One thing that I have found very helpful in terms of having more free time is taking on an 80% position. 80% means you get 1 free day per week, or around 50 new vacation days a year.
That's A LOT! You get a lot of the use-your-time freedom you will get when you are FI while still getting ahead professionally, having no holes in your resume, etc.
This is even more true for the US than it is for Germans like me. I get 30 days of vacation a year anyway, but if you only get 2 weeks like in many parts of the US, 50 days means you get 6 times the free time for only 20% of your salary. It also makes saving easier. Less commute, more time for home-cooked meals etc. You can probably get ahead faster if you use some of the 50 days for career advancement or a profitable side gig of some sort than working full time.
It should also be of great help if you have a family at home.
If the 80% position itself is not feasible, maybe a restructuring would work. If you have a 40 hour workweek, you could work 4 10-hour days and have a free day. Get up one hour early and stay an hour late. Not too hard and you still get the benefits I talked about above. Maybe that's even preferrable.
Freeing up time from work
Re: Freeing up time from work
I've been considering working 80 % too, but it might be hard to swing in my industry(haven't graduated yet, but from what I hear and read, it's 9-5 or nothing). But if I make myself valuable enough, then who knows.
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Re: Freeing up time from work
@Toska: Good plan.
I've been on the 4 10-hour day schedule for most of this year. I agree, it's excellent. I also work from home two of the four days, which is really excellent as it cuts out the extra hour of commuting and, obviously, the need to sit in a cubicle all day pretending to be busy if there's no work. The amount of free time I have now is awesome. Only in the last six months have I been able to refocus myself on my dream of fiction writing, which I always thought would have to wait until retirement.
I love this work schedule so much that I pretty much stopped looking to advance. I want to stay right where I am for my last few years of employment.
I've been on the 4 10-hour day schedule for most of this year. I agree, it's excellent. I also work from home two of the four days, which is really excellent as it cuts out the extra hour of commuting and, obviously, the need to sit in a cubicle all day pretending to be busy if there's no work. The amount of free time I have now is awesome. Only in the last six months have I been able to refocus myself on my dream of fiction writing, which I always thought would have to wait until retirement.
I love this work schedule so much that I pretty much stopped looking to advance. I want to stay right where I am for my last few years of employment.
Re: Freeing up time from work
I used to have a schedule like that, it was awesome. It really is good mentally and provides a lot more free time.Spartan_Warrior wrote:@Toska: Good plan.
I've been on the 4 10-hour day schedule for most of this year. I agree, it's excellent. I also work from home two of the four days, which is really excellent as it cuts out the extra hour of commuting and, obviously, the need to sit in a cubicle all day pretending to be busy if there's no work. The amount of free time I have now is awesome. Only in the last six months have I been able to refocus myself on my dream of fiction writing, which I always thought would have to wait until retirement.
I love this work schedule so much that I pretty much stopped looking to advance. I want to stay right where I am for my last few years of employment.
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Re: Freeing up time from work
I've done by both 80% and 90% for two and a half years. It was SO WORTH IT! My only regret was giving up 90% when I changed jobs this year.
In my case, I was elected to our local school board and used that as leverage to get the initial time reduction to 80%. 80% was ideal for having a second demanding job, but 90% is barely noticable on your take home income after taxes.
While acceptance on these arrangement are typically hard to get, they really great. There has been a LOT more talk of doing more of these in the future with some of senior staff prior to retiring. Can't wait to see if it become more common placed.
In my case, I was elected to our local school board and used that as leverage to get the initial time reduction to 80%. 80% was ideal for having a second demanding job, but 90% is barely noticable on your take home income after taxes.
While acceptance on these arrangement are typically hard to get, they really great. There has been a LOT more talk of doing more of these in the future with some of senior staff prior to retiring. Can't wait to see if it become more common placed.
Re: Freeing up time from work
I know a buddy who once worked 10 hour 4 day weeks. He hated them. The schedule changed each week, so he never had the same days off, and he also had to work weekends. He left the job for an 8x5 job and was much happier (as was his spouse).
I'm all for more days off, but they need to fit your living circumstances. I do know several folks who would gladly work fewer hours at their current jobs (with the proportional reductions in salaries) if it were possible.
I'm all for more days off, but they need to fit your living circumstances. I do know several folks who would gladly work fewer hours at their current jobs (with the proportional reductions in salaries) if it were possible.
Re: Freeing up time from work
Great post. And interesting timing.
I'm considering going one step further and asking for a 3-day work week. However, that's enough of a reduction that it will likely affect my responsibilities (which I wouldn't mind) and be a harder sell. But the idea of inverting the work/life balance to where interesting work is the 3-day weekend from my primary life sounds appealing enough that I'm tempted to give it a shot.
Even if we split the difference on a 4-day week, that's a pretty nice "compromise".
I'm considering going one step further and asking for a 3-day work week. However, that's enough of a reduction that it will likely affect my responsibilities (which I wouldn't mind) and be a harder sell. But the idea of inverting the work/life balance to where interesting work is the 3-day weekend from my primary life sounds appealing enough that I'm tempted to give it a shot.
Even if we split the difference on a 4-day week, that's a pretty nice "compromise".
Re: Freeing up time from work
So nice... I've got this but only 1/4 from home... Soon 2/4, and from 2/4 I want to push for 4/4 at home then 4/4 at work... From there 8/8 home, 8/8 work. 2 weeks on 2 weeks off! I probably wouldn't retire until I had raised kids if that was the deal.Spartan_Warrior wrote:@Toska: Good plan.
I've been on the 4 10-hour day schedule for most of this year. I agree, it's excellent. I also work from home two of the four days, which is really excellent as it cuts out the extra hour of commuting and, obviously, the need to sit in a cubicle all day pretending to be busy if there's no work. The amount of free time I have now is awesome. Only in the last six months have I been able to refocus myself on my dream of fiction writing, which I always thought would have to wait until retirement.
I love this work schedule so much that I pretty much stopped looking to advance. I want to stay right where I am for my last few years of employment.
I've been offered a job paying 30% more, but time from home would vanish and I'd have to supervise... Basically I'm going to bluff that I'm going to take this job unless I get more time from home, or at least a nice raise... lol, hope my bluff is not called.