4 ms·
I've been working part time for just over 4 years now. It is the single best thing I have done for my mental health in the last 10 years. I have a mid-week week
by ux-app 11y ago
I've been working part time for just over 4 years now. It is the single best thing I have done for my mental health in the last 10 years. I have a mid-week weekend (Wed and most of Thu off) and it is awesome. I have no plan to go back to full-time. I've also convinced my wife to do the same next year.
Of course there is less money coming in. I've decided to reduce my rate of consumption to compensate for this. Eating out was a huge money sink in the past. $100+ restaurant visits are out of the question now, which is fine because I'm living a semi-retired life, and cooking is less a hassle and more a slow pleasure :)
I got tired of trading the best hours of the day and the best years of my life away for what amounted to trinkets. I've decided to optimize time over money. It helps that my material needs are modest.
- csvfa 11y agoDo you have a flexible employer or do you work for yourself? How do you balance the career opportunities that would have come your way if you were a 5-day-a-weeker versus the gain in time and mental health?
- ux-app 11y agoI'm an ex programmer now working as a high school teacher. I wont pretend that the flexibility possible in a school environment applies universally. In regard to career advancement, I'm a realist. The primary effect of going part time is reduced pay. The secondary effect is slower career advancement. I'm OK with this. Another way to frame this is to imagine how great your career advancement would be if you were a 7-day-a-weeker. Most people draw the line at 5 days. I decided to draw the line at 3.5. It's a personal decision that I haven't regretted for a minute.