Inspired by Kuu's post about early retirement, as one in a similar position that started short term but ended up long term, my experience has been if I have an income, I'd rather pursue my own interests, and if some earn me money as well, all the better. I was made redundant 7 years ago, and after over a year applying for hundreds of jobs (we had to keep a record) with three unsuccessful interviews coming form them, whatever pressure I was under cracked me up, and the doctor recommended I was signed off work for the time being.
A while later I found another job, apparently both long term and in charge once I got into it. After a week I was called to say there weren't enough customers (it was a newly opened branch of a local business) and he was closing it already! I went back on the dole, as we like to call it, and as things turned out I found a few opportunities to find courses I could study from home to complete my therapy qualifications so I didn't just have to work in private practice but could apply for any job going. The fact I was unemployed allowed me to take two courses at once, write lengthy essays, and make various trips to have them checked and edited as we had to do before submitting them. I had all my time and attention and one was so demanding both me and my checker missed a point and I had to rewrite one paper. It was that much easier as I had nothing to interfere with the courses, and of course by passing the professional course made me eligible for a really good job. Meanwhile I was also able to follow my own interests, psychic research took off, and I joined many London researchers and shared information and time with them, each helping in areas they knew for the others and in return. I had practise groups where we carried out all sorts of experiments which led me to a few quick routes to clairvoyance which I show everyone who wants to learn. Some days were boring if I was on my own, as many people I knew worked, but a few had time to spare so if I was busy I was always quite happy. 3 years ago I passed my professional course and applied for jobs about once a month, as it's the sort of new profession with very few paid jobs so far. I've still only had one interview since then, and have started applying for ordinary jobs again now I know the competition within counselling. I've also done freelance work like accounts, and it was only because of that that I'm here now typing this, as one day I came home to find a computer on my desk which the customer gave me to save me working in his garden shed/office. I typed in 'trivia' to find things for my trivia lists I've kept for ages, and as always 'Funtrivia' came top.

My general points are that I never had any trouble finding things to do when I was free. I got so many things done I may never have got the chance to had I been working regularly, and also managed to study to allow myself to apply for far better jobs instead. I was lucky that I'd saved up so much money when I was working circumstances meant I was no worse off than I was before. But the use of time is my interest. I've shown how well I could use the time I was unexpectedly give twice, both times when I was in what I expected to be a safe job that would last, so I wasn't ready for it. I still earn money but I'm not in regular employment and can't rely from week to week how much I'll take, plus I have annual expenses to cover before I make any profit.
The second question is how many of you would love to be free not to work and what would you do with your time instead, or are you already in my position? And of course, it may be a useful exercise, it can happen at any time!

I stayed home with young children, and never found that I was bored or stale - there was always so much to do. I don't, strictly speaking, have to work now, if I really really wanted to stay home, my husband would put up with it for a while. When it comes down to money, he can make as much in a good day as I make in a month. I only work part time now, and never have enough time in the day to do everything I want to. I tend to do things the old fashioned, time consuming way (soup from scratch, grow my own vegetables, walk downtown to do my errands, etc) It's cheaper, healthier, and more environmentally friendly, but it takes time.
All that said, I love my job, and the fact that I don't really do it for the money means that I can stay at it - many people in my line of work (I work at a day care) find that they can't live on the pay, and therefore there is a high turnover, which is so bad for the children. I know that what I do really makes a difference, I'm doing something useful and necessary and doing it well, so I don't think that I would quit.
On the whole question of retirement, I just can't understand how people become bored and feel useless - there is always so much that needs to be done, in any community. Even if your skills don't run to things that you can do around the house, they can be put to use in some other way. My brother in law, for instance, recently retired, and has hooked up with an organization that sends retired executives to developing countries to teach their skills.

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Would you work if you didn't have to?

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Probably, eventually I would, but oh would I like to decide, just once in my life! It seems as if I always had to work. My first husband worked only sporadically as an actor, and I always worked, even up to and almost immediately after, my children were born. My second husband was a bit of a wastrel, but also did not work regularly due to poor health. Here in Hong Kong, there is no dole, if you don't work you don't get any welfare handouts at all. So , again, I have always worked. Now that my husband has left, I find myself a little better off financially, but the job is a daily one (supply teacher, my full time teacher days are over as you have to retire at 60), I don't get paid in the holidays, or sick pay or public holidays. So it is a little wobbly! I need once in my life, someone to say,
"Oh there there, never mind, You don't HAVE to work."
I don't dislike teaching, but it would be great to have a holiday that wasn't in the school holidays (much more expensive travel costs). I would like most of all not to work all day Saturday on extra English classes, to supplement the income. I would love to have the time to do something for ME, like a course, or a degree even!. Sigh! What a grouch I must seem. Supply teachers are much in demand here. I am lucky really. Sorry to moan.

Would you work if you didn't have to?

In a word NO! I'm sure my wife and son would keep me busy tho.

If I didn't have to work, i.e. my financial state is excellent and I don't ever have to worry about money, I'd still work. It's just a difference between working for the money to live and working just for the heck of it. In the latter case, I'd choose to be self-employed and set my own schedule.

At the very least, if I didn't have to work, I would volunteer somewhere. Otherwise I would be bored out of my mind!

Ren, don't worry about moaning, this thread was designed to let people unload!

A few more interesting facts. When we had the 3 day week in 1973 production was at its most efficient, as people knew they only had 3 days to do the work so just got it done knowing they'd have the rest of the week off. Normally many people (I used to visit offices all day for a living) will do almost anything they can to string the day out. There were endless cups of tea and coffee, paper fights, crossword competitions, songwriting about the office staff, personal phone calls etc etc. Working a 40+ hour week nowadays seems to be more of a psychological ploy by the bosses to give the impression people are keeping busy, much like making kids go to school full-time for 11 years when to me it seems that keeping them off the streets and out of trouble seems to be more of the reason than actually learning things, which children tend to do naturally, and I certainly went to more classes from interest outside school time (geology, art, pottery, horse riding) that I'm sure I could have taken my exams in those subjects (I did in the art ones) from choice not from going to school for them.
Back to the point, there's never going to be enough work for everyone in the west now as automation has really cut down the workforce and speeded up many of the jobs that used to have to be done by hand rather than machine and computer. Our own unemployment of around 3 million was reduced to about 1 million, this was a very clever move by allowing 2 million people to switch to sick benefit which doesn't count on the unemployment figures. The actual amount has been stable for years if this is included. The work just isn't enough. If the government admitted this and allowed tax and benefit incentives for firms to work staff 3 days a week, they could almost double the number of jobs and all the people with families and mortgages who really need to work could then share these jobs previously worked by one person, and probably increase production, much like bringing on a fitter substitute in a football match.

Prices would always adjust to falling incomes so people's money may reduce in the short term, but would go further when prices and taxes dropped. In fact, the Green Party (who I normally see as Luddites) actually had one of the best ideas I've come across (call it the hundred monkeys theory ) as in Ireland they calculated the Gross domestic product, and found there was enough to pay every citizen a living wage before anyone worked at all! This was identical to the Paris Metro which found it was cheaper to let the passengers go free due to staff and equipment savings, but due to political pressure weren't allowed to do so.
As a result, in the last Irish election the Greens had a 'basic income' policy in their manifesto, where everyone would be given one every year, and if they worked would pay extra tax as they would already have enough to guarantee all their needs. The additional savings in testing and checking unemployment and sickness benefits which would no longer exist would amount to many millions if the money was simply given to people automatically.

If society finally shifts to realise full time work is a phenomenon of the 20th century, and should be made optional, no one would ever have to spend their fittest years working for someone else all day every day, but have all the time to pursue their real interests and create things they were unable to before. I have a collection of drawings and paintings I started when I was unemployed the first time after graduation. Now if someone was good enough, they could make more from selling a few of these paintings, which improve each time with practice, and would have the potential to earn more than they would had they been working for a fixed wage with no time left to create anything.

Change starts in small ways, and just by seeing new ways of working suggested old ways can be questioned, and with time, set aside for a far better quality of life.

When I got married my husband didn't want his wife to work and to keep the peace I gave up my job. He had a very well paid career and money wasn't short. We had a small house (at first) but he insisted on me having someone to clean it for me and someone to do the garden, I twiddled my thumbs then started voluntary work (which was permitted). Then I took time out to have a couple of babies, then back to voluntary work as they started school, then gave it up when my married failed.

I left my husband and as I hadn't worked for years I carried on as before, he paid me an allowance for myself and the children and bought me a house. Finally he gave me a settlement and interest rates were high enough that I still didn't need to work, so I didn't.

Then I started voluntary work again as I was bored, this led to paid work a couple of days each week (when I really didn't need the money) then finally full time. Then interest rates dropped, then 9/11 played havoc with my finances. Now I need to work and will probably have to until I am 65.

I have had it both ways round, I have worked when I didn't need to and messed about as a 'lady who lunches', both are fine and it has been good to have had the option of doing nothing for a while. I have been lucky, I suppose that I am now paying for it!

I have always worked, never been on the dole!

When I married, I continued to work only taking time off to have three children, several accidents, operations etc, etc, and so forth!

Now my health is not brilliant but I can't imagine giving up work - I'd go stark raving mad I'm sure! However, I'm trying to work it so I get to do some work from home (we need my income, as I earn nearly as much as my husband).

If I didn't have to work to earn a living I would have to do something with my grey cells - I could never be a 'lady of leisure'. I suppose my parents set the example and I've followed - they were hard working, my Dad had three jobs at once, one time!

I have always done the majority of the housework and the gardening and the animal husbandry (with three kids we've had a lot of different animals over the years)!

It's hard to break the habit of a lifetime, however, now I need to employ a cleaner as I can't do what I used to, and my husband, well, he's not up to the task/s either, shall we say!

As they say in the classics (whoever they are) money makes the world go 'round, and to afford our house, our lifestyle, our kids, we need two incomes! I look forward however to retiring one day, having grandchildren to annoy me, travelling a little, pursuing long-lost hobbies (arty farty pursuits) and generally pottering around with not a care in the world - mmmm, who's dream life have I accidently walked in on?

In my case, my "interests" include my own businesses. If I could, I'd start one right now, making jewelry. If I had enough money to quit working my regular job, I'd start my own little shop, and just keep right on working.

If I didn't have to work, I don't think I would. I'd rather spend my time volunteering, maybe teaching some music to schools that don't have music programs, etc.

Some good points there, I will say that my therapy work is not something I'd consider work when doing it from home and in my own chosen hours. Though it hasn't happened, I'm sure if I had half the week taken up with clients it wouldn't be too much of a task, the few times it has got busy I've still always found it interesting as this is what I always would have done for a living given the choice, and I am.

Also things like painting and entertaining are hardly work in my eyes. Entertaining is work when you have long hours and travelling, and the rehearsing first, but going out in public and playing music or making people laugh is something I would pay to do, though most who do it get more in a day than I do in a year. So the few of us who get paid for doing what we enjoy, we're the lucky few. But the jobs I did on the way, and which I know most people have to do for life I wouldn't want to impose on anyone for more than half a week. In fact I can now earn as much in a day as I did in a week as I've reached a level where my hourly rate is pretty good. Unreliable but potentially good. And for some reason, those who have become experts in their own hobbies are often capable of earning a lot more from doing it for other people who benefit from their hobbies than any regular employment. The trouble is most jobs would never coincide with anyones interests, though I personally like filing and researching, and can do it for hours and get lost in it. Thanks to progress, many of the worst jobs are now done by machines, but there will always be the usual menial work that has to be done, and that means not everyone will be able to avoid it. Maybe if each area has a rota for rubbish collection etc where people took it in turns (some remote outposts do have these arrangements already with volunteer firefighters, gravediggers etc) it would save any individual having to do nothing else for years, if the rest of society shifted more away from full time work. Just an idea that came to me as I was writing, I'd never thought of that before so thought I'd leave it in!