Work / life balance

[Ecosseven]

I returned to the UK last July after working in the middle east for 3 years. I now earn significantly less money than before (income tax and VAT is a killer!) but I’m doing a job I really enjoy and the hours are far more sensible. I went from working around 63 hours a week over 6 days to 35-37 hours a week over 4.5 days. The difference in my quality of life is huge and I’m convinced I made the right decision.

Has anyone else sacrificed salary and ambition for a better work / life balance?

All the best.

[Fatman2]

Good for you.

I'm currently the other way round as I'm working away from home for the first time ever. I've always been close to home for the wife/kids and is something that cannot be underestimated IMHO.

I don't find it particularly stressful but don't particularly like it. However, for the short term financial gain, the wife and I were happy to suck it up. Don't think I could ever put in years like you have as I'm too much of a wuss LOL.

Glad you're enjoying it though and happy with the decision. Money certainly isn't everything.

[Pickled Piper]

My wife and I both downshifted jobs in order to look after and spend time with our children. We have both been offered roles with more money, less flexability and large amounts of time travelling abroad. We both do experience the odd twinge of regret, but it is shortlived and more than counterbalanced when we are laughing and spending time with our children. We also, know that our kids will sooon be at an age where they want and need to spend less time with us, so it is a limited window. Work opportunities can wait.

pp

[james_gt3rs]

Pickled Piper said:

large amounts of time travelling abroad.

[DanoS4]

Yeh, I did it - made a LOT of money working 18-hour days, 6 or 7 days per week.

Brilliant.

Until I realised I had no time to spend it, and my life was running away from me very quickly
Even found myself with a girl (now my wife) who throughout this, was happy to be there.
It came as quite a shock that she would still hang around!!

Now have a MUCH better work/life balance, with a focus on LIFE not work. I'm lucky that my job affords me a fair bit of free time too.

Dan

[jonah35]

my tunisian friend today was telling me he's going back to tunisia as the uk is too stressful even though we earn more

he's going back to being a jet ski man on the beach over there.

it made me have a think to myself, that's for sure

[shirt]

i've kinda got the best of both world. tax free expat wages and 37hrs doing a job a i enjoy

[russ_a]

jonah35 said:

my tunisian friend today was telling me he's going back to tunisia as the uk is too stressful even though we earn more

he's going back to being a jet ski man on the beach over there.

it made me have a think to myself, that's for sure

My dream job is to hire jet skis out somewhere nice.

[rog007]

It's no coincidence that homosapien is the dominant species on the planet. Our capacity for endeavour, exploration and invention has determined this (because we can stand upright and our brains developed); we naturally work hard. Of course, like in any spectrum there are ranges, and most of us sit well in the middle, working quite hard. But for a few, this is not enough and only getting to the moon, climbing Everest,, winning an Olympic gold or inventing the next medical cure will be enough. Equally, there are those who are work shy and just thinking about raising their little finger and contributing the good of their fellow man brings them out in a cold sweat; in the animal kingdom they wouldn't last long. In developed societies, we continue to care and provide for them. The trick is to find your own work/life balance as we are all different, but we are all hard wired to work hard; whether we do or not is another issue.