One of my priorities is to reduce the amount of working hours. The mission is to find an ideal balance between work and free time.
Roughly two months ago I've also written a personal article about a workload I deemed too high. The situation has improved somewhat since then; the amount of free days on a weekly basis has actually risen from 1 to 2 ... ! However, I'm still kinda bummed about the fact I still work 5 days a week in a dull office environment while the summer life outside goes on. I'm also not too crazy about the work pressure; many times person A arrives at my desk to ask a certain file, while the phone is ringing because person B wants something too. Not to mention I'm fighting to process a intimidating pile of paperwork on my desk. Sometimes, it is very tempting to simply tell 'em to piss off, but I ofcourse remain polite as it is a professional working environment.
But yeah, due to these circumstances I certainly want to reduce my workload. Total retirement is out of the question but I'd be happy if I manage to get and maintain a parttime job in 2018. I can personally 'compensate' the resulting drop in salary by reducing living costs, and that is quite an easy task; the biggest factor is the subsequent drop in transportation costs that happens more or less automatically ... ! I'll keep you posted if significant developments occur regarding this ... !