4 ms·

What a strangely narrow way of looking at this. Work isn’t the only responsibility. What is the correlation between taking a week away from responsibilities -

What a strangely narrow way of looking at this. Work isn’t the only responsibility. What is the correlation between taking a week away from responsibilities - work, family, etc. - and job satisfaction?

ptero 2y ago
If one cannot disappear for a week to think or study he is putting himself at some serious life disadvantage. My 2c. I do not mean telling family that I am disappearing for a week starting tomorrow, but that I want to disappear for a week in a couple of months and the family would cover responsibilities for me (I should be willing to reciprocate).
- deprecative 2y ago
  Realistically most people just don't have the resources for this sort of thing. It's not necessarily a matter of want but a limitation of needs. Assuming one has a family that could cover, they would still have a job with responsibilities. Not everyone can afford to risk termination or go without a paycheck for a week even if it's the most intelligent option.
  - therealdrag0 2y ago
    Most people in the field have PTO. Some people take PTO and travel, others play video games, Carmac has locked himself in a hotel room to work on projects pretty regularly since he was younger. Many people have a lot more flexibility than they let on. They just make excuses instead of acknowledging their own priorities and commitments or lack of actual interest in change and work.
- orochimaaru 2y ago
  I agree. We travel for work and disappear for a week. I've disappeared for 4-5 days to party with friends and my wife and kids have been fine with it. Obviously the work travel I don't control much. The party part - I'd be getting some serious conversations if it was happening every month. However, if it was to improve my career prospects I don't think anyone will hit much resistance. I mean provided you use the time well and don't get into a space of watching youtube clips of Dune 2.
soulofmischief 2y ago
I assumed someone would retort with this angle, but I hoped people would interpret my comment charitably without me littering it with a dozen caveats. Of course work isn't the only responsibility. Of course some people have kids, pets, parents, medical conditions, etc. It's one week away from work. It can still be done. You weren't going to be taking care of any other responsibilities during your normal 9-5 hours, so that should have no bearing on the week you take off; treat it as any other work week, except you're working for yourself.
- giantg2 2y ago
  "You weren't going to be taking care of any other responsibilities during your normal 9-5 hours, so that should have no bearing on the week you take off;" Have you ever been married, had kids, etc? Pretty much any time I take off of work, it involves catching up on projects, chores, or parental responsibilities during the day. It seems the vast majority of people I've spoken to tell of similar situations.
  - soulofmischief 2y ago
    Well, I have specifically avoided having kids at this stage in my life so that I may climb out of the poverty class first. I'm one abortion deep already. I was not as fortunate as 99% of the people in this little isolated corner of the internet. I was homeless from 16 to my early 20s. I suffer from multiple traumas, both physical and mental. I have ADHD and bipolar disorder. I've had sciatica, degenerative disc disease, gout and other issues since my teens. Most days I can barely walk. When I do have kids, I'm not going to get to be the dad I want to be, running around and playing with them. My parents are abusive drug addicts who were not present in my life, so I was raised by other extremely abusive people instead, who kicked me out into the streets for being atheist. So malnourished as a child that my friends would make fun of being able to see the bones in my face and body. I spent years living homeless on scraps of food. I have to advance my career. Every single thing is stacked against me, trying to make me fail. I don't get the luxury of deciding if I want to take a week off to do so. It's a matter of survival, and I have very purposefully structured my life in such a way that I have a shot in hell at one day raising a child above the poverty line. Believe me, this is not a matter of me not empathizing with others or understanding the complexities of life. It's a matter of prioritization and commitment. If I can make time to learn, anyone can. And on top of all of that, I do in fact have to provide for my sister and her four young, expensive children, because she doesn't have anyone either. I don't get much free time, man.
aworks 2y ago
So far, my 2 years of retirement are an experiment in discretionary time. I'm married but no children or pets in the house. So I have lots of leeway in what I do every day. Maybe I average 1-2 hours of responsible time. And there are constraints - health, energy, lack of ambition, family travel, Internet distractions etc. But in general I can do what I want. This month, it's been relearning awk to do financial data analysis and reading the books of a British author, Diana Athill. I'll say that my personal project satisfaction level is medium. Life satisfication has a major social component that provides meaning, though. Optimizing for both isn't necessarily easy even in retirement.

ptero 2y ago

If one cannot disappear for a week to think or study he is putting himself at some serious life disadvantage. My 2c. I do not mean telling family that I am disappearing for a week starting tomorrow, but that I want to disappear for a week in a couple of months and the family would cover responsibilities for me (I should be willing to reciprocate).

deprecative 2y ago
Realistically most people just don't have the resources for this sort of thing. It's not necessarily a matter of want but a limitation of needs. Assuming one has a family that could cover, they would still have a job with responsibilities. Not everyone can afford to risk termination or go without a paycheck for a week even if it's the most intelligent option.
- therealdrag0 2y ago
  Most people in the field have PTO. Some people take PTO and travel, others play video games, Carmac has locked himself in a hotel room to work on projects pretty regularly since he was younger. Many people have a lot more flexibility than they let on. They just make excuses instead of acknowledging their own priorities and commitments or lack of actual interest in change and work.
orochimaaru 2y ago
I agree. We travel for work and disappear for a week. I've disappeared for 4-5 days to party with friends and my wife and kids have been fine with it. Obviously the work travel I don't control much. The party part - I'd be getting some serious conversations if it was happening every month. However, if it was to improve my career prospects I don't think anyone will hit much resistance. I mean provided you use the time well and don't get into a space of watching youtube clips of Dune 2.

soulofmischief 2y ago

I assumed someone would retort with this angle, but I hoped people would interpret my comment charitably without me littering it with a dozen caveats. Of course work isn't the only responsibility. Of course some people have kids, pets, parents, medical conditions, etc. It's one week away from work. It can still be done. You weren't going to be taking care of any other responsibilities during your normal 9-5 hours, so that should have no bearing on the week you take off; treat it as any other work week, except you're working for yourself.

giantg2 2y ago
"You weren't going to be taking care of any other responsibilities during your normal 9-5 hours, so that should have no bearing on the week you take off;" Have you ever been married, had kids, etc? Pretty much any time I take off of work, it involves catching up on projects, chores, or parental responsibilities during the day. It seems the vast majority of people I've spoken to tell of similar situations.
- soulofmischief 2y ago
  Well, I have specifically avoided having kids at this stage in my life so that I may climb out of the poverty class first. I'm one abortion deep already. I was not as fortunate as 99% of the people in this little isolated corner of the internet. I was homeless from 16 to my early 20s. I suffer from multiple traumas, both physical and mental. I have ADHD and bipolar disorder. I've had sciatica, degenerative disc disease, gout and other issues since my teens. Most days I can barely walk. When I do have kids, I'm not going to get to be the dad I want to be, running around and playing with them. My parents are abusive drug addicts who were not present in my life, so I was raised by other extremely abusive people instead, who kicked me out into the streets for being atheist. So malnourished as a child that my friends would make fun of being able to see the bones in my face and body. I spent years living homeless on scraps of food. I have to advance my career. Every single thing is stacked against me, trying to make me fail. I don't get the luxury of deciding if I want to take a week off to do so. It's a matter of survival, and I have very purposefully structured my life in such a way that I have a shot in hell at one day raising a child above the poverty line. Believe me, this is not a matter of me not empathizing with others or understanding the complexities of life. It's a matter of prioritization and commitment. If I can make time to learn, anyone can. And on top of all of that, I do in fact have to provide for my sister and her four young, expensive children, because she doesn't have anyone either. I don't get much free time, man.

aworks 2y ago

So far, my 2 years of retirement are an experiment in discretionary time. I'm married but no children or pets in the house. So I have lots of leeway in what I do every day. Maybe I average 1-2 hours of responsible time. And there are constraints - health, energy, lack of ambition, family travel, Internet distractions etc. But in general I can do what I want. This month, it's been relearning awk to do financial data analysis and reading the books of a British author, Diana Athill. I'll say that my personal project satisfaction level is medium. Life satisfication has a major social component that provides meaning, though. Optimizing for both isn't necessarily easy even in retirement.