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Building a vision of life without work (2015)

livingafi.com

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Re: Building a vision of life without work (2015)

#21

Post by wccrawford »

decebalus1 wrote: post #18
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #3

This is one of the biggest missing pieces in internet FIRE discussions. So much of the FIRE discourse is about not working that many don’t realize that they’re going to be extremely bored with 16 hours to fill every day. Worse, their friends are all busy with their lives. It’s actually a common failure point of FIRE post-mittens that didn’t work out. Especially with couples, where it’s more likely that at least one p…

> This is one of the biggest missing pieces in internet FIRE discussions. So much of the FIRE discourse is about not working that many don’t realize that they’re going to be extremely bored with 16 hours to fill every day. Worse, their friends are all busy with their lives. This is a frequent misunderstanding about early 'retirement'. It's not about not working at all. It's about not working for a living. Very import…

For me, quitting work would probably not happen immediately after I get FU money, but it'd happen within that year, I bet.

At first, I'd do a lot more of my hobbies, but then I'd probably move into finally making video games. I'd finally have the time to just sit and play with it. Right now, I don't feel like I have that kind of time, and getting more than 3 hours in a row is hard on weekends, and impossible on week days.

It definitely isn't about not-working. It's about working on what I want to.

Re: Building a vision of life without work (2015)

#23

Post by luffapi »

AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #7
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #3

This is one of the biggest missing pieces in internet FIRE discussions. So much of the FIRE discourse is about not working that many don’t realize that they’re going to be extremely bored with 16 hours to fill every day. Worse, their friends are all busy with their lives. It’s actually a common failure point of FIRE post-mittens that didn’t work out. Especially with couples, where it’s more likely that at least one p…

Got to admit that watching people struggle with the question of what to do without a job to fill their time is just completely wild to me. It is difficult for me to imagine someone who has so little they want to do outside of work that they can't easily find ways to fill up the 8+ hours a day their job takes from them. I have a list of things I'd like to do a mile long that I know I'll never actually find time to do…

Exactly I have so many hobbies, social opportunities, home improvement projects, chores… that get neglected because the bulk of my time and energy goes to work.

I’ve saved enough to have multiple year breaks in my career and not once was I at a loss for something to do. Quite the opposite, it was apparent exactly how much of my life was being wasted on goals I found uninteresting (at best), all in the name of not starving to death or living on the street.

Re: Building a vision of life without work (2015)

#24

Post by neogodless »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #3

This is one of the biggest missing pieces in internet FIRE discussions. So much of the FIRE discourse is about not working that many don’t realize that they’re going to be extremely bored with 16 hours to fill every day. Worse, their friends are all busy with their lives. It’s actually a common failure point of FIRE post-mittens that didn’t work out. Especially with couples, where it’s more likely that at least one p…

I will not be bored when I am not compelled to work.

I was unemployed for six months during the pandemic. Boy did I fail to be bored! I overhauled my garage, building a French cleat system and organizing all of my tools. I built a movie/reading nook for my spouse, with a sliding bookshelf door. I caught up on cutting and splitting firewood for winter. I played board games, cooked, baked, rode bike almost every day, sat in the cool breeze overlooking nature, sat by the fire pit and boy, was I not bored.

I also spent a lot less on clothes and commuting...

Re: Building a vision of life without work (2015)

#25

Post by Nemrod67 »

AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #9
clipradiowallet wrote: post #4

I hope I have this problem some day. Retirement seems a long, long, long way off. Feeling the rat race pretty intensely the last 5 years.

I feel you. I don't know if it is the pandemic or I've just reached mid-life-crisis age, but I'm so ready to not be working that I'm considering just quitting right now and killing myself when the money eventually runs out.

please don't kill yourself, there needs to be more people being fed up for things to move, not less :)

Re: Building a vision of life without work (2015)

#26

Post by soco »

kevinwang wrote: post #5

This person also posted an amazing, unvarnished update recently (about 5-6 years later): https://livingafi.com/2021/03/17/the-2021-early-retirement-u...

The way I read his new job is also giving him a sense of purpose, which, even with all the pleasures of being independent, seems kinda important for the human social being.

Re: Building a vision of life without work (2015)

#28

Post by babyblueblanket »

kevinwang wrote: post #5

This person also posted an amazing, unvarnished update recently (about 5-6 years later): https://livingafi.com/2021/03/17/the-2021-early-retirement-u...

This is 10x better than the OP article. Please, anyone reading the comments, read this article in its entirety instead.

Re: Building a vision of life without work (2015)

#29

Post by benrbray »

ModernMech wrote: post #16
benrbray wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. To me, FIRE would mean the freedom to spend every day working on problems I think are important and learning stuff that I think is interesting, whether or not a company agrees with me. All with the knowledge that I can stop working at noon or take a month off whenever I need to!

Sounds like you would enjoy academic life!

already tried that and it didn't go so well ;)

Re: Building a vision of life without work (2015)

#30

Post by temp8964 »

kevinwang wrote: post #5

This person also posted an amazing, unvarnished update recently (about 5-6 years later): https://livingafi.com/2021/03/17/the-2021-early-retirement-u...

The conclusion came to me is that extreme working and extreme no-working are both bad in the long run. All you need is a work-family-life balance.

I am also glad that the author now opens the door for getting married and even having a kid.

Work, spouse, kids, the traditional way of life have been explored and chosen by human being for at least thousands of years. The psychological / economic needs for living with a family do not go away just because you "decide" you don't need them. There are people live alone, but most of them are not happy, for most of the time.

When you are young, you may like to wonder why do I have to live a life like my parents? When you get older, you will slowly or quickly realize that you are just a regular human being like everybody else.

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