50 y/o man quits job after decades of working, now figuring out life beyond the 9-to-5

SINGAPORE: A 50-year-old Singaporean has decided to step away from work and embrace a slower pace of life after spending most of his adult years in the workforce.

Posting on the r/asksg forum on Tuesday (Nov 10), he shared that he spent the long weekend weighing up the decision before finally handing in his resignation.

“I mulled over it during the long weekend. Quite mixed feelings, not going to lie. Part of me is relieved. I stopped feeling the sense of belonging a few years back, and honestly, the heart to continue just isn't there anymore. So there's no point in dragging it out,” he wrote.

Fortunately, he managed to leave on good terms without any hard feelings or burnt bridges.

However, while leaving a job means no longer having to worry about deadlines, meetings and the demands of working life, it also comes with the challenge of adjusting to a very different routine.

Having worked since his 20s, the man admitted that he had hardly known life without work and was now struggling to imagine how he would spend his days without the usual responsibilities.

He also has no immediate plans for his next chapter. With no children of his own and his wife's children already grown up, he has relatively few family commitments to fill his newfound free time.

“My wife says this is my midlife crisis. Maybe she's right, but at least I didn't go out and buy a sports car. More worried about the stories of people who stopped working, then pass on within a year or two, or develop early-onset dementia. Really don't want to end up like that.

“Not a very active person, but have started to fix my health and lose weight for a start.”

Turning to fellow Redditors for advice, he asked: “Guys in your 50s, how do you keep your mind and body going?”

‘You just have to be deliberate about keeping your mind and body active’

In the Reddit thread, one commenter who retired at 49 encouraged the man to use his newfound free time to focus on things he is passionate about.

“Find your passion activities and try to plot them into your daily routine; otherwise, just take life slow, doing nothing productive. You need to get used to the unstructuredness, or you will slowly become lost and spiral into depression. I'm retired at 49.5 too. Enjoy true wealth in SG living.”

Another urged him to take up volunteering, writing: “Consider volunteering for a cause you are comfortable with? I know you are starting from ground zero, but that's also the beauty - a white sheet of paper. That means you have freedom to try out many different things/org. You will also have a chance at meeting different people.”

A third shared, “Not in my 50s, but I left my job 1.5 years ago. If you don't have immediate financial pressures, not working is quite enjoyable. You just have to be deliberate about keeping your mind and body active. Figure out an exercise routine that works for you and do stuff that stimulates your mind.” 

“I've been keeping busy by reading books, playing around with AI, financial planning, vacation planning, learning foreign language basics (for upcoming trips), playing video games, learning to play the guitar, and exercising.”/TISG

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