Resources
There are plenty of resources around - podcasts, articles, news items - which have something interesting to say that’s relevant to having a rethink about work at 50+
I’ve gathered some here for you to explore.
I add suggestions (at the top of each section) as I come across them, so check back regularly for new additions.
(Note: Links will take you to other sites, over which I have no control - but let me know if something is broken)
Podcast episodes
Part-time Works
This short series of discussion-based podcasts exploring the pros, cons, challenges and opportunities of part-time work - for employees and employers - makes for interesting listening if you are wondering whether such a shift might be good for you. I found episode 5 - Part-time changed the course of my life - particularly pertinent, but it’s all well worth a listen.
Mel Robbins
How to set & achieve goals: two surprising science-backed steps you must follow - a pretty full-on, lively podcast with some really useful information about setting goals, and what you’ve been doing wrong up until now. The tone is upbeat and motivational, but also funny and self-deprecatory. Very human and accessible, with a clear practical application.
Women at Work
Aging up, not out - about putting in the effort to stay current, how to assert yourself when you feel overlooked, and what to say when people ask that annoying retirement question. And much more.
The Atlantic: How to start over
Starting over when you think it’s too late
Work Life with Adam Grant
Career decline isn’t inevitable
Science of Happiness
How to find your spark in life – approaching 70, comedienne Marilyn Pitman takes stock of what she really wants in life and how to get it
Articles, news items and reports
‘A job well done: knowing when your work is complete’. Julie Bluhm. LinkedIn. 12 December 2023. [Part of the challenge of career redesign is fear of the future. The other is letting go of the past, including the work you’ve done and the people you’ve done it with and for. This piece articulates beautifully not only how to know when to move on, but also the strength required to do it and the strength it generates in its turn. Note: the link copied from LI did not work when I tested it, but you should be able to access the article through Julie Bluhm’s LI profile. Well worth the effort.]
‘Work-life balance: what really makes us happy might surprise you.’ Lis Ku. The Conversation. 22 September 2021. [This interesting piece, written during the pandemic in response to the ‘Great Resignation’, looks at how understanding sources of happiness that might not be so obvious to us can help answer the question of why we work, particularly when we have the option not to]
‘Linking gender and generational balance: careers in the age of longevity.’ Avivah Wittenburg-Cox. Forbes. 29 June 2019. [A few years old but still fully relevant, and contains a good summary of key themes from Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott’s book The 100-Year Life, first published 2016 but increasingly relevant and well worth reading in full]
‘Employers may not value 25 years experience as much as 5, new data shows.’ Avivah Wittenburg-Cox. Forbes. 27 October 2023. [Some depressing data, but useful insights into what individuals, employers and governments can do to combat ageism - including ‘internalised ageism’ - see next reference for more on that]
‘Internalized ageism - discriminating against ourselves as we age.’ Blog by the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging, on the website of Washington University in St Louis, Institute for Public Health. 28 March 2023. [A neat description of what’s meant by ‘internalised ageism’, with some further links to relevant research.]
‘Never too late to learn: attitudes, behaviours and overcoming barriers - engagement with lifelong learning for midlife and older people’. Report from Phoenix Insights. October 2022.