Spare time for tinkering

[Tha fios agaibh]

I imagine I'm not the only one that feels this way, but there doesn't seem to be much time left for electronic projects after work, family time and keeping up the maintenance on our house and property.

I have projects that have literally sat on the shelf for years that I'll probably never get to.
I need to learn to say "no" when a project or repair crosses my path these days and just start pitching out what most would consider "junk.
I have a tendency to save old and obsolete electronics because it could have a spare part I might need. I know that's not entirely bad, but I'm starting to feel like a pack-rat.

Perhaps down the road in retirement I'll have more time for tinkering but perhaps not the motivation?

 

[hexreader]

"Perhaps down the road in retirement I'll have more time for tinkering but perhaps not the motivation?"

Retired - been there - done that.

Life is a bitch.

Sounds negative (or realistic), but I actually enjoy early retirement. Who cares if I acheive nothing, as long as I enjoy life, which I do.

As John Lennon said... "The only truly wasted time is time that you do not enjoy"

... or something close....

Everyone is different. What works for me might not suit others....

 

[Martaine2005]

Absolutely @hexreader , life is certainly a bitch. But a good learning curve that never reaches 360 degrees. It rather branches off in different directions just like a tree growing!.
I am with John here too, branched off, got fed up, changed job, blah blah..
I have oscilloscopes unopened. bench meters unopened. Signal generators unopened. Guess what?
I WILL open them and play when the time is right.
Chin up John me ole mucka, we all have down times. My EX had them EVERY 28 days!! What's that all about?

Martin

 

[Tha fios agaibh]

Chin up John me ole mucka, we all have down times. My EX had them EVERY 28 days!! What's that all about?
Martin

I'm not "down" (or, PMSing((Lol)) nor, do I even particularly agree that "life's a bitch".

I guess I'm feeling overwhelmed with having so many irons in the fire right now and the sheer amount stuff I've collected.

Last evening I got ticked off at myself and started bagging up stuff for garbage, and other stuff boxed up to go to good will.
It's a small start but I feel good about it.

I think I need to learn to say "no" to people more often, and work less.
Life is a balancing act, and I'm feeling a little off balance at the moment.

Any sage advice for me regarding organization, work load, or how you prioritize?

 

[hexreader]

Yes, bad choice of words - I maybe should have said life is ironic, rather than life is a bitch.

Later in my career I would tend to avoid volunteering for overtime as it was about the only thing I had control over. Tough to turn down double/triple time money, but necessary for coping. Also took early retirement.

I was very fortunate that I had these options - many people do not have the luxury of being able to survive on less money.

I too find de-cluttering cathartic, and it simplifies life once done.

 

[Martaine2005]

Well, I can only relate to my personal life experiences......Sooooo.......To cut a long story short, my Ex used to deliberately declutter while I was at work. On one occasion, I was getting dressed and put the bedroom hifi on...BANG went the hifi and tripped the RCD. Checked it later that evening and the transformer had shorted. No problem, I have a box of transformers from various appliances....."Hunny, where is that box I left by the back door?". She replied, "The one full of junk and wires?"..........You know where this is going......"I took it the the recycle centre with other rubbish". Needless to say, I had to wait to find another compatible transformer in someone else's rubbish..It took a while and I now have TWO boxes of transformers!!.
When I grow up, I want to be a professional hoarder.
When I retire, I want to organize my hoardings! Organized chaos!.
Actually, right now I have a Sonos play5 in pieces on my coffee table. I haven't touched it for 4 days. I have been busy with other things.
I love the Spanish approach to life. mañana.

Martin

 

[Tha fios agaibh]

"Hunny, where is that box I left by the back door?". She replied, "The one full of junk and wires?"

On one side you are justified getting angry having your stuff thrown out without being asked, but she also has a reasonable expectation to not keep unused clutter for extended periods of time.

Question is: Is it really worth keeping a sizeable collection of junk around for years... or even decades, for the odd chance you may need a random part one day? I suppose it depends on its size and value, but the honest answer is... Probably not.
Just go out and purchase another part for a few bucks/quid and save yourself the clutter.
(Unless it an often used part)

I admit the former doesn't come easy for me. My parents went through war era rationing and by proxy I have learned to save every spare screw, spring or scrap piece of wood or whatever for salvage.

Perhaps there's a support group for hoarders?

"Hello, my name is Martin and I hoard transformers.......Hello Martin, thanks for sharing."