Work Life Balance (in Debates)

From the Guardian: "A nurse has recorded the most common regrets of the dying, and among the top ones is 'I wish I hadn't worked so hard'. What would your biggest regret be if this was your last day of life?"

What is your take on this? I imagine there is a good mix of unemployed vs. overemployed people here. My own experience is that the best you can get in life is a job that you enjoy doing so that you aren't burdened with it and you can still be happy.

I just recently resigned from a job where I worked up to 29 days a month straight, 10 hour days for one that is more M-F 8-5.

I took a 25% pay cut and have never been happier.

More time for my family, friends and of course CB.

However, I will state that I have little regrets as to the time I have put into my career. The many nights on call, the many weekends working and the many children's functions that I had to miss due to work. The many religious holidays I had to work and the many kids vacations I had to miss due to my job. It allowed me to get to the point in my life where I can afford to take a less paying job and still live comfortably.

That's cool you can do that Ranger, I could probably get by with less myself, but I'm pretty happy with the amount of stress from work and life that I have. I feel bad though for those people who are already stressed to the breaking point and can't afford a wage cut. :(

I've run the gamut from overemployed (1 full-time job and 2 side-jobs at max) to underemployed (had a whole year when I was just too fed up with any work at all).
Personally, nowadays, I run under the principles of "if I don't like it, I either won't do it or will try to change it" and "no regrets, only cautionary tales". So, there's no significant regret I would have burdening me on my hypothetical current deathbed... out of those five most often quoted regrets, maybe the 4th ever so slightly rings a minor cord, but only slightly.
If anything, the one thing I might regret was that I didn't get to live long enough to get to live forever either as a disembodied brain or an uploaded machine consciousness.

That will be one of my regrets as well Sickone, as I wish to live for another thousand years. I love technology and I would really enjoy to see what wisps of the future we have seen today develop into entirely new paradigms, like how the computer went from a whisper in a large government building for doing incredibly complicated calculations, being a staple of everyday living where an 8 year old kid has a device more powerful then an old super computer in their hand, and they use it for something as trivial as throwing cartoon birds at structure in an attempt to knock it down.

I want to witness the future, even if I don't get a chance to interact with it.

My Dad has had the opportunity to retire early, and took it with open arms.

He's not worked a day since, and has no intention to ever work again.

My Mum was able to take early retirement as well, and she's started her own company and now contracts. ;) She won't stop working until she has to. She loves her work, and it's a passion for her.

If this was my last day on earth, my largest regret would be I've not been able to see my son born.

A job you enjoy isn't really 'work'. If you can get paid for pursuing a hobby, well that's the holy grail isn't it? ;)

Sometimes I hate my job, and it's a chore to get up in the morning to go to work. But I'm sure everyone goes through this, and it's all relative. My job pays well, it has allowed my wife to remain off work since she fell pregnant with Emma, and has a few nice perks. Even if it no longer challenges me and I have no path of progression.

Besides, this nice Government we've got will make sure I'll never have the oppurtunity to retire, and I will now be working until I die.

Unless I win the lottery of course, or my baby boy becomes a professional footballer.

Such is life.