It has been three days since I started experimenting with a 9-5 job. For the record, I don’t have a 9-5 job and have never been working a 9-5. I enjoy working with freedom and deciding how much I work and make. Sometimes I don’t make much but that’s enough to help me survive day to day. Since I also treat most of my job like hobbies, they are surely making something worth like a hobby. I want to know how much I can make when I stop treating my skills and expertise as a hobby.
The problem when you’re becoming a freelance or independent contractor is that it can get difficult if you are not disciplined. Meanwhile 9-5 offers this structured and scheduled routine. You also get a salary at a certain date of the month for x amount of your work and worth. It sounds good for security but even then people are still wanting to break the 9-5 chain.
Why is that so? I don’t know and that’s something I want to find out and experience.
From what I recall, some of the people I encountered mentioned they just hate the work and not living up to their potential. They also hate how it is monotonous and tedious. But there are others who enjoy the 9-5 because Checkout mentality. Meaning they want to get a salary so they’re able to shop their favorite items or things they always wanted to buy. Sure, there are other reasons for this but mostly it’s all about financial security. But are they truly financially secure?
Anyhow, from my experience, the first two days I failed. The first day I managed to show up to my imaginary 9-5 job but I wandered off after 40 minutes working due groceries and I was distracted. The second day, I woke up late and decided to skip the job. I am pretty sure by now, if I have a real boss, they would have fired me. I think the 9-5 life is not easy as it looks. You spend almost 8 hours in the office sitting in a cubicle doing some mundane work. Sometimes you have to deal with customers and only get 30-60 minutes break/day. It’s gruesome. I can’t even sit for 4 hours in the same spot without moving around. Most of my school year, I can never sit still for 2 hours and I would rather spend my time elsewhere than inside the class. Imagine having a 9-5 job where I am required to stay long hours in my spot. The thought of it is just gruesome.
This is my third day of doing this experiment. I managed to show up on time, showered but honestly, I still leave so many thoughts including dirty laundry, dishes, messy room and whether I want to have my morning coffee or tea. Maybe I can do that during the coffee break. But at least, showing up on time and starting working are kicking off my momentum. Who knows I would really enjoy the 9-5 and it helped me train my discipline.
Still, I genuinely wonder. Why are you doing 9-5? Let me know in the comment section.
~ Signing out
You should be grateful for not being constricted to get a 9-5. It's exactly that's why most of them hate their jobs. They have to be there on time, work on targets quite often and smile when they shouldn't quite often. I have been able to survive for almost three years without a regular job and hope to live this way for as long as possible. I don't have high life expectations and am not surrounded by many things and wishes.
I am deeply grateful but people around me are giving me FOMO. Though to be honest, I am quite happy with everything I have and well, I do have big ambitions so stuck in 9-5 won't do it. It's also great that you're able to live comfortably doing what you do. It reminds me of my mom who keeps telling me, have enough to live comfortably and debt free.
Let me let you in on a little secret, there's only one thing you need to do on a 9 to 5 job - sit in front of your computer by 9am. For the rest of the day you can surf the internet, read all the gozz and do your online shopping, take as many toilet and coffee breaks as you like, chit chat with colleagues as long as you don't do it for too long. The most important thing is put a little mirror next to your screen so you can see your manager creep up behind you.
ooh so that's how it works? I thought you were supposed to do serious deep work for 8 hours straight ! I am not really sure though what kind of serious work but I am assuming it's highly serious.
I worked kinda sorta 9-5 for most of about 30 years. But mostly on my terms. Once in a while I'd get into a real position of need and have to take what was available that day...
I had a specialty that I really liked. Heavy equipment mechanic, and I was very good at it, along with a great reputation.
But I'd take contracts that interested me on a fairly regular basis. I did some work with water hydraulics and sprinkler control, owned a coffee shop, managed a club, owned a cleaning (janitorial) service.
Like you, I'm pretty sure I couldn't have survived 10 years at one job. I'd move (generally) before things got really sour.
oh tell me more about owning a coffee shop? how did it go? was it profitable? do you have a post about that particular experience?
Haven't worked 9-5 or for someone else in 29 years. LOL. Self employed and loving it.
True ! self-employed is the best way ^^ but cause I am just 22, I am truly curious what it's like working 9-5
It's good to experience how the sheeple live. 😉 Makes you more effective in business, and more thoughtful & compassionate as a human being. A few months is long enough tho!!!
I had never thought that after graduating I would be working 9-5. It wasn't my thing either. At some point, I took part in teaching in university, where actually it requires to work more than 8 hours a day; couple hours teaching, then you have to do some counseling, some researches with number of research group and so on.
Sometime I feel so fed up about this routine that I took few days off before restarting everything. What make me stay in the job is because there are so much fun working with the youngster, teaching is actually way of learning for myself too. When they - my students- accomplish something, I feel prouder than they are, I guess :D
But then you have to make sacrifices : load of dirty laundry that you could only do it at night or even once a week, less time for cooking - which I enjoy much , less time for leisure with my family, unless I am really well manage my time, which still far from perfect
I suppose if you love what you do, that doesn't matter ! but 9-5 is usually having bad connotation. People hate their job and wanting to quit it and gain freedom though not many can figure out what they truly mean by freedom and think through of its implication.
sure its true. I did think of quitting in my first years of working, but decided to stay while looking for what actually I wanna be doing. And I end up staying :D
I am happy for you !
Any work can be done easily with pleasure and enjoyment. And there is no such thing as success in monotonous work.