Making OMY enjoyable, worthwhile, ...

[robnplunder]

Rather than lament, hate, dread, fear, (add your adjective here) OMY, I've decided to embrace OMY, make it enjoyable & worthwhile starting with my job.

• Vowed not to be bothered by politics, backstabbing, competition, psycho boss, mean peers, greedy/manipulative employees, ...
• Focus on efficiency and use the freed up time for what I would do in RE. Example, I started exercising regularly using Megacorp's gym. I was putting if off as "to do" in RE but why wait when I have the time & the facility is free. If I can't RE, bring the RE to work. Consider it as a part time job where I can exercise, surf the net, BS with people, (needed) time away from DW, etc..
• Enjoy the saving, and what it means to ER. Savor it. Splurge it while I can.
• Start doing things I would do in ER.

Feel free to add your ways of making OMY enjoyable. I want to learn from the best .

 

[Evergreen]

I know where you are coming from, I intend to get in shape when I retire early but as you say, why not start now, I can obviously carry it through when I have actually retired. This change would do me good mentally and would remind me that I'm out very soon.

 

[Beldar]

Feel free to add your ways of making OMY enjoyable.

My "OMY" will more than likely end in June/July 2015, unless I have an epiphany at w*rk and meltdown. The thought of being able to leave whenever I want is just too great. Like you mention, mentally turning off the noise at w*rk is already working for me.

However, and this is just for me, I am following Gumby's 12 step program. I also am addressing any major cash-heavy issues regarding the house, such as appliances, roof, etc.

This may not sound "enjoyable" on the surface, but having to deal with such potential surprises early on in ER may be less enjoyable.

 

[Car-Guy]

• Vowed not to be bothered by politics, backstabbing, competition, psycho boss, mean peers, greedy/manipulative employees, ...

Good luck. For me it got "worse" even though I tried to ignore most of it. Maybe a better word is "intolerant".

What worked best for me: I was able to cut my hours down to 40 hour work weeks and I was making more money than ever before. Still, after ~2 more years of "OMY" I couldn't (did want to) take it anymore.

Again, good luck.

 

[2B]

What I have done is to make our travel budget "unlimited" both in time and money. It really hasn't mattered the last few years whether I save anything. It's not really impacting my net worth. I also "don't care" about things that others might find to be a hassle or demeaning in any way. I'm just putting in my time. I want to do what I need to do but if I got fired it didn't matter.

I'd do another OMY but I'm sick of the drive in and out.

 

[dallas27]

I think One More Year would be more bearable simply by referring to it as One Last Year.

 

[RetireBy90]

What I have done is to make our travel budget "unlimited" both in time and money.

I've considered this, if I do OMY and suspend the contributions to 401K above 6% to get match, then we could take a couple longer and more expensive trips while I still have a paycheck and it won't impact the pile of $$ we will live off. DW used to work in school system so we could only take time when the kiddies are out of school. Looking forward to May and October trips.

 

[Gazingus]

I have two years left and there is some risk to the apathy that I feel. I have decided, likewise, to improve my lifestyle and see if my attitude will follow. DW and I are starting with a 60-day alcohol fast on Jan.1! It will be a reset, a sanity check and if I really like the new me...who knows? The goal is to set the lifestyle I want in ER now, as others have noted.

I'm going out a lean, mean, fighting machine; not an overweight, overindulging has-been with a poor attitude. Make 'em sorry you left; not glad!

Let's hope this works.

 

[growing_older]

I've considered this, if I do OMY and suspend the contributions to 401K above 6% to get match, then we could take a couple longer and more expensive trips while I still have a paycheck and it won't impact the pile of $$ we will live off.

If you have some money saved in taxable accounts, you also have the option to continue to save the full amount in your 401k and pay for the travel from your taxable accounts. If the amount you draw is equal or less than the 401k contribution then you do not impact the size of the total portfolio while still getting all the tax benefits of the 401k, in effect converting some taxable savings to tax deferred.

 

[RetireBy90]

If you have some money saved in taxable accounts, you also have the option to continue to save the full amount in your 401k and pay for the travel from your taxable accounts. If the amount you draw is equal or less than the 401k contribution then you do not impact the size of the total portfolio while still getting all the tax benefits of the 401k, in effect converting some taxable savings to tax deferred.

True - I hadn't thought of it like this. However, in my case all my 401K are to Roth version so they are all taxable anyway. I could use the cash account to do this and continue to save in the 401K. Hrmm

 

[Ronstar]

My OMY wasn't too bad. I gave a years notice and coupled it with a one year employment contract to work 960 hours. Roughly 48 weeks at 20 hours per week - half of which I worked at home. Politics really isn't that bad when you're not at work to be bothered by it.

And I started doing things that I wanted to do in RE - hobbies, travel, etc.

 

[Grigori]

Here's what I did to make OMY more enjoyable:

• Being already FI, I put all the earned money in a vacation fund.
• I stopped working nights and weekends.
• I exercised and took care of myself.
• I really stopped caring about what anyone at the office thought.

I found myself "retired on the job", the boss noticed, and I was out the door. If you don't want to turn OMY into OMM you might want to watch your job performance. For me, it was teh only way I could tolerate being there another few months, PERIOD.

 

[Grigori]

My experience at 2 1/2 weeks into RE is :

The time you spend on non-work activities during OMY will be a treasure you appreciate tremendously when you cut loose from the job. There activities are expanding to fill my day, and give me contentment and enjoyment. I don't know where I'd be now if my whole identity was still my J*B title.

 

[foxfirev5]

I can see here that a persons attitude toward the whole thing is the key. However I am finding that rather than the normal fatigue that I am truly burned out. I can do the travel and I can do the job. I just can't do both any more. The only potential bright spot is the potential for travel restrictions after Jan 1. This would lead to more home office time. Time for exercise, wildlife watching, mental refreshment all in the comfort of my home.

This might enable me to rekindle the mental strength to continue on. I like the idea of improving your fitness and health while at work. Why wait?

 

[SumDay]

I am counting the days, literally. I have a "DAYS UNTIL" app installed on my phone, so I know exactly how much longer I have to endure my OCD, anal-retentive, micromanaging, control freak boss. I've found myself getting pretty lippy with some of his ridiculous requests, like I'm almost asking him to put me out of my misery. I've been holding it in for 10 years, and I just hope I can do it for another 24 months.


I like all these tips everyone's shared. I think improving my attitude will be my 2015 resolution. I get paid well, I telecommute most days, and there's a pension involved. I should count my blessings!

 

[robnplunder]

Here I am at work on New Year's Eve. The office is devoid of any other workers. They are either on vacation, working from home, or left early. I feel like I came to work to pass the time: worked out at megacorp gym, surfed the net, read golf instruction book and, oh yes, did a little bit of work. OMY seems to be ok if I can repeat this every day. But come new year, it's back to office politics and cutthroat hustle and bustle of megacorp America, not to mention fighting through traffic for two hours a day.

 

[eytonxav]

I would add spend more time on ERF. Given some of the post counts on here for individuals that are still working, I suspect some have already made this a best practice. When I was working, unfortunately I never had that much leisure time at work.

 

[2B]

I would add spend more time on ERF. Given some of the post counts on here for individuals that are still working, I suspect some have already made this a best practice. When I was working, unfortunately I never had that much leisure time at work.

I post much more from work than from home.

 

[eytonxav]

I post much more from work than from home.

I don't think you get the award, as your post count/day seems much lower than many on here.

 

[fh2000]

We turned OMY to OMQ (One more quarter). We do not have much stress with our work-at-home jobs.

I want to keep the insurance in order to finish my crown in February. I max'd out my 401K contribution to the max allowed: 50%. I plan to reach $24,000 2015 limit then bye-bye.

DW is waiting for her annual bonus, and plan to use up her HRA account as mush as possible. If not used up, this is forfeited.

 

[Aiming_4_55]

OP - I feel your approach is reasonable and if it fits your needs, go for it.

For me, I'm taking the OMJ approach. One More Job for the experience in a cloud computing company. The hours are longer than I expected, but I am calling it a fair trade off for now. If it takes too much from my family, I will look for an exit. The additional experince allows me to market myself for contract/consulting assignments in the future if desired. Also, allowed me to splurge on a car that I normally would not buy, but was on my bucketlist.

 

[38Chevy454]

I'm with you, taking advantage and not letting the office BS get to me. I am at work my 40 hours, but no more unless a real problem needs attention. Spend too much time surfing internet and E-R.org, but still get all my work done. Mainly working for the insurances and the additional savings. Strongly intend to go part-time in spring in time for summer and rest of the year.

 

[Gazingus]

I have two years left and there is some risk to the apathy that I feel. I have decided, likewise, to improve my lifestyle and see if my attitude will follow. DW and I are starting with a 60-day alcohol fast on Jan.1! It will be a reset, a sanity check and if I really like the new me...who knows? The goal is to set the lifestyle I want in ER now, as others have noted.

I'm going out a lean, mean, fighting machine; not an overweight, overindulging has-been with a poor attitude. Make 'em sorry you left; not glad!

Let's hope this works.

I'm already feeling better about TMY (two more years). Look above at how bad I felt about myself on 12/30. That was a result of holiday binging and no exercise. One week of healthy food, no alcohol, and one workout and I'm in much better spirits about the situation.

I think it helped me, also, that everybody came back to work and we got busy again. I have to find a way to change the holiday traditions of food and football slothiness. The penalty is too steep.

 

[robnplunder]

I'm already feeling better about TMY (two more years). Look above at how bad I felt about myself on 12/30. That was a result of holiday binging and no exercise. One week of healthy food, no alcohol, and one workout and I'm in much better spirits about the situation.

I think it helped me, also, that everybody came back to work and we got busy again. I have to find a way to change the holiday traditions of food and football slothiness. The penalty is too steep.

LOL. I am glad you got back to some senses (YMMV).

As for me, this is my 3rd week using the megacorp gym for some serious workout and treadmil'ng. It gives "I am on a treadmill at work" a new meaning.

 

[robnplunder]

Brought some coffee ground from home to make my own coffee at work. I had enough of the cheap, acidic megacorp coffee. Aaaah ... smell and taste of good coffee makes me forget about BS at work, even for just a short time.