Speaking as someone who decidedly overworked and burned out - and speaking only about the excerpt - usually it is best to slow down and take longer to get where you want to go. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Run slower, and stay at your best longer.
Couldn’t agree more.
I turn 66 early next year and will take full SS while continuing to work. I’ve been in IT since 1983 and contracting most of those years. It means I didn’t take many vacations and mostly did three day weekends, etc.
But next year I’ll start taking more time off to visit relatives around the country. And that’s because, in preparation for retirement, we moved from Seattle to A 32 acre “hobby farm” in central KY 8 years ago. It is 8 acres of “lawn” and the rest is woods, valleys and streams. I love to create paths and bike trails. It’s what I alrady do in much of my spare time. And I also can play bass in any band for any kind of music (except rap) and I teach Sunday School. I also am finally working on a large shop (I can build anything I want without a building permit in this county) and can do furniture refinishing, speaker building and other custom wood work. Once the mortgage is paid off (it should be pretty quick) I’ll quit my day job altogether and focus on all this other stuff that I greatly enjoy doing.
We’re even looking at getting a mini-van to tour the country for a month at a time. The fun part is that this is all very CHEAP.
I burned out at 57, a full decade later than everyone else in my sector of the tech industry.
I’m having a good time. Exercising like a mad man, taking care of the house and Mom. Every chore is done every day. Gardening, photography, range time, fishing, chopping wood, boxing, reading, friends, family, etc.
Might be time to go pick up some work for fun.