After working for a large corporate for 10 years I go the opportunity to take voluntary redundancy. I had been hoping for such an opportunity for some time. The payout was good and we could survive for 18 months if need be, but the reason for my post is that although I didn’t enjoy the work, I was always on the go and busy.

I have been at home for 1.5 weeks now and I feel totally lost with what to do with myself. I don’t want to rush back into another role doing the same sort of stuff as I know that will drive me nuts.

Very strange situation and wasn’t how I anticipated I would feel once I walked out the door for the last time.

Find another job?
Do some volunteer work?
Ride a long way on your bike?
Start studying something you are interested in?

Read all those novels you always meant to read.

Buy the paper every day, catch up on world events.

Ride your bike.

Do an OU course, there are loads of free ones that only take an hour a week.

Of course, you have already done all the housework, shopping and mean planning for the week ?

Do some volunteer work at your local drop-in centre for the elderly.

Are you kidding? the sun is out, get out there on 2 wheels every day all day.

You must have a list of stuff that the wife’s left you to get on with?

As a semi-retired/househusband/pro fettler I always have a list of “chores” to do. Today it’s put the scaffold up and crack on with some window varnishing.

I’ve wasted enough time doing emails and installing a new chromebox computer, now I need to get a shift on and make it look like Ive done something constructive before the wife get’s home from the office and beats me with a mop handle tuts.

I know there are plenty of things that I could be doing, but I reckon I might be a little depressed as I don’t have any interest to do very much.

Make a plan !

I’ve had a few periods of gardening leave and unless you make a plan 3-6 months goes very quickly and you’ve done not a great deal.

I did a list of 50 things to do for my 50th, some big, some small. Do the same. You’ve three or four months of great weather, make a list of places to ride your bike and get going, etc etc.

I took a little time off and just treated it like any other holiday- rode my bike tons, did some local touristing, kept it low budget but just spent the time, basically. Lovely. Did a bit of volunteering but all of the nonserious “just helping out” sort, didn’t want to commit to anything. So 3-4 weeks of intentionally not doing much, I’d planned a couple of decent size diy jobs which gave it a little productivity.

Then after the holiday, kept on doing a lot of that stuff but started looking at vacancies etc with an eye to spotting things I was really keen to do, and also to deciding things I didn’t. Did apply for a couple but mostly it was preparation and planning, writing a couple of versions of my CV, stuff like that.

And then over time looking for work sort of became a part time job

I’m surprised you can still see

I am waiting to hear back from the local bridleway clearing team as I want to go and volunteer my time in clearing some local bridleways. They have said they will train me up to use the equipment. That should be different.

beats me with a mop handle

Weekend treat coming early this week Stoner? 8)

Not unusual when you step out a role like that, it could be depression but IANAD. Anyhoo it can be rectified by setting out some specific things to do, get a list going with long term, short term and opportunistic things you would like to do. Set yourself a ‘holiday’ time say 3-4 weeks during which you do stuff like that. Then after that you structure your day as you wish, put some time in to job hunt, network etc.
If I can be so blunt, sometimes its not the job its the person and no matter what role they are in they will struggle to not blow themselves up or go the extra mile. I am one of them, i retired briefly and my approach to doing the grass was like I was trying to deliver a £5m project to the highest quality. I know that now so struggled like you did. Best of luck and really really try and enjoy your options, that’s what it is, options.

I understand completely – I (probably) retired in February and the lack of focus took a couple of months or so to dissipate.
Now I’m quite content to potter around doing the odd jobs as Stoner described. What helped me most was a couple of short holidays away from home which provided a break from the feeling of ennui and allowed me to return and fit into the new life.
So I’d advise a short holiday away from home, to see if that helps.

Get yourself a project, whether that be strip, service and re-build your bike. Decorate a room in your home or something more involved is up to you.

Look at re-training or doing some training in something you are interested in, as this is a bike forum so I’ll suggest bike maintenance. However in true STW stereo typing you could look at coffee making, tree surgery and or graphic design involving rainbows.

Get out there and do the stuff you always wanted to but work got in teh way.

flanagaj – Member
we could survive for 18 months if need be

go and survive in thailand for 10 years! 😆

Personally I’d be going to the gym for 1-2 hours every morning if I didn’t work. Join a Crossfit box and start the day with a WoD. That will get you fired up for the rest of the day….

I know there are plenty of things that I could be doing, but I reckon I might be a little depressed as I don’t have any interest to do very much.

I reckon the BIG issue is that you don’t know what the future holds, so you are deep down worried about that. I certainly couldn’t relax knowing Ive got 18mths before I need to be earning proper money again, so wouldn’t have dared to take a year off. Personally, Id take a fortnight or at most a month off and get another job, or open a business…. pronto!

That way the money can go towards taking off time when you eventually retire and this would mean you could retire earlier! 8)

I think getting away from home is a good option. As people have mentioned, expecting to clear your head after 10 years working in the city takes time. I joked that I felt like the poor librarian guy in the Shawshank Redemption who cannot integrate back into society after so long in prison. You do become a little institutionalized after so long with one company and in the same role!

I have a 5 day bikepacking trip planned. North Wales to South Wales.

I even had the Tour Divide on the bucket list! Not sure that is a good idea though as your mental state does come into play on that one!

as above, spot on. You need a focus & re-establish some routine/challenge for the day. So get up early, go to the gym/pool, have a coffee then study/read/meet friends/ride/clear some pathways.

There are loads of lonely pensioners out there who need shopping/chores/even just a tap on the window. If I were bored in Uk I’d set up a care agency, single pensioners feel isolated in their own homes & need help with things you consider easy – window cleaning, gardening etc.

I’ve been doing v little for ages, I could q easily fill my day doing it!

Start gambling

I reckon the BIG issue is that you don’t know what the future holds, so you are deep down worried about that.

Subconsciously, I think you might be right, but don’t feel ready to make any decisions yet regarding going back into employment. My plan was to take time out to clear my head and hopefully get some clarity as to what it is I really want to do.

Maybe I just need to accept that it is going to take time. The tricky part is making sure I stay active and don’t spend all my time rattling around indoors.

You’ve not mentioned any hobbies other than cycling. Did your work not allow you the time to have any? Maybe use the time to start doing something interesting/creative or something you have a passion for and allow that to define you rather than being defined by what you do for a living (and then feeling lost as you’re not working!) At the very least get out on your bike!

To be honest I’ve got so many hobbies/interests the fact I have to work is just a bloody nuisance. I’d love to be in your position.

I had 4 months off work last year due to stress from an ongoing grievance and ended up in a similar position which I now look back on and realise was depression.
I wasted a lot of time just sat indoors feeling low and without the desire to do anything. Things only perked up when the work situation got sorted out and I was facing a return to work. Once I had that plan in place, I was able to focus my attention on making the most of the time off I had.
I booked a trip and got away for a week to clear away the past and start afresh.

The best thing I can suggest for you is to sit down with your calendar and put in a “back to work” date for 18 months time and plan. Insert dates such as “update cv”, “start looking for work” etc. Over estimate so you give yourself enough time to theoretically find work.
Once you have that in place, you’ve probably only got 12-15 months. Plan in the things you want to do.
You mentioned the Tour Divide which is about to start now. Why not plan for the 2016 edition in 12 months? Set a training plan with shorter endurance trips leading up to being on the start line in 2016.
What’s stopping you loading the bike and heading into Europe now to see how far you get?

The biggest change to my mental attitude this year has been using the google calendar on my phone and setting up trips, weekends away, nights out etc but putting them all in the diary. When I then switch to the “schedule” view, I seem to have loads to look forward to and all the empty dates in-between fade away.

@flanagaj

You’re me, only 6 years ago – I walked out of RBS after a decade with a big pile of cash and too much time on my hands – what are your commitments like? Kids / Partner?

I was single at the time – as I saw it, I had two choices – get a job straight away, or at least before the cash ran out – dark times in 2009 of course, or piss off down the Alps for the season.

I decided that I’d do the sensible thing and try to get a job – 2 weeks later I crashed hard, spent 3 weeks in Hospital and another 9 months as an out patient in recovery – I finally went back to work penniless.

Anyway, the point being – there are very, very few times in your life when you’ll have the time to do whatever you want – not so much the money – money is just time in a transferrable format anyway, If I were you I’d take and adventure – you could, like I considered spend the summer lift season in the Alps living like a summer Seasonaire and come home fitter and faster than ever ready to get back into work, or do something non-bike related.

It’ll change your life 😉

I think its normal to be a bit in shock with the change. I found the first few weeks it did not feel as if I had ‘escaped’ it just felt like just some holiday leave and took ages to change to a long term freedom.

What struck me most when made redundant was just how institutionalised people become without noticing – loosing independent thought about how to plan our lives, expecting things to just be squeezed in around the structure of work demands of those who employ us. Obviously we need jobs or some reasonable source of income (pensions, self employed, redundancy money, inheritance, whatever) but I had not realised just how utterly conditioned to obedience/compliance some of us become – I guess really it starts at school where being an individual is strongly discouraged. It took me at least 6 months after leaving a significantly long term employer to start thinking fully independently, which is shocking really. I have been really lucky in that I have been able to financially provide myself with a career break. It changes outlook so much. Its like finding yourself again.

By chance a couple of acquaintances became unemployed, so I have watched them come to terms with having more personal freedom (of a kind, given high stress of low incomes), then with going back into formalised occupations.

While unemployed one of them was doing a lot of charity shop work for free (own choice, not government encouraged) and what was fascinating was how, despite being a VOLUNTEER, in less than a month he was saying things like ‘my boss is refusing to let me have any leave next month'(he has no formal leave allocation or card as he is unpaid), ‘I am only allowed to wear what my boss approves of’ and ‘I had to explain to her I have a medical appointment in 2 weeks before I could get the time off’. He is not paid, has no employment contract and yet he has moved totally back into ‘I have to do everything I am told without questioning it’ mode. He dislikes his boss, yet refuses to move to a different charity as a volunteer as ‘I must not let her down’. I respect and agree he needs to give fair notice for not serving in the shop out of decency but other than that I find the obedient compliance to any passing authority figure so scary. How many of us really realise how controlled we are and how hard it is to re-form ourselves to full self sufficiency?

The other acquaintance became employed by a dodgy company who did not bother to pay her for 3 months, leaving her and her children in massive debt. I checked them out and found the company worked with schools all over the country and were cited in many local newspapers for not paying their sub-contracted staff for weeks or months – it was how the company was run, not a single error. I told her about this and she then proceeded to tell me that her boss and in turn his boss ‘would not lie to me, its just an error’. After repeated weeks of no pay I said why are you going in doing full shifts for no money when its already over 8 weeks since you have been paid a penny. Her response again was ‘I have to, its my job, I can’t let the firm down’.
Eventually the headmaster forced a payment from the company. He had not known for weeks as the sub contracted staff were scared if they told him the sub contacting company would sack them – which would seem to be an advantage in my view.

Human behaviour is scary. We are brain washed from school onwards to be obedient and not even notice it. Its not surprising some people have initial difficulty finding a life and who they are when not under the command of a ‘boss’.

Don’t worry about being a bit lost, it takes a while to find out who you are and what you want. It will happen though 🙂 But when you get a job, keep hold of the self awareness if you can.

Just had the same experience.

first 2 weeks extremely weird, then I realised how f’ing excellent it was to see the kids every morning and evening, ride bike, trail build and walk dog in the glorious outdoors. F’ing awesome.

so –
1) ENJOY IT! you might never get this time again.
2) Consider all options for ‘waht next’ – write a list of what you want to get out of work, and what kind of work that might be, then explore those options FULLY

Thats it.

But mainly – enjoy it.

Lucky bugger. 🙂

Whatever you do, don’t start playing World of Warcraft – it’s real time sucker!

You’ve come from an environment (I assume) with a fair amount of structure & now you have none – it’s understandable that you’re feeling a bit lost.

You need to decide if you actually want to go back to doing the same thing again or if a change of direction is what you want.

If it’s the former, I’d start looking now – it’s takes 30-60 minutes a day to review the job boards & fire off emails / CVs etc. and you have the rest of the day for hobbies.

If it’s the latter then dedicate the same amount of time each day to planning that – then more hobbies…

The saddest thing for me about reading this thread is realising just how dependent we all are on work and how many dreams are left unfulfilled…..

OP you arehaving a laugh?

This is the optimum weather time and ideal for a camping trip/taking a break.

A few years back I found myself out of work in June so I rode almost daily. Infact I did ride daily. I started off with Espresso in the garden with Croissants, read the papers then headed out. Back early afternoon and did a few hours job searching.

We even went on Eurostar to Paris.

Why not? Whilst working you are stressing and not really relaxing in your annual leave (well I wasn’t).

I took last summer off after a long and stressful contract. Rode lots, pottered lots, read lots (work and non work stuff), started to write the book I’d promised to do for years and found I didn’t really enjoy it. After three months, started t feel guilty and looked for a new contract. You do sometimes begin to feel a bit ‘two stream’ with all your mates working while you are slacking. It’s weird really that you feel guilt because you’re not in a job that might or might not have any real purpose!

I don’t want t do that again. Not mentally set up to not be working. So now I’ve fallen into working for two or three customers three or four days a week. Enough to pay the bills, pretty low stress, not much travelling and when I fancy a day off (like BPW yesterday) or want to spend a day pottering mindlessly, then I can do that guilt free…

There’s some good advice in this thread. End of the day tho, only you know what’ll make you happy. Fairly sure it’s not going straight back to work……

Done the redundancy after extended periods of corporate life. Best thing I’ve learned is to take a good long holiday as soon as possible. No use to anyone, including yourself, if you haven’t got the last job out of your system. 🙂

Bang on/correct ^

I was just looking on the chalk board in the kitchen. It reads.

1) Make gate for front garden
2) Base jumping
3) Padi diving course
4) Get Yachtmasters certificate
5) Tour Divide

Plenty there to keep me busy. The above sort of makes me think a 9-5 office job is maybe not what I should go back too. Trouble is, after 15 years as a java developer in financial services it’s bloody hard to think outside the box. Even though you don’t want to go back to it, the thought of doing anything different with your life seems a million miles away. Very weird.

4) Get Yachtmasters certificate

You’ve got your answer right there.

Next one starts in a couple of weeks so you’d better hurry – Fourteen week Professional Yachtmaster Course

Could even be the start of a new career….

When I was made redundant I painted our kitchen units and did a lot of necessary work in the garden, things I would have never had time for whilst working. I also did 3x my average mileage during that time, for once I could kept up with the fast boys in the road club.
I also spent a few hours a day looking for my next job / researching a career change.
As others have said, best thing is to write it down and give yourself some structure instead of going cold turkey.

Start gambling

after 10 years working in the city

He was doing that in his last job… 😉

I took voluntary 4 weeks ago. Its only now I’ve enough time to look for a job. That’ll have to wait until Friday now as going to Innerleithan tomorrow. 8)

OP don’t feel guilty that your off- I treated the first two weeks as a holiday- next week I’ve got a list of odd jobs I need to do, restore a car, build a website, look for work, get fit etc. Keep positive and active!

You need to ask? On a mountain bike forum? In the summer?

Get out and ride FFS!!!!!!

When I was out of work, it was the only thing that kept me sane. I’d do my job hunting/responsible thing, then mosy down to the station (when the tide of workers had subsided) and jump on a train to somewhere hilly, and go and play for the day.

It was the fittest I’ve ever been my whole adult life!*

*Everything is relative, obviously

Buy a British sports car, that’ll keep you busy or build a kit car.

Take the opportunity to retrain, so you can back into work doing something you enjoy.

I’d kill for a VR offer right now. I hate virtually everything about my job and career!