I'm glad this thread resurfaced. We've recently hit our 25x number. Initially, I was thinking that I'd switch to part-time at that point (to ease into retirement), but the reality is that my job already IS basically part-time (in terms of the work it requires) so it's been hard for me to justify taking the pay cut. Here's why SWAMI works for me (for now).
1. WFH - I switched to a fully remote position in October 2019 to enable us to move from Florida to rural-ish Nova Scotia. I had to make an effort once we moved to meet people, and I still don't have a robust local friend network, but that's kind of my nature anyways. In terms of work, though, I absolutely love being fully remote, and I love where we live. It would be impossible for me to find a comparable job locally. For one thing, there aren't a lot of IT BA / PM roles locally, and for another local salaries are significantly lower. I have to travel occasionally for work (2-3 times per year, for ~a week each time) but that's fine. It's fully expensed, and no one gives me a hard time about the fact that a taxi to the airport costs ~$150 (because we just have one car). If I have a Monday meeting, I'll likely have to fly on Sunday, though, because getting anywhere from Halifax isn't as convenient as Tampa, but I'm happy to price that into living here.
2. Low stress - I almost never have any stress from work, nor do I think about it outside of work hours or on vacation. There is no expectation that I'm checking my email outside of work hours.
3. Plenty of flexibility during work hours - I've always treated my job very much like an office job. I put on a work shirt, I go to my (home) office at 8, I take an hour for lunch, and I leave my (home) office at 5. Over the past year or so, though, I've been giving myself more flexibility within those hours of 8 to 5. I typically begin each work day with a 30 minute meditation session. Then I often have 1-2 hours of Zoom calls spread out over the morning. At 11 or 12, I'll take lunch, and usually exercise outside (going for a run, mowing the lawn, etc.). Sometimes it's more like 90 minutes than an hour. If the weather is bad, we have a spin bike and TRX in the basement. My afternoons tend to be quieter, as I got a new boss who is based in the UK (so he's offline in my afternoon). I might have a Zoom call or two, but I often don't. I'll work on things, but if I don't have a project that is urgent, I've also started taking time mid-afternoon for things like yoga, baking bread, growing sprouts / microgreens, working in the yard, working on a volunteer project, etc. Sometimes I have to work all 8 hours in a day, but usually 5 or 6 is plenty. The other nice thing about this is that I'm starting to build up an array of activities that I will carry over into full retirement. I also really appreciate that I'm able to make breakfast and take my daughter to the bus stop, plus greet her when she comes home in the afternoon, and (with no commute) we're able to hang out before dinner.
4. Plenty of time off - I get 42 days off per year -- 11 holidays, and 31 days of PTO. And I have to take them -- in my previous job I could bank them (and I did) but this job doesn't allow that (which is good for me). We mostly use this time off to visit family, and I also use some to do more extended meditation retreats. Plus, at the end of the year I always have a bunch of days I need to take which means I'll get 2 weeks+ at Christmas, which is nice as my wife and daughter are both off then as well.
5. I don't do well with unstructured free-time. It has gotten better over the years (I got sober ~18 years ago, have been meditating daily for ~10 years, etc.) but left to my own devices I still can drift towards isolation and depression. Having some structure and engaging in activities with other people in structured ways is good for my mental health. Of course, so are things like exercise, time with family, and time outside, but as mentioned above I feel like I'm in good shape there. I've been volunteering, but (as I read on another thread) I find volunteering to be a bit frustrating as people's commitment levels really vary -- I'm very much a TCOB person -- if I say I'm going to do something, I do it, and promptly. Plus, I find volunteer group meetings to be much more interminable than work meetings.
For a long time, I thought my goal was full retirement as early as possible. As I've learned more about what really makes me happy, I think I'm always going to want to work on something productive, and it's likely that this will make at least some money. For now, it's hard for me to justify pulling the plug on a "full-time" job as I'd likely be replacing it with a part-time job that was a similar amount of work, or volunteering roles that were less fulfilling. I have a friend (met through volunteering) who does local IT consulting. He's in his 70's, and he keeps telling me that I should do that, but it sounds like much more hassle than my current job (the idea of networking and drumming up clients in particular). If my job becomes something I don't want or goes away, though, I'll explore this route.
One reason to quit could be to travel, but I don't think either me, my wife or my daughter would really thrive in a nomadic lifestyle. DD (age 9) has a classmate who is going to spend 6 months traveling next year -- 3 internationally, and 3 on a roadtrip around Canada and the US, and I don't think that appeals to any of us. At the same time, I like living abroad. I spent 5 years in Taiwan, a year in China, a year in England and 2.5 years in Hawaii. Canada scratches that itch somewhat, but it's possible that we'll relocate somewhere more interesting in the future. Ultimately, it depends on how my daughter is doing. Right now, though, where we live really suits her. Plus, I suspect I could keep my job even if we were to relocate to another country, depending on where we went.
Another reason to quit would be to do an extended meditation retreat (e.g. longer than 3 months). I wouldn't want to do that until my daughter is out of the house, though.
Finally, I guess there are some people who would be troubled by the "morality" of doing non-work activities while within my work hours, but that doesn't bother me. I am consistently rated as a high performer, an am a salaried employee (not an hourly one). So, for me, for now, this is working.
