Have you seen those short videos/reels where it shows a person who does 9-5? He gets up, does his job, comes back and as soon as he touches his bed the next day starts with an alarm? I am in college right now and life feels exactly like that. At the end of those short videos the moral is kind of like: don’t waste your life being an employee/doing 9 to 5; climb the ladder.
What does life look like when you climb that ladder? do you not have to work everyday?
and my question isn’t for “unemployed people/free lancers”. i have had a gap year and did freelance too.
my question is specifically about how life looks like as a person who has climbed the ladder. because i imagine if you’re in a high position would you have to work more?
How does life look like for people who do not do 9 to 5s?
r/ask
Comments
📣 Reminder for our users
>1. Check the rules: Please take a moment to review our rules, Reddiquette, and Reddit’s Content Policy.
>2. Clear question in the title: Make sure your question is clear and placed in the title. You can add details in the body of your post, but please keep it under 600 characters.
>3. Closed-Ended Questions Only: Questions should be closed-ended, meaning they can be answered with a clear, factual response. Avoid questions that ask for opinions instead of facts.
>4. Be Polite and Civil: Personal attacks, harassment, or inflammatory behavior will be removed. Repeated offenses may result in a ban. Any homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist, or bigoted remarks will result in an immediate ban.
🚫 Commonly Asked Prohibited Question Subjects:
>1. Medical or pharmaceutical questions
>2. Legal or legality-related questions
>3. Technical/meta questions (help with Reddit)
This list is not exhaustive, so we recommend reviewing the full rules for more details on content limits.
✓ Mark your answers!
>If your question has been answered, please reply with
Answered!!to the response that best fit your question. This helps the community stay organized and focused on providing useful answers.I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
It’s mostly just emails in pajamas and crying at 2PM instead of 2AM.
I’ve been on 14 to 22 for the past 7 years and I can’t wait to get a 9 to 5. Yes I accomplish more in the morning than most but I like to get up early. It’s also way easier to date and see friends because most people are on a 9 to 5. My 2 cent
I work 14-24 h shifts, occassionally even longer ones and get paid even while I’m asleep. I can, for the most part, choose on which days I work and thus have loads of free time. I don’t make lots of money, but enough to live comfortably and save a little. Also, I can do side hustles if I’m in the mood. I love it and don’t think I could ever go back to working eight hours a day, 5-6 days per week again.
I’ve never done “9 to 5” in my life. I work in commercial film production. So I have a bunch of 4-5 hour prep days, where I come & go as needed…..scouting locations, casting, meetings, wardrobe fittings, etc…….and then some 14 hour shoot days, which can be very tiring. And then I am unemployed until the next job comes in.
I’ve been doing it like this for 32 years now. I earn full-time wages, but work part-time.
I’m soul-dead, bitter & out of shape tho……..It’s mainly from eating all that Craft service food all these years. 😉
I could never do 9 to 5.
I worked a 9~5 job for a few years as soon as I left tertiary education… and it just wasn’t for me and I knew that if I stayed at that even with good money coming in, even with a nice retirement lined up if I stuck to it, since that much is a guarantee if you live in Australia, even with everything… I knew none of that would matter if I lived my life like that, I would lose my entire personality, my sense of self, my values and everything I thought was fun about being alive and having a life worth living. I knew that the money I earned sacrificing my time would be spent later on undoing the time I sacrificed after it was too late.
And so, instead of working a single Monday to Friday 9~5 Job… I worked Three Jobs. Then I went abroad… then I brought back experience and took on More jobs.
Jobs that were Fun to me and always had a Benefit that I wanted that I didn’t want to pay for… sometimes that benefit was Access to something, sometimes that something was a Skillset that I wanted, sometimes that something was Knowledge that I would have otherwise had to pay for. Jobs that were good for my Physical and Mental well being but didn’t offer as much in terms of Pay or Stability. You know what though ? After a few years of doing Things that I Loved, I got REALLY REALLY GOOD at the things I loved.
I became what you’d call an Expert in about 5 different domains.
I now ‘work’ six days a week but to me… I spend 6 days a week doing what I love, some of which I would have had to pay Money to do if I weren’t doing it as a Job. I get to go on holiday at least once a year and the hardest thing is arranging time off, and one of these days in 30 years or so I’m gonna have to sort out Retirement… but I really… REALLY don’t want to Retire. If I have to step back, I would do Educational Content Creation on what I know.
I’m a PT and Strength & Conditioning Coach, a Massage Therapist, a Movement Coach, I teach kids JiuJitsu, I teach kids Gymnastics and I review Japanese Restaurants and help translate their Menus and run workshops for teaching wait staff ‘Traditional Japanese Etiquette’.
Be self employed, then you can have the privilege of working seven days a week and most nights.
Holidays are something other people have, or are at least few and far between. Even mealtimes are spent thinking about your business, so pick one you’re going to like!
I went from 9-5 to 12 hour shifts to corporate. My current role is hybrid; I get paid for 40 hours a week but work 15 hours. My days are mostly meetings and light work in Microsoft Excel. It’s really chill and no whereas physically or mentally demanding as my previous jobs
I love my 9-5
I used to work at a luxury boutique. Sometimes it was 9:15-5:15, and sometimes it was 10:15-6:15. Not much difference, but I had a short commute. So waking up for the later shift meant being able to sleep in.
I also had to work every single weekend, as required in my contract. That just comes with the territory. But I don’t have kids and I wasn’t married, so it didn’t matter. I lived alone and I got to see my friends as often as I would have if I didn’t have to work on the weekends.
The best part I will say is that I got to pick two week days off to have per week. I chose Mondays and Wednesdays.
On Sunday, you don’t get the Sunday scaries cause you know you’ll be home sleeping in while angry people beep at each other during rush hour traffic. Tuesday was the first day back to work, and if it sucked or it felt like a Monday, I got Wednesday to look forward to because I’m off again!!!
Also, much easier to run errands on week days. Shorter lines at post office, pharmacy, and easier to get doctor and dentist appointments at pretty much any time you want provided the doctor isn’t booked for the next 4 months.
10/10 would do it again.
I work 3days a week. 12hrs a day. I feel it’s a life hack for living.
It’s like a marathon for 3days but then you get 4+ days off. I play violin in a string quartet for fun, I’ll take trips to see relatives, and I’ll be very active with weightlifting and swimming. I truly feel semi retired and live more than I work.
My hours vary from day to day, also i dont have fixed weekends, but usually i work in the evening (i never start before 1pm and i usually finish between 11pm and 2 am. I cant see myself working a 9-5 any time soon, as i feel my hours give me more time to be productive at home: cleaning, cooking, gym, gaming.
My buddy married the daughter of a really really rich guy. They both work part time but don’t have to. It’s just something to fill some time. He sits around doing nothing a lot. He’s unmotivated and depressed. Sometimes he’ll workout lots and then stop for months at a time. Sometimes he doesn’t change out of his pyjamas for a week. He thinks other people think he’s lucky but really, most people think he’s wasting his life.
I’m in the enviable position of being paid a lot hourly to do my work. Instead of trying to rake in as much as possible I’m happy to do less days a week and still have enough to live on comfortably. It’s taken some years to get here.
Remember – work to live, don’t live to work.
“don’t waste your life being an employee/doing 9 to 5; climb the ladder.””
So 8am-6pm minimum
“What does life look like when you climb that ladder?”
Like nights and weekends and a lot of stress.
Some times we clock in 12 hours on any given work week, sometimes we do nothing on a Thursday to recover from a business trip, other times we work on weekends if something needs to be done before the following week starts. It varies, the hours of work. We run our own business so we got better, not 100%, control of our time.
I do 12 hour shifts, either 0600-1800 or 1800-0600 on a roster that is set for 12 months. Rostered on 160 days per year, 205 days off (or as many overtime shifts as I want).
Love it.
I currently got flexible hours. Go in between 7 and 10 am and work the amount of time you have to, go home after. You had a late night or didn’t sleep well? Not a problem just come in a few hours later. You have an early appointment after work? Also not a problem just come in a little earlier. Working those full 40h a week do suck though. It’s a long time to be stuck in a building
🤦♂️ welcome to being an adult! I work 9-5 ish M-F and tbh it’s not bad. I’m an occupational therapist and enjoy my job (the important part). It sure beats my previous line of work and all the hazards involved and days with little to no sleep. 😂
(Seems like a lot of people are answering your subject line, not what you asked in the post 🙂)
To answer your question ‘how does life look like when you’ve climbed the ladder and have a high position?’
You’re working a lot more than 9-5. Generally the more responsibility you have up the ladder, the less life becomes yours.
You don’t have set hours. You’ll be in early and often work late/weekends. That’s just part of the gig.
9-5 as an individual contributor is actually easier in that the expectations are you can generally do your job within your workday.
As you higher the expectation is you just find a way to get it done.
The key is find something you enjoy. So unlike those videos you mention, you don’t feel like your soul is being sucked out daily.
I haven’t climbed any ladder but I never worked 9-5, I have an average salary in my country and two months vacation and life is GREAT. I would rather kill myself than working 9-5 and I truly mean it. You can call it laziness, a suspect adhd or something, a desire to enjoy life or whatever you want but that’s the way it is for me.
Shit
I don’t think I’ve ever had a job that was 9 to 5. I wouldn’t have gotten any raises and promotions working that little.
It’s beautiful, but not practical. Credit is hard to come by when one elects to remove yourself from the machine.
Unless you can reintroduce multiple cogs back into it.
Which will cost all or most of your time, which, in turn, will turn your life ugly again.
In the long run.All we have to do is eat. But we prefer a world where the earth is ruined for our comfort and pleasure.
I work a 8 to 4:30 and honestly enjoy the career path I took. I think that’s the big key. A lot of people pick jobs and not necessarily something they enjoy doing. I also have a life outside of work on top of being a high performer who has significantly increased their salary. I’m able to travel and have flexibility.
People who enjoy their lives don’t let work interfere with their personal life. I’ve worked bad jobs and I’ve seen how draining it can be first hand.
I work overnights 12 hour shifts on the weekends. I’d honestly love a 9-5 job.
I’m a psychotherapist in private practice. I work tuesdays through thursdays and saturdays. The only day that’s really 9-5 is Saturday; I work 9-8 on the weekdays and take a 3 hour lunch. My Friday is a work day but unstructured. I work a 40 hour week or so and make more money than when I was employed, do better work and am happier. I’m also still pretty tired most of the time. I’m nearly 60. I’m lucky that I love my work and seem to be good at it. My Oura says I’m at my healthiest and most effective while I’m working (doing appointments) and I do feel that.
I work 4 days. 7-5p. Fridays is voluntary for overtime. It’s nice having 3 day weekends when I want
Getting on the road at 0530 means a quick cup of coffee before heading out to work. No shower. Definitely no breakfast made by your SO.
Having a 9-5 is chill compared to if you actually climb the ladder. You have much more responsibility and often work long hours anyway. May dad has an 8-8 most days and my boyfriends dad works 7 days a week.
I’m in med school and I’d kill for a 9-5. Most days I’m in uni for 8-9 hours and at home I’m studying for another 4-6 hours, getting <6 hours of sleep most nights.
I work 2, 24 hr shifts a week. I work in a grouphome for adults with intellectual disabilities.
My days consist of hiking, going for walks or the beach, going shopping, running errands, cooking. In the evening, usually watching a movie or playing video games or a board game. Then we all go to bed. I get payed to sleep. Then I get up in the morning, get the guys breakfast then my shift is over, and I have 2 or 3 days off.
I work a 9-5 and my husband does not. Due to having a kid, I wake up before my alarm; the alarm is now there as a precaution and to remind me to start getting ready for work. I’m an entry level in my department and have zero desire to climb the corporate ladder. My only goal is to make sure that I can afford our lifestyle, and to not want to off myself while working. Currently, I spend all day with my ear buds in doing something I enjoy. For me, my 9-5 is a guarantee that I have a steady paycheck, good benefits, and that at the same time every day I get to come home and I am guaranteed to have the same days off every week; we’ve been able to build a good routine around my steady hours and paycheck.
My husband has a very inconsistent schedule and misses a lot of weekend activities, his sleep schedule is wildly different from week to week, and he doesn’t really have a social life outside of his job because most people around us don’t work a similar schedule to him. His paycheck is also extremely unreliable; one month he’ll nearly match what I make, then the next month he’ll be lucky if he brings home $300, he has slow seasons, he has busy seasons, and he has to constantly change plans on short notice. But, he’s the kind of person where he’d rather shoot himself than do a 9-5.
I work 38 hours a week and have summers off. Pretty sweet. And almost 0 stress.
I’ve never worked a 9-5. Currently I do 48 hours on 96 hours off. Best schedule in the world and the best job in the world!
OP, worrying about tomorrow Steals the peace from today.
Even people in their Dream Careers have to contend with the Unsexy necessities of Full Email boxes, Grumpy Coworkers, Demanding Clients, Fixing other people’s errors, never-ending paperwork, disappointing results, and just Bad Days.
Work isn’t play. Adjust your expectations accordingly.
Find joy in the simple things. Bring positive vibes as much as you can.
I do 4 tens. 11:30 am to 10:00 pm. I leave at 10:00 am and come back at 11:00 pm due to the commute and waiting on the employee bus at the parking lot.
On those four days, I do nothing. I have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off to do as much or as little as I need.
Im a property manager on a holiday island resort. Early morning beach walks and office work starts at 10 am and i go home to surf at 3pm. It may not pay as much as property managers stateside but it pays way more than the basic salary here.
Lifes amazing.
At 41 I have a job that I love. I’m in a client facing role managing a sales team in enterprise software. We do very large contracts for software solutions that manage, store, and analyze very large amounts of data.
I’m US based but o work all over Southeast Asia, AMEA, Australia, and North America. It’s definitely not 9-5 and I rarely go into my office which is 700 miles from my house.
I do work a lot of late nights and weekends but my schedule is highly flexible – if I’m home I will get my haircut or go to the gym or take my daughter to soccer or whatever at whatever time I want to and just catch up on work later in the evening. My PTO is truly unlimited and o use it whenever I want to. I’m judged purely on performance and nobody cares how many hours or when I work.
I average a little under 60 hours per week of work, typically.
I left the 9-5 at age 29, after 6 years of it.
Never looked back, highly doubtful I can bring myself back to that torture. It ain’t living
Then spent 10 years building experience and reputation in my field, and now I consult at my own pace.
That’s living
Now that my self employment wages have grown, I can, and usually do, choose to work less. I take off early to make dinner when my girlfriend is working, for instance. So maybe I’ve climbed the ladder from 60 hour weeks, through 9-5, all the way to 9-4 😆
BUT, my work impacts larger budgets, teams, and user communities, so it’s gotten more stressful.
It used to be about not screwing up so I don’t get fired and have to give back the 500 bucks I made.
Now it’s about me not screwing up so that I don’t get fired, the agency relying on me doesn’t lose their client, the people working at that agency account don’t get laid off, the client who chose to hire us doesn’t get fired, and the client or agency doesn’t sue me and drive my insurance rates through the roof.
I work continental shifts with 12 hour days on a 2-3-2 pattern.
So one week I work 4 days, and one week I only work 3. I get every other weekend off and I’m guaranteed at least 2 weekdays to do any shopping or errands I have. Working for a living sucks, but at least I don’t have to pack my whole life into the same two days as everyone else
This probably isn’t going to be your typical response. I work a 9-5 job now vs working as a crop farmer for over 20 years and I’m 42 years old atm. Time passed differently for me when I worked for the farm, I lived there too though so no commute. The days always felt full, like I got everything out of that day that I could do and I was happy with it. I set my own schedule and worked at my own pace. At night, I had plenty of time to go hangout with my friends in town, whether I’m leaving the bar or a friend’s house at 3-4 am. Go home, play some video games for an hour or so, go to bed, wake up in 6 hours and do something different for the day or it might be the same thing I did the day before. Or better yet, if it’s planting season and it rains too much or all day. If there wasn’t something that needed servicing, that’s a day off. If it rains all damn week, that’s a week off. Shits going to suck but you can’t do anything about Mother Nature. Also I was on salary so I got paid regardless. Which made it nice. So I’m working towards retiring early, getting a farm and getting back on my own schedule. Time just didn’t seem to fly by when I worked on a farm.
Life does not have to be like that. I work a normal job but my hours are 6 am to 2:30 pm. I practically have my whole afternoon free. I work a second job, ride my bike, hike, get my chores done around the house, watch tv, see my friends. None of these would be happening if I worked until 5 everyday. A simple schedule adjustment can make a world of difference.
Never worked on office job or 9-5 in my life. I work at home. Four hours in the am, 4 days a week. Make a good living as a writer. It’s THE BEST.
This has nothing to do with corporate ladders whatsoever. Plenty of high power and high pay jobs are 9-5. Plenty of poor pay or less “impressive” jobs have different schedules. Night shifts, jobs involving coordinating with other time zones, on-off shifts that are days or weeks at a time, etc. another thing to factor in is whether there is a true “clock-in, clock-out”, or if you have to take the job home with you (which seems more likely higher up the ladder).
I way prefer the routine of a 9-5 than when I worked random shifts. It’s hard to get a good sleep schedule when sometimes shifts start at 6:30am and end in
the afternoon, and sometimes they start late afternoon and end at 11:30pm.
BUT by far the worst part is how difficult it is to get certain errands done because business you need to go to, is only open when you’re working. On the other hand, if I had hours that were still consistent, but totally shifted, it makes socializing hard because all your friends are now working when you’re not.
I work three times a week ; 3pm-1am. I usually don’t work weekends. I feel like I’m always on vacation
My partner owns his own successful business. It’s kind of all over the place for him. He works incredibly hard and is up very early most days. Some weeks he works 12 hour days every day. Some weeks he’s home by lunch everyday. He will still kind of work from home sometimes.
He does take a lot of vacation. And he’s hoping to take Fridays off this year. He has a lot of reliable employees who he trusts to keep things running smoothly while he’s not there.
So, it is a ton of hard work but at some points you do get to have a little more leisure time. His work is always on his mind though!!
I work a 7am to 7:30pm shift. Wake up a little after 5:30am, get myself and everything ready to go, leave a little after 6 so I have time to get to work and have a coffee before the day starts, then I get home about 8pm, get my next days lunch together, eat dinner, get the kids snacks and help get them ready for bed, then get myself ready for bed, usually go to sleep about 11:30pm, then do it again. I’m so tired. Luckily I only work 3 days one week and 4 the next, but I’m over 50, and the kids are in grade school, I don’t know how long I can keep this up.
I work night shifts, each a 10h shift, and I get so much time off due to that.
Work 4 days, 5 off.
Work 2 days, 3 off.
Work 4 days, 3 off
Work 2 days, 6 off.
(More or less)
I am very happy with my work/life balance.
I used to work jobs that were more 9-5ish, and it really never felt right for me.
I’ve never had a 9-5, I am a full time musician and also was a bartender.
I sometimes envy the structure and predictability, but I could never work for someone else. I work long and late hours, but I’m doing what I love and not answering to anyone.
Gosh I wish I had a 9-5. That’s like a vacation.
Work retail. Start at 4:15am and end at 12:45pm. Usually go to sleep around 10 or 11pm. Workout after work usually and stay busy until I’m tired. Wouldn’t change my current shift for much to be honest.
From a younger age I already lost my trust in retirement because it seemed not realistic from my POV. I have also experienced first hand of people who worker their ass off for 40 years, only to die 3 years later. Since then I‘ve decided that I only work 5 hours a day for a boss, only to get my healthcare covered ( I‘m in the EU by the way) I wake up, do some gym, have a morning swim and then I have breakfast. At 10 am I start working until 3 pm. Than I have some freelance gigs on the side which I enjoy doing, or I just go out to enjoy the weather. I‘d rather have more free time being young and vital, instead of wasting the prime of my years on making money for some asshole.
😂
Well in the summer I get up at about 3:30, have a quick but big breakfast, go get bait, get bait loaded onto the boat by 5:00 and be on the gear a little after 6:00. I then haul and set pots for about the next 12 hours and then go sell the lobsters. Repeat 4x a week.
In the winter I get twice as much bait and stay out for two days because the lobsters have moved into the deep water and that’s the most efficient schedule.
My life is literally ruled by tides and the weather. I bust my ass, my catches are good but prices aren’t keeping up with expenses and inflation so I make a little less every year for the same catch. Hi, I’m probably among the last of the dinosaurs, scratching a living on their own.
I have a really varied but long week. I have kids so I do two long days in the office (7:30-16:30) and three short days (9:30-14:30) and I do 3/5 or 2/4 Saturdays a month which is 8:00-13:00. As long as I average 37.5 hours a week I can do a short day, take the kids to the park, take care of housework etc, but I do wish I had more lie ins on weekends!
I worked in pharmacy and never had a set schedule. could be a 12-8pm then the next day 8-4 or 10-6. Days off were different every week. We would know on Friday or Saturday what the next week would look like. It made home life pretty hectic and annoying. I couldn’t make appointments far out unless I took off. Making plans with people wasn’t always easy. In the beginning it was essential for new staff to close and work weekends. I did that for two years straight almost every shift and every weekend and working overtime. Finally got to senior management where I was supposed to be able to pick my schedule and not work weekends and then it became mandatory for everyone. That was a hard hit.
I’m a programmer at the same project for the past 15 years. I guess I am not very ambitious not to change jobs, but I know everything there so any task takes me not too much time. I’ve been working for about 3 hours a day for the last decade, and the hours are flexible. I’m earning a mid/senior level developer wage.
It’s a good life! I travelled and had plenty of fun. Then I started a family and a. able to spent much time with them. Although I tend to do more chores than my wife with regular job.
I do sports, meet with people. Occasionally do a side project to get extra cash. It was a good choice of career and it pays off with nice and easy life 🙂
Most people who get to very high levels in corporate America work a LOT of hours because it’s ingrained in their personality. That’s how they got to that level (usually). Think type A personality taken to the max. The work is different from the typical “worker bee” at their company but it still takes time and energy. Yeah they might go on elaborate trips around the world but they are always going to take an important phone call if they need to. The only way an extreme high level earner in corporate America truly gets to relax is by retirement, and many of them are loathe to do that.
We’ve all seen the cliche of super rich male executive who can’t step away from work, thereby alienating his wife and children. And yes, the sexes can be reversed. There can be a grain of truth there.
It goes beyond having a few extra hobbies. You start taking on projects and experimenting with different business ideas. You learn fields that were previously closed off. Suddenly your time and freedom are the most precious things, and appeasing norms of having a set career becomes less important.
I work rotating 12 hour shifts (7:00 to 7:00) four days a week, and then I’m off for four days. I work various days of the week and have more than half the year off (with vacation).
The days I work, though, I get up at 4:00 and don’t get home until 9:00.
Then, on my days off, I do gig work
9:00 to 5:00 has always looked amazing. I fantasize about having normal hours. Working on specific days of the week every week. Being able to do things like watch TV after I get home instead of eating and going right to bed. But, most 9 to 5 people would probably love to have four days off every week.
Travel, travel and once again travel thats what I do
It’s beautiful, I work when I want to work and when work needs to get done. The difference between weekdays and weekends are meaningless to me now.
I’ve been going to the gym in the morning, able to nap in the afternoon and otherwise fill my days growing my business at my own rate and pursuing hobbies like Muay thai that I’ve decided to take up
Work no longer feels like a chore but something I want to do
When you climb the ladder, your day is now filled with meetings to stay visible which means you have even less time to yourself that being an independent contributor. 8, 10+ hours of meetings is common
Miserable. I have no job, can’t find a job, and probably can’t do a job I’m so disabled. I’m hesitating getting on disability, but I think I have no choice. My life feels like it has no meaning (there is more going on than no job).
I run my own company, I usually work 4 hours each day Monday to Friday but recently I’ve wanted more money so I’ve taken on an additional hour (ish) my company offers a very niche service/product and what I offer is extremely high quality so I can confidently charge a lot per client.i don’t need to find them, they find me which keeps it at a nice reliable trickle, rather than a manically busy gush which I do not care to have.
My day revolves around my kids and husband’s needs if I’m honest. Work has never been a priority to me past the amount of money i can bring in (at the moment im on slightly more than my husband at 47k which for the UK isn’t bad.
Before I started my company I earned three degrees and did my stint of working in dead end jobs and horrible working times or 7:30am -5:00pm plus training some nights for a pittance. This changed once I got pregnant with our first, and decided to out my experience and natural talents to something that would let me be more at home and bring in much more than I used to.
As I reach the ten – fifteen year mark on this, im going to switch my line of business to a passive income. I have zero intention of slogging after the age of 50 and ideally only working two or three days by the time I hit 45. I’m 39 now, and started this at 32.
My day generally looks like the following:
6am wake up with kids (alternate with my husband)
9:00am home from dropping them off at nursery (unless its one of her days at home) and school.
9am – 10am eat breakfast, chat with my husband who also works from home, catch up with social media, do a bit of housework and write down what I need to do work wise that day.
10am-2pm work.
2pm sit down for an hour for a light lunch (salad or soup) another catch up with husband, WhatsApp friends or family or housework usually get dinner prepped too. Or take out daughter to the park, or soft play etc.
3:30pm collect eldest from school.
4pm – 5:15pm work.
5:30pm collect youngest from nursery. Come home and finish off dinner (terrace days with husband or sometimes we’ll get a takeaway) eating together at 6pm.
6:45pm bedtime routines
8pm husband and me time we’ll either read aloud together, watch a movie, see friends or have a babysitter and go out for a few hours.
11pm bedtime.
There’s no one’s really answering your question, yes you have to work more usually first one in last one leaving. Usually 60 hours a week. Lots of travel, stress.
Boss, 65, feels drained from working like 12h, because there is that much to do.
Hard to find a really well paying career and work a half job, without take-home worries.
I work 4 10 hour days. Honestly, I find it provides a pretty good work life balance.
It’s less about the hours…more about the employer. I work a regular 40 hour a week job. Sometimes (pretty rare) as much as 60 hours a week. My last employer made that a hard requirement. They wanted no less than 40 a week…and didn’t care about anything going on in my personal life that may require some flexibility. My current employer is loyal and appreciative…and if I get my work done, and do a good job…leaving a few hours early here and there is no big deal. I have even ‘called in well’ to work…aka-“It’s nice outside today…I won’t be coming in.” Now do understand, during the busy times…I gladly put in more hours as needed, and reach outside my job description to help carry the burden for the team.
Finding an empoyer that respects the work/life balance is important. At this point in my career, I have been offered $20k/year more by some of our competitors…but I won’t do it because that balance and respect for my sanity/health/family life is more important. I will add that we are a very respected business in our industry, and generate more volume than most companies twice our size.
I’m sure some people are thinking that these employers don’t exist…but that is only because y’all are either not demanding it and letting employers get away with treating people bad, or you are not worth the extra effort and faith required by a buisness to be treated this way.
Just my $.02…but I’m happy.
I work in geophysics and my job is awesome. I work 5 days a week, but most of the time, I’m working 3-4 hours a day doing menial tasks at the office. The full, 10-hour work days out in the field are also great, since we can only work outside if the weather is nice. I’m also salaried, so even though I probably average 20-25 hours a week, I get paid for 40. And all of my food and travel are paid for.
So, a lot of spare time to spend with my son, play video games, go on hikes, hang with buddies etc.
I’m a startup guy and consultant.
All day is work, every day is work.
I can’t say for sure but from observing high level people in my offices, the amojnt of work you do at high levels depends on your role. For engineering which is my field, directors and VPs are constantly fire fighting, always held accountable. The higher title comes with more responsibilities and stress. For sales, product, and marketing, management does hardly anything. At most, they show up a few hour, report status of their underlings, create a few reports and slides, and schmooze at 2-hour long lunches. It’s a nice life for them. No idea how hard it is to get there though.
9-5 Works well for me. I used to work in the retail and service industry for a bit over 15 years. When my leg & back started to give me significant issues I was advised to change career paths so I’m not on my feet 24/7.
Ended up becoming a admin for a local company. I really enjoy never having to work at night. I enjoy the consistency, and I think I’ve heard it mentioned but just because you’re in the office from 9-5 it doesn’t necessarily mean your working 9-5.
I had to get used to the change of pace from the service & retail jobs because a lot of things just simply aren’t near as urgent. I don’t know how many days turn into shooting the shit for a couple of hours, but it’s common. I used to work so fast that I’d clear all my work out for the week in 2 days. So I’ve definitely have learned I’ve needed to actually slow down my pace to pad out a work week.
Different strokes for different folks.
I’m lucky enough to have a job allowing for 4/10’s. Having that 3 day weekend is a blessing and with my wife in college I get to make her Friday a breeze so she doesn’t have to prepare lunch or do any extra chores around the house. I absolutely have not climbed the ladder but I’ve definitely made it up a significant amount of rungs. No longer living paycheck to paycheck for once.
For over 50 years, I worked as a police officer and almost always worked shifts…. Usually switching on a monthly basis. 7-3, 3-11, 11-7. One stretch in the 80s for a couple of years on straight midnights.
You learn to adjust. Midnights pretty much a pain in the ass… I never really adjusted. Go home in a stupor, sleep to 2-3 in the afternoon, eat supper and watch a little TV, then off to work again.
When I was younger, I kind of liked afternoons. You got off early enough so you could go have a drink after work, and had the mornings free for whatever.
I work 35 hours a week with flexible (sliding) working time. This means I am only required to be available 9 – 14 and I can manage the rest as I see fit. Got 3 days a week mobile working, which is then totally flexible, so I can do whatever as long as I perform and do my 35 hours a week in total.
Now with ‘climbing the ladder’: We have 3 contracting possibilities in the corpo I work in. I am on the basic one (lowest salaries, maximum unions protection, shortest working week), which among other things means my boss is quite limited in how he can reimburse my overtime. Apart from few hours he has to give me paid time off equal to how much overtime he wants me to do. So as I get more responsibility, it gets more annoying for my boss and he is then ‘motivated’ to upgrade my contract. That means significantly higher salary, longer work week, easier access to overtime and/or changes in vacations etc.
The third is usually reserved for top management, and essential staff. Those go on a ‘private contract’, meaning not negotiated by the unions and whatever deal you sign with the company. Of course they need to sweeten the deal to what unions contract covers and there you (and the company) can go wild.
Basic collective agreement – Unions covered, 35 hours work week, limited paid overtime, 6 weeks paid vacation
Collective agreement plus – Unions covered, 40 hours work week, unlimited paid overtime, 6 weeks paid vacation
Private contract – free for all
Bottom line, whatever you want to do, companies having strong unions are awesome!
I don’t work. I wake up, eat, and then do whatever I feel: singing, drumming, YouTube, reading, writing, learning languages, meditation. I’ll find time to cool lunch and dinner and to clean up. Some days, I’ll meet up with friends for a coffee or meal.
Weekends are more “relaxing” because I take a break from my hobbies and entertain my husband.
I climbed the ladder and now do 8-7 instead of 9-5.
I work about 12-16 hours a day 5 days a week, then 3-4 hours the other 2 days per week. Every week. I have 0 days off. It’s not that I wish to work less, it’s just that I wish for a little time to myself and a bit more money.
Great for me. 4X10 Couldn’t be happier. If u have to work Friday it’s double time.
I am on a rotational roster which cycles thru 28 days: dayshift, nightshift, off days, transition days. 12 hour shifts. Any day of the year. Eg. It’s Easter, I’m on nights Friday, Saturday, Sunday. I’ve worked the last nine Christmas. I’m an atheist, I think it’s funny. I love my 96 hour long weekends every fourth weekend, my 2 days off midweek. I am never hunting for a parking spot, never in a traffic jam. I shop mid-week or go to Kmart at 4AM during a break. My fam and friends are well beyond regular socialising so I am not missing too much. I don’t own pets though as I think it’s cruel to leave a cat or dog alone for 12-13 hours.
I am an associate agent at an insurance company, i work mostly 4-5 hours a day, 4 days a week sometimes, im semi retired from getting hurt in military, i just like having more stuff so i work on that and client services and a few sales and keep my head up
Not done it, but the bosses who did get to the top were high energy, enjoyed working, and basically set their own agendas so the work is differently stressful. It is nearly all meetings, networking, and people management from middle management upwards. You get someone else to fill your crowded diary. It usually has a bunch of evening and early morning meetings.
The way to get rich with hard work is to own the business (or part of it), not working for other people.
My son is 27, he climbed the ladder and is already off around the world. Me, I cannot stick to any routine and life to me looks grim. We all need some kind of routine in our lives.
I’m technically a 9-5’er but my team is all remote across the country and I work from home. I log in anywhere from 8 to 10am, I take super long lunches to do errands or whatever. I log off after 4:30 and might jump back on after dinner to finish my 40 hours. Most bosses would say I have TOO MUCH flexibility and autonomy but as long as my current boss doesn’t dip I’m golden 😜
Edit: this is basically the schedule I would do if I were self employed.
It looks very nice
The point of those videos is actually DON’T climb the ladder. If you get into the 9-5, the LIE is the that you HAVE to climb the ladder and THAT will make you miserable. So, don’t. Do the BARE MINIMUM. A 9-5 is JUST for money. NOT for fulfillment. If you want to be fulfilled, a 9-5 is NOT it. Do ONLY what is needed, and get your fulfillment somewhere else.
You don’t work more in a higher position. You work on different things. I can do things that others can’t because I was interested and always looked for new ways to improve my work.
Eventually, I automated some processes that allowed me to become very efficient and people started paying me to teach them how to do the same and resolve issues when it didn’t work.
I have seen so many cases that I can now answer most issues without having to sit down and analyse the situation. I just know what actions to take based on previous experience.
If I had just followed my job description, I would still be doing the same thing.
I didn’t go up the ladder though, I got a 50% salary raise, quit a year later and double my income within 2 years of being a freelancer. So I created my own ladder and I ‘m at the top of it