classical_Liberal's Semi-ERE

[horsewoman]

I think it's taken me almost three months of no time spent on the job earning money to realize just how much slack time can provide. It's not just the sheer amount of time that matters either, rather, the ability to control of WHEN you can use the extra that provides the most value.

And here lies the problem - or the solution - why we are talking different languages I suppose. G+J, 7W5 and I have spent lots of time living in a system where time is abundant due to working PT and/or making money with side hustles/businesses. Personally I have like 3 years of regular FT work under my belt if I don't factor 6 years of training in (which is not full-time due to extensive schooling that goes along with the practical work). The rest was spent mucking around with PT work and side hustles (when I felt like it).

I really don't see the need to measure these things, because it is very obvious to me when I have too little slack built in. So while Seppia feels it is easy to put himself in your shoes I look into your shoes and think – huh, what's all the fuss about? :) And I'm a metal head, too - there goes this theory :)

I've seen this transformation happening with my husband after he quit FT work - this shifting of mindset towards an abundance of time - time to think, time to sit things out, time to find work-arounds. It was beautiful to watch and still is. 3 years ago it would have been unimaginable for him to go with one car, these days he is actively seeing possibilities how it might be doable after all, with very little inconvenience. Or rather, he does not regard the inconveniences as overly problematic anymore.

You can solve almost any problem if you have enough time and mental space for your creativity to find a solution. I call it "marinating" – that is, ideas and concepts marinating in my brain and suddenly a new solution pops up.

I know I have a rather different personalty, so it may not be applicable for you, but I encourage you to trust in yourself, think less about percentages and simply give yourself time to grow into this new mindset. It takes a while! Your finances are sound, and with this new resource "time" countless ways to need even less of your nest egg will materialize in time.
OTOH if you have fun drawing up quadrants, carry on and share them here. This is a very good use of your new resource “time” if it gives you pleasure and meaning, while producing stuff to marinate for your brain :)

[classical_Liberal]

...

[classical_Liberal]

...

[fingeek]

Great to see your experiment is, on balance, a raging success! It's excellent that you're using your time to do things you "want" - Something I realised I didn't really do, I was mostly in "catch up" or "anxious with the baby" mode.

Glad to hear the burnout is tailing off too. I'm curious to see if you do go back to work after all, and how things evolve on that front over the months .

[ertyu]

Thank you for this write-up, CL. Sounds wonderful, such a fulfilling place to look to look forward to. Sleep, and the ability to be outside and focus on learning at my own pace. It's also encouraging to hear that once one has been away from work for a while the miasma of burnout and negative emotion associated with working recedes. May we all get there some day.

[mooretrees]

Great up date! Pretty interesting to hear how many 'phases' you've gone through in a short time. It really seems like you have a great set up and have giving yourself a lot of freedom and choice. Thanks for writing!

[7Wannabe5]

I'm curious if you have found yourself devoting more time/attention to your investments than when you were busier because employed? IOW, are you doing anything to structure Personal Investment Managment as more like unto a job? I am also envious, because I have never been completely free of some sort of semi-self-employed and/or SAHM role.

[classical_Liberal]

...

[Jin+Guice]

Very interesting. I still think you're going to get bored and make money again, but maybe I'm wrong. 3 months is too short of a time to tell, but it's not too short of a time to start to have an idea.

I used to look at the idea of living off of <4% of my current liquid net worth as some type of pie-in the-sky possibility, admirable to those who could do it. Now, I see some pretty clear paths forward towards achieving that in short order. I feel like someone who’s completed a half-marathon with energy to spare.

Haha, I told you. It's confusing to me when people track their expenses, do the work to get down to ~2-3 JAFIs and then claim it's impossible to get lower. Even if you're not doing it, I would think you could see the path and imagine how you could do it.


The longer I'm partially working the more I can see that our whole system of work is fucked. It's pretty cool that we've figured out a way to get everyone to come together to do these specialized things and that many people get some level of choice as to what they do. Other than that though...

The culture of being expected to suck the dick of your job and always want more money is really a pain in the ass. Figuring out how you like to work and when you work best and actually going to bat for that is important. Unless you're part of the small minority that actually loves (all parts of) their jobs, making someone work full-time is a fucking crime.

[classical_Liberal]

...

[McTrex]

It's just that our schedules often only allow blocks of time small enough to dream of doing it, rather than taking the month of concentrated time to do it, and get it out of our system. Those small blocks add up to a lot of time through the years.

This! So much this! If only there was a way of combining these small blocks of time into fewer bigger ones.

Semi-ere or freelancing are probably the best ways to accomplish this.

[classical_Liberal]

...

[Jin+Guice]

I sense some hostility. Have you been working too much again?

Haha, you know me too well. Fucking surgery demand in December is brutal man.



I like the FI is a state of mind attitude. I don't understand going FI beyond necessities (which are realistically available to those in non-extenuating circumstances for 1-2 JAFIs), unless you like your job. There is of course the situation where you are getting FAT paid and you are kind of o.k. with your job and you are unlikely to make even 50% as much money if you quit. I think more people say they're in this situation than actually are but...

For ridiculous indulgences I think it makes more sense to pay for them with work in the period in which they occur. How do you know what indulgences you'll want in 20 years? Saving an extra 100k so you can indulge in 3k forever seems way harder than just making 3k when you decide you want those indulgences to me.

[classical_Liberal]

...

[horsewoman]

For what it's worth, my husband struggles with this as well in our semi-ER. He works 10 hours a week in theory, but is called in as a stand-in when someone gets sick or on holiday. In practice this means he is often at home for weeks followed by a 1 or 2 week FT stint, with a few single 8 hour days strewn in between. After doing this a few years he literally gets sick before every FT stint and it messes with his mind. By now he is prepared to up his weekly hours to 15 to get a regular day a week plus some flexible days (quitting this job would be extremely stupid, since he has a long standing and well paying contract with great benefits, which is virtually impossible to get these days). Golden handcuffs, indeed!

I think most humans need some structure provided by outside sources, or they start to flounder a little.

In your case it is even more difficult because you actively need to seek out a contract. All of the responsibility lies with you, that's a lot of pressure, I suppose.

[Jin+Guice]

Secondly, that harsh realization that I am such an all-on, all-off person with whatever I'm doing. Having to work a couple shifts interrupts whatever else I'm doing and the anticipation feels like pure torture. Actually doing it isn't so bad, it's probably actually good for me, so I think it's best to figure out ways to limit the anticipation periods.

Interesting, I'm obviously the opposite of this. I did however really enjoy working at the studio which was pretty much the only time in my life I had a singular goal that I hyperfocused on. In general though, I'm usually working on several projects at once and I get bored if I spend too much time on one.


Maybe it is better for you to just work full-time for a little bit then? What's the least you could do this on a single contract? You're FI at 12k and you were spending 18k (which I'm presuming has fallen in retirement) so 6k a year pays for indulgences. It seems like you could make that in 3 weeks of nursing or something? If 3 months is the minimum contract, then every time you work you pay for 4 years of indulgences.

The other alternatives are to reduce expenses to be within the amount you have for FI or find another way to make 6k a year. Personally I think finding another way to do it is more interesting than going back to nursing, but it will certainly be less efficient. How much dread does working the minimum full-time nursing contract fill you with?

[classical_Liberal]

...

[mooretrees]

It seems like you are heading towards a solution, but before you left the full-time nursing it wasn't practical to come up with a plan. Too tired and burnt out to be creative and take advantage of any opportunities.

I am looking forward to hearing what you come up with. The dread of working could be an excellent stimulus to find other opportunities. I remember 7w5 mentioning a few options awhile back that might take advantage of your nursing + healthcare experience. Medical transport, cpr teacher?

Have you considered different types of nursing? I see chemo nurses and day surgery nurses having sane hours plus potential job share opportunities at my hospital. I assume those opportunities are out there with other facilities.

Is the dread only for nursing? Or work in general?

[classical_Liberal]

...

[fingeek]

Prior to my test year off, I was fairly certain I'd not go back. 6 months in, my burnout and anxiety pretty much faded and gave me enough clarity to realise what I wanted, what I was missing and where I might want to head. At 9 months in I decided to cut my year short and go back to work. I struggled with the lack of externally-forced routine, and I was pretty excited to get back to work for the social (belongingness) and challenge aspects.

I'm curious still whether you're going through this similar process and after another month or two you'll gain a different perspective and the dread will have disappeared. If not, this could well be your body/unconscious mind telling you what direction you really want to be going in!

At the least, going back to some full time work may solidify any feelings you have around this stuff - You might still dread it, you might tolerate, or you might even enjoy it. It could well be that shortly after you go back, you realise your true direction (at least for the next chapter of your life). Will be interesting to follow you on your journey!