Time is standing still

[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?


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[Senator]

Keep plugging away. I am right behind you. It's tough looking forward, but looking back it will seem like just a few hours...(I hope)

 

[stepford]

I referred to my last 6 months as the "Zeno's Paradox" phase of my career.

 

[heeyy_joe]

Spend the days helping those you like at work be successful.

 

[FreeBear]

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?

Yep, that was most of my 2014, before I bailed out in 2015. At least I had a fun time watching the market grow my eggs nest in 2014. Not so much fun recently...

I'm a hard-core planner, so to pass the time and relieve some pre-ER jitters, I planned for ER even more. I read books, changed my asset allocation, researched healthcare, and read about the emotional (non-financial) aspects of ER. There was much to do since I had only about a year for detailed prep.

At w*rk, I became a zombie, walking but no soul. Went through the motions, but tried to help few folks and projects I cared about. Honestly, I would have preferred to leave on a high note, but I guess I would have stayed a few more years to earn a bunch of "mad money" if things had been that good.

I crossed off various planning milestones, but tried not to count down individual days since this seemed to really make time stand still. The end did come, finally, and I counted down the last days after giving noticed. Had a huge grin on my face while sitting in those dumb-*ss meetings. Grinning zombie... Now Free Bear

 

[Eileen]

I don't have suggestions since I am presently about four and a half months away. It's actually a bit stressful since although the financial aspect is supposed to work out OK, I am having a few jitters about that now and then... but despite the ability to earn a good salary if I do OMY, I don't think it necessary ....I guess it is inevitable that one has second thoughts, etc.

 

[W2R]

I was in that situation back in 2009 so it's been a while.

I remember writing each date up to retirement on a separate line of lined paper that I kept in a drawer at work, and then crossing off that date every morning. Plus, I also had an enigmatic number written on the bottom left corner of my whiteboard (the number of days, but almost nobody knew that). I would erase and rewrite that number every workday as well.

I posted a lot on the forum.

I wrote a manual on how to do the most difficult part of my job, since the powers that be liked the changes I had made in how it was done.

It seems like a long time now, but before you know it the time will have sped by and you'll find yourself suddenly..... RETIRED!

 

[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.

 

[foxfirev5]

86 days away myself. My first action was to take a two week vacation which ends Sunday. Then it's back to reality. While I've been gone my pending retirement was announced to the organization. Now as a lame duck I'll never get anybody to answer an email or pick up the phone. One day at a time

 

[Backdraft57]

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.

Words of wisdom, don't wish time away. Enjoy the moment, good stuff. I can't imagine 80. I have developed arthritis in foot and it takes a bit to get moving in the morning. I am in a weird emotional roller coaster trying to hold on to my 22 year old self (when I became a FF), letting go and doing the zombie walk wanting the next three months to fly. My Dad died not long after retirement to that weighs a bit on my mind as well.


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[CardsFan]

Spend the days helping those you like at work be successful.

Very good advice. When I left, I made sure my supervisor, and many others, knew my opinions on several coworkers (at least the positive). I would like to think I had a little clout left, and I think I did. I want them all to succeed.


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[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.

 

[btdt22]

Grab a tape measure, and with an inch representing a year, extend the tape to 84 inches, which is a male's average life span in the US. Put your finger on the inch that represents your present age and than look at how much time you have already used and how much time you have left.

The bottom line is that life is short, and you might want to look for the good that each day brings, rather than rushing towards the 'end'

John Clark

 

[Independent]

I enjoyed my last few months at work. I knew I didn't need to worry about the next performance review, the new "professional growth" initiative from HR, or hiding the fact that I had thought the new CEO was a ......

I was lucky that I was working on a project I enjoyed.

Lot's of people here say the enjoyed the "prductive" part of the work they did, they just couldn't bear all the institutional *&%$ that always got in the way. So I'd say try to blow off the stuff you don't like and focus on anything that you do enjoy.

(I also calculated how much I made per day, and converted that into future travel days.)

 

[pacergal]

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.

Here I was wishing I only had 72 days left of work. Great reminder, thank you. Appreciate every day whether working or not.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Well, for me, those last days *seemed* like they took forever, but once the last day arrived, it happened quite quickly. Looking back, those last few months were an absolute blur. This brings up something that I absolutely loathe about being retired...TIME GOES WAY, WAY, WAY too fast!!! I am sure others here will agree, but I cannot believe how very fast time seems to be going. I have been retired a little over a year, but it seems like my last day was sometime last month. It's a little scary to me at how fast time is going!!!

 

[Dawg52]

Wasn't a problem for me. I retired right after our year end audit was done. I was a busy bee my last couple of months so time flew by. But glad it worked out that way, I punched out working hard until the end which made me appreciate ER even more.

 

[mystang52]

I remember those last few months and I was in misery. Thanks to members on this board, one thing I did was slowly plan the things I'd do in retirement. Not general things, but detailed specifics (e.g., attend history lectures, attend astronomy lectures, find new trails to run, etc).
I also had a yellow stickie on the wall next to my desk, with a coded countdown, since my planned ER date was not public knowledge. Crossing off each week was a true source of pleasure, and almost made me look forward to Monday so I could draw that next line.

 

[InTheSticks]

I feel your pain, 16 more business days until I give notice.

 

[HadEnuff]

I've got a little "stickie" on my laptop with # of weeks and days left...since last Spring sometime...down to 3 weeks (21 days)...I know what you mean by feeling as if 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]

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.