classical_Liberal's Semi-ERE

[theanimal]

I'm really looking forward to reading your further updates. I've been really interested in nursing as an option for the past couple years or so. I applied and was accepted to a nursing program last year but decided not to go through with it at the time. Maybe sometime in the future. Anyways, keep kicking ass!

[niemand]

Gee, same here. I’ve been googling pathways into nursing in Australia here for the last two evenings. Very cool journal by the way, really like your story. Keep on posting!

[slowtraveler]

It sounds like life has been great for you now. I admire that set up of yours. Good luck with the new housing. I wouldn't stress on the crusier purchase. It has many benefits and $80 isnt the end of the world or financially taxing by any means. Congrats on lasting so long with the no new things rule. Journals like yours remind me of how much I've loosened up and how much I could tighten if I really needed to.

[7Wannabe5]

Congratulations! The upside of intermittent full-time is that it does have some of the same psychological effect as "back to school." The summer seems like a time apart compared to continuous very part-time employment.

[classical_Liberal]

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[Jin+Guice]

Congratulations on hitting the ERE w/ 50% of SS benchmark and quitting your full-time job. I realize I'm about a month late to comment on a position it sounds like you've decided to take, but I'm going to offer a dissenting view anyway.

I think 6 months of full-time work is too much. You don't seem happy nursing full-time and I think you're giving up hard earned freedom for the allure of more dollars. It does seem like you want to try out the half year thing, so in that regard I'd encourage you to go for it. Part-time work is categorically different than full-time work. I get the impression that you still kind of like nursing, and I think doing 1-2 days a week might rekindle your passion for it. You just seem so utterly burned out. It's also my opinion that part-time work is better than full-time work and that full-time work is akin to modern slavery. I think working full-time is totally untenable and I don't know how anyone does it. I'm willing to accept that personalities are different and some people prefer working full-time and then being off full-time. I won't believe you don't prefer part-time work until you've given it a real try though.

As everyone else mentioned, if you refuse the offer it's unlikely to be presented to you again, so trying it is likely the best option. The danger here is ending up trapped by habit and a false sense of obligation. It's easy before you do something to think "if this doesn't work out, I'll just stop." One of the many lessons I've learned the hard way is that the weight of what we are doing is far greater than the things we could have done but didn't. We end up doing things for far longer and under far more miserable conditions than we ever thought we would when we started, simply because we are already doing them.

I'm interested to see what you find in your 6 months off. To me, you so clearly need a massive period of decompression that I wouldn't be surprised if you don't end up doing much during some or most of those 6 months. Eventually, as a motivated and skilled person, you are much more likely to find opportunity around every corner than you are to end up starving in the street or watching reruns of Jersey Shore all day.

[fingeek]

This is awesome, congrats! I will humbly submit that you might be in a bit of a state for a good few months if you are coming down from a high pressure/burnout type position, and/or if you don't have a solid idea of what you'll get up to in your time off. I believe it's all positive stuff though - We have to go through the shit to clear it off and come out as a fresh new person.

I hope you at least get through the 6 months finding some new hobbies, and not resenting going back to work at that point because it was too early - Sounds like you have all the cards lined up the right way though. Good luck and keep us posted!

[classical_Liberal]

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[fingeek]

I've just ticked over 5 full months. I felt extremely burnt out coming into my "test FIRE" year. I can say at this point the burnout has practically gone, and I just have slight "echoes" of it every now and then. I'm actually starting to look forward to going back to work at this point, and a slight level of boredom is creeping in. I'm still fairly exhausted but I put that down to baby.

For the first two months or so I felt like I was in "catch-up mode". I used to say to my wife "I'm going to do some work now" while referring to every day stuff. After she pointed this out, I reframed my language and stopped that, and I no longer felt like I was in catch-up mode. Then, like peeling the onion, I found some deeper bits of pain to try and work through.

If I was in your position, I would feel optimistic that the majority of my burnout would go by 6 months, especially if you're planning exercise, getting out, mindfulness and other such goodies. I'd definitely take an extended initial break and go cold turkey rather hope that shorter intervals cure the burnout

[classical_Liberal]

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[horsewoman]

Maybe I can structure my leisure/hobbies the same way. Obviously others have managed to do so.

To me it seems full time work creates a mental barrier between work and play. I have been on the part time track for almost 12 years now, and in that time l

- outfitted my sewing room with pro equipment by sewing for other people
- outfitted my hobby of photography by opening an online shop where I sold handmade fabric items
- financed my two horses with caring for other peoples horses and
- bought my pretty expensive instruments by playing/singing for other people.

I do none of these things commercialy at the moment, but I have top of the line equipment for all my hobbies. I could never have done all that while working full time.
Actually, I couldn't even have imagined 15 years ago how rich my life would become by "depriving" myself of full time income.

This process takes some time but I'm sure you'll experience something similar.

[jacob]

+1
I've bootstrapped a few hobbies this way rendering them effectively free and turned one into a salary. Also see ERE book 5.1.1 (A modular design).

[fingeek]

To me it seems full time work creates a mental barrier between work and play.

Very much found this too. Work can consume your mental time and leave none for hobbies and life outside work. It's something I've learnt fairly hard this year while being off, and I intend to make sure that when I go back to work I don't let work take my full mental time... Tips welcome!

[classical_Liberal]

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[steveo73]

classical_Liberal - your post here on hobbies is exactly what I just posted about on a different journal. I'm also wary about monetising a hobby. I also agree with not picking a hobby that is expensive but I don't mind paying for hobbies that I enjoy if I have to pay for it.

I play guitar for instance but I don't pay for a guitar teacher or upgrade guitars however I do jiu-jitsu and I can't do that for free.

[horsewoman]

The third seems Wheaton 6-7+. Although I've had paying jobs before that I enjoy to varying degrees, there has always very much been a "separation of church and state" mentality wrt work and play. I theoretically realize that for some this distinction is very blurred, but have never truly made an attempt. My aversion is partially the worry that attempting to monetize a fun pleasure-type activity would suck the joy from it. This is partially because I tend to have a depressive personality, very much existentialist. When I do find something I love, adding order, deadline requirements, measurements, or whatever, seems to ruin it for me. I hate to risk losing joy in an activity, particular since it is hard to find and tends to fade over time anyway. So I'd be very interested to hear how you folks have managed to balance that aspect.

There is no denying that monetizing your hobbies takes the fun out of them, but I am now in a position to tell you - it is only temporary.

My sewing business (est. 2010) started to bore me as I had to reproduce similar items all the time to keep costs low (time for photography, and listing the items is of course a lot less if one makes the same item a few times.) The sales started to peter out in 2014 due to my lacking engagement. I closed my shop in 2016 and did not even look at a sewing machine for months. But of course I still have all my high quality machines, paid for by my shop. Today I sew almost every day again, little odds and ends for our house, mending and alterations. I really enjoy it, not least because of my super cool gear

In 2012 I picked up a new instrument and since I was only working part-time I was able to put in the hours to become proficient fast - I ended up in a band with well paying gigs after a year. Might be due to some lucky breaks, but I do not really believe in luck. Being lucky is a combination of being prepared and having your eyes wide open to take up opportunities (recommend reading: The Luck Factor by Dr Richard Wiseman).

Fast forward five years and lots of earned money with music (I invested most of it in gear and a top-of-the-line instrument I could never have afforded otherwise) - I became fed up with the money making aspect, turned even down a chance to "hit it big" because I could not sell myself in this way. So I joined a no-profit band where all proceeds are spent for flyers, equipment so on, but there is no focus on making money. It's a hobby band, and I really enjoy that. Of course I still have the skills and the option to make some money playing and singing on my own, and indeed I do 3 or 4 solo wedding gigs a year (using my old contacts) to keep even. I do not enjoy those gigs (I'm not a solo musician, never will be), but people are willing to book me so I suck it up "for the money".

When it comes to horses, I thoroughly burned out by caring for other peoples horses. In this case I was not able to "pull the plug" in a timely fashion, and I was at a point of giving up riding completely (I ride horses since the age of 8!). We made too much money with this to quit it willy-nilly, and the end was very painful for all parties involved. But - you know what - 5 months after I kicked out our last boarder I got myself a brand new young thoroughbred horse and have been training him happily ever since. The burn out was fierce, but in the end very short, same for my husband. We even talk about taking in 2 boarding horses in a few years again (with lessons learned!) to offset costs. I suppose if you really love something you will go back, even if some bad stuff happens.

I've written you a small novel with my experiences, and of course I know that everyone is different. But since I have run through this process you worry about recently I hope my experiences are helpful to you. I would not recommend to monetize a hobby so much that you make serious money (like we did with our horse keeping). This muddies up the lines too much, at least for me. But make just enough money to pay for related costs and you will probably be fine.

[classical_Liberal]

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[Smashter]

Awesome progress! Can't beat living near close friends.

What kind of setup do you have for $550? That is so dang cheap, I'm jealous.

[2Birds1Stone]

Amazing update. Really happy you've found a home base, and lookin forward to seeing how you do in this next chapter. Hoping for more regular updates as you don't have the craziness of moving and work to deal with.

[CS]

I too am jealous of that cheap housing!