Lots to do

[Live Life]

At the moment i need to work at least 6 days a week with a few 16s thrown in there. I have no time for hobbies, chores, etc. I’ve tried making a list of stuff to get done but if I work an 8hr or off day i end up sitting in the chair watching tv all day and get nothing done.

So let's take this situation.

You are "choosing" to work 6 days a week with occasional 16 hour shifts because you have a "survival" passion driving your current phase of life.  You are doing what you are doing because you BELIEVE that's what you MUST do at the MOMENT.

So, in your current "belief system", that's what you choose as life's priorities and other activities such as hobbies (What used to be your PASSION), etc. become less important and lower in priority and as I pointed out in previous post, that's OK as we go through different phases of life. (Believe me, I used to work 8-12-16 hour shifts in my 20s and 30s)

And on your only day off for the week because you "chose" to work the other day off, your body is pursuing PASSION of resting and regenerating your physical shell and mind so it can continue to support your pursuit of working 6 days a week with occasional 16 hour shifts. (Can you blame your body?  Looks like it's doing exactly what it needs to be doing)

If "getting things done" is important or rather if you CHOOSE to get them done, you can simply make those things your PASSION and you can find ways to fulfill them.  You have that free will choice.

So nothing external is keeping you from pursuing your life PASSION.  And you are absolutely "living life" as you are fulfilling exactly what you DEFINE as your life's priorities.

[T.O.M.]

When you aren't at work, what do you do?  Here's what I mean when I asked that...do you spend time doing things relating to your interests/hobbies?  I have several interests and hobbies.   Shooting is one.  Can't go to the range every week.  But there are other ways to pursue this interest, like YouTube videos.  No, it's not trigger time, but some videos (like Hickock45) I truly enjoy.  I imagine there are things you can do in pursuit of your interests and hobbies that can work with your life.

[Live Life]

So let's take this situation ... You are "choosing" to work 6 days a week with occasional 16 hour shifts because you have a "survival" passion driving your current phase of life.  You are doing what you are doing because you BELIEVE that's what you MUST do at the MOMENT.

When I was in college after Army in my early 20s, I didn't want to graduate with a large student loan.

So I worked EVERY Friday/Saturday.  Sunday was my only day off and I did laundry and performed car maintenance work for my car and sister's car along with shopping for groceries, etc. (Since I grew up fixing cars with my stepfather and cooking 60%+ meals at home in High School, I helped other students living at the dorm with their car repairs and I did most of the cooking for my dorm floor with kitchen on each floor ... They would buy ingredients and I would cook)

It was not easy working every week, especially on sunny weekends in Southern CA while my friends/classmates went to the beach/mountains for camping and I went to work.  But while others graduated with large student loans, I was debt free 3 months after graduation and was able to buy 2 houses and a triplex by the time I was 26.  I met my wife at 28 and she was mildly impressed that I was a "nice" landlord who did all the maintenance work (We married 3 years later and here we are 30 years later).

So during college years, graduating without financial burden of large student loan was my "passion".  I went to college because earning higher income was my "life passion".  But despite college/work load, I had a daily "civilian life" core routine (Benefit from "military life" in the Army) of proper sleep/rest, cooking/eating, exercise of jogging, free gym at the dorm, volley ball/tennis while playing piano at the dorm for relaxation.

After college, since I had $4,600/month income with health benefits (This was in 1990 and I was 24), my "passion" shifted to riding dirt bikes and four wheeling in 74' Scout II along with shooting in the desert and mountains.  Since I listened to Bob Brinker's "Money Talk" in High School/college years, I added to my "passion" desire to secure retirement so I started funding 401K (Roth IRA didn't exist then and what I would recommend now) and started buying "fixer" real estate to rehab them.

After getting married, wife and family became my "passion" and we pursued quad riding sand dunes of deserts and Oceano/Pismo dunes camping everywhere four wheeling in 4x4 trucks and Suburbans.

Wife's passion was retiring at the coast with a beach house and we bought our retirement property at the coast in 2014 and another house near the beach in 2015 we are renovating.

I can start drawing from my 401K in October and monthly draws will be double/triple my generous government pension of 26 years and wife/daughter/son promised to help me with my "passion" of blowing/PIF the gains every month. 

So looking back to my 20s, my decision to work every week was pursuing my "passion" at that MOMENT based on the BELIEF SYSTEM I held and lived the REALITIES of my free will choice.  And yes, on some Sundays, I did nothing but veg out watching TV or sleeping all day with no regards for my hobbies like hiking/camping/beach.

Believe me, nothing wrong with that.

[axis]

Still around, toned working 70hrs a week down due to a 9% raise this year. I am
Going to make plans on certain days i spend 1hr doing something productive. Just seems as if the long list of stuff that needs done is overwhelming

[tokugawa]

IMO
 If you are going to wear yourself out working, better to do it for yourself than someone else.

[axis]

IMO
 If you are going to wear yourself out working, better to do it for yourself than someone else.

Gave up doing it for someone else a year ago and that’s partially why i am in the predicament i am in. Doing it for myself now.

[Cliffh]

There are times when I balance how much money & time a project would take me to do vs having someone else do it.  I do call in the pro's every now & then.*

Today I'm doing a bit of concrete work.  Not so bad that I need someone else to do it, and I can get it done on my day off.

*Last time was a plumber.  Shut off the main water supply, install 2 shutoff valves in a very tight spot, go under the house & repair one of the elbows that broke while they were installing the valves.  Took him about an hour; would have taken me most of the day, along with the accompanying pain. Money well spent.

[tokugawa]

Gave up doing it for someone else a year ago and that’s partially why i am in the predicament i am in. Doing it for myself now.

Is it high competition for work driving you? Maybe switch fields.
Or is it high demand for your services? Maybe charge more.

The only way I have found to survive in a small operation is to find a really niche market- preferably something that the big boys could come in, and wipe you out in a week, set up a big operation, and be out of work in a month. AKA not worth it to them, but highly valued by the client. It does not take much volume for a small operation.

Anyway, the problem gets worse as one gets older- less energy after work. I used to push jobs out, work till midnight if needed- no more.

[Live Life]

OP's work is definitely high demand but also could be high stress.

Much of my 26 years with CA state government working for three agencies were very high demand/high stress and depending on the assignment, I was on pager stand-by or was recall-able back to work by phone due to proprietary nature of work/assignment.

Often, work required me to stay over.  When I was working as director of field facility in charge of 120 staff, I would often work 12-14 hours (I was salaried so no overtime, just time off) and one time, I had to work 28 hours straight due to an emergency (I slept/napped at work).

My retirement pension is good but I think I shaved off like 9 years of my life due to high stress ...

problem gets worse as one gets older- less energy after work. I used to push jobs out, work till midnight if needed- no more.

And OP and I have discussed that already as when I was younger in my 20s and 30s, sleep was "optional" but not now.

In some ways, being spread too thin could be what OP could be experiencing with internal/external pressures of seemingly being forced to work extra/long hours. 

Maybe switch fields.

I too was burning several candles at the same time in my 30s and 40s and simply reached a point where I was doing WAY TOO MUCH and needed to take some time off ... Which later turned into a complete career change/agency change that really reduced work demand/stress.

[Live Life]

Still ... working 70hrs a week

70 hrs/week is quite a work load but if you must, you gotta do what's "right" for you.  Perhaps make your rest/recovery time really count so you are properly "refreshed" when returning back to work?

How about taking hot bath or doing other things that help you relax?

Going to make plans on certain days i spend 1hr doing something productive. Just seems as if the long list of stuff that needs done is overwhelming

When I was younger in my 20s and 30s, I used the motta "Work hard ... Play hard".

While hard riding quads in the desert and beach sand dunes just made my body more tired, I SURE SLEPT HARD. 

Maybe you should devote that "1 hr" doing something that you really like/enjoy?  How about a full body massage?


Back in 2014 when we bought our retirement property and moved the family earlier than my 2019 retirement at wife's request, I rented a room near work office so I only had to drive 8 hours to home on weekly basis. 

After moving, I had full body ache to where it hurt to move my arms up to drive.  Wife and I had done spa days where we got deep tissue Swedish massage and suggested I get a full body massage as there was a "massage parlor" by the office.

When a nice lady led me behind the front desk, I noticed light was very dim with red hue (In contrast, spa was very brightly lit) that made me go "Uh oh ... what kind of a place is this?  The kind of place with 'happy ending'?".

A small lady entered the dim room (I went ... She could not be my masseuse?) and she asked why I was there and I told her my wife suggested a full body massage as I was sore from moving the family and was in need of a "deep tissue" massage like the Swedish massage I got at the Ivy Day Spa - https://theivydayspa.com/spa-menu/spa-packages/

She was quiet for a bit then smiled and told me to get on my stomach.  She then hopped on my back first with her hands on my back and knees on my butt in circular motion  (What??? Is this normal massage therapy??? ... But MAN OH MAN, she knew what she was doing to relax the achy butt muscles) then proceeded to walk up and down my back, butt and thighs while I was groaning, almost yelling out loudly in pleasant agonizing pain followed by very vigorous full body massage.  I couldn't believe she had so much strength in her hands and elbows but that massage session sure worked to get my body better (I left a hefty tip).