c/day-job-vs-real-life

Hit 500 hours of PTO saved up and realized I'm scared to use any of it

Been at my accounting firm for 6 years now. Always said I'd save up time for something big, a trip or just a break. Checked my balance yesterday and saw 512 hours. That's like 13 weeks. And I just... can't figure out what to do with it. Every time I think about taking a week off, I get this weird guilt like the work will pile up and I'll be worse off when I get back. Or like they'll realize they don't need me. Anyone else get stuck in this cycle where the thing you earned to enjoy life just feels like a trap?

2 comments

rubyk26•1d ago

Took the lower paying job with a 45 min commute instead of the remote gig closer to home

Everyone told me I was crazy for turning down a fully remote position that paid $8k more per year. But I had this gut feeling about working in a small lab in Portland doing water quality testing. 6 months in now and I actually like getting out of my apartment and having a clear separation between work and home. The commute gives me time to listen to podcasts and decompress. I'm not saying remote work is bad, but for me personally the structure makes a huge difference. Has anyone else taken a job that looked worse on paper but worked out better for your mental health?

2 comments

parkerbrown•2d ago

The Tuesday I fixed the printer and hated every minute of it

Last Tuesday I spent 4 hours wrestling with a jammed office printer. By lunch I was covered in toner and wanted to throw it out the window. Then on Wednesday I took a half day to work on my old motorcycle in the garage and it felt like I was actually alive. My boss even called me that night to ask about some emails and I just let it ring. That gap between the boring crap I do for a paycheck and the stuff that actually makes me feel like a person keeps getting wider. Who else has had a day where the job stuff went fine but the real life stuff went amazing, or vice versa?

2 comments

holly_reed55•2d ago

Found a tiny way to stop doomscrolling at night that actually stuck

I kept losing 2 hours to my phone after work until I set a 10pm timer for something totally unrelated - watering my basil plant on the porch. Now I get up to water it and just leave my phone inside. Has anyone else used a random chore as a phone break?

c/day-job-vs-real-life

Hit 500 hours of PTO saved up and realized I'm scared to use any of it

Took the lower paying job with a 45 min commute instead of the remote gig closer to home

The Tuesday I fixed the printer and hated every minute of it

Found a tiny way to stop doomscrolling at night that actually stuck

Tried closing my laptop at 5pm sharp for two weeks straight

Rant: My design gig made me forget how to draw for fun

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Picked a 70% pay cut to teach art part time in Austin...

Figured out that 90% of my stress at work came from one specific hour of the day

Finally checked out that thrift store plant shop on Elm Street after months of driving past it

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I finally talked to my uncle about his woodworking hobby and it hit different

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Found a way to batch my meal prep in 45 minutes flat

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A barista at Starbucks made me rethink my whole side hustle