6 hours of work per work

[rhyddid]

[Andy Hamilton]

I like this idea :) I would love to sit about and tell stories.

It would be nice to abolish some actual jobs that are esentialy pointless, credit card companies for example.

At the moment I spend far more than 6 hours a week ethier on my allotment, in garden centres or tending to my seedlings in my flat. Saying this though it is a busy time and I am trying to work some life back into the soil on my allotment. - I would have thought that if I work out how many hours a week I spend up on my allotment on average in a given year it might be near to 6 hours.

To address your what does one hunt and gather question then I supose we can only really gather wild foods in this country. Not sure how far reacing the hunting ban has gone, I suspect that we can still hunt rabbits.

The trouble is I will still have to work for many years as I have so much student debt to pay off so even if I did become totaly self sufficient I would need to earn some money for debts and rent. 6 hours a week really would not cut it.

[judyofthewoods]

First we have to define 'work' is it the things we do to sustain our bodies, is it doing a single job for money tokens to pay someone else to provide us with our needs and wants?
I certainly like to move more towards self reliance and away from the widespread view that the one-job lifestyle is 'normal', well, maybe it is, when you define normal as something done by the majority of people, but natural? Definately not. On a crowded planet with so many laws and regulations, land being owned by individuals, it would be impossible to turn back the clock, some official busy body or land owner will soon put his oar in, but we can go part way. Also we have to examine the either/or attitudes so ingrained in our society, and see the many shades of not only grey, but colour too, and start thinking outside the box.

[Andy Hamilton]

There have many sociological studies concerning how work is defined, to focus maninly on the fact that for years women have done hours of unpaid house work. If you work out the cost of a chief, child minder, cleaner, gardener etc then the person who stays at home is often worth more than the bread winner.

[diver]

I think it all depends on how we define work.....I stopped as soon as was debt free and my kids stopped needing the cash to see them throu uni. I now "work" longer hours and so harder work...but I don't consider it to be work ....eg I work very hard on my allotment because it is overgrown with couch grass and ,basically I don't know what I'm doing so I keep making mistakes, but...I choose to do it, I do it when I want to, I don't report to anyone nor do I have deadlines....so it's fun not work...but in other cultures, or in other times it probably was considered to be work....I also teach diving...but only for fun ,never money so it's not work

[Wombat]

G'DAy guys,

I am currently looking at reducing my "work" hours so that I can do more meaningful and fun "work" at home. I work a 5 day, 55 hour week and am looking at reducing that to a 4 day week, my boss is sympathetic so I may be able to talk him into it. I hope to moderate my (and my families) wants to be able to accomodate the consequent reduction in income. IU think I will be more than compensated by getting the extra time to work on projects that I want to.

(Andy, that also means I can write more articles! )

Nev

[Andy Hamilton]

(Andy, that also means I can write more articles! )

Nev

Hoorah.

Lets hope that they don't all get pinched

[jema]

Look at the amazingly small % of people you know who actually do really needed jobs.

It seems self evident that a 10 hour week would easily be possible :)

[diver]

blimey Wombat 55 hours A WEEK !.....here that's more like one and a half full time jobs...and you still get time to grow thing and write stuff for here, I am impressed

[Wombat]

Thanks Diver,

I goes without saying that I don't get a lot of time to sit around and watch the TV. Or read for that matter! I try to get everything I want to done, then climb into bed to read....................5 minutes later I am out like a light.

That's why I am looking forward to a 4 day 40-44 hour week!

I just hope that I can arrange it!

Nev

[sunpuppy]

I recently went from working in an office based job five days a week, to only three days a week, because I had come to the conclusion that I was working far too many hours in a job I didn't enjoy (even if it was well paid!) For years I didn't make this move because I was scared that I wouldn't have enough money to survive and yet I was suffocating in my 9-5 job.

The weirdest thing has been that my lifestyle hasn't changed at all in terms of being poorer financially. I still buy pretty much the same food, and haven't had to go without anything (although I had already got into the habit of being frugal before I went part-time). And in terms of quality of life, having four days a week free instead of the usual weekend has made such a difference to me mentally - I'm much more chilled out, and can take more time to do the things I really want to do.

I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone - I was shocked to realise just how little money I needed to live on. I think it's all too easy to get sucked into the whole consumer trap of needing more money to buy that 'must-have' item.

Now that I have partially escaped the 9-5, I am formulating plans to find a more enjoyable alternative income, so I can give up the rat race for good!

[Andy Hamilton]

So there is hope for us all Nice to hear sunpuppy, I wholeheartly agree that if you are getting stressed and down because of a job then cut back on what you are doing. I have gone back to being a student and as such am getting a fraction of what I was in a full time job, I have taken a step away from a lifestyle that I was used to but hey I am happier.

When I graduate I am seariously thinking of working part time. Then I can concentrate on the more important things in life like self sufficientish, my allotment and my girlfriend. As a wise man once said, 'when laying on your deathbed you don't think, I wish I had spent more time in the office'.

Mind you I don't have kids so life is a bit easier for me.

[Wombat]

It's great to hear that prople have "downsized" and lived. I have read a number of books where people opted out of the rat race because their work was, in their eyes, meaningless. I have been fortunate in that I believe the work I am doing is important (helping to prevent occupational injuries and illnesses) but it is high stress and takes a personal toll. Well I've got the week after Easter off to relax and be self sufficientish, so I am looking forward to that!

Hopefully soo I will be able to cut back a bit

Nev

[Chickenlady]

At one point I worked 24 hours a week (around the kids) in a call centre and I have never been so miserable. Jobs like these are utterly soul destroying and the world would be a better place without them.

I retrained as a yoga teacher and now get paid to have fun! That's more like it.

However, I suppose we cannot all do this - some jobs are really important (I am thinking NHS workers, etc). Those jobs would be really fulfilling if the staff didn't have to work long hours in very stressful conditions.

My husband is a teacher and always loved it, but there is so much paperwork to do now and he works long hours. He comes home looking a bit grey and exhausted. We would both love him to go part time, but it's not possible at the moment. (we are working towards a debt free and frugal existence, but still have the mortgage to pay!)

However, going back to being full time hunter gatherers is not something I would want to do - I don't suit a loin cloth! We need more balance. In an ideal world we would all do useful and fulfilling jobs for 50% of our waking hours and spend the rest of the time living a simple life and remembering to be happy!

[Steve M]

Certainly in favour of this... it's one thing that really depresses me is how I spend so long at work and don't really have anything to show for it - it's not even like I make anything. Whereas I spend a couple of hours in my garden and have all my lovely homegronw fruit and veg as a reward - far more worthwhile if you ask me.