ABSTRACT
Social change significantly shapes modern adult lives, including driving inquiries and interventions in adult education. Perceptions of its pace vary – some view it as too slow, others as too rapid – reflecting the diverse ways individuals experience and respond to social transitions, from urgency to indifference. This chapter explores how working people navigate these transitions by examining the relationship between two key factors that structure and disrupt the temporalities of modern life: work and sustainability. With a theoretical focus centred on rhythms, inspired by Alhadeff-Jones’ work, the chapter illuminates how different temporalities coexist and influence social life in the context of change. Biographical work-life narratives are analysed to provide empirical insights into how individuals align personal work and sustainability aspirations amidst these temporal complexities. Three ways of responding to rhythms of contemporary working lives are presented: colliding rhythms, keeping control over rhythms, and zigzagging rhythms. The chapter argues that strategies for navigating social change reveal distinct ways of engaging with the complexities of temporalities across the life course.
