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Old 06-18-2015, 09:25 AM
 
554 posts, read 742,259 times
Reputation: 1042

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Quote:
Originally Posted by orngkat View Post
I am in a similar place mentally while waiting for retirement. There are aspects of my job I like but mostly not so much anymore. Perhaps I stayed too long in one place but the bennies were too good to pass up (pension, healthcare, etc). It is SO interesting to me to observe the enthusiasm of all the younger staff I work with. They take their work very seriously. At this age, though, one puts things in a different perspective and I am just ready to do what matters to me - not to the organization.
... AGREE with you on the bolded areas of your message ... And, a comment:

Much of what I was hired for (contract work) is no longer applicable to the every-day situation that my department operates in. So, I "march-in-place" (marking time) until that 720th day ends, or they decide they don't want my services around here, any more.
So far, the department, and division management have been very gracious in allowing me to come onsite every day. Some days, I get to actually sit down and contribute to City-Data posts!

One of our younger staff folks was griping about coming onsite, everyday. Here in Sillycon Valley, almost-everyone realizes that it's better to have a job than to not have one. But, when I mentioned "720 Days" to this guy, he couldn't believe I was that close.
I thought about putting-up a calendar and X-ing-out each day, but that would probably not go over very well. Occasionally, I do offer-up "How Many Days?" to the youngsters, just to "get their goat".

Meanwhile, like many of y'all, I "do the needful" (as one manager puts it) to be productive ... even though my mind is all-about "retirement". The 401(k) is starting to look a lot better, too!
...
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Old 06-18-2015, 10:24 AM
 
Location: Near the In-n-Out
30 posts, read 34,806 times
Reputation: 53
Quote:
Originally Posted by Barefootedwoman View Post
yes, wanting out of the tunnel

Hubby calls it The Shawshank Tunnel.
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Old 06-18-2015, 11:19 AM
 
Location: Near a river
16,042 posts, read 21,921,812 times
Reputation: 15773
Quote:
Originally Posted by volosong View Post
(disclaimer: I've never spend even a single day in jail/prison. I apologize if my analogy is incorrect.)

I've done my research and created a timeline for when and where I will retire. It's a loose timeline and could certainly change. On the outside, I will retire on March first, just over three years from now when I am 66 and a half. The reason for March first is that I will have just completed thirty-five years with my employer. I admit that it is a silly reason for choosing a specific date. I could go sooner, but want to wait at least until I'm eligible for Medicare, which is about a year and a half away.

Now that the planning and preparation is done, all that is left is for the time to pass. This is where I feel like I'm serving a sentence and am eagerly awaiting the time when I will be released and can go on to the next phase of my life. I'm "stuck" in my current routine/life and it is difficult to wait for the next phase to begin.

I wish that a day would pass when I wouldn't think about retirement, or some aspect of it, sometime during the day. It is a curse! I think I'm ready.
Most people do not fill all or even most of their weekly time in retirement. A lot of time is wasted on trivia and running around. A lot of retirees devote hours to volunteering. So think of your paid job as an elective, a volunteer job, and have constant fun (whatever that is for you on eves, weekends, vacation time, and "sick" days. Make that time count for more, so that you're just on autopilot at the paid job. Weekends away, trips, etc will keep you constantly looking forward to something. If I could have kept my job, and I gladly would have, that's what I would have done. You're in an enviable position.
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Old 06-18-2015, 02:17 PM
 
12,050 posts, read 10,204,563 times
Reputation: 24782
Quote:
Originally Posted by volosong View Post
(disclaimer: I've never spend even a single day in jail/prison. I apologize if my analogy is incorrect.)

I've done my research and created a timeline for when and where I will retire. It's a loose timeline and could certainly change. On the outside, I will retire on March first, just over three years from now when I am 66 and a half. The reason for March first is that I will have just completed thirty-five years with my employer. I admit that it is a silly reason for choosing a specific date. I could go sooner, but want to wait at least until I'm eligible for Medicare, which is about a year and a half away.

Now that the planning and preparation is done, all that is left is for the time to pass. This is where I feel like I'm serving a sentence and am eagerly awaiting the time when I will be released and can go on to the next phase of my life. I'm "stuck" in my current routine/life and it is difficult to wait for the next phase to begin.

I wish that a day would pass when I wouldn't think about retirement, or some aspect of it, sometime during the day. It is a curse! I think I'm ready.
The time will fly by! Every day flies by for me. Kind of scary sometimes.
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Old 06-18-2015, 03:37 PM
 
Location: Florida -
10,213 posts, read 14,771,078 times
Reputation: 21845
When I used to run, I found that the worst thing I could do was fix my eyes on a still distant finish line. The distance never changed, but, it got inside my head and made the run much more difficult.
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Old 06-18-2015, 04:59 PM
 
7,898 posts, read 7,083,495 times
Reputation: 18586
My retirement date depended on selling my house. I kept quiet about retirement at work and even among most friends. It took close to two years to downsize, handle deferred house maintenance and to finally get the house on the market and sell it. Meanwhile I could not wait to retire. It was the commute that was doing me in. I worked 10 hour days and commuted 2 hours on a good day and much longer with bad weather.

I would recommend you retire at the earliest possible time in accord with your finances and retirement plans. Retirement offers an opportunity to learn new things and succeed in different areas. To me it was not just about being able to sleep in or have time for my hobbies. In many regards I started a new life that was a lot more interesting than working at the same old career.
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Old 06-18-2015, 06:02 PM
 
Location: Tennessee at last!
1,884 posts, read 3,017,141 times
Reputation: 3861
My retirement is now 1 year and 11 months away. I pass my time, doing an excellent job at work, but find that I can complete all my assignments way too fast, so the time goes slowly at work. And management is happy as I do more than 2-3 other people in my position, but after doing it for sooooo long I can do it well and fast. Its all in my head and I rarely have to research or even look up anything anymore. And it gets boring at times now.

I bought my retirement home in another state a year ago. It is a fixer upper, so I spend my time prioritizing what I will do there next.

I had hoped for early retirement in our recent reorganization, but was told that I was to stay, even though I said I'd take it if they offered. They said that their goal is for me to reconsider and not retire, but stay on longer. That won't happen!

So as I prioritize my house projects, I am seeing how far I can get before I retire. It makes my time outside of work go faster.
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Old 06-18-2015, 07:46 PM
 
1,844 posts, read 2,417,236 times
Reputation: 4501
Quote:
Originally Posted by rdflk View Post
...

Am I "trapped?' No. Because I COULD quit. It wouldn't be practical. It would make no financial sense at all. The price of not working now is just too high. I guess I readily confess I'm lazy and staying with my job and bemoaning it is just where I am right now. I just have to keep praying I can put in these next ten years and not suffer to much mentally along the way. I'm going to try to make it to spring before I take a vacation week.
Hopefully you have not told a SOUL, including your SO, about your dilemma.

Don't mean to be a negative Nellie. However, a paid tomorrow is not promised. Plus, you can't control your body language.

At the risk of being thought snarky, may I suggest that you try something - ANYTHING - to bring your mind and body back onto the same page. I am told hypnotism works. Otherwise you'll be choreographing "I'm done" while your mouth is saying "Yes, boss. Anything you say, boss" ( - line from Cool Hand Luke). These disconnects are what the central nervous system is primed to detect. E.g., your management will sense them and act on them, if you are in a corporation that has "A" team players. You represent a risk, and will be gone before you have your ducks in a row.

Just sayin'.
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Old 06-18-2015, 08:17 PM
 
Location: So. of Rosarito, Baja, Mexico
6,987 posts, read 21,865,350 times
Reputation: 7007
At age 60 I was a self employed business owner putting in 10-12 hr 6-7 days a week.

Another person I knew in the same type of business as myself while being 5 yrs younger had a major stroke...he also put in long hrs and in 6 months was gone.

That is when I decided to collect my SS at 62-1/2 and then cut back my working hrs and skated till I reached 65.

Granted the SS was less but I would break even after 12 yrs providing I lived that long.

Well it turns out that I did reach that point and passed it also.

Will be 84 this coming August.

My health has been acceptable compared to some others that are/were younger then myself and have passed away the last couple of yrs.

Three heart attacks last couple of months but feel pretty strong as I type here.....with luck will see August.
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Old 06-18-2015, 08:23 PM
 
Location: southern california
61,289 posts, read 87,183,030 times
Reputation: 55550
3 years is an eternity, the games of ambush-- of "discovering incompetent employees" just before retirement, firing them & cutting them a check for their vested amount in the retirement fund-- is common. saves the company a bundle. games people play.
this is not a time of wait-- this is a time to be very very careful.
the games usually start 18 months before retirement.
watch your back and dont be afraid to use unions and lawyers to protect it.
your greatest enemy is not the employer-- its your attitude, he is your second biggest enemy
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