Time is standing still

[Billk400]

I have the same time remaining; 72 more days. I have monthly goals so I cant slack off yet ( haven't let them know I am retiring; waiting for 60 calendar day mark to do that), but its getting very hard to get motivated. I am thinking if I don't make goals and they put the pressure on I will just tell them to flip off I am retiring! Heck if they fire me I can get unemployment (never had to resort to that as I have never been unemployed!), but I have too much pride to not do the job and meet goals, but damn it is getting more difficult day by day!

Sometimes I feel like a marathon runner who is only a few yards from the finish line and the body (in this case the mind - motivation) is shutting down and will stumble across the finish line.

[Davis65]

12 weeks left for me. The boss knows, but none of my staff do. We're trying to limit the lame duck period to the last two months, so I have to continue to pretend to care about Internal Audit's three-year plan. [yawn] I am trying to amp up the mentoring of young staff and colleagues, and when the announcement is made, I expect I'll be freed up to do even more.

The funny thing is that the day after my planned announcement I meet with the rest of the leadership team to review out strategic plan for the coming year. I am quite sure that my opinion won't matter very much.

[skipro33]

Well, I recall loosing my inhibitions when expressing my opinion at work about anything! By the time I left, no one had any doubt what my opinion was on anything. work, politics, religion, sex/gender crap, etc. I got a lot of eye rolls! Ha!

I also mentored the few worthy of my 30+ years of experience. Mainly the newest and the youngest as the older ones were too stubborn to admit I could offer them anything. Ah well, it's how they rationalized I was leaving for the green pasture while they were still toiling under the whip.

I look back on those last few months as me conditioning my co-workers so they wouldn't miss me when I was gone quite so much.

[eytonxav]

Sage advice from Johnnie36, live every day to the fullest, even if at work.

[Closet_Gamer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JOHNNIE36 I wish I had 72 X ? days of work left. I worked for 34 years and retired in 1988. Now that I'm 80 years old, retired for 28 years, growing more feeble by the day, having to give up golf, spending more and more time at the doctor's office, etc. I wish I was back at work again and just thinking about retirement. Don't wish your life away. You might be like me and wishing you could do it all over again. It's hell getting old.

Perhaps the most impactful post I've ever read on this board. As golf slides into the rearview mirror perhaps channel energy into educating those behind you -- you've clearly got some good stuff to say.

Thank you.

[mamadogmamacat]

I'm now one week into retirement, and enjoying it immensely, so hopefully you have that to look forward to at least as well. The list of things to do can be simple (mine was) or grand, but one thing is just having the list is key. As you focus your energies on the items on it, the time will fly and you will wonder how you ever had time fro work. At work, I had a countdown for my last 2 and a half yrs, and yes it mostly did seem to drag on. had the advantage of being well regarded enough yet at the same time never had any respect for the brown nose office BS, so felt free to tell those colleagues I respected what my plans were, and referred to those last few years as "my long goodbye" and spent as others have suggested being as helpful as possible to others, both with work and financial advice (to those who asked). In the final week, time suddenly accelerated, really felt like going from slow motion to rapid motion almost instantaneously.

[Options]

Here's what I did--although not really purposely, or consciously, it just turned out that way--and it worked out quite well. I really liked my boss, and I wanted to make sure she was taken care of after I was gone. So I focused quite intently on wrapping up my position, making sure the transition was smooth, oversaw the recruitment process for my replacement, created a complete onboarding set-up for him, and even trained him for a couple weeks after he started. It helped that I liked him and was sure he would take care of my boss. All of this made the last few months fly by, as I was quite busy making sure my boss would be ok.

Oftentimes when we focus outside ourselves we get a payback beyond what we can imagine. I know I certainly did, and it helped me leave with a sense of satisfaction. A long time ago I read the phrase, "remember the people involved", and took it to heart. Work, no matter how distasteful, is more than just what we do, it's the people (at least the ones we like). Why not choose to close this chapter on your life from a positive perspective and find a way to leave some kindness behind?

[COHgirl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by skipro33 Well, I recall loosing my inhibitions when expressing my opinion at work about anything! By the time I left, no one had any doubt what my opinion was on anything. work, politics, religion, sex/gender crap, etc. I got a lot of eye rolls! Ha!

I agree about loosing inhibitions during the last weeks. I enjoyed the feeling of being able to speak up and say what I really thought.

[Ronstar]

72 days left - I'd go out to lunch every day and have a nice meal. You deserve it. And you can always lose the gained weight when you retire. That's what I did for about my last 70 days. It was great.

[Buckeye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Backdraft57 72 more work days. It's dragging and getting harder and harder to drag myself to work. I am in a mind fog much like years ago when I quit chewing tobacco. Any of you forerunners have wisdom to share on how to survive this? Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

Just know that it's going to be worth it!

[Backdraft57]

Quote:

Originally Posted by COHgirl I agree about loosing inhibitions during the last weeks. I enjoyed the feeling of being able to speak up and say what I really thought.

Yes! I have done a couple times and yesterday again during a meeting. Everyone gasped. Afterwards several committed about my new found vocal freedoms. That is a pretty cool feeling! And, just had my annual review and said, what a waste of time. ;o). LOVE it!


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[CoolChange]

Somehow, I feel much better knowing that I am not alone in my current situation, both the mind fog and zombie feeling as well as the lame duck around the office.

While I don't have a firm end date yet, most everyone knows that my tenure is almost certainly done at some point this year. As some have suggested, I am trying to concentrate on the things that I do enjoy while ignoring everything else. But, it is a daily struggle, there is still so much that needs to change; unfortunately, I no longer have the energy nor political capital to effect any real change.

One shining bright spot: I do feel much better continuing to accumulate my stash rather than drawing it down in the current market climate.

Many thanks to OP for starting this thread and to all those who have commented.

[Backdraft57]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krotoole Perhaps the most impactful post I've ever read on this board. As golf slides into the rearview mirror perhaps channel energy into educating those behind you -- you've clearly got some good stuff to say. Thank you.

+100. I totally agree. I hear Neil Young's "old man" ringing in my ears. Dad died at 69 and I am right at ten years away from that. The young kids at work don't have a clue and I also don't have a clue. Tell us more Johnnie36.


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[H2ODude]

Ah yes. Loosening up inhibitions. As a local government we had an HR department that had excruciatingly detailed policies for every damn thing, which I have noticed in other posts occurred in megacorps as well. One of my last actions was to NOT fire an employee who had stepped over the line despite it warranting termination (HR would have applauded this; there were diversity issues involved). What I then did was unload on him and warn him that the next time his _ss would be gone. I spoke to him sort of "man to man" in a way that would have been highly criticized by HR, trying to get him to see what an idiot he had been. This was not the scripted lecture HR favored. Felt like I might have done some good.

They fired him a month after I left. When a manager told me I should have fired him before I left, I said I knew he'd screw up again but I just had to try. Changing peoples bad behaviors is about impossible.

Just one of those anecdotes about life in the workplace I don't miss. As for waiting out the time, you can always get a countdown clock for your smartphone like I had.

[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Backdraft57 72 more work days. It's dragging and getting harder and harder to drag myself to work. I am in a mind fog much like years ago when I quit chewing tobacco. Any of you forerunners have wisdom to share on how to survive this? Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

As a ex-dipper I am impressed, single hardest thing I've ever done was quit that stuff, quitting smoking was a joke in comparison.

Savor the time, make someone's day. I started buying the security gaurd lunch every couple of weeks. Felt good to do it just cause.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

[ArkTinkerer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ls99 72 days? Buy a one meter stick, wooden. For starters slowly and methodically using a hand saw, cut off 280 millimeters. Then each day before going to w*rk, slowly and deliberately saw off 10 millimeters. A wonderful visual reminder of the end in sight. On the last day leave the last 10 millimeter block on your desk, let the remaining people try figure out what it is or the mening of.

I wish I had done something like this! But I would have used a pocket knife and whittled the end a bit every day instead of sawing it off...

[ESRwannabe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Backdraft57 72 more work days. It's dragging and getting harder and harder to drag myself to work. I am in a mind fog much like years ago when I quit chewing tobacco. Any of you forerunners have wisdom to share on how to survive this? Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

Buy yourself a tablet or a smartphone and keep it on your wireless so your company can't track it... Now play games, or watch movies all day. The last 72 days should pass faster...

[Backdraft57]

26 days left. My replacement ID'd yesterday. Time speeding up and feeling useless and "has been" but loving the end stretch now. Although I am pretty sick of the "what are you going to do in retirement" question. Sheesh! Whatever I want! A beard and long hair ARE on my agenda for the first few months. How are you other "short timers" doing.


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[Senator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ESRwannabe Buy yourself a tablet or a smartphone and keep it on your wireless so your company can't track it... Now play games, or watch movies all day. The last 72 days should pass faster...

I am doing that now... It still seems slow. 81 days left...

[MichaelB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Backdraft57 26 days left. My replacement ID'd yesterday. Time speeding up and feeling useless and "has been" but loving the end stretch now.

Useless and had been? How about hopeful and looking forward. This is not the end, it's the beginning of something.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Backdraft57 Although I am pretty sick of the "what are you going to do in retirement" question. Sheesh! Whatever I want! A beard and long hair ARE on my agenda for the first few months.

You don't have to say anything. Just smile and leave them thinking.