Over the past four months I've taken more and more advantage of our FI position to work on "other projects" rather than paying work. I've found it's a lot more acceptable to clients than just taking time off. Some of this summers projects have included: Sockeye - catching this years supply of red salmon, Ursa - the black bear i put in the freezer, project caribou involved both boating and hiking, and finally project Arbor - in which I cut and split enough firewood to last us the next three years and enough to get my father through this winter. There were also several weeks of declared vacations in there as well.
There have also been some weeks where I've done more than full time work. but it has me wondering if I can go hunting, fishing, back packing, or cut firewood whenever I want, am I already retired? Sure the IRP might complain, but I figured it could fly in these parts.
I'm trying to figure out what I want to add to my life, and it makes sense to me to keep earning a little money until I have something else I need that time for. DW still finds her work fulfilling so it's not yet the right time for slow travel. The biggest problem with continuing to work is the time I waste not working whenever I sit down at the computer. I should just get the project done and then go do something else, but I usually waste time procrastinating which leaves me feeling unsatisfied at the end of the day. It's never been a problem with work that isn't digital.