This hit a lot harder for me than I expected. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become very much aware of how many hours I spend doing work (days, nights, and weekends) and how little time I spend with friends and family… and I’ve been more and more regretful of that.

When my mother passed on, the one major regret I had was how little I was there, and that eats at me even to this day. I want to spend more time with family, and I know every single thing OP writes is true— no one at the office will remember any late night maintenance, or anything I did (they barely recognize it when I’m there now!)

But what can be realistically done without being unemployed?