What's The First <Day/Week/Month/Year> Like?

[Nords]

Maybe I'm just doing it wrong?

Yes. But awareness is the first step to solving the "problem".

 

[z-d-g]

Just had what I guess would qualify as my first week of FIRE. We became FI two weeks ago but I have to stick around to train the purchasers of my business for 3 months. Sure, it's more "consulting" than "working" but I still have to get up in the morning and go back in to the office.

Well, part of the negotiation was that I would get a week off during Christmas/New Years to go take a laptop/Blackberry free vacation with my wife and child (my first in 7 years and first with enough money to enjoy ourselves).

In some ways, it was just incredible. I got to take my kid to a water park until 1pm on a weekday and never once wondered what I was missing at the office. I got to drink Bloody Mary's for brunch on a Wednesday. I got to take a nap (!). At night, I didn't have to go through a list of clients I was working on that day to think about who would come back with their hair on fire the next morning. I slept. A lot. I stared into the Caribbean Sea. A lot. It was great.

But at the same time, it's a little disorienting. It's Friday night and it feels like....uh....I'm not sure. What day is it again? Do I work tomorrow? Did I work today? I'm sure this will fade with time, but I'm almost nervous as hell because I can't figure out why I'm not nervous about something. Does this happen to everyone?

 

[Nords]

In some ways, it was just incredible. I got to take my kid to a water park until 1pm on a weekday and never once wondered what I was missing at the office. I got to drink Bloody Mary's for brunch on a Wednesday. I got to take a nap (!). At night, I didn't have to go through a list of clients I was working on that day to think about who would come back with their hair on fire the next morning. I slept. A lot. I stared into the Caribbean Sea. A lot. It was great.

This is usually how the hostages behave for a few months after the police free them from the kidnappers.

But seriously, your body is recovering from chronic fatigue. You'll go through a few months of adjusting physically & emotionally as well as mentally. The sooner you get on an exercise routine (and limit the drinking/food routines) the better.

After nine years of ER I still try to take a daily nap, preferably 30-60 minutes. There are a few days when I'm too wired to nap, and a few days when I'm too exhausted to sleep less than two hours. But I hate powering through 16 consecutive hours of wakefulness, caffeinated or not, and I try to avoid it whenever possible. Everyone else is much more pleasant to be around when I limit my awake time to eight hours.

By the way, if you're going to stare into the Caribbean then you might want to consider surfing lessons. Or at least a stand-up paddleboard.

But at the same time, it's a little disorienting. It's Friday night and it feels like....uh....I'm not sure. What day is it again? Do I work tomorrow? Did I work today? I'm sure this will fade with time, but I'm almost nervous as hell because I can't figure out why I'm not nervous about something. Does this happen to everyone?

No more Sunday Night Syndrome, and no more Thank Goodness It's Friday! Instead you'll celebrate "Thank Goodness It's Monday", when all the workers get off the roads and out of the public spaces, go back to their cubicles, and leave the rest of the world free for you to go out again.

We regularly lose track of what day it is. As in "I need to look at a calendar" lose track. Some people use a dayclock, others have set routines. I try to shave every Mon & Thu, and we try to have pizza dinner every Thu. We also try to work out every Sun, Tue, & Thu morning and I try to do taekwondo on Mon & Wed. Tue is trash day, Fri is either recycle or green waste. And so on.

You'll adjust. Relax and enjoy the process, and try not to worry about the results!

 

[flyfishnevada]

No more Sunday Night Syndrome, and no more Thank Goodness It's Friday! Instead you'll celebrate "Thank Goodness It's Monday", when all the workers get off the roads and out of the public spaces, go back to their cubicles, and leave the rest of the world free for you to go out again.

We regularly lose track of what day it is. As in "I need to look at a calendar" lose track. Some people use a dayclock, others have set routines. I try to shave every Mon & Thu, and we try to have pizza dinner every Thu. We also try to work out every Sun, Tue, & Thu morning and I try to do taekwondo on Mon & Wed. Tue is trash day, Fri is either recycle or green waste. And so on.

Exactly. Weekends are no longer a refuge from work, they are to be avoided. Weekdays are the best days. You get the world back from the employed. No lines, no waiting, no crowds. Mondays are the new Fridays.

I cant loose track of days. I have kids at home, but in the summer i get a taste of it. Last summer, my first entire summer retired, I often lost track of the days. I do lose track of weeks. I don't remember approaching holidays, or what part of the month it is or even what month it is sometimes.

It's a little disconcerting at first. We've all spent years keeping track of minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years (Years to know ho long until FIRE) and then suddenly we don't have to. It's like riding a bike without the training wheels for the first time. Scary, but exhilarating.