Did you find that the endless free time wasn't really that way?

[Nords]

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Originally Posted by Achiever51 I still read the Wall Street Journal and other business publications -- but now for my own investment education rather than for the "biz-speak".

After five years of ER (where I can read as much as I want) I think I'm getting dumber. Or maybe I'm less tolerant of the media.

We've already canceled our newspaper subscription and I don't miss it a bit. (I can scan the publisher's website much faster than I can flip newsprint.) It actually saved me a lot of work-- the lack of the paper meant that I wasn't seeing a printed TV schedule that seemed to be always changing, so instead of programming VCR recordings every few days I've set up weekly schedules that change less frequently. Not only do I not have to read the paper, I don't have to evaluate its bad info.

I've subscribed to Business Week for over 25 years, but lately I've stopped reading it too. I read most of the issue online before it works its way to my mailbox (a 2-5 day lag) and lately Laura D'Andrea Tyson & Gary Becker seem to have lost column space to Maria B & the Welches. This is an improvement? I'll flip through the back issues on the airplane next week but by the time I get back home I suspect I'll be ready to cancel that subscription too. It's not the money-- it's being pelted with way too much info and way too little content.

Scientific American is still OK, but it used to fuel my investment analysis and now it's mostly golly-gee-whiz research. My Family Handyman learning curve has flattened way out. U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings... well, thank goodness I no longer have to give a sh!t be situationally aware of who's saying what about network-centric warfare.

I used to read a lot of biography, history, financial research, and lifestyle/longevity books. Now I skip over them in favor of the latest Robert B. Parker, Jim Butcher, Joe Buff, & hard SF authors.

But maybe this is a passing phase. Maybe by the time I've been ER'd as long as Jarhead I'll be poring over medieval texts and reading Greek poetry...

[W2R]

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Originally Posted by Goonie Endless free time is great! I get to decide what I want to do (or not do), when I want to do it (or not do it), and how fast or slow I want to go! I, too, wonder sometimes how I had time for life AND w*rk! I keep quite busy, but it's almost all stuff that I want to do and that I like to do! There are a lot of times I'll be doing something, step back for a second, and think "Hey! I need a cup of coffee!" So I'll jump in the car (leaving my 'project' in limbo) and head off for the coffee shop. When I get back, I get back! Then (most times) I'll pick up where I left off. Like cutting grass. When I was still employed, I had to cut it on one of the 2 days I had off each week. If I had other plans for Saturday, I had to cut it Sunday. If I had other plans for Sunday, I had to cut it on Saturday. If it rained....man was I screwed! So when I went out to cut it, I had to get going and get it done as quick as possible so I could still have some free time to enjoy. Now, I can cut it anytime I darn well please.....and it's seldom on a Saturday OR a Sunday! I like to spend weekends visiting with friends (who still have to w*rk during the week), and going to farmer's markets and flea markets, and other stuff that only happens on those weekends. I really like cutting grass too. It's relaxing, I'm out in the sunshine, and I get my exercise. When I was w*rking, cutting grass was a chore that had to get done. Now I'll cut for a while, take a break, cut for a while, take a break....eventually I get it done. Sometimes I start today and finish tomorrow! I have as much...or as little...free time as I want! It's like the accelerator pedal in your car, or the thermostat in your house.....YOU are in control!!! Adjust things to YOUR liking!

Goonie, your post really helped a couple of us who aren't quite there yet. What you are describing is all we could ever hope for. Thank you!

[Goonie]

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Originally Posted by Want2retire Goonie, your post really helped a couple of us who aren't quite there yet. What you are describing is all we could ever hope for. Thank you!

Glad I could be of some assistance.

[lazygood4nothinbum]

did you ever fall asleep and dream for what seemed like a really long time only to awaken and realize you'd been napping for just a moment?

as i worked out of my house on pretty much my own hours, with my boss out of state, i have pretty much as much free time now as i did when i was working.

i've always been struck by those who think they never have enough time. life is so short, they say. and then there are those who are always bored and i think that for them life must just drag on and on and on.

aside from school projects and work deadlines, i never felt rushed. though i see it often in others, i neither rushed time nor felt like i was out of it. though i often feel like i'm on the wrong planet, i never felt like i missed the boat. at worst i feel like i might have made a wrong turn or two, but rather than panic just because i'm lost, i simply enjoy the view.

lazy to the core, when you are not out for accomplishments, when you're not going anywhere, it really doesn't matter much how much time you have. when you are happy where you are, it doesn't matter whether the world goes by quickly or slowly because regardless of its speed you have all the time in the world.

[audreyh1]

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Originally Posted by Nords After five years of ER (where I can read as much as I want) I think I'm getting dumber. Or maybe I'm less tolerant of the media.

Nords, I expect it has more to do with you being involved in your own life. What is going on in the rest of the world doesn't matter as much to you any more.

I remember going on vacations to remote areas with groups of people where some of them really struggled with the loss of "immediate information" from traditional media. They felt adrift at not knowing for days what was going on in the rest of the world. I always really enjoyed the respite and one of the things I hated about returning to civilization was the breathless, frantic information glut.

IMO, the job of the media is to make all this news sound incredibly relevant and immediate and oh so important for you to "stay tuned....". When really, how much of it is relevant at all? Not that much.

Audrey

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 Nords, I expect it has more to do with you being involved in your own life. What is going on in the rest of the world doesn't matter as much to you any more.

Well, that sounds much better than "lazy & dumber"!

[Linney]

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Originally Posted by Achiever51 I recently realized that when I was working, I spent most of my days on autopilot -- moving through many tasks without even noticing the time/energy/results and looking ahead to the next item on the "list". Looking back, I see now that I rarely took any time to reflect on what I did -- I was too busy. Now, I find myself more "in the moment." Where I used to drive 80 mph on the expressway, juggling the Blackberry and trying to eat the fast food lunch that I grabbed at the drive-thru, I now purposely take the surface roads and stop to enjoy a sit down lunch (maybe at 2 in the afternoon). I enjoy lingering over a cup of coffee, listening to the birds or the breeze through the trees. I still read the Wall Street Journal and other business publications -- but now for my own investment education rather than for the "biz-speak". And, I am happily re-discovering hobbies that I shelved for years while I climbed the corporate ladder. Overall, I think I've become a more interesting person by widening my horizons...I know that I am happier than I've been in years.

I am soooo glad to hear this! I have a couple years left until I retire and I am soooo looking forward to being able to 'stop and smell the coffee' (or is that 'roses' ?)

Anyway, right now I feel like I am always going 100mph, finish one thing and immediately start the next, going non-stop from the moment I wake up until the time that I have to get some sleep.

I'm sure I can learn how to slow down again. Really!