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> I’ve reduced work to hang out with my kids (and I’m not wealthy by first world standards). Perhaps you have some tips but reducing work is very hard to mana

> I’ve reduced work to hang out with my kids (and I’m not wealthy by first world standards). Perhaps you have some tips but reducing work is very hard to manage in my experience. Salaried positions are a crapshoot - many of them like to say they support work-life balance but it rarely turns out that way. Most employers ( again, IME ) who hire contractors are not looking for anything less than 40 hours/week. You can set yourself up as a contractor and take the jobs you want, but besides the obvious loss of health insurance and retirement benefits, there's time spent finding customers and the lack of steady pay has its own costs. I'd love to reduce hours, but I've never found a way to make it work.

rapind 5y ago
> I'd love to reduce hours, but I've never found a way to make it work. How seriously have you tried? I don’t know you or your situation but often when someone says this they just mean “that sounds nice, but…”. If it’s something you really want, treat it like a job to figure it out. I’m glad I put in the effort and time to work it out. It’s a mix of reducing / eliminating expenses and trying different things. There are so many options once you (and your partner) decide you want it more than a million dollar house etc. The specifics depend on the individual. Most of the things we collectively (society) spend money on are unnecessary and often even detrimental to contentment. For the things that are necessary, there are often cheaper options. I’m not referring to some kind of new age self help nonsense. Just look how your grandparents or great grandparents lived during the depression.
- nineplay 5y ago
  Budget isn't a problem. I'd happily take a pay cut, my expense are minimal. There just aren't that many employers interested in hiring someone for fewer hours.
triceratops 5y ago
> many of them like to say they support work-life balance but it rarely turns out that way Just work the required number of hours and then stop answering e-mail. Financial security helps with that, because at most they'll let you go for "not being a team player" - these are bad workplaces and you should be happy to leave them. More likely though, your perceived worth at work will improve because you don't appear insecure about your position.

rapind 5y ago

> I'd love to reduce hours, but I've never found a way to make it work. How seriously have you tried? I don’t know you or your situation but often when someone says this they just mean “that sounds nice, but…”. If it’s something you really want, treat it like a job to figure it out. I’m glad I put in the effort and time to work it out. It’s a mix of reducing / eliminating expenses and trying different things. There are so many options once you (and your partner) decide you want it more than a million dollar house etc. The specifics depend on the individual. Most of the things we collectively (society) spend money on are unnecessary and often even detrimental to contentment. For the things that are necessary, there are often cheaper options. I’m not referring to some kind of new age self help nonsense. Just look how your grandparents or great grandparents lived during the depression.

nineplay 5y ago
Budget isn't a problem. I'd happily take a pay cut, my expense are minimal. There just aren't that many employers interested in hiring someone for fewer hours.

triceratops 5y ago

> many of them like to say they support work-life balance but it rarely turns out that way Just work the required number of hours and then stop answering e-mail. Financial security helps with that, because at most they'll let you go for "not being a team player" - these are bad workplaces and you should be happy to leave them. More likely though, your perceived worth at work will improve because you don't appear insecure about your position.