13 Things That Happen When You Don’t Work 9-5 (But All Your Friends Do)

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1. You learn that having the workday open is a solid foundation upon which to build friendships. You have a group of “day” friends who you might not have been close with were it not for your shared schedules.

2. Every day tasks feel like a luxury because stores and gyms are empty. Sales people cater to you because you’re the first person they’ve seen in an hour, and you always get the best machines at the gym to yourself. Plus, no one cares if you take a two hour lunch to read magazines at the table at your neighborhood cafe.

3. There’s at least one thing in your life you can always count on– you always get enough sleep because you don’t have to get out of bed at 7am like everyone else.

4. Time means less to you than it does to other people. People place a premium on like, 6pm and dread Sunday nights. You may have similar ups and downs but you’ll also wonder why asking someone to meet for a drink at 2pm is “weird.”

5. Dating becomes more difficult because you don’t have the same availability to go out as most people. Plus despite whatever your individual situation is, 9-5 is still some kind of milestone of having “made it” (ironic, right?) so it comes across as immature when you have any other schedule.

6. When you’re out on a weeknight with your friends there’s a moment where you remember they have to get up early the next day that makes you eternally grateful for your schedule.

7. On the other hand, usual invitations to things like dinners are complicated for you, but easy for everyone else. It’s hard to explain to people that you do, actually, have to be working at 7pm.

8. You’re closer with your co-workers than most people are, since they’re the only ones that understand your bizarre schedule.

9. You never worry about commuter traffic.

10. Even if you still have to leave your apartment to go to an actual job, pants are more option than they’ve ever been before. Blame it on the fact that your roommate’s already gone for the day by the time you wake up, or the fact that you don’t actually have to go anywhere for hours, but pants-free is your default setting.

11. Suddenly having to be home for a 4 hour chunk of time in the middle of the day for the cable repair guy to show up isn’t the worst thing in the world, so you make sure to store up some karma by being nice about it and not complaining.

12. You’ve discovered how great eating lunch alone can be… or going to a movie alone… or shopping alone.

13. You’ve finally been able to kick your coffee addiction. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

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