Thought: Work isn't going anywhere soon

As someone who's worked quite hard (and had more than a little luck along the way) to make work somewhat optional and is fascinated by the predictions around automation and artificial intelligence, I often think about a post-work world for both myself and others.

There's an interesting backlash happening in the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) community right now as there appears to be some science saying retiring early isn't good for you.

That's troubling on one level, but I wonder if it's really true.

Vegetating on the sofa in front of the TV while chowing down on takeaways isn't the only option for your post-work world.  You can take your pick of pursuing hobbies, sports, learning new skills, travelling, volunteering etc.

Add in DIY and house based activities, and it seems to me that there will also be plenty to do - and gasp....much of it looks an awful lot like work.

Sure it's not always remunerated in traditional ways and it may not have the same 9-5 constraints and commute of a day job and perhaps is more enjoyable but with tools like a citizen's income, the gig economy and mobile working -  "normal" work for a lucky many could become the same as what many in the FIRE community seem to aspire to.

I wonder then if the Retire Early bit of FIRE is more about increasing the choices around what, how, where and when you work rather than opting for a bit of a rest that the word retirement suggests.  FIC if you like. Financially Independent, Choose.

Personally, I have the where bit of work dialled (I'm largely a home and mobile worker).

Occasional blip aside, the what I do has meaning, creates value for the organisation and provides growth opportunities while playing to my strengths. Similarly, I have quite a lot of autonomy in how I achieve results so the how is fairly sorted.

And so that leaves when.  I already try to match tasks to energy levels e.g. creative work in mornings, meetings and catchups in afternoons and I have some flexibility over start and end times.  Still, it would be good to look out of the window, see a sunny day and instantly decide to drop work and go out into the hills instead.

Perhaps that's something to work on for the future.