How many hours per week do you put in?

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kmath
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How many hours per week do you put in?

Post by kmath »

I'm just entering the work force now and am considering various positions. I'm curious, how many hours a week do people work and how many do you think is reasonable to maintain a healthy work/life balance?

Thanks,

km
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Ben
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Re: How many hours per week do you put in?

Post by Ben »

I think it depends on the job, the pay and other benefits, cost of living, and one' sown responsibilities/commitments.
You need to work out what is important to you now and into the future.
Free time is great, but if you don't have the money to put food on the table, pay the bills or ensure you have access to medical care then you might want to revisit your priorities.
Kind regards,
Ben
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725

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retrofuturist
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Re: How many hours per week do you put in?

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,
kmath wrote:I'm just entering the work force now and am considering various positions. I'm curious, how many hours a week do people work and how many do you think is reasonable to maintain a healthy work/life balance?
I have a pretty standard 9-5, 5 days a week thing going on and that works fine for me. I do however have 8 weeks annual leave a year (instead of the standard 4) on account of parenting commitments, and because it's a nicer way to live.

To be honest though, in terms of balance I find it has more to do with the quality of the work environment, than the quantity of time spent there. This includes Right Livelihood considerations as well as how decent the people around you are.

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
Feathers
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Re: How many hours per week do you put in?

Post by Feathers »

retrofuturist wrote:Greetings,

To be honest though, in terms of balance I find it has more to do with the quality of the work environment, than the quantity of time spent there. This includes Right Livelihood considerations as well as how decent the people around you are.

Metta,
Retro. :)
To expand that: I'd say it's the people that make the place. I've worked retail where I've been pretty miserable, and retail where I've loved it, and the only difference was the other staff. Not something you can really know until you start! Just make sure you're one of the positive people in the workplace for others :-)
dagon
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Re: How many hours per week do you put in?

Post by dagon »

kmath wrote:I'm just entering the work force now and am considering various positions. I'm curious, how many hours a week do people work and how many do you think is reasonable to maintain a healthy work/life balance?

Thanks,

km
Hi Kmath

There are not enough hours in the day to do all that i want, so i multi task. My work and my life complement each other, there are no compartments. Behind every problem there is an opportunity look for the opportunities and the problems disappear.

Work - nursing/ personal care in a high care nursing home 30 hours a week, this doubles as 30 hours of opportunity for metta and compassion and study of the 4NT. I travel to work on a bus (my personal action plan on climate change) - opportunity to see suffering, practice metta/compassion and study. My family is overseas for a few months so i have had the opportunity to be celibate. Stay in contact with the wife by skype - every conversations includes discussions on Buddhism and all of our decisions involve a discussion of the implications of the Dhamma on the decision.

Recently I was injured at work so i miss out on providing care - alternative duties archiving computer records by the thousands. i have been looking for the opportunity to practice noting to develop mindfulness - perfect opportunity/task to do this. While the batch files are running spend the time doing walking meditation which also doubles as physiotherapy for my injury, lol. ......

Life is what you make it

metta
paul
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