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Thursday, February 28, 2008

“If I didn’t work, I’d get bored.”

"If I didn't work, I'd get bored." I hear that sometimes, usually after the speaker has just spent several minutes complaining about his or her job. Or, "It keeps me from being bored."

Not me. Indeed, work is the sole aspect of my life that occasionally does bore me. Talking to my boyfriend? Not boring. Reading? Nope. Watching a movie? Could get boring for a few minutes, but then I just turn it off. But during a conference call with one of my committees, the danger of boredom is high.

The thing that has always irritated me about working, and before that going to school, is that I never seem to have enough time to do all the things I want to do. My passions aren’t expensive, but they are time-consuming. I manage to spend a lot of time on the things that I love to do, but it never seems to be enough!

Ten things I’d like to do today if I didn’t have to work:

  1. Write a new chapter in my novel.
  2. Read the entire archives of ProBlogger. I don't care about making money blogging, but he has a lot of good tips about blogging well.
  3. Mess around with my camera and take a picture for the header of this blog.
  4. Go thrift shopping.
  5. Work on the biography I’m researching on this woman.
  6. Take the train to Canaryville and walk around. This Chicago neighborhood has a lot of houses with interesting yard decorations.
  7. Hang out with R.
  8. Rethink how my Roth IRA is invested.
  9. Work on my delicious new freelance project.
  10. Speaking of delicious, make a cheesecake.

If you didn’t have to work, what would you do today? If you don’t work, what are you doing today?

8 comments:

Sam said...

If I didn't have to work...
1. I'd finish the sock I am knitting
2. Finish my scarf that I'm knitting
3. Do some reading on investing (I have a gargantuan reading list that needs alot of time and focus - no 15 min snaches).
4. Go for a bike ride (a short one)
5. Watch some movies that I've borrowed.
6. Cook something
7. Work on my short story
8. Research our move across the country
9. Take a nap (always am sleep deprived)
10. Spend alot of time with my husband.

I don't get the "If I didn't work, I'd get bored" statements either. One friend admitted that she had a kid and plans on having more kids because she didn't want to be bored as a housewife. Well...as long as the actions make one happy.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, work can definitely be boring. Some people genuinely love what they do, but if the statement "I'd be bored otherwise" a litany of complaints... well, that's just kinda sad.

Other things I'd like to be doing:
- Write some music
- Practice my conducting technique
- Read a book
- Go running (didn't get my daily miles in because I worked late yesterday and early today)
- Go to the grocery store
- Put in some time with the GameCube
- Play with my cat
- Hang out with the mrs. (if she didn't work too)

Retired Syd said...

I'm with you, I really don't get that. I will be retired starting THIS SATURDAY. Already, the first 2 things on my wish-to-do list I have to put off for several days because I'm TOO BUSY with other plans!

And even after that it will take YEARS to get through all the things I want to do, and by then, I'm sure there will be a million other things added to the list.

I'll let you know next week whether "they" are right and we are wrong.

Scarlett said...

Beany- I, too, have a huge reading list. We're talking hundreds of titles. I could easily spend years on that alone. I would think *one* kid would be enough to keep your friend from being bored!

Scarlett said...

datanoh:

Sadly, I know few people who genuinely love what they do. Except maybe my mother. And it's worth noting that her current job is her first full-time job.

Scarlett said...

Retired Syd: I've only been reading your blog for a week, but I'm really excited for you! I have a huge list of things to do, too--and I'm always thinking of more things to add--I don't think you'll ever run out!

Jacob said...

Yeah .. I spend time on

1) A full time job
2) A part time job
3) A blog
4) Pursuing yet another grad level education.
5) Playing a sport.

The full time job eats the most of my time by far, why it takes up as much time as sleeping. So I'm seriously considering ditching it.

Scarlett said...

Jacob,

Man, that's a lot of stuff. Maybe it's time?