16 ms·

"Unhappiness: It seems that the typical 9to5er is living for the weekends. Radio stations say things like “it’s hump day, you’re almost there.” Almost where?

• DanielStraight 16y ago
  "Changing something" is even less of a solution than the author of the original post offers. So there's a problem, what should people do about it?
  • ulf 16y ago
    In the case of unhappiness you could try doing more things that make you happy. How to do that is an individual decision I think. I, for one, founded a startup and am much happier than before. I do not long for weekends to come anymore, same with vacation. If you like what you do, the desire to flee subsides, and I think that improves your quality of life big time.
    • bruceboughton 16y ago
      It should be recognised that not everyone is in a position to make these changes. This doesn't make them any less important though. Being able to love what you do is a luxury not everyone can afford, but it is surely the ultimate luxury?
      • rue 16y ago
        I think there is sometimes a distinction missed in these "you should do what you love"-arguments: it should be formulated "you should try to do what you love"…and it has to be taken to account that many (if not most) will fail at the attempt. This is very hard to do without some type of social support structure.
• timwiseman 16y ago
  There is nothing wrong with working at something you do not like in order to support that which you love. I have known people that aspired to be painters or authors who worked a much less interest day job to pay the bills unless and until they succeeded. I have also known people to work a job they do not like to support hobbies they love. And of course, if you have a family, you may reasonably choose a job you do not like that pays better than one you like more but that does not pay well. I do not understand those people who go through life with no passion, moving from a job they do not care about to TV with the occassional party. I do fully understand those who work jobs they do not like in order to support something they love or are passionate about though.
  • ulf 16y ago
    Valid point, but still: I there are things you love, do more of them. Incorporate them into every day. Do not create a mystical double life that is divided into work and pleasure. Try to make room for one in the other.
    • fennecfoxen 16y ago
      Mmm. Your job doesn't have to be what you love. Those jobs don't tend to pay very well, and may stress you out by making you compromise your creative vision (or just leave you sick and tired of the thing you once loved). But it should at least be a job that you're okay with and doesn't leave you miserable.
• bethling 16y ago
  This is so very true. I'm back working at a place that my life is just like that - I look forward to the weekend throughout the workweek so much that now when Sunday comes around I can't enjoy it fully because I know that I'm back to the office on the next day. It's really not a good way to live. It hasn't always been like that - when I did try my start up I worked far more, but enjoyed it far more. I've been blaming my discontent on me maybe not liking technology as much as I used to, but I'm coming around to the re-realization that maybe I'm just not doing something with it that is fulfilling.
  • bostonvaulter2 16y ago
    Out of curiosity, what do you do for work?
  • nandemo 16y ago
    What works for me is having hobbies and activities that I'm enthusiastic about. So instead of looking forward to the weekend I'm only looking forward to end of the workday so that I can practice piano or exercise or go to an improv workshop. In my experience, passive things like watching TV/movies or listening to music don't count. Of course a better solution would be, as you say, to do something more fulfilling during the day.
• mkramlich 16y ago
  > from the OA: "Unhappiness: It seems that the typical 9to5er is living for the weekends. Radio stations say things like “it’s hump day, you’re almost there.” Been there, done that, have t-shirt. I now live a life where I don't necessarily look forward more to the weekends. Also, I generally don't look forward to going to sleep because it means I stop being happy (or stop being conscious of being happy, anyway), though I don't mind waking up because I don't always dread forcing myself to slog into some 9-to-5 job working for The Man. Now I work for myself, essentially, even if that means I may rent myself out sometimes to others to earn money. Since I'm more in charge of my own time and body location, and what I work on, I'm much more happy. Also the problem of living for the weekend, and toiling away miserably for the sake of the steady paycheck is that, for me at least, when the paycheck comes you're more tempted to spend it on things that give you quick short-term boosts to happiness -- in order to drown out your default unhappy state of mind. If instead your default state of mind is happiness and freedom, then when you get checks you're more likely to do something wise and/or non-emotional or non-transient with it. Typically converting it into something that buys more long-term happiness or security, rather than short-term transient happiness or excitement.