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Minimal Work
Old 09-06-2011, 06:50 AM   #1
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Minimal Work

Anyone out there who is technically "ER", but just has a "mental need" to work one day a week just to stay in the game and keep their toe in the water. This is with the proviso that what ever "work" you were doing wasn't disdainful, but you recognize that you no longer had the necessity of doing it full-time.
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Old 09-06-2011, 07:06 AM   #2
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Sorta. I just retired at the end of June and haven't felt any need so far, but I expect I'll want to go back to work eventually, part or full time. But it's wonderful to know I can afford to work wherever I want (relocate) doing whatever I want regardless of pay scale. The first career was largely for the money, the second will be for the joy of the work itself. So I empathize...
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Old 09-06-2011, 07:13 AM   #3
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I fully expect and WANT to do something to enhance my financial and mental well being after I retire, however the knowledge that you dont have to put up with a j-o-b that drains you so you dont eat catfood when you are old is the carrot for many people.....


5 months away from ER
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Old 09-06-2011, 07:33 AM   #4
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I work 3 hours a day, for 9 months out of year. Adds a little pocket change, but I do it mostly because its easy and dont mind doing it. I find my day is more productive when I do this. On my "off" days I dont get anything accomplished. But then again, that isnt so bad either.
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Old 09-06-2011, 08:13 AM   #5
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I did, after much thought and experimentation with "full retirement".

However, (and this is huge) it meets all of my criteria of having a short commute, no heavy lifting, little to no BS/drama, minor amounts of paperwork, and the hours (2:00 PM to 10:00 PM) agree with me. I have yet to be denied a day off when I want it and the pay is just a shade less than my before-retirement income. I have my KMA hat and while I'm full-time now I have the option of going to part-time when/if I want to.

While the unplanned-for income is nice we're banking most of it since I suppose that is ingrained in us but we have loosened the purse strings some and indulge ourselves in ways that we wouldn't have without the extra income.

YMMV.
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Old 09-06-2011, 08:59 AM   #6
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I do a little part-time w*rk now, but in a completely different area from my career. I was in a technical field for 25 years; I now teach knitting classes 2-3 times per week.
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Old 09-06-2011, 09:26 AM   #7
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I'm not ER yet, probably 6 - 8 years from now.

Personally, I think I will continue being a landlord after ER, but we'll see.

The other thought is contracting as little as possible for reduced cost benefits, not because I "have to", but because furgal nature to get cheaper health care benefits.
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Old 09-06-2011, 10:00 AM   #8
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I like my 3 day a week work arrangement. Working sometimes from home with little bs helps. And sometimes I fake senior moments to avoid working on projects I don't like.
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Old 09-06-2011, 10:08 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ferco View Post
Anyone out there who is technically "ER", but just has a "mental need" to work one day a week just to stay in the game and keep their toe in the water.
Spouse and I do landlording chores a morning or two a month-- mostly handyman repairs and groundskeeping.

I've also noticed that over the last year the book and the blog have experienced a sort of "time creep" which is beginning to bear a suspicious resemblance to work. But I'd do it whether or not I was getting paid, just not as promptly.

I don't feel any mental need to keep up with military strategy or tactics or tech. I enjoy reading about training & operations, especially historical analysis, but I certainly don't wish that I was back at sea doing steely-eyed-killer-of-the-deep stuff. I write because I enjoy it, and when I've had enough of it then I'll spend more time on my longboard...
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Old 09-06-2011, 11:31 AM   #10
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I don't feel a need to, but it was fun working part time at home on my own schedule for a friendly boss. Even came up with a new patent idea. Had to stop playing PC games to free up time. Either one is fine with me.
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Old 09-06-2011, 11:47 AM   #11
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After I retired I took a part time job .It was one day a week . I soon realized it was a mistake because it was in the same field I had worked for many years . I then quit the job and ramped up my ebay selling .I do not need the income it provides but I do need the stimulation it gives me .
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Old 09-06-2011, 12:22 PM   #12
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I worked 10 hours a week (2 part-time days) through February and March this year as a Tax-Aide volunteer preparing taxes. It actually cost me about $500 to do this as my bicycle was stolen from where it was chained up outside the library one day.

Still, I plan on doing the same next year. It's mentally stimulating and does not interfere with our traveling which we do mainly in the summers. (I also get the exercise of cycling to/from "work").
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Old 09-06-2011, 12:52 PM   #13
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Prior to retirement I thought I would miss working, and secretly planned to study, write, maybe even consult once enough time had passed to satisfy the formal ethics requirements to which I was subject.

Much to my surprise, once I retired I left all of that behind in the dust. The only thing related to work that I choose to do, is to read the news to see what my agency has been up to.

It's not that I disliked work (other than the political BS); I had the ideal job for me. Also I do have that entanglement between my career path and my own identity or self concept. Still, now that I have the opportunity to govern my own time usage I have found that there are SO MANY things unrelated to my career that take up my time, that I really want to do right now. Realistically, I don't see myself choosing to work any more. That is a chapter in my life that I have gently closed.
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Old 09-06-2011, 01:54 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ferco View Post
Anyone out there who is technically "ER", but just has a "mental need" to work one day a week just to stay in the game and keep their toe in the water.
Nope ...

I volunteer for Meals on Wheels (a few hours each week) but that's a different story. I don't have to show up nor even "produce" anything if I wish to skip it due to other plans (they have a large roster of volunteers).

Maybe I'll change my mind someday (heck, I've only been retired 4.5 years ), but I doubt it. I'm too busy with other things in my life. Even a part-time j*b would be an insult to me (and anyway, I could not really refer to myself as retired; semi maybe, but not fully)...

It also may be that unlike others on the board, I did not really retire early (shortly after I turned 59) that did so at a much earlier age. By my retirement date, I had enough. I was ready to lead the rest of my life on my terms, unhindered by any constraints on my time due to any w*rk commitments.
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Old 09-06-2011, 02:07 PM   #15
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I've only been ER'd for 3 months. I thought I would take some kind of PT job in retirement, especially in the winter months. So far, I'm not inclined to look for anything, but if something fell in my lap, I might consider it.

I did the math on doing some winter tax work, and unfortunately, I think I would net less than $5,000 for 3.5 months of PT work. So, certainly the money isn't the motivation.
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Old 09-06-2011, 02:12 PM   #16
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If the urge to find a job in retirement persists for more than four hours, seek immediate medical attention.
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Old 09-06-2011, 02:47 PM   #17
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I just FIRED.... haven't had a chance to get bored yet.
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Old 09-06-2011, 04:05 PM   #18
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I never consider my ebay selling work just a lucrative hobby !
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Old 09-06-2011, 04:42 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by W2R View Post
Prior to retirement I thought I would miss working, and secretly planned to study, write, maybe even consult once enough time had passed to satisfy the formal ethics requirements to which I was subject.
After 9+ years of ER I have yet to encounter boredom, but I wouldn't save the writing until I got older...
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Old 09-06-2011, 07:08 PM   #20
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Had an older neighbor (long deceased) who went back to work part time at auto parts store after an international career as an oil field mechanic - he said you can only hunt and fish so much, and he had travelled a large part of his life so he preferred to stay home.
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