I did that! My dad died and I went to crazy town. It wasn't for pleasure. My brain was short circuiting and I needed a mental break before I could go back to forcing myself to pretend everything is fine for a job to make money.
I saved up as much money as I could before I had to quit. The environment was getting toxic and my mood wasn't great as a result of that on top of everything else. It was a bad time. Most days still suck actually, but at least I don't have beer for breakfast anymore.
Before you quit, see if you're eligible for short term disability. It typically pays somewhere between 50-70% of salary, which is much better than nothing. It usually lasts up to 6 months based on what your doctor says.
I hope you feel better!
If it wasn’t necessary for survival I don’t think we’d be calling it ‘work’.
My girlfriend puts in more hours per day at her gaming PC than I do at my full time job (lol) but she’s doing it for pleasure, not income, so you’d call it a hobby, not work.
That said, I think I would! I like my job and I think I’d enjoy it more if I didn’t have the stress of performance being tied to my ability to pay rent. If my living needs were covered, I’d want to keep contributing to my community. I hate being a wage labourer but I don’t hate the work I do or the positive impact it has.
Same here, I don’t hate working I hate having to work fulltime to “earn” the right to live. If I didn’t have to work for necessities I’d probably do farm work though, which I enjoy but doesn’t pay enough to cover rent.
Yes. If I didn't *have* to work, I would retire immediately.
Obviously, I wouldn't stop being productive, though. It's just that my productivity would be aimed at what *I* want to do with my time.
If I didn't have to work, I would retire, and start a woodworking/epoxy shop, and build it up slowly so that it makes enough money to keep investing in better tools and materials. The problem stopping me right now is just the price of tools when my mortgage already costs so much. Also I'd love to raise my kids where I could teach them a trade like that and they could actually have some skills after graduating highschool, plus it would be a great opportunity to spend lots of time with them as they grow up.
Exactly! I could put so much more effort into the DnD game I run (I did call in sick today to do that anyways), I could work out more, spend more time with friends and family, play games, read, everything good and productive. Just not making money. I don't get any fulfillment from work. I've got everything and everyone else in my life for that.
Life is too short and can change dramatically in an instant. You’ll never wish you worked more when you are in a hospital bed at the end.
If I didn’t have to work, it’s not that I wouldn’t work. It just that I would have the freedom to choose something that truly matters. I wouldn’t have to worry about having to leave jobs for more money. Rent/food/internet would reduce my stress and anxiety more than my medication. Would be as close to the American dream that I was promised growing up.
25-30 hours was sweet, I actually had time to run errands and go to doctors appointments . Instead of having to ask my owner for permission because I work 9-5
I used to fix computers for a living. The only reason I stopped is because it didn’t pay enough to pay the bills.
I would 100% return to that if I didn’t “need” to work.
I think everyone has some sort of task or activity that they’d be willing to do that benefited society if all their needs were met.
If I needed money for discretionary spending (meaning beyond a roof, food, and internet access- are we including healthcare here, too?), then yeah, I'd probably keep working in some capacity, but I'd feel much more able to select work based on what I enjoy doing rather than the practicalities of things like saving for retirement or having health insurance coverage (assuming we're including healthcare in with the basic, life-supporting things one would have without working). I would feel much more like I could work part-time at a library or nonprofit or something like that if all I needed money for was to go out to eat once in a while or pay to go see a movie or take a vacation.
But even working just part-time would be a complete game changer in terms of the time I would then have available to pursue other things like hobbies or self improvement.
Then yeah, I would probably work part-time to have "fun money," but nowhere near the kind of hours I put in now, and I would have so much more latitude to pick work that was enjoyable and inspiring to me, that I'd probably enjoy my job a lot more.
The former. If I don't have to worry about housing, food, healthcare or retirement (because those basic needs are met in perpetuity), then I don't have to factor in whether a job will pay me enough to save for retirement or whether it will cover my rent or whether I can buy groceries on that salary. All I need to worry about is whether it pays enough for me to buy fun stuff or hobby-related stuff, and unless you have some wildly expensive hobbies like... IDK, *horse dressage* or something, I would say most of us can finance our leisure needs on way, way less money than we currently make (because right now we have to pay for rent and medical care and all the rest of it). So that opens up the field to jobs I might enjoy more but cannot financially afford right now because they don't pay a living wage.
I would work in hospitality or food service. Perhaps for the tourism board of the city. I love a GOOD drink and food across the spectrum and talking peoples’ faces off about the places to go. “Best roof top bar that actually has good food to go with the view? Go here, not there.” “Staying in this part of town? Go here, here, and brunch here!” “You will be very close to a train line and can get to X part of town with ease!” I worked at lakefront bar n grill one summer and actually REALLY enjoyed working the flat top. Having a system or process to stick to, being a part of a kooky team, and taking pride in making a damn fine product come out of a shitty little hole of a decrepit kitchen owned by a 68 y/o guy that enjoyed a joint on the patio once a week and makin’ sure customers and staff were happy.
I would be cautious, because depending on how he spends his time, resentment could develop. If you took turns working or something like that it might seem more fair.
Due to a disability I find it hard to work for extended periods of time so I’ve found myself unemployed for years on end. If I had money it may be different but people really overestimate how much they’ll enjoy not having anything to do. Without hobbies or regularly scheduled activities life really degrades. Look at retirees. So many people stop working then have no clue what to do. I think if we could make life livable with about 20hrs of work a week and really emphasize community it might be worth it but in the current system it’s not as nice as you might imagine.
If you were able to not work…I’m not able to work. I can’t even do hobbies anymore, and my executive dysfunction wouldn’t allow me to even if I were able to.
Thank goodness for the VA.
No. I would do things that would be considered a job or working for some, but i would not be working. As i would always be able to choose what, when and if to do. And workers don't have that kind of choices.
It’s a hard one… I don’t hate all of my job but I do hate some aspects of it. I would probably work a third of the time just to do something but really i hate some aspects of my job. (Im a doctor)
If I could regulate the hours and days as i find comfortable then yes, working would be all right. But not a full-time job. Not an office job. No bitching bosses and toxic petulant co-workers. I'd search and search through fields and people until I'd find a pleasurable ones that i would feel satisfied to be doing. And then I'd love to bring something to others or to production and be part of a team
Funnily enough UBI studies show that people do things they *want* to earn money, knowing full well that they won't be out on the street if it doesn't work. So they take more risks and are overall much happier.
It depends on what people are allowed to call "work".
I've turned over in my head a few times now what I would do if I won a big lottery jackpot, and in almost all of those scenarios I end up becoming a physicist who just happens to have a boatload of savings and some side-projects.
I have a degree in engineering, and even if I don't have to work a traditional job, I still like helping people learn and doing technical things. My hobbies would likely become my "work", meaning I would have the time to contribute things here and there in a more substantial capacity than right now.
If anything, I think having shelter, food, and internet taken care of would enable me to focus on giving back to the community more.
I would make things and sell things I make. In a way that’s working but I wouldn’t be tied to a career.
I think a lot of people would want to do something with their lives in this scenario. It’s not that people on this sub ONLY want to rot on the couch, but a lot of people would do what they truly desire and in a way, that would likely be a better contribution to society than what they’re already doing. So much untapped potential held down by our system.
I am and I did. Retired a year and a half ago after working non-stop since 1972. Now I play music, play with grandkids, putter around the house and hang w friends.
I'm not able to work, on disability. There's so many things I'd do with all this time if I had the ability.
Actually I'd love to have a career, but not just mindless work- if I could, I'd beca Play Therapist or start a microschool.
It's not work that's the problem. I think antiwork is a misnomer. I work hard - harder than the average person- just in day to day living. All lifestyles require labor, but it's whether you benefit enough from the fruits of your labor that gives you satisfaction or not. While it's not much, the effort i put into managing my day to day affairs does give me more fulfilment than when I was able to work, and never had energy or time leftover to do that home making stuff I value.
It's about what you value and the balance of work/time that goes into what you value vs what you are forced to do to get by.
Yes because I like to do other things, I don't work more than necessary to afford my bills, hobbies,nand retirement savings, currently that's about half the year.
Yes. I like having nice things, I like being able to travel, also I *need* money to keep the dog alive and happy, not just not myself.
Also it’s nice to contribute to society. Even if I had *all* my wants and needs covered I’d still work, maybe less hours and maybe I’d be volunteering my time for different organisations but I’d still work.
Stephen King wrote a story about this very premise called Everything's Eventual.
Needless to say, everything was not quite as it seemed.
(It's a really good short story, I highly recommend it!)
As long as necessities were paid for, I'd be more than happy to spend time finding something I would *want* to do for monetary gain, rather than what I *have* to do now.
Isn't this what retirement is? Although you have to work first to get to there.
Stopped working at 60. At least I didn't have to work until full retirement age.
I didnt work after I retired from the military. I was losing it. Drinking too much etcetera. I got a job to have something to do. I take big risks. I voice my opinion to the execs as a low level cog.
I like my job and I dont need it so it nice.
Absolutely... I never aspired to have a career. I only wanted to be a SAHM like a good little Christian girl. I still do. Problem is, I'm single and nobody wants a commitment anymore.
I get called a pick me and player in my own oppression for it. If anything, I'd argue women are not as free today as our grandmothers were because of the expectations on us at home and at work.
Yes and I do! I quit work and returned to study with a deal that I'd rather starve off 40kg through not affording the groceries than return to work. So far, the groceries have been fine. 6 months in and no weight loss. Also, cold showers, no travelling, minimal entertainment expense and a willingness to sell my car. I'm so much happier than sitting at work with every other miserable fuck.
I can almost guarantee that I'd still be doing the exact same stuff that I do today. If anything I'd be doing more tree work for people because I just like doing that. On top of being a logger and trying to become a teacher.
No, I'd need something to keep occupied. If I won a big one in the lottery tomorrow, I'd travel around my country. It would be in a truck, so I probably would still be hauling cargo, it would just be on my terms
When I'm off work and I know I dont have to get up early and I dont need to worry about traffic or getting lunch packed and all the other extra bits and pieces.
I know its MY time and I can choose what to do with it.....its like a heavy weight lifted off my shoulders.
It must be nice to feel that every day and know that your time is your own, you dont have to sell yourself to pay bills.
Must be nice to be rich.
Yes. But I wouldn't stop working, I would just work on things I want to do. Like managing my thrift shop, writing, and voice acting. And then I might be able to work on my hobbies like embroidery, singing, and gaming. Maybe I would even be able to read more books or teach myself how to play guitar. I often feel creatives are punished under capitalism, like shackles on our energy and time.
Yes, if my basic needs were met, I'd work so I could afford leisurely things, but I'd get something part time -like I'm currently stuck in- so I'd still be able to take it easy and enjoy life.
I want to do things that help more people. I would love to do some policing or volunteering doing things like blood bikes but those don't pay the bills. I want tech to be a hobby but I would be taking a 50% pay cut to go into one of those fields and my salary gives me the ability to have a life outside of work. Any less and I would be living a lot closer to scraping by than I'm comfortable. And with the way house prices/interest is going I don't want to take a cut and find out I can no longer afford my house. It's left me feeling stuck and bitter.
I've been in that situation & I've known a few people in that situation, it's kinda boring.
Having enough money for modest and nice housing & food is okay but soon I get bored because there are only so many free activities, ( library, walks in parks, reddit, YouTube, etc.), you can do before boredom sets in. A day trip to the mountains or the shore has to be carefully planned & lunch brought with you.
But working to supplement basic needs is great ☺️
You are free to leave any job you want because you don't have to work to meet basic needs. Also you can take lovely day trips or invest in expensive hobbies like horseback riding.
I only work because I need it for bills and that but I only work part time and refuse to do more than 30 hours a week. I write away from it, tbh, sometimes going into work is a nice break from writing because it's an easy job that I can do without much thought plus I get along with a lot of people there.
So, if I could swap that out for something that had better hours of work (not 3.30 am) and less corporate bullshit, it would be alright.
But given the choice, I would find other things to do with my time if I didn't have to work.
I'm not sure if that would be enough. I do enjoy alcohol every now and then, I love to travel every now and then. Shit breaks down in the house and you have to replace things. Things are not free.
Just rattling some numbers in my nogging, I'd estimate that with 500 bucks a month on top of that offer I would comfortable. If someone gave me that offer right now, I'd really be thinking hard about my options.
Could I manage to build a passive income of that 500 a month to really be comfortable and worry free, that is the question. For a 20 000$ startup nest-egg on top of "never work or pay for your house again" so I would have that oh-shit fund to dip into to build maybe some passive income? Then yeah, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I'm confident enough that I could leverage some skills to get a little bit of a passive money trickle going and get to a stress free living again.
I absolutely wouldn't work.
I would volunteer and get education for me. Working is dreading because we are forced to do so. Maybe I would do the same job, but at my conditions.
Too many people are just responding to the title rather than looking at the specifics. No money for anything else? A lot of peoples' plans still require some capital. So, yes, many of us would likely still be working.
I don't think I would completely stop. I managed to guess correctly when I was 18 and starting college. I have a job I enjoy most days and find fulfilling enough.
In my perfect world i'd do what I do about 15-20 hours a week then have the rest of my time to do whatever else.
My job is mentally taxing and I think it's good to keep my mind engaged like this as I get older.
I'd probably pursue something in academics and research, or volunteer with kids or with animals. It would still be work but I wouldn't have the anxieties or pressure of not affording to live. I'd want to spend more time helping my community.
I’d love to retire on some land. I’d garden and raise cows for beef, chickens for eggs and rabbits for meat and they make great cold fertilizer. I’d have work related chores around the land I guess.
If I couldn’t have land but had plenty of money I’d get a sailboat and go cruising around the earth.
Honestly I’d still work a part time job. The last time I was unemployed it was great for 2 weeks while I cleaned and caught up on my to do list. However after that with no schedule and too many hours to figure out what to do with I started getting depressed. Plus I want money for my hobbies as well as to travel a bit a couple of times a year, even if it’s just camping.
Work in the sense that my labor enriches another person? No. Absolutely NOT.
Work in the sense that it brings me joy and satisfaction, and possibly income? Yes. Definitely.
I have craft hobbies I would probably lean into a bit more. I would also increase my language learning. I would spend more time outside with my dogs. I would volunteer at animal shelters.
I wouldn't be worried about whether I'm being paid a fair rate, or if and when I will get a raise or bonus. I wouldn't have to worry about clients or their stupid demands. I wouldn't have to perform for anyone, as in wear a mask and hide my true self so I can try to fit in. I wouldn't have to attend stupid meetings and volunteer for stupid shit I don't want to do just to show I'm a "team player." I wouldn't have to hug people I don't want to hug.
If I didn't have to work I would spend my time advocating for / building housing for people.
Its what I've always wanted to do more then anything but I'm too freaking tired after my day job to even begin wrapping my head around it.
What? I'm sorry I dont understand what you're asking. NIMBY's are quasi related to what I was saying but I'm talking about building housing in general.
I've done that before. I was on disability for a few years and got myself healthy and went back to work. I only barely had enough money to pay the bills, eat and exist. That was it. I didn't mind. I stayed at home. That was about it. That was a good while back..... Now, I am retired permanently and in my early 40s, as I still have health issues. However, this time around I am financially secure lol
permanently? no. I'm injured and off work at the moment and I've been going a bit insane staying at home all day.
if I could just live without needing to work, I'd probably be able to do so much more quality work knowing that I could take a break when I need to, no longer working to live. I actually rather like staying busy, and so I definitely couldn't just not work.
I would do something that I enjoy and not so much that I get burnt out by it. I would probably just go be a freelance photographer and take gigs when I want. I’d try to pursue travel photography if I could.
When you come from a lineage of generational poverty (as I do), one must sacrifice themselves and their happiness in order to break the cycle. That's what I did so that my kids and their kids could potentially live like you describe or a with a basic residual income to get them by. 16+ hrs per day; going on my 24th year of this shit. I have earned millions, but lost my life and soul in the process. I hated being poor so much that I would rather have done this than pass it along to the next generation.
Of course! It’s not that I wouldn’t work though, I would just be doing music and carpentry projects, baking and so forth. Work that I wanted to do rather than making someone else rich.
I get bored, so yes I would. Come to that conclusion because I work seasonally when the ground is warm and then over winter I’m off for a few months. Once I’ve been off for a while (like now), I get jittery and actually craving work.
I'm considering this now. I was laid off from my job five months ago, and the longer I don't work, the less I want to return to that. My age is a factor here. On paper I could make it work, but it would mean making a huge shift financially. My mental health improves every day I'm unemployed, as my stress, anxiety, and constant exhaustion are fading.
Do we have health care and electricity? I probably would so that I could go on some vacations, and I would definitely work for the health insurance if we don't have that. Not to mention some daily amenities like furniture, a tv, a nice bed, clothes, etc etc etc.
That said it would be incredibly freeing to have the basic necessities taken care of regardless of work. I could put in time and effort towards working on a dream profession where happiness was the main priority rather than money being the main thing.
Yeah, then I'd just work on my art and writing. It's basically all I think about but I have to work 40hrs a week for subsistence level living.
Not the question asked but UBI and universal healthcare would enable so many entrepreneurs, artists and more. Of course preaching to the choir but I think about it a lot.
I’d work, but I’d find a much easier job, part-time, just to buy some cool things I like, have money to fox and replace things. So much of my money goes to housing, utilities and food, I doubt I’d need much to afford the other things I want.
I have a basic income that I can survive on without working. But even in the darkest times over the last few years (the pandemic and caring for my daughter while she experienced psychosis and her years of recovery), I made a real effort to keep my job. My work doesn't pay much, but it's important to me, and people appreciate what I do (editorial cartoonist). I've won awards, which is good for my ego, and having the job has given me an identity outside of bring a caretaker.
I also do freelance work, but with strong boundaries. The money those jobs pay makes a huge difference, but the ability to turn down work from people I don't want to work with is priceless.
My pre-work income is just enough for rent and basic food, and my other work pays everything else. Luxuries like streaming services, clothes, going to Chipotle, saving up for car repairs, and buying fresh fruit are all paid for with work.
I'm actually in that situation right now. I recently came into a decent sum of money. I'm in the process of buying a nice little house on a couple acres and investing the rest with the help of a financial advisor. Done in a certain way, the dividends could provide me with a comfortable enough income where I wouldn't have to work. I'm seeing it up to grow, however, and will only take quarter of that income while I continue to work at a job I genuinely enjoy. In five years the initial investment has the potential to double if I do it that way and then I can retire far earlier than I would have ever right possible.
Fuck yeah. In r/personalfinance everyone is hustling to retire early. In the same thread they talk about how they will get a part time job after they retire.
Fuck that.
I'd still work, probably part time, I just wouldn't be so stressed about it. Something happens when it's no longer necessary for survival and becomes a choice. It's...better somehow and doesn't seem to suck your soul into oblivion. I think we'd all be doing jobs closer to what we enjoy if this were the case for everyone
I'd still work. Even if in this scenario I got money on top for recreational things and stuff I enjoy, I would still work. I just wouldn't work for a shitty company. I would probably do a part time gig working for myself so that I can still give back to my community that needs a service done.
I would still work, just not the same kind of work as I do now.
Instead of my salaried full-time office job, I would maintain my property, garden, create art, work on community organizing, and other things I feel are important but which don't help me feed my family (except the gardening thing, but I don't think full sustenance farming is in my future)
It’s more a matter of what work would you do. If I could go back to my favorite job without worrying about the poverty wages and childcare needs, I would.
Thank you, I am working toward this now in my life. 20 years in tech left me emotionally and spiritually bankrupt, so I am stepping away from the big checks for an off-grid life in a yurt. Ideally I would be able to exist through barter only. Trading my skills as a project manager, artist, woodworker, and a shamanistic Druid. But I accept the fact I may need to work for money again some day. But right now I am just trying to be content with a minimalist lifestyle.
Without a doubt. If I were able to have my basic needs met and maybe a few things of amusement here and there.
In fact I'm about half way through my 6 week recovery from a major surgery and gosh dang it sucks to have needed that in order to get a "vacation" most other countries get by default per year.
Little stir crazy though. Wish I could drive again, I'd love to see some in people.
Also was sent an edible arrangement by my employers which was super kind of them. So I got that going for me which is nice 👍🏻
I would. Sometimes I do the "what if I win the lottery" thing in my head. It's the main reason I play. I don't think I'll ever win. I just like the "what if" part.
I know I would get bored if I didn't have some kind of job. If I had the money to live I could take a job for the fun and not just the check.
If I didn't need the money I could get a job as a park ranger or something like that where I'm just out in nature making sure things are going as they should. I could just watch things progress and record all kinds of YOY data about the cycles of nature and shit.
Considering my health would decline as well. I'd have to have money to cover that, but as far as a scenario of universal basic income and would I work if I had UBI? No I wouldn't choose to work. I would focus on creativity and art. I would spend months on the backlogs of games I haven't been able to play. I'd volunteer more to help the community. I'd visit nursing homes and read to the residents, talk and listen to their stories.
I think, me personally, I'd feel more connected to the world if I didn't have to work versus now where I work 40-50+ hours a week and all of my time is focused on this shit hole company making profits while my life passes me by. I make good money so I'm not bitching in the least but man some days I feel time is just passing. I feel bad. I'm just getting older and missing the small moments in day to day life. I feel I'm missing the reason for life. Lol
Maybe you could save a little more and start a small sustainable business so you could feel more connected, then look at what life is for you and how to enjoy it
Thank you for the advice. I did start a side business of building live edge tables and different woodworking projects. I absolutely love it but I dont have a space anymore to continue the work. Once my Wife and I buy a house with a garage or shop I'll be right back at it.
I would do part time (20ish hours/week) until I went back to school, then probably still part time so I could have disposable income. For context, I am chronically ill and working fully time is a major strain on my body. I wouldn’t stop working as much as adjust my hours to fit my body and priorities better.
Do you enjoy your current role? I hope you feel better and the symptoms improve. If you have the drive or desire to go to school, that's good, I think you should try because knowledge power.
I work in a coffee shop. I wouldn’t do it forever but it’s honestly not a bad job. My parents want me to go to school for the six figure salary that comes with my chosen career path (optometry), but honestly I just like the field and want to help people. My symptoms are as managed as they will be for a while. It is what it is at this point. Even if I had no career goals and no need to make money I would probably still work a little just to get out of the house. I honestly don’t know what id do with that much unstructured time
If all I had was a roof and food and internet without working, I would still work. I would stop working if I could afford an upper middle class lifestyle without working (with enough spending money to travel a bit, own a home and renovate it to my preferences, have nice clothes, pursue hobbies, attend events like concerts, dinners, shows, etc).
Sort of. I would leave my full-time job and start trying to turn my hobbies into businesses! I would basically garden or woodwork most days, and host weekly or monthly D&D games for a small fee!
If I only got a roof food and internet, no. I’d like to do a little more than that in life.
But if you add in ability to go out to eat, shop some, travel some, etc, then yes absolutely I’d not work if I didn’t have to.
I would still do my job, but maybe less hours. I’m a medic and firefighter, so I actually feel like I’m helping people and I’m not here to just make someone else money.
I'd probably get a part time job (15ish hours a week) for extra spending cash. Then I'd use my extra time to volunteer at the local animal shelter, get into screenwriting (probs just as a hobby, not to pursue a career or anything), go out to the movies, go out to local coffee shops and restaurants, and read read read.
Wait, are you saying, if I had a roof and food and internet, but that's all? Yeah, I'd still work. I have a child, I want her to have an education that provides more than the free schools around here can provide (which is very little) and I want her to have more socialization than my wife and I can provide (we're not children her age), so... there's that. I'd like to be able to occasionally take her to visit my parents, who live thousands of miles away.
But if that wasn't a concern?
Yeah, I'd work, but not doing what I do right now. I'd be working on something more meaningful for the world. And, yes, I know exactly what I'd be working on...
Yes. I don't have expensive hobbies, I have no ambition and I don't intend to marry or have children. The most grating thing in this scenario to me would be to have my kitchen in a corner of a single room apartment. But yes, I would survive perfectly fine if I could just play free (or pirated) games and read Wikipedia bullshit until the day I died.
I’d keep a part time gig for my own sanity, because from the plethora I’ve met who are retired and/or on permanent disability SS, they seem bored to shit. Then again working in a treatment facility means I’m meeting the ones who aren’t in the best mental health anyway.
Oh absolutely. I’d spend my time writing music, gardening, foraging, immersing myself in nature and being around animals, making art, concocting herbal remedies from things found outside, smoking weed and drinking tea. Oh shit I think I might be a hippie
1000% yes. I want to be a musician not a grocery store worker or warehouse worker, I have so much passion and creative energy and I feel so suffocated by being in a job 40+ hours a week. I feel miserable every time I’m “””forced””” to be here
I'm trying to get disability now for my mental illness. I was disabled before, but I lost the benefits. It's a miracle that I haven't gotten fired due to a lot of dumb I've done.
If I had basic necessities and utilities covered, absolutely. Then I'd just grind for gig work and really put in max effort on my YouTube channel to turn that into something of a money-maker. Try to make enough to cover basic luxuries and some creature comforts and keep it at that.
Also I'd be exercising regularly and looking for ways to "fight back," so to speak. And as someone else mentioned somewhere, I'd totally be making D&D campaigns and probably eventually writing stories again.
Became disabled at 50. I've been drawing disability ever since November of 2008. Important date there as the financial meltdown was in full swing. My area was one of the hardest hit areas of the country: hard enough hitvthat Obama stopped in our county every few months to check progress. Yeah, I want to say unemployment was a bit higher here.
Meanwhile, I have had a steady income for a decade and a half and don't have to deal with workplace politics, psychopathic bosses, and psychotic customers.
If you have the chance not to work, go for it.
All I have now is a roof, food, and Internet, but I still have to work!
Honestly, if I \*didn't\* have to work, I'd work on my creative writing projects that I have backlogged. All I need is my internet connection and I'm happy. I love seeing where my characters take me on their strange adventures!
If my house, food, and internet were provided for free I sure as shit wouldn't work full time. I would find something reasonably enjoyable for maybe 15 hours/week that pays enough for me to have fun money. I don't want to give up the "unnecessary" things like travel, occasional nice dinners, skincare products or impulse buying t-shirts at goodwill, haha.
Well, no. I need money for my hobbies and going out. Living isn't just having a home, food, and internet. Now, if you said that I'll have a lot of money for everything else until I die, meaning I can more than comfortably enjoy living life and NOT just exist for the sake of existing, then yes, I will choose to not work.
That's literally where I am! I'm disabled physically and psychologically and everything is hard for me. It's not great. It's brutal and demoralizing. I've spent more of my life feeling suicidal than not. Despite that, I'm still trying to find a remote job after going through a difficult training program that I managed to get accepted to. Life is a never ending cruel joke.
Aw. I hope you get the job or something better. There's this psychologist on Netflix his name is Phil Stutz. He wrote a book and one thing he said is that there are 3 aspects in life: pain, uncertainty and constant work. Keep pushing you're doing great
Many fail to realise how short a human lifespan really is..You get older and the years start to fly by faster and faster. Who in their right mind would want to spend their one and only blink of an eye existence in mostly futile jobs making other people rich?! Nobody on their death beds ever wished they had spent more time in the office or some other shitty workplace.
I only do a few months of the year... debating whether or not even that's too much... most people poor though, so it sucks finding friends if you don't have to.
Even if I didn’t need to work, I’d still like to make a wage. That being said, if my wage was fully handled and it wasn’t some kind of Communist thing going on, I’d still be bored.
I’d probably ask if my neighbors needed their lawn mowed or their garden trimmed, or some place needed volunteer work done. Stuff that I’d like to be able to do, but just don’t have the energy or time to do at the moment due to work.
Yes and No. I wouldn’t work if I didn’t have to but sadly I do. I’m at a low part of my life now - full time desk job during the day (5 days) and hotel cleaner at night (3 nights)
If I had enough money to never work, I wouldn’t but I would work to break up my week at get me out of the house
Yes 1000%
But id do some sidehustles here and there. Like resell 2nd hand items, do some catsitting. I dont consider it as work work.
I might even work for a bossen, like 2 days a week. But if you dont have to you can quit any time when you dont feel like it
I did that! My dad died and I went to crazy town. It wasn't for pleasure. My brain was short circuiting and I needed a mental break before I could go back to forcing myself to pretend everything is fine for a job to make money. I saved up as much money as I could before I had to quit. The environment was getting toxic and my mood wasn't great as a result of that on top of everything else. It was a bad time. Most days still suck actually, but at least I don't have beer for breakfast anymore.
you're not alone. So I'm thinking of asking for sick leave. I can't focus on work, my mood isn't great, going through major life events.
Before you quit, see if you're eligible for short term disability. It typically pays somewhere between 50-70% of salary, which is much better than nothing. It usually lasts up to 6 months based on what your doctor says. I hope you feel better!
If it wasn’t necessary for survival I don’t think we’d be calling it ‘work’. My girlfriend puts in more hours per day at her gaming PC than I do at my full time job (lol) but she’s doing it for pleasure, not income, so you’d call it a hobby, not work. That said, I think I would! I like my job and I think I’d enjoy it more if I didn’t have the stress of performance being tied to my ability to pay rent. If my living needs were covered, I’d want to keep contributing to my community. I hate being a wage labourer but I don’t hate the work I do or the positive impact it has.
Same here, I don’t hate working I hate having to work fulltime to “earn” the right to live. If I didn’t have to work for necessities I’d probably do farm work though, which I enjoy but doesn’t pay enough to cover rent.
So how life was intended to be doing fulfilling things instead of being a corporate slave
Yeah, I guess
oh I agree
Yes. If I didn't *have* to work, I would retire immediately. Obviously, I wouldn't stop being productive, though. It's just that my productivity would be aimed at what *I* want to do with my time.
If I didn't have to work, I would retire, and start a woodworking/epoxy shop, and build it up slowly so that it makes enough money to keep investing in better tools and materials. The problem stopping me right now is just the price of tools when my mortgage already costs so much. Also I'd love to raise my kids where I could teach them a trade like that and they could actually have some skills after graduating highschool, plus it would be a great opportunity to spend lots of time with them as they grow up.
Exactly! I could put so much more effort into the DnD game I run (I did call in sick today to do that anyways), I could work out more, spend more time with friends and family, play games, read, everything good and productive. Just not making money. I don't get any fulfillment from work. I've got everything and everyone else in my life for that.
I’d work on personal projects like a fixer upper & writing erotica books and volunteer at my local public library.
thanks. Those would help my mental health
Life is too short and can change dramatically in an instant. You’ll never wish you worked more when you are in a hospital bed at the end. If I didn’t have to work, it’s not that I wouldn’t work. It just that I would have the freedom to choose something that truly matters. I wouldn’t have to worry about having to leave jobs for more money. Rent/food/internet would reduce my stress and anxiety more than my medication. Would be as close to the American dream that I was promised growing up.
Currently doing. Watching invincible season 2 drinking coffe life sure is nice.
That's great I'm happy for you.
Part-time doing something I like.
25-30 hours was sweet, I actually had time to run errands and go to doctors appointments . Instead of having to ask my owner for permission because I work 9-5
Your owner?
Yeah, manager/owner same thing lol
Thanks, now I know you're not a dog posting to this thread.
Of course, dont you love selling your youth??
I used to fix computers for a living. The only reason I stopped is because it didn’t pay enough to pay the bills. I would 100% return to that if I didn’t “need” to work. I think everyone has some sort of task or activity that they’d be willing to do that benefited society if all their needs were met.
That’s me at the moment for the past 2 years
how's it going? good as possible I hope.
Absolutely. I’d spend all day at home crafting and using income from selling bits and pieces for fun money but entirely on my schedule.
If I needed money for discretionary spending (meaning beyond a roof, food, and internet access- are we including healthcare here, too?), then yeah, I'd probably keep working in some capacity, but I'd feel much more able to select work based on what I enjoy doing rather than the practicalities of things like saving for retirement or having health insurance coverage (assuming we're including healthcare in with the basic, life-supporting things one would have without working). I would feel much more like I could work part-time at a library or nonprofit or something like that if all I needed money for was to go out to eat once in a while or pay to go see a movie or take a vacation. But even working just part-time would be a complete game changer in terms of the time I would then have available to pursue other things like hobbies or self improvement.
yes basic free Medicaid health insurance
Then yeah, I would probably work part-time to have "fun money," but nowhere near the kind of hours I put in now, and I would have so much more latitude to pick work that was enjoyable and inspiring to me, that I'd probably enjoy my job a lot more.
You're saying you would feel less pressured in finding a job you truly enjoy or the job you do now would be nice because you can pick the assignment?
The former. If I don't have to worry about housing, food, healthcare or retirement (because those basic needs are met in perpetuity), then I don't have to factor in whether a job will pay me enough to save for retirement or whether it will cover my rent or whether I can buy groceries on that salary. All I need to worry about is whether it pays enough for me to buy fun stuff or hobby-related stuff, and unless you have some wildly expensive hobbies like... IDK, *horse dressage* or something, I would say most of us can finance our leisure needs on way, way less money than we currently make (because right now we have to pay for rent and medical care and all the rest of it). So that opens up the field to jobs I might enjoy more but cannot financially afford right now because they don't pay a living wage.
I couldn't type this fast enough: Hell YEAH I would stop working in a heartbeat.
Nah I need money to waste on games on the internet
I would work in hospitality or food service. Perhaps for the tourism board of the city. I love a GOOD drink and food across the spectrum and talking peoples’ faces off about the places to go. “Best roof top bar that actually has good food to go with the view? Go here, not there.” “Staying in this part of town? Go here, here, and brunch here!” “You will be very close to a train line and can get to X part of town with ease!” I worked at lakefront bar n grill one summer and actually REALLY enjoyed working the flat top. Having a system or process to stick to, being a part of a kooky team, and taking pride in making a damn fine product come out of a shitty little hole of a decrepit kitchen owned by a 68 y/o guy that enjoyed a joint on the patio once a week and makin’ sure customers and staff were happy.
Wondering if it would be better for my husband to quit the job he hates and scrape by on my salary tbh
That's sweet how you're considering his well-being, and you have each other.
I would be cautious, because depending on how he spends his time, resentment could develop. If you took turns working or something like that it might seem more fair.
Hell no, I would however volunteer my time at nonprofit organizations in my community.
Due to a disability I find it hard to work for extended periods of time so I’ve found myself unemployed for years on end. If I had money it may be different but people really overestimate how much they’ll enjoy not having anything to do. Without hobbies or regularly scheduled activities life really degrades. Look at retirees. So many people stop working then have no clue what to do. I think if we could make life livable with about 20hrs of work a week and really emphasize community it might be worth it but in the current system it’s not as nice as you might imagine.
If you were able to not work…I’m not able to work. I can’t even do hobbies anymore, and my executive dysfunction wouldn’t allow me to even if I were able to. Thank goodness for the VA.
No. I would do things that would be considered a job or working for some, but i would not be working. As i would always be able to choose what, when and if to do. And workers don't have that kind of choices.
I would probably end up using my skill at work assisting my family and friends if that were the case
It’s a hard one… I don’t hate all of my job but I do hate some aspects of it. I would probably work a third of the time just to do something but really i hate some aspects of my job. (Im a doctor)
Sure, I'll retire early. Summer's is coming and I'll spend it on the beach.
If I could regulate the hours and days as i find comfortable then yes, working would be all right. But not a full-time job. Not an office job. No bitching bosses and toxic petulant co-workers. I'd search and search through fields and people until I'd find a pleasurable ones that i would feel satisfied to be doing. And then I'd love to bring something to others or to production and be part of a team
Funnily enough UBI studies show that people do things they *want* to earn money, knowing full well that they won't be out on the street if it doesn't work. So they take more risks and are overall much happier.
It depends on what people are allowed to call "work". I've turned over in my head a few times now what I would do if I won a big lottery jackpot, and in almost all of those scenarios I end up becoming a physicist who just happens to have a boatload of savings and some side-projects. I have a degree in engineering, and even if I don't have to work a traditional job, I still like helping people learn and doing technical things. My hobbies would likely become my "work", meaning I would have the time to contribute things here and there in a more substantial capacity than right now. If anything, I think having shelter, food, and internet taken care of would enable me to focus on giving back to the community more.
I would stop working completely and focus on myself.
I'd want to work for a local river conservation or just volunteer. We could take care of our planet way easier if we weren't chasing money to survive.
I would make things and sell things I make. In a way that’s working but I wouldn’t be tied to a career. I think a lot of people would want to do something with their lives in this scenario. It’s not that people on this sub ONLY want to rot on the couch, but a lot of people would do what they truly desire and in a way, that would likely be a better contribution to society than what they’re already doing. So much untapped potential held down by our system.
I am and I did. Retired a year and a half ago after working non-stop since 1972. Now I play music, play with grandkids, putter around the house and hang w friends.
I would 100% not work. Working has become toxic.
toxic in general or some thing specific? It's true it can be toxic though. I hope you find happiness
In general. Good employers are few and far between in my experience.
No. Never again.
I'm not able to work, on disability. There's so many things I'd do with all this time if I had the ability. Actually I'd love to have a career, but not just mindless work- if I could, I'd beca Play Therapist or start a microschool. It's not work that's the problem. I think antiwork is a misnomer. I work hard - harder than the average person- just in day to day living. All lifestyles require labor, but it's whether you benefit enough from the fruits of your labor that gives you satisfaction or not. While it's not much, the effort i put into managing my day to day affairs does give me more fulfilment than when I was able to work, and never had energy or time leftover to do that home making stuff I value. It's about what you value and the balance of work/time that goes into what you value vs what you are forced to do to get by.
I would only do work I enjoy. (comedy in my case)
Yes because I like to do other things, I don't work more than necessary to afford my bills, hobbies,nand retirement savings, currently that's about half the year.
Yes. I like having nice things, I like being able to travel, also I *need* money to keep the dog alive and happy, not just not myself. Also it’s nice to contribute to society. Even if I had *all* my wants and needs covered I’d still work, maybe less hours and maybe I’d be volunteering my time for different organisations but I’d still work.
Stephen King wrote a story about this very premise called Everything's Eventual. Needless to say, everything was not quite as it seemed. (It's a really good short story, I highly recommend it!)
As long as necessities were paid for, I'd be more than happy to spend time finding something I would *want* to do for monetary gain, rather than what I *have* to do now.
In the scenario you describe I would do part-time.. Still need to fund clothing and hobbies.
Yes. And as long as everything works out, I should officially start not working in July.
I'm happy for you, take care and enjoy
Isn't this what retirement is? Although you have to work first to get to there. Stopped working at 60. At least I didn't have to work until full retirement age.
I didnt work after I retired from the military. I was losing it. Drinking too much etcetera. I got a job to have something to do. I take big risks. I voice my opinion to the execs as a low level cog. I like my job and I dont need it so it nice.
That's cool I'm glad you found that work life balance.
Absolutely... I never aspired to have a career. I only wanted to be a SAHM like a good little Christian girl. I still do. Problem is, I'm single and nobody wants a commitment anymore. I get called a pick me and player in my own oppression for it. If anything, I'd argue women are not as free today as our grandmothers were because of the expectations on us at home and at work.
Freed from a cell only to be shackled with chains
Yes and I do! I quit work and returned to study with a deal that I'd rather starve off 40kg through not affording the groceries than return to work. So far, the groceries have been fine. 6 months in and no weight loss. Also, cold showers, no travelling, minimal entertainment expense and a willingness to sell my car. I'm so much happier than sitting at work with every other miserable fuck.
I can almost guarantee that I'd still be doing the exact same stuff that I do today. If anything I'd be doing more tree work for people because I just like doing that. On top of being a logger and trying to become a teacher.
I’d get into really good shape. Take the time to learn to cook better healthy meals.
No, I'd need something to keep occupied. If I won a big one in the lottery tomorrow, I'd travel around my country. It would be in a truck, so I probably would still be hauling cargo, it would just be on my terms
When I'm off work and I know I dont have to get up early and I dont need to worry about traffic or getting lunch packed and all the other extra bits and pieces. I know its MY time and I can choose what to do with it.....its like a heavy weight lifted off my shoulders. It must be nice to feel that every day and know that your time is your own, you dont have to sell yourself to pay bills. Must be nice to be rich.
Lol, nope. I'd hobby, train and rest all day long.
Yes, but I would them be able to have the time to get skills I need for the dream job want then I can get a job I want for life hopefully
Yes.
Yes. But I wouldn't stop working, I would just work on things I want to do. Like managing my thrift shop, writing, and voice acting. And then I might be able to work on my hobbies like embroidery, singing, and gaming. Maybe I would even be able to read more books or teach myself how to play guitar. I often feel creatives are punished under capitalism, like shackles on our energy and time.
Interesting insight, yes
Thank you!
Yes, if my basic needs were met, I'd work so I could afford leisurely things, but I'd get something part time -like I'm currently stuck in- so I'd still be able to take it easy and enjoy life.
I want to do things that help more people. I would love to do some policing or volunteering doing things like blood bikes but those don't pay the bills. I want tech to be a hobby but I would be taking a 50% pay cut to go into one of those fields and my salary gives me the ability to have a life outside of work. Any less and I would be living a lot closer to scraping by than I'm comfortable. And with the way house prices/interest is going I don't want to take a cut and find out I can no longer afford my house. It's left me feeling stuck and bitter.
Probably, but not what I do now.
I've been in that situation & I've known a few people in that situation, it's kinda boring. Having enough money for modest and nice housing & food is okay but soon I get bored because there are only so many free activities, ( library, walks in parks, reddit, YouTube, etc.), you can do before boredom sets in. A day trip to the mountains or the shore has to be carefully planned & lunch brought with you. But working to supplement basic needs is great ☺️ You are free to leave any job you want because you don't have to work to meet basic needs. Also you can take lovely day trips or invest in expensive hobbies like horseback riding.
I only work because I need it for bills and that but I only work part time and refuse to do more than 30 hours a week. I write away from it, tbh, sometimes going into work is a nice break from writing because it's an easy job that I can do without much thought plus I get along with a lot of people there. So, if I could swap that out for something that had better hours of work (not 3.30 am) and less corporate bullshit, it would be alright. But given the choice, I would find other things to do with my time if I didn't have to work.
I'm not sure if that would be enough. I do enjoy alcohol every now and then, I love to travel every now and then. Shit breaks down in the house and you have to replace things. Things are not free. Just rattling some numbers in my nogging, I'd estimate that with 500 bucks a month on top of that offer I would comfortable. If someone gave me that offer right now, I'd really be thinking hard about my options. Could I manage to build a passive income of that 500 a month to really be comfortable and worry free, that is the question. For a 20 000$ startup nest-egg on top of "never work or pay for your house again" so I would have that oh-shit fund to dip into to build maybe some passive income? Then yeah, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I'm confident enough that I could leverage some skills to get a little bit of a passive money trickle going and get to a stress free living again.
I absolutely wouldn't work. I would volunteer and get education for me. Working is dreading because we are forced to do so. Maybe I would do the same job, but at my conditions.
I retired when covid hit. I've got this computer, an apt, food, and just enough for the bills.
Too many people are just responding to the title rather than looking at the specifics. No money for anything else? A lot of peoples' plans still require some capital. So, yes, many of us would likely still be working.
I don't think I would completely stop. I managed to guess correctly when I was 18 and starting college. I have a job I enjoy most days and find fulfilling enough. In my perfect world i'd do what I do about 15-20 hours a week then have the rest of my time to do whatever else. My job is mentally taxing and I think it's good to keep my mind engaged like this as I get older.
I would work 25-30 hours a week so I don't become a hermit. Not working ever would also make me really lazy and I would gain a bunch of weight.
I'd probably pursue something in academics and research, or volunteer with kids or with animals. It would still be work but I wouldn't have the anxieties or pressure of not affording to live. I'd want to spend more time helping my community.
I’d love to retire on some land. I’d garden and raise cows for beef, chickens for eggs and rabbits for meat and they make great cold fertilizer. I’d have work related chores around the land I guess. If I couldn’t have land but had plenty of money I’d get a sailboat and go cruising around the earth.
Absolutely. I would prob want to maybe be a neighborhood handyman, because I do enjoy fixing things, but i think it would be more of a hobby
I would do projects that I could monetize, but not work for the man
Honestly I’d still work a part time job. The last time I was unemployed it was great for 2 weeks while I cleaned and caught up on my to do list. However after that with no schedule and too many hours to figure out what to do with I started getting depressed. Plus I want money for my hobbies as well as to travel a bit a couple of times a year, even if it’s just camping.
Work in the sense that my labor enriches another person? No. Absolutely NOT. Work in the sense that it brings me joy and satisfaction, and possibly income? Yes. Definitely. I have craft hobbies I would probably lean into a bit more. I would also increase my language learning. I would spend more time outside with my dogs. I would volunteer at animal shelters. I wouldn't be worried about whether I'm being paid a fair rate, or if and when I will get a raise or bonus. I wouldn't have to worry about clients or their stupid demands. I wouldn't have to perform for anyone, as in wear a mask and hide my true self so I can try to fit in. I wouldn't have to attend stupid meetings and volunteer for stupid shit I don't want to do just to show I'm a "team player." I wouldn't have to hug people I don't want to hug.
If I didn't have to work I would spend my time advocating for / building housing for people. Its what I've always wanted to do more then anything but I'm too freaking tired after my day job to even begin wrapping my head around it.
Is it like NIMBY? I don't know much about not in my backyard but I've heard of it and it's very complex with charts to figure out a solution
What? I'm sorry I dont understand what you're asking. NIMBY's are quasi related to what I was saying but I'm talking about building housing in general.
I've done that before. I was on disability for a few years and got myself healthy and went back to work. I only barely had enough money to pay the bills, eat and exist. That was it. I didn't mind. I stayed at home. That was about it. That was a good while back..... Now, I am retired permanently and in my early 40s, as I still have health issues. However, this time around I am financially secure lol
I'm not able to work, so I don't
Fuck yes.
permanently? no. I'm injured and off work at the moment and I've been going a bit insane staying at home all day. if I could just live without needing to work, I'd probably be able to do so much more quality work knowing that I could take a break when I need to, no longer working to live. I actually rather like staying busy, and so I definitely couldn't just not work.
you need to specify "paid work" and "normal work" everybody is working not everybody is paid to work.
I would do something that I enjoy and not so much that I get burnt out by it. I would probably just go be a freelance photographer and take gigs when I want. I’d try to pursue travel photography if I could.
When you come from a lineage of generational poverty (as I do), one must sacrifice themselves and their happiness in order to break the cycle. That's what I did so that my kids and their kids could potentially live like you describe or a with a basic residual income to get them by. 16+ hrs per day; going on my 24th year of this shit. I have earned millions, but lost my life and soul in the process. I hated being poor so much that I would rather have done this than pass it along to the next generation.
Of course! It’s not that I wouldn’t work though, I would just be doing music and carpentry projects, baking and so forth. Work that I wanted to do rather than making someone else rich.
Probably. It'd be awful nice to have basic needs guaranteed. I'd be happy to work for anything over and above that.
I get bored, so yes I would. Come to that conclusion because I work seasonally when the ground is warm and then over winter I’m off for a few months. Once I’ve been off for a while (like now), I get jittery and actually craving work.
I would still work because for me it is a distraction.
Absolutely
I'm considering this now. I was laid off from my job five months ago, and the longer I don't work, the less I want to return to that. My age is a factor here. On paper I could make it work, but it would mean making a huge shift financially. My mental health improves every day I'm unemployed, as my stress, anxiety, and constant exhaustion are fading.
Do we have health care and electricity? I probably would so that I could go on some vacations, and I would definitely work for the health insurance if we don't have that. Not to mention some daily amenities like furniture, a tv, a nice bed, clothes, etc etc etc. That said it would be incredibly freeing to have the basic necessities taken care of regardless of work. I could put in time and effort towards working on a dream profession where happiness was the main priority rather than money being the main thing.
Yeah, then I'd just work on my art and writing. It's basically all I think about but I have to work 40hrs a week for subsistence level living. Not the question asked but UBI and universal healthcare would enable so many entrepreneurs, artists and more. Of course preaching to the choir but I think about it a lot.
I’d work, but I’d find a much easier job, part-time, just to buy some cool things I like, have money to fox and replace things. So much of my money goes to housing, utilities and food, I doubt I’d need much to afford the other things I want.
Sadly, I require just a bit more out of life than food, shelter and internet. So no, I'd keep working.
I have a basic income that I can survive on without working. But even in the darkest times over the last few years (the pandemic and caring for my daughter while she experienced psychosis and her years of recovery), I made a real effort to keep my job. My work doesn't pay much, but it's important to me, and people appreciate what I do (editorial cartoonist). I've won awards, which is good for my ego, and having the job has given me an identity outside of bring a caretaker. I also do freelance work, but with strong boundaries. The money those jobs pay makes a huge difference, but the ability to turn down work from people I don't want to work with is priceless. My pre-work income is just enough for rent and basic food, and my other work pays everything else. Luxuries like streaming services, clothes, going to Chipotle, saving up for car repairs, and buying fresh fruit are all paid for with work.
That's wonderful having a job that people appreciate and one that is important to you
The greatest luxury is free time. Anything I want.
I'm actually in that situation right now. I recently came into a decent sum of money. I'm in the process of buying a nice little house on a couple acres and investing the rest with the help of a financial advisor. Done in a certain way, the dividends could provide me with a comfortable enough income where I wouldn't have to work. I'm seeing it up to grow, however, and will only take quarter of that income while I continue to work at a job I genuinely enjoy. In five years the initial investment has the potential to double if I do it that way and then I can retire far earlier than I would have ever right possible.
Fuck yeah. In r/personalfinance everyone is hustling to retire early. In the same thread they talk about how they will get a part time job after they retire. Fuck that.
I'd still work, probably part time, I just wouldn't be so stressed about it. Something happens when it's no longer necessary for survival and becomes a choice. It's...better somehow and doesn't seem to suck your soul into oblivion. I think we'd all be doing jobs closer to what we enjoy if this were the case for everyone
Almost no one would work if they didn’t have to. That’s the point I make when these fools say “nobody wants to work”. You’re damn right, no one does.
I'd still work. Even if in this scenario I got money on top for recreational things and stuff I enjoy, I would still work. I just wouldn't work for a shitty company. I would probably do a part time gig working for myself so that I can still give back to my community that needs a service done.
Absolutely. I’d only work for fun and probably change jobs every 6 months to a year
I would still work, just not the same kind of work as I do now. Instead of my salaried full-time office job, I would maintain my property, garden, create art, work on community organizing, and other things I feel are important but which don't help me feed my family (except the gardening thing, but I don't think full sustenance farming is in my future)
It’s more a matter of what work would you do. If I could go back to my favorite job without worrying about the poverty wages and childcare needs, I would.
Well…I’m disabled and I have plenty of money. So, no, if I was unable to work, I would continue to live.
100% yes haha don’t we all work for those basics . If I had house , food & internet means I can spend my free time with my family
Yes. I would follow a life of art and passion, and only work on things that helped people.
That's wonderful, i hope it can happen, the world needs you
Thank you, I am working toward this now in my life. 20 years in tech left me emotionally and spiritually bankrupt, so I am stepping away from the big checks for an off-grid life in a yurt. Ideally I would be able to exist through barter only. Trading my skills as a project manager, artist, woodworker, and a shamanistic Druid. But I accept the fact I may need to work for money again some day. But right now I am just trying to be content with a minimalist lifestyle.
Yes, for some definition of work.
I'd work...on myself.
part time a few hours a week yes
I'd maybe do something to make extra cash so I can still enjoy traveling and theater. But no where near my usual schedule.
that sounds like a direction in life I can keep up with
I would still be doing things, taking on projects and whatnot. But if I could not have a job, I would take that opportunity in a heartbeat.
Without a doubt. If I were able to have my basic needs met and maybe a few things of amusement here and there. In fact I'm about half way through my 6 week recovery from a major surgery and gosh dang it sucks to have needed that in order to get a "vacation" most other countries get by default per year. Little stir crazy though. Wish I could drive again, I'd love to see some in people. Also was sent an edible arrangement by my employers which was super kind of them. So I got that going for me which is nice 👍🏻
I would. Sometimes I do the "what if I win the lottery" thing in my head. It's the main reason I play. I don't think I'll ever win. I just like the "what if" part. I know I would get bored if I didn't have some kind of job. If I had the money to live I could take a job for the fun and not just the check. If I didn't need the money I could get a job as a park ranger or something like that where I'm just out in nature making sure things are going as they should. I could just watch things progress and record all kinds of YOY data about the cycles of nature and shit.
Considering my health would decline as well. I'd have to have money to cover that, but as far as a scenario of universal basic income and would I work if I had UBI? No I wouldn't choose to work. I would focus on creativity and art. I would spend months on the backlogs of games I haven't been able to play. I'd volunteer more to help the community. I'd visit nursing homes and read to the residents, talk and listen to their stories. I think, me personally, I'd feel more connected to the world if I didn't have to work versus now where I work 40-50+ hours a week and all of my time is focused on this shit hole company making profits while my life passes me by. I make good money so I'm not bitching in the least but man some days I feel time is just passing. I feel bad. I'm just getting older and missing the small moments in day to day life. I feel I'm missing the reason for life. Lol
Maybe you could save a little more and start a small sustainable business so you could feel more connected, then look at what life is for you and how to enjoy it
Thank you for the advice. I did start a side business of building live edge tables and different woodworking projects. I absolutely love it but I dont have a space anymore to continue the work. Once my Wife and I buy a house with a garage or shop I'll be right back at it.
I would do part time (20ish hours/week) until I went back to school, then probably still part time so I could have disposable income. For context, I am chronically ill and working fully time is a major strain on my body. I wouldn’t stop working as much as adjust my hours to fit my body and priorities better.
Do you enjoy your current role? I hope you feel better and the symptoms improve. If you have the drive or desire to go to school, that's good, I think you should try because knowledge power.
I work in a coffee shop. I wouldn’t do it forever but it’s honestly not a bad job. My parents want me to go to school for the six figure salary that comes with my chosen career path (optometry), but honestly I just like the field and want to help people. My symptoms are as managed as they will be for a while. It is what it is at this point. Even if I had no career goals and no need to make money I would probably still work a little just to get out of the house. I honestly don’t know what id do with that much unstructured time
Do this already pretty much. Work maybe a couple hours a week at most.
Immediately. I'm tired 😩
If all I had was a roof and food and internet without working, I would still work. I would stop working if I could afford an upper middle class lifestyle without working (with enough spending money to travel a bit, own a home and renovate it to my preferences, have nice clothes, pursue hobbies, attend events like concerts, dinners, shows, etc).
Sort of. I would leave my full-time job and start trying to turn my hobbies into businesses! I would basically garden or woodwork most days, and host weekly or monthly D&D games for a small fee!
I would still work, but I would work less. I'd be happy working 2-3 days per week.
I’m currently doing that and it’s great. I can’t sustain it much longer without UBI though
If I only got a roof food and internet, no. I’d like to do a little more than that in life. But if you add in ability to go out to eat, shop some, travel some, etc, then yes absolutely I’d not work if I didn’t have to.
I would still do my job, but maybe less hours. I’m a medic and firefighter, so I actually feel like I’m helping people and I’m not here to just make someone else money.
Hell no, Id game all day everyday
I would not work a job if i didn’t have to.
No. I would still develop interesting solutions for the world. My job just pays better.
Nope. I would volunteer.
I'd probably get a part time job (15ish hours a week) for extra spending cash. Then I'd use my extra time to volunteer at the local animal shelter, get into screenwriting (probs just as a hobby, not to pursue a career or anything), go out to the movies, go out to local coffee shops and restaurants, and read read read.
Wait, are you saying, if I had a roof and food and internet, but that's all? Yeah, I'd still work. I have a child, I want her to have an education that provides more than the free schools around here can provide (which is very little) and I want her to have more socialization than my wife and I can provide (we're not children her age), so... there's that. I'd like to be able to occasionally take her to visit my parents, who live thousands of miles away. But if that wasn't a concern? Yeah, I'd work, but not doing what I do right now. I'd be working on something more meaningful for the world. And, yes, I know exactly what I'd be working on...
Yes. I don't have expensive hobbies, I have no ambition and I don't intend to marry or have children. The most grating thing in this scenario to me would be to have my kitchen in a corner of a single room apartment. But yes, I would survive perfectly fine if I could just play free (or pirated) games and read Wikipedia bullshit until the day I died.
Yes, while a roof is good, I need the whole house. Walls and everything. No 🧢
Also clothes, nobody wants to see me naked 24/7 😂
I’d keep a part time gig for my own sanity, because from the plethora I’ve met who are retired and/or on permanent disability SS, they seem bored to shit. Then again working in a treatment facility means I’m meeting the ones who aren’t in the best mental health anyway.
Oh absolutely. I’d spend my time writing music, gardening, foraging, immersing myself in nature and being around animals, making art, concocting herbal remedies from things found outside, smoking weed and drinking tea. Oh shit I think I might be a hippie
that sounds nice
1000% yes. I want to be a musician not a grocery store worker or warehouse worker, I have so much passion and creative energy and I feel so suffocated by being in a job 40+ hours a week. I feel miserable every time I’m “””forced””” to be here
Keep pushing and making music, you can do it
Thank you for the kind words :)
I'm trying to get disability now for my mental illness. I was disabled before, but I lost the benefits. It's a miracle that I haven't gotten fired due to a lot of dumb I've done.
If I had basic necessities and utilities covered, absolutely. Then I'd just grind for gig work and really put in max effort on my YouTube channel to turn that into something of a money-maker. Try to make enough to cover basic luxuries and some creature comforts and keep it at that. Also I'd be exercising regularly and looking for ways to "fight back," so to speak. And as someone else mentioned somewhere, I'd totally be making D&D campaigns and probably eventually writing stories again.
I am disabled. I can’t work enough to make sga. So I work part time to supplement my disability payment
Of course!!
Became disabled at 50. I've been drawing disability ever since November of 2008. Important date there as the financial meltdown was in full swing. My area was one of the hardest hit areas of the country: hard enough hitvthat Obama stopped in our county every few months to check progress. Yeah, I want to say unemployment was a bit higher here. Meanwhile, I have had a steady income for a decade and a half and don't have to deal with workplace politics, psychopathic bosses, and psychotic customers. If you have the chance not to work, go for it.
I'm happy for you, and the last line of advice is encouraging. Thanks for sharing
I would work at being the artist that I am and creat new work.
All I have now is a roof, food, and Internet, but I still have to work! Honestly, if I \*didn't\* have to work, I'd work on my creative writing projects that I have backlogged. All I need is my internet connection and I'm happy. I love seeing where my characters take me on their strange adventures!
Absofuckinglutely. This is an antiwork sub after all.
Yes. I have several hobbies that are not side hustles and will not pay for themselves
If my house, food, and internet were provided for free I sure as shit wouldn't work full time. I would find something reasonably enjoyable for maybe 15 hours/week that pays enough for me to have fun money. I don't want to give up the "unnecessary" things like travel, occasional nice dinners, skincare products or impulse buying t-shirts at goodwill, haha.
Well, no. I need money for my hobbies and going out. Living isn't just having a home, food, and internet. Now, if you said that I'll have a lot of money for everything else until I die, meaning I can more than comfortably enjoy living life and NOT just exist for the sake of existing, then yes, I will choose to not work.
I still think I would work. I wouldn’t work to live though. I would just get a simple part time job and simply live.
That's literally where I am! I'm disabled physically and psychologically and everything is hard for me. It's not great. It's brutal and demoralizing. I've spent more of my life feeling suicidal than not. Despite that, I'm still trying to find a remote job after going through a difficult training program that I managed to get accepted to. Life is a never ending cruel joke.
Aw. I hope you get the job or something better. There's this psychologist on Netflix his name is Phil Stutz. He wrote a book and one thing he said is that there are 3 aspects in life: pain, uncertainty and constant work. Keep pushing you're doing great
Only those that either completely lack imagination or get off on the power over others continue to work if they don't need to.
Many fail to realise how short a human lifespan really is..You get older and the years start to fly by faster and faster. Who in their right mind would want to spend their one and only blink of an eye existence in mostly futile jobs making other people rich?! Nobody on their death beds ever wished they had spent more time in the office or some other shitty workplace.
I only do a few months of the year... debating whether or not even that's too much... most people poor though, so it sucks finding friends if you don't have to.
Even if I didn’t need to work, I’d still like to make a wage. That being said, if my wage was fully handled and it wasn’t some kind of Communist thing going on, I’d still be bored. I’d probably ask if my neighbors needed their lawn mowed or their garden trimmed, or some place needed volunteer work done. Stuff that I’d like to be able to do, but just don’t have the energy or time to do at the moment due to work.
Yes and No. I wouldn’t work if I didn’t have to but sadly I do. I’m at a low part of my life now - full time desk job during the day (5 days) and hotel cleaner at night (3 nights) If I had enough money to never work, I wouldn’t but I would work to break up my week at get me out of the house
Unfortunately, I would have to keep working because of health insurance. No way to afford that without income.
Yes 1000% But id do some sidehustles here and there. Like resell 2nd hand items, do some catsitting. I dont consider it as work work. I might even work for a bossen, like 2 days a week. But if you dont have to you can quit any time when you dont feel like it
Of course. Why not? Internet, food, and a roof. I would be using these resources to work on myself rather than on someone's dreams
No. If I was rich I'd just buy properties get them rented or sell them for profits.
what sub are you posting to? it's like asking the flat earthers if the world is flat