What to do in Free Time

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JulianoBR
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Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2011 10:34 pm

Post by JulianoBR »

I think what we want most is free time. As I'm employed, I'm always dreaming about having more time to do my own stuff.
But a question started to bother me. Once I'm retired, with enough monthly income, what will I do from 7 am to 10 pm?
- to learn work skills - unnecessary

- to learn languages - unnecessary, since it's difficult and the return is low

- shopping, eating out - impossible

- playing videogame, reading novels as a pastime, watching tv series - meaningless if done full time

- to learn accounting, law, finance - unnecessary

- sports - only to get fit, an obligation like a job
I've came to conclude that the only thing I'd would do for myself, for my entire life, would be:

- to study physics, psychology, economy, phylosophy.
Of course it would be cool, because knowledge brings pleasure. But my life would change dramatically, it's not possible to know how I would behave in this scenario.
Has someone came to the same conclusions?


DutchGirl
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Post by DutchGirl »

I think it depends on who you are and what you want in life. I think for me, learning a different language and traveling there, seeing what the culture is like, would be very enjoyable. Apparently that is different for you.
You have listed some things you would like to do, and I think each of these subjects can bring a lifetime of studying, understanding, achieving and enjoying.
I am also not sure what I really would do with all that free time, but luckily I still have some years to develop more ideas and grow towards it.


JohnnyH
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Post by JohnnyH »

Fixing houses, brewing beer, permaculturing yard, gardening year round, cutting firewood, learning 2 new languages, backpacking, hunting, traveling, fixing cars, playing video games, reading, cooking, writing... I'm not really worried about not having enough to do!


JulianoBR
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Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2011 10:34 pm

Post by JulianoBR »

Thanks for the replies.
In my specific case, I think I prefer my current work than fixing houses, cooking, gardening and learning languages. All this things seem to me as stressful and meaningless as work itself.


mikeBOS
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Post by mikeBOS »

Has someone came to the same conclusions?
Hopefully my tenants and the employees at my dividend-paying companies have.


Chad
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Post by Chad »

No issues for me. I can fill whatever amount of free time I have with something meaningful to me.


JohnnyH
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Post by JohnnyH »

@Mike: haha, nice...
@Juliano: Do you have no outside interests then? Your job is the most enjoyable thing you can imagine doing?... When you wake up you'd rather go to work than anything else?
I'm imagining you've taken a vacation before, right? On this vacation were you bored out of your mind or did you regret when it ended?... Do you find yourself often bored?
Seems like most people here want early retirement because they cannot pursue their [many] interests because of the time dominated by 9-5.


Freedom_2018
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Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2010 12:10 am

Post by Freedom_2018 »

@JulianoBR: Seriously?
Are you looking for a real answer to an internally generated question or are you just looking for witty responses to your friends for "ERE vs Beggar" kind of arguments?
Maybe something more on the lines of "get rich quick and then party for life" would be more palatable?


livinlite
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Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2012 7:38 pm

Post by livinlite »

@ JohnnyH: "Seems like most people here want early retirement because they cannot pursue their [many] interests because of the time dominated by 9-5."
That...and that by the end of a 9 hour day intereacting with a computer screen, I'm pretty wiped-out and creatively brain-dead. It's hard to go home and work intently at your poetry, meditation, sutra study, etc. when your brain has been bombarded non-stop since 7:30a.
That's my experience anyway.


KevinW
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Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2010 4:45 am

Post by KevinW »

My answer is to look at how I spent my vacations when I was a kid before I started working. I was always industrious and took on ambitious projects, like building a scale aircraft carrier out of LEGOs, filming a home movie, or starting a garage band. As a working adult I've only been able to focus on interests that are marketable. But I'd like the opportunity to "work" on non-remunerative achievements.


Dragline
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Joined: Wed Aug 24, 2011 1:50 am

Post by Dragline »

"I've came to conclude that the only thing I'd would do for myself, for my entire life, would be:

- to study physics, psychology, economy, phylosophy."
That's plenty to start with -- any one of them could keep you occupied for years, especially if you begin writing or speaking about them. And nobody is saying plan "your entire life". I don't even know how anyone could do that unless they are planning on a very short one.
"Of course it would be cool, because knowledge brings pleasure. But my life would change dramatically, it's not possible to know how I would behave in this scenario."
No one knows the future -- even of their own behavior. That's not a reason for choosing or not choosing to do something. You won't know how you will behave in the future even if you do nothing.
"Has someone came to the same conclusions?"
No. My experience is that as long as you have a little curiosity, you will never be bored. One interest leads to another, and often in ways you did not conceive when you embarked on the first interest. If you can't get motivated at all, read self-help materials until you can.
I did notice that your list seemed limited to things you could or would do alone. While most people here are introverted, you will find more value in life if it is shared, even with just a few people and even if its just schmoes like us on the internet. Finding a club or organization with people who do something you like would be even better.
If I did not know what to do next, I would intentionally explore things that I am bad at to see if I could develop at least some minimal competence -- like cooking or carpentry or learning how to identify plants in the woods. You would be surprised at what these efforts sometimes yield. (You should have seen me try running.) Amusement with one's self to say the least.


lazyboy
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Post by lazyboy »

@Juliano

no one said you have to leave your job as you are FI. How about just work some hours less and see where you best fit in? You may find new interests or things you enjoy to do as you get the time and freedom to do so.

And if you still love your job the most just go on but with the security you don`t rely on it.


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fiby41
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Re: What to do in Free Time

Post by fiby41 »

Now is a great time to testdrive what you'd be doing in ER.

ertyu
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Re: What to do in Free Time

Post by ertyu »

No, because in ER I hope to live alone rather than be forced by circumstances to live with my parents + a large part of what makes me happy is taking me and my laptop to a place that will sell me coffee and hanging out. Also I assume take walks and I hope spend time with friends. These aren't exactly feasible in the middle of quarantine.

bmjohnson35
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Joined: Thu Apr 30, 2020 10:31 am

Re: What to do in Free Time

Post by bmjohnson35 »

I'm FIRE'd for around 2 months now, so I can share timely feedback on your questions. I have focused on my health since my departure. I also started learning a new language, but I am struggling to stay interested in this item. I think I would do better if I got a chance to use it more. Hopefully, some traveling will address this issue. I have house projects, but I have been dragging my feet on painting.....the largest portion of my projects. We walk 2 miles a day and I work out every other day. I have started a meditation program developed by Wim Hof that involves breathing exercises, cold therapy and mindfulness. I have also bought a wearable fitness tracker to monitor sleep hrs, heart rate, steps taken daily, etc. We have started downloading recipes and experimenting with some new dishes. I also enjoy kayaking, motorcycling and we both enjoy hiking wilderness trails. We live with 5-10 miles of the beach and will likely start spending some time at the beach once they are reopened.

Going from a 40-50 hr demanding work week and on call 24/7 to unemployed is a significant change. I'm still developing my routine and working through the change in lifestyle. I'm married and we enjoy traveling, so this will fulfill some of our time once the dust settles from the coronavirus. I didn't retire with an excessive amount of net worth, so we will have to live within a travel budget.

One area you haven't addressed is your social circle. We have kids and grandkids to interact with, but we plan to get more involved in the community and hope to build a larger social circle. If you do any amount of reading on the subject, you will see that having meaningful relationships is a reoccurring theme in happiness, health and longevity. We are far from hermits, but I think we could improve in this area.

To me, the whole idea of FI is freedom. The freedom to sit on the couch all day or whatever I choose to do. There is no wrong answer. I do not miss the corporate politics, endless reports, emails, meetings and teleconference calls, but I do miss the people I worked with for many years. Personally, I want to believe that I am more than what I did for a career over the past 30 years. I'm 50, so I can always go back to work, but I hope that I do not eventually feel the "need" to go back to work.

BJ

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