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Self-employed, self-exhausted

theisolationjournals.substack.com

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Re: Self-employed, self-exhausted

#31

Post by bityard »

PopAlongKid wrote: post #25
brabel wrote: post #4

I live in Sweden where taking 5 weeks off in the summer is the rule. Never got used to it, I take just 2 or 3 and leave the rest of mu vacations for the winter… but I almost never take the full 5 weeks and end up accumulating it over the years. I think I have over 12 weeks pending even after already having taken 3 weeks in July. I just get too bored and start coding anyway, so why not just work and get paid for doing…

> I almost never take the full 5 weeks and end up accumulating it over the years. Companies should have a policy to limit accumulation of unused vacation, such as 3 weeks maximum. The problem with unlimited accumulation is that it essentially allows the employee to assign themselves paid overtime[0] without any business reason or management oversight. For example, if the company policy is to have you work 49 weeks an…

In the US, the only common use of the word "overtime" implies three things:

1. Working outside of your normal shift hours or days on a non-routine basis to meet some deadline or specific business goal.

2. Working overtime is not generally voluntary on the part of the employee.

3. However, most companies acknowledge that overtime is an unwanted burden on the part of the employee and thus usually compensate overtime at a higher hourly rate. This is partially a reward for putting up with that burden, and also discourages managers from assigning overtime on a regular basis.

One of the reasons companies are hiring a higher percentage of their workforce on salary is that they can ask them to work longer hours and occasional weekends without the downside of paying them more.

Re: Self-employed, self-exhausted

#32

Post by reactordev »

This is why I highly suggest every once in a while go on a cruise. Specifically a cruise. You’re trapped on the boat. Forced to face the moment, forced to let it go, and party until you get back to reality.

Positive vibes where you have no choice but to shed the stress. It’s worth it. Even a cruise to no where for 5 days.

Re: Self-employed, self-exhausted

#33

Post by anonzzzies »

hattmall wrote: post #30
anonzzzies wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From the Netherlands and not having had to work since I sold my first company at 25 (over 25 years ago), I cannot do more than a week vacation before getting annoyed and bored. I like building stuff: programming, welding, soldering, guitar playing, cooking. But I have no patience for doing one thing: normally I code myself and vibe with multiple claude codes on the boil, my electric guitar is on my lap, there is eith…

"Working" but not having to worry about money certainly doesn't sound very exhausting.

Indeed. Saying the working is not the exhausting part sometimes, like the Swedish GP also indicated. You won't mind working a lot if you like the work and your life doesn't depend on it. In the EU (and nordics), depending on your wishes and choices, your life doesn't depend on it.

Re: Self-employed, self-exhausted

#34

Post by PopAlongKid »

bityard wrote: post #31
PopAlongKid wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I almost never take the full 5 weeks and end up accumulating it over the years. Companies should have a policy to limit accumulation of unused vacation, such as 3 weeks maximum. The problem with unlimited accumulation is that it essentially allows the employee to assign themselves paid overtime[0] without any business reason or management oversight. For example, if the company policy is to have you work 49 weeks an…

In the US, the only common use of the word "overtime" implies three things: 1. Working outside of your normal shift hours or days on a non-routine basis to meet some deadline or specific business goal. 2. Working overtime is not generally voluntary on the part of the employee. 3. However, most companies acknowledge that overtime is an unwanted burden on the part of the employee and thus usually compensate overtime at…

This is why I had to footnote what I (didn't) mean by "overtime". The overtime I'm referring to does not meet any of your 3 implications -- it is entirely voluntary and self-administered by the employee. If there is a better term for it, I would like to use it. And yes, it is only feasible for salaried employees, not hourly-paid.

Re: Self-employed, self-exhausted

#35

Post by scoreandmore »

safety1st wrote: post #6

> I used to think that once I made it ... stashed away some savings to weather a health crisis or creative drought ... I’d finally feel free to slow down ... Instead, accomplishment—and the sense of “arrival” I imagined would come with it—proved elusive. I mean, yes? You do indeed need an emergency fund, and the theory, which various retirement vehicles are designed to support, is you set up your affairs to permanent…

I’m near that magic number age with a few million but I also have health issues and I’m terrified all of it will be spent on treatment because of how the USA is being governed into flames by the current corrupt administration. It never ends, when I was young and healthy I saved as hard as a could for my old age and didn’t vacation. Now I’m there and there’s zero guarantee of safety because of the rightward shift of politics in this country. Maybe you just have to say “fuck it” like gen z. Because being a paranoid gen x sure sucks.

Re: Self-employed, self-exhausted

#36

Post by evrimoztamur »

reactordev wrote: post #32

This is why I highly suggest every once in a while go on a cruise. Specifically a cruise. You’re trapped on the boat. Forced to face the moment, forced to let it go, and party until you get back to reality. Positive vibes where you have no choice but to shed the stress. It’s worth it. Even a cruise to no where for 5 days.

I don't think you have to waste your money or time on a cruise.

Just being on a boat does it, in fact a blow-up boat for three people (for a good friend and cooler bag with snacks and drinks) will completely detach you from the realities of land life.

Re: Self-employed, self-exhausted

#37

Post by cindyllm »

reactordev wrote: post #32

This is why I highly suggest every once in a while go on a cruise. Specifically a cruise. You’re trapped on the boat. Forced to face the moment, forced to let it go, and party until you get back to reality. Positive vibes where you have no choice but to shed the stress. It’s worth it. Even a cruise to no where for 5 days.

[dead]

Re: Self-employed, self-exhausted

#38

Post by PartiallyTyped »

slyfox125 wrote: post #10

Life isn't inherently easy - or fair. For most, it is much easier today because of the efforts of those who came before us. We are lucky for those efforts because they afford us moderation and comfort that are not guaranteed. To expect results without hard work is presumptuous and pretentious, of which this author has in spades.

There’s plenty of productivity to afford all of us housing, utilities, food, and healthcare.

The only real reason we don’t do that is because we take hard work as a virtue, it’s not; ignore the effects of luck, the capacity for hard work is derived by luck; and like to imagine ourselves being rich one day and think that hard work is enough.

Homelessness is not a bug, it’s a feature, and so is every other aspect of society that directly or otherwise forces us plebs to be obedient cogs in the wheel unless!

Great things demand hard work, there is nothing great about basic needs.

Re: Self-employed, self-exhausted

#39

Post by PartiallyTyped »

plainOldText wrote: post #8
AkashKaStudio wrote: post #2

The amount of em—dashes in there exhausted me lol

We used to infer one’s mind from their writing. Nowadays? I’m surprised people are too lazy to even remove them dashes. Well, in fact it might actually be a good thing for one can spot when something was AI generated much easier. I feel like original writing is pretty much dead these days. We’re all best selling authors now.

I used em-dashes before ChatGPT became a thing, I will keep using them.

Re: Self-employed, self-exhausted

#40

Post by reactordev »

evrimoztamur wrote: post #36
reactordev wrote: post #32

This is why I highly suggest every once in a while go on a cruise. Specifically a cruise. You’re trapped on the boat. Forced to face the moment, forced to let it go, and party until you get back to reality. Positive vibes where you have no choice but to shed the stress. It’s worth it. Even a cruise to no where for 5 days.

I don't think you have to waste your money or time on a cruise. Just being on a boat does it, in fact a blow-up boat for three people (for a good friend and cooler bag with snacks and drinks) will completely detach you from the realities of land life.

That may be true. I just know what worked for me. I lack a lake or blow up boat to try but I guess that’s why so many people like paddleboarding?
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