Escaping the Rat Race and Wage Slavery

I've been rather frustrated with work lately. Though I make a comfortable enough living, the hours are long, and I'm tired of office politics. Though I try my best to keep my own team and everyone I interact with in high spirits, morale is low due to the long hours, short weekends, strenuous work, low pay, and the aloof or shitty attitudes of other supervisors and managers. I have my own designs on how to improve our situation, but it involves going against certain concepts and procedures which have been hammered into the minds of the old guard and the higher-ups.

I often find myself daydreaming of what I'd do if I'd won the lottery, or if I sold my house, quit my my job, and retired to somewhere much more affordable and desirable. Life is much too ****ing short to work one's life away, I feel.

How often do you think about this? Specifically, what would you do, and where would you go? How many of you have acted on such a desire, and left something behind to take a chance somewhere else? Did it work out?

Discuss.

I left the first world to work in a first world role in the third world EI because life in the west is so shitty. I was in a managing director role there and im still in a managing director role now.

Originally posted by Putinbot1
I left the first world to work in a first world role in the third world EI because life in the west is so shitty. I was in a managing director role there and im still in a managing director role now.

Are you married? Children? Those type of things are supposed to make it a bit more bearable I hear. I'd break my back for 14 hours a day if I was coming home to a family.

I was married for just shy of five years to an old friend I'd dated for two years. We didn't have any children, nor did I want them. I was the sole provider due to her immigration status. I grew frustrated with the marriage because of this, feeling as though I bore the yoke of responsibility on my own. Before we were married and moved in together, I was working over 100 hours a week between my current job and another to save up to buy a home. After we married, I cut it down to about 80, then dropped the second job altogether once we had paid off some debt from home repairs and furnishings. We divorced, but remain good friends.

I've realized that a major factor in my unhappiness was due to the amount of time I spent working. I've worked 18 hour shifts before to get caught up or stay ahead, and I've made several changes to the way we do things to improve our speed and efficiency. I had no problem doing so when it felt like it was there was purpose behind it, but I've come to realize that it means **** all to the managers a tier above me, and several of my peers would rather pass the buck instead of getting more involved, with the big picture in mind. I still work an average of about 60-70 hours a week, and I've grown tired of it.

I'm in my mid-30s, feeling like I've wasted my youth on mindless responsibility...just another cog in the machine expected to turn, nothing more, nothing less. So, I've been playing with the idea of selling my house now that it has quite a bit of equity, moving somewhere I can buy a new place in full and the cost of living is cheap, keep a few thousand dollars in the bank, and work part-time to pay for a few basic necessities and amenities.

So far, I've looked at a places in Europe, but I've taken more interest in a few towns near Cancun, Mexico that are apparently popular with expatriates. Though my own Spanish is a little rusty, I understand it just fine. Increased violent crime related to the drug-trade is a concern, but it doesn't seem much more dangerous than living in Los Angeles or even the largest cities here in Colorado.

You were working 100+ hour weeks? Lucky you didn’t end up with a sudden, acute case of karoshi.

Now I personally don’t have to do much work to make a living and I can’t imagine working 80+ hour weeks. Hell, I couldn’t stand 40 hour weeks.

I was working over 100 hours in the Spring and Summer of 2011 and 2012, and over 80 hours in Autumn and Winter. I quit the second job by Summer of 2013, and maintained 50-66 hour work weeks until I got promoted in 2015, and it jumped up to 60-70 hour work weeks.

I'd never heard of karoshi before, but I have heard of people literally working themselves to death. I'm perpetually sleep-deprived, and my diet wasn't great while I was working both jobs. I didn't have much time to eat after my lunch at my first job, and if I did manage to eat something at my second job, it was usually sugary/salty snacks or fast food.

My best friend attributes my survival and ability to function under such circumstances to my Mexican blood. 😂

I've done 100 hour weeks before myself having been a chef for 12 years, you don't get time to do anything, coming back to a filthy home with pizza boxes and takeaway cartons everywhere is not good at all. It's kind of a double edged sword I think, with a wife and kids you would likely come home to a clean house with a decent meal on the table/in the oven but when you're putting in those kind of hours all you want to do is come home, defecate, eat, smoke and then sleep (maybe rub one out before sleep if you've got time).

Originally posted by samhain
I've done 100 hour weeks before myself having been a chef for 12 years, you don't get time to do anything, coming back to a filthy home with pizza boxes and takeaway cartons everywhere is not good at all. It's kind of a double edged sword I think, with a wife and kids you would likely come home to a clean house with a decent meal on the table/in the oven but when you're putting in those kind of hours all you want to do is come home, defecate, eat, smoke and then sleep (maybe rub one out before sleep if you've got time).

Working that much is no way to live life. It took a toll on my marriage and well-being. I was exhausted and depressed all the time. I wanted to go out and have fun, but at the same time, all I wanted to do was lay around at home and sleep.

I think that if you have ideas on how to improve things at work, do it.

Here is a list of things to get your idea or ideas greenlit:

1. First, schedule a meeting with your higher ups that can approve your ideas. Don't go into details too much in the meeting invite but definitely schedule it and set an explicit agenda no larger than 5 items.

2. Prepare a business case. Justify it with numbers that follow the SMART model. Answer a few question in the business case:
Does this new process save money?
Does it increase revenue?
What is the ROI (aim for less than 6 months on small initiatives or less than 2 years on large ones).
Do you have team support for this (have you evangelized the idea to your peers)?
Is there a steep learning curve to get this idea/project off the ground and start seeing efficiencies from it?
What is the organizational impact?
Are there legal considerations?
Are there regulatory considerations?
Can this effort be capitalized (and/or will we have to acquire new assets, implement a cloud solution, acquire licensing, hire professional services, etc.)?
What is the full timeline with details in the timeline?

3. Practice your presentation with peers and family members. Find an a-hole friend who will ask you very hard hitting questions that poke holes in your idea.

4. Hold the meeting.

5. Deliver the utter living shit out of your idea and be a try charismatic leader to make this idea work.

6. Improve morale, working hours, etc. for everyone and make yourself happier.

7. Now that you've succeed with your idea in your company, they are far far far far more likely to approve another idea as long as you've done legit legwork like before. Now you have more opportunities to improve work. Go back to step 1.

Often, what the reality is, you don't understand everything at play and your idea is stupid as hell. You are just too ignorant to realize this. The new idea you have will be shit and change nothing. Worse, it will waste money, time, and harm the business. HOWEVER!!!!!! Sometimes, a person comes up with a great idea, saves money, or makes a crapload of money. Put some time into your idea. Really do the legwork. See if your idea is legit or if you're in the former camp of crappy ideas. Make it happen.

Take control of your future, don't wallow in mediocrity and depression. Make a difference. Be bold. Make change happen.

Originally posted by Eternal Idol
I've been rather frustrated with work lately. Though I make a comfortable enough living, the hours are long, and I'm tired of office politics. Though I try my best to keep my own team and everyone I interact with in high spirits, morale is low due to the long hours, short weekends, strenuous work, low pay, and the aloof or shitty attitudes of other supervisors and managers. I have my own designs on how to improve our situation, but it involves going against certain concepts and procedures which have been hammered into the minds of the old guard and the higher-ups.

I often find myself daydreaming of what I'd do if I'd won the lottery, or if I sold my house, quit my my job, and retired to somewhere much more affordable and desirable. Life is much too ****ing short to work one's life away, I feel.

How often do you think about this? Specifically, what would you do, and where would you go? How many of you have acted on such a desire, and left something behind to take a chance somewhere else? Did it work out?

Discuss.

Originally posted by Eternal Idol
I've seen you mention some of your travels, Whirly. It sounds like you're much happier now. What was the biggest relief which came from the move? Is there anything you miss about your old life in the West?

Originally posted by dadudemon
I think that if you have ideas on how to improve things at work, do it.

Here is a list of things to get your idea or ideas greenlit:

1. First, schedule a meeting with your higher ups that can approve your ideas. Don't go into details too much in the meeting invite but definitely schedule it and set an explicit agenda no larger than 5 items.

2. Prepare a business case. Justify it with numbers that follow the SMART model. Answer a few question in the business case:
Does this new process save money?
Does it increase revenue?
What is the ROI (aim for less than 6 months on small initiatives or less than 2 years on large ones).
Do you have team support for this (have you evangelized the idea to your peers)?
Is there a steep learning curve to get this idea/project off the ground and start seeing efficiencies from it?
What is the organizational impact?
Are there legal considerations?
Are there regulatory considerations?
Can this effort be capitalized (and/or will we have to acquire new assets, implement a cloud solution, acquire licensing, hire professional services, etc.)?
What is the full timeline with details in the timeline?

3. Practice your presentation with peers and family members. Find an a-hole friend who will ask you very hard hitting questions that poke holes in your idea.

4. Hold the meeting.

5. Deliver the utter living shit out of your idea and be a try charismatic leader to make this idea work.

6. Improve morale, working hours, etc. for everyone and make yourself happier.

7. Now that you've succeed with your idea in your company, they are far far far far more likely to approve another idea as long as you've done legit legwork like before. Now you have more opportunities to improve work. Go back to step 1.

Often, what the reality is, you don't understand everything at play and your idea is stupid as hell. You are just too ignorant to realize this. The new idea you have will be shit and change nothing. Worse, it will waste money, time, and harm the business. HOWEVER!!!!!! Sometimes, a person comes up with a great idea, saves money, or makes a crapload of money. Put some time into your idea. Really do the legwork. See if your idea is legit or if you're in the former camp of crappy ideas. Make it happen.

Take control of your future, don't wallow in mediocrity and depression. Make a difference. Be bold. Make change happen.

I'm all about being the best I can be and making a difference. I've been very vocal about my ideas in the past, got buy-in from my partners and peers, and sold it to management. The changes I made remain in use today, even though I run another department now, because they are more efficient than what we did before. I'm open to constructive criticism, and I can accept it when there is a flaw in one of my plans. I sincerely believe the next big change I'm pushing for would improve our performance and flow, while saving money by reducing labor hours and overtime. The few who have disagreed with me can't give me a good answer why it wouldn't work, but can only say that it's contrary to what we've normally done in the past, and it would affect arbitrary numbers which have no real value other than to make the reports look good.

I even had an interesting exchange with the district manager a few months ago. This was during a time when our volume was so overwhelming, our teams were working six days a week for months, and we had to get outside help. It went something like this:

DM: "Hey, I see everyone in motion, but I'm not seeing a whole lot of progress..."
Me: "That's because we're focused on x."
DM: "I see...but wouldn't it be more efficient and beneficial overall to do y? I mean, x is already behind, what harm is another day?"
Me: "Yes, it most certainly would be. I was instructed to focus on x, but if I have your approval, I can get redirect the crews to focus on y immediately."
DM: "Yeah, let's do that. We'll eventually have to get back to x, but keeping y under control is absolutely critical, especially now."

A few days later, I'd asked him the same question I'd been asking everyone else: why is so much importance place on completing x, when focusing on y makes everything else so much easier, including x. He didn't have an answer for me, and said he'd have to ask corporate headquarters because he couldn't think of any good reason himself. "It's just something we've always done" doesn't explain how it benefits our productivity or profitability. I'm convinced this is just plain stubborness and resistance to change from our top in-house management.

We're getting back into our original predicament again, and this is supposed to be the slow season. It's incredibly frustrating that I can't implement the strategy I used to get us out of deep shit last time around, at least not until we'll be waist-deep in it again.

Anyhow, even if they did heed my advice on this matter, things improved, and every single member of the management team pulled their own weight and actually worked as a team instead of competing divisions, the idea of early retirement is so much more appealing.

Originally posted by Tzeentch
Start a religion. Never work again.

snicker

Originally posted by Putinbot1
Boggest relief I guess was freedom, i get expat leeway out here which basically means under most situations I'm left alone. No one wants an international incident laws almost don't apply in these places if your job is senior management or above. Renting my flats in the UK and watching the mortgages go down is also good.

The last time I was involved in the hypothetical lottery jackpot conversation, I turned the discussion slightly philosophical. I asked the old question of whether or not money can buy one happiness. As expected, all gave the typical answer that while sufficient money could afford one just about anything one desired, it could not provide happiness, only fleeting joy.

I proposed that it is not the material possessions one can buy with the money or even the money itself which brings one happiness, but freedom and opportunity that sufficient wealth could afford one that would create the greatest happiness. Freedom from working the majority of one's life away. Freedom to pursue one's passions without substantial time or financial constraints. Even just the freedom to say,

"You know what? **** this job, and **** you, too, you smug, stupid ****!"

and be perfectly alright financially while you find something more suited to you would be incredibly liberating.

Originally posted by Eternal Idol
What did you move on to after that? Was it a new career choice, or a different employer?

Working that much is no way to live life. It took a toll on my marriage and well-being. I was exhausted and depressed all the time. I wanted to go out and have fun, but at the same time, all I wanted to do was lay around at home and sleep.

I moved into event catering and through that I'm now working at a brewery about to taste test my first foray into brewing in big scale, should be ready by the middle of next week. I also pad that out with the occasional bit of roadie work. Still end up burning the midnight oil from time to time but generally speaking I have a lot more free time on my hands and pretty much the same amount of money with which to occupy my free time.

Originally posted by Eternal Idol
Religion and bullshit go against my personal beliefs...

snicker

Freedom. That notion is very important to me.

The last time I was involved in the hypothetical lottery jackpot conversation, I turned the discussion slightly philosophical. I asked the old question of whether or not money can buy one happiness. As expected, all gave the typical answer that while sufficient money could afford one just about anything one desired, it could not provide happiness, only fleeting joy.

I proposed that it is not the material possessions one can buy with the money or even the money itself which brings one happiness, but freedom and opportunity that sufficient wealth could afford one that would create the greatest happiness. Freedom from working the majority of one's life away. Freedom to pursue one's passions without substantial time or financial constraints. Even just the freedom to say,

"You know what? **** this job, and **** you, too, you smug, stupid ****!"

and be perfectly alright financially while you find something more suited to you would be incredibly liberating.

I think the best way to escape the rate race is to build your own business or become self employed. If possible, move to a new place. The current one is probably boring. I would love to work for a company in Singapore for example instead of a company here in my town.