Work Life Balance?

I worked out once that if I sold the stupid house that I don't need and bought something for cash with the equity, sold my car and worked at my local Tesco stacking shelves, I'd still have the same disposable income as I have now, but without the 56 mile round trip every day and without the expectation of being paid £11.76 for a days work on a Sunday. (That's not a joke by the way!)

What was it I read somewhere?? Working to earn money to buy shit I don't need...

I keep thinking about moving, and with no ties, no family, no commitments I'm one of the people mentioned above that should be able to move at the drop of a hat. I'm still not sure it's the easy decision it seems to be?

A little off topic but i run my T3 Camper Van on LPG and @ around 55-60p a litre it makes it affordable

I've really started something here!! Reading the thred makes me feel better about my decisions. I guess I could afford to change jobs and get rid of my silly commute to work. I could forget about the money and fancy job title. That way I would have more free time to spend with family and friends and be happy doing what I want to do. I'm not alone in making the choices in life that I 'think' are the right ones, when in fact there not totally the choices you acctually want to make. Think I'd rather look back over my time here and be happy knowing i'd spent it enjoying our fantastic landscapes rather that paying 40% tax for the privalidge!!

The ML route is an option, but could you do it day in day out?

I'm not sure I could.

I'm getting close to leaving academia for similar reasons (we have no annual targets just more productivity; boss told me to go home at 7pm last night as I looked knackered; said come in first thing to catch up..Friday I worked from when I got into work from a transatlantic flight late morning and worked til 8pm), annual appraisal later on today so it could be soon...

But a lot of ML work can be quite boring. We've been running a business part time for 3 summers now and it's been good to pick and chose work, we've done paid marshalling work (wouldn't again); 3 peaks work (often not fun), guided runs (great fun, basically paid training) and kids groups (most enjoyable aspect for me). But I'm not sure I could do it day in day out, it can be quite tiring, you can't just hide out in your office when you aren't being sociable, when you guide you end up being their manager/mother/guide/social worker/care worker all roled into one.

Worth getting though, if more fell runners had it we wouldn't need such strict kit lists...:-)

I work 20 hours a week at Shipley College for peanuts. However, the time it allows me to spend with my children & on the fells is priceless. It's a stress free job in the sports department that allows me to concentrate on the important things in my life. So long as I can afford a new pair of
Inov-8's every 4 months I'm happy.

Cracking thread One life! I'm out long hours Mon - Fri but am lucky to live on the edge of the Dales. My problem is long haul business travel. It sounds glamorous flying to Capetown, Shanghai or Saigon but it plays havoc with training and every time I get off a plane every muscle seems tight and sore. Good luck with your quest :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by IainR

The ML route is an option, but could you do it day in day out?

I'm not sure I could.

I'm getting close to leaving academia for similar reasons (we have no annual targets just more productivity; boss told me to go home at 7pm last night as I looked knackered; said come in first thing to catch up..Friday I worked from when I got into work from a transatlantic flight late morning and worked til 8pm), annual appraisal later on today so it could be soon...

But a lot of ML work can be quite boring. We've been running a business part time for 3 summers now and it's been good to pick and chose work, we've done paid marshalling work (wouldn't again); 3 peaks work (often not fun), guided runs (great fun, basically paid training) and kids groups (most enjoyable aspect for me). But I'm not sure I could do it day in day out, it can be quite tiring, you can't just hide out in your office when you aren't being sociable, when you guide you end up being their manager/mother/guide/social worker/care worker all roled into one.

Worth getting though, if more fell runners had it we wouldn't need such strict kit lists...:-)

---

thanks Iain, very interesting, I can understand that.

on a similar tac, I'd be concerned about compromising what I really like doing by making it into a job - i.e., do I want my time in the hills to be spent doing things that I might not necessarily be enjoying for the sake of a few quid.

I think 'doing what you love' as a job is great if it is say a creative line of work. I'd love to be a carpenter if I thought I'd be any good.

But taking something that you enjoy doing as a sport or hobby or relaxation and turning that into a job is a bit more risky.

At the moment running comes first even in exam time but come university time im not to sure. Lucky for me i guess that my course and sport will be the same though

Get some compression tights DT! I made a vow to myself when I was 16 that I would always live in beautiful places, that, to me then, was THE most important thing. And I have. For me the work has always followed and I've done loads of different jobs from washing up at Zeffs in Ambleside (eventually running the place, many years ago) instructing, carpentry, writing, fireman, yacht delivery etc etc. Am now based in Lakes having retrained as a psychologist running my own business. I do believe that we only get one life and we have to live it accoding to what we love doing. It's fear that keeps us stuck yet, paradoxically let's us feel most alive. I've taken risks knowing that whatever happens I'll sort it, and I always have. Though my biggest fear would be on my death bed saying I wish I'd....
Fascinating thread this, thanks for starting it.

ZHR,
maybe the answer is a similar job somewhere else. If you've got the experience then a move should be possible even in the current economic climate.
Edinburgh is good. I can run or cycle to work, run up a mountain in my lunch break (or on the way to/from work), I can cycle over the Pentlands straight from work, I can run out to the hills if I want or drive out in 15 minutes. 30 to 60 minutes scenic drive into the Border hills, 2 hours to the North Lakes, 90 minutes to Northumberland, 80 minutes to the Southern Highlands, 2.5 hours to Speyside or Deeside.