Focus
Full time employment: Posting here.
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2009
- Messages
- 640
It was time to change my early-retirement.org user name, formerly wishin&hopin. All that wishin’ and hopin’ paid off about six months ago when I ER’d, and now it’s all about focus. That is, focusing fully on the present and, since the choices of what to do are many, focusing my energies. Thus my new name.
One month into ER, I posted the three things that most surprised me. I’ve now updated that list and expanded the items to five:
5. I’ve come to realize that I spent the last few years at work sleep deprived, and a full night’s sleep (at least eight hours for me) is one of the most crucial parts of living a healthy, well-balanced life. I was as productive as ever at work with less sleep, but I was constantly irritable. I chalked that up at the time to some of the challenging personalities I had to deal with, but I now think it was more about me -- if I’d had enough sleep, it would have been like water off a duck’s back. Maybe.
4. I now understand why relatively few end up working part time in retirement, despite what they tell pollsters before they retire. Once you’ve tasted the freedom that comes from having full control of your life and no work-related stress, it’s very hard to give it up. Although I’ve heard retired friends say they’re seeking opportunities to do “meaningful” work of some sort, they want it entirely on their own terms. Not surprisingly, there aren’t many of those unicorns around. And as previous threads here have made clear, volunteer work can be as frustrating as regular work, without the financial compensation.
3. Related to the above, if things get tight financially, I think it’s more likely that I’ll economize further rather than try to earn new income. I've stopped worrying too much about it, since it appears I can live on less than I originally estimated, barring unplanned major expenses.
2. I’m never bored. Ever. It's very easy for me to stay mentally engaged, and being an introvert (like most of us here), I haven’t even had to ramp up my socializing much.
1. Time goes by much quicker than pre-ER. That’s why focusing my energies is an important part of making the most of each day.
One month into ER, I posted the three things that most surprised me. I’ve now updated that list and expanded the items to five:
5. I’ve come to realize that I spent the last few years at work sleep deprived, and a full night’s sleep (at least eight hours for me) is one of the most crucial parts of living a healthy, well-balanced life. I was as productive as ever at work with less sleep, but I was constantly irritable. I chalked that up at the time to some of the challenging personalities I had to deal with, but I now think it was more about me -- if I’d had enough sleep, it would have been like water off a duck’s back. Maybe.
4. I now understand why relatively few end up working part time in retirement, despite what they tell pollsters before they retire. Once you’ve tasted the freedom that comes from having full control of your life and no work-related stress, it’s very hard to give it up. Although I’ve heard retired friends say they’re seeking opportunities to do “meaningful” work of some sort, they want it entirely on their own terms. Not surprisingly, there aren’t many of those unicorns around. And as previous threads here have made clear, volunteer work can be as frustrating as regular work, without the financial compensation.
3. Related to the above, if things get tight financially, I think it’s more likely that I’ll economize further rather than try to earn new income. I've stopped worrying too much about it, since it appears I can live on less than I originally estimated, barring unplanned major expenses.
2. I’m never bored. Ever. It's very easy for me to stay mentally engaged, and being an introvert (like most of us here), I haven’t even had to ramp up my socializing much.
1. Time goes by much quicker than pre-ER. That’s why focusing my energies is an important part of making the most of each day.
