hell if people watching was my only entertainment.

Rika_Furude posted...

Imagine gaming 16 hours a day or more. Thats basically the perfect life

I actually can't do this anymore. I used to put in double time on vidja in college (who the hell goes to class, lol) but after having limited gaming time for the last decade and some change, I can hit 2 hours, maybe 3 if I just love the game, before I start getting burnt out.

But there's tons of other stuff to do. I have a list that's many entries long.

Not really, literally write a bucket list of any and everything youd ever want to do in life, now take away all the time and money issues gatekeeping you now to accomplish them and..it wouldnt take long tbh. Now imagine being in your 20-30s after that.

Now matter how new or exciting it is, eventually the hydonic treadmill catchs up to everybody. This is why hugely successful businessmen continue their careers well into old age in many cases.

GeraldDarko posted...

Some people do like some sort of sense of purpose or an obligation to fulfill. I think it's just personality types, mostly.

This. Some people live to work. Others work to live.
Only job I ever had where I wasn't bored was marking timber with the Forest Service.

I need structure in my day to function and am otherwise incapable of establishing that structure if left to my own devices because my brain actively sabotages attempts to do so

Could I find some way to keep myself busy if I didn't *have* to work? Probably, eventually, it'd take awhile.

(That being said I do wish we'd all move to a 4 or even 3 day workweek)

pinky0926 posted...

Man some people have no imagination at all. Imagine having an extra 8-10 hours in a day and enough money to do what you want with that time. I would be the opposite of bored, I'd be dangerous

I mean, what does it matter how one decides to occupy themselves?

If a person is financially well off that they don't need to work, but want to anyway to enjoy themselves for whatever that reason may be, why criticize them? As long as they aren't shaming others to want to work, they aren't harming anyone.

NatsuSama posted...

As long as they aren't shaming others to want to work, they aren't harming anyone.

That's exactly what they're doing though.