I've Done a Reversal On Work

[DoubleDown]

No, not the kind of reversal where I want to go back to work -- far from it. I mean a reversal where full time work for a boss seems so foreign and bizarre.

When I first FIRE'd, I went through that process where I would think frequently, and in awe, about how great being FIRE is and what I would be doing that very moment if I was not FI and back at work. I was so grateful that I was at the park, or drinking coffee in my living room, or going for a run in the middle of the day, and I'd think about my poor colleagues left behind who were likely sitting in some BS meeting or putting together PowerPoint charts to cover their project status.

Now, I've gone through a kind of reversal where I rarely think about work, and the thought of going back is so freakin' foreign. I just loathe the idea. I was flying back from a recent trip, on a Tuesday afternoon, and it was like any other day for me with no commitments. So, rather than thinking, "Crap, it's Tuesday and my vacation is over and I have to go back to work tomorrow", now it hardly occurs to me that my time is my own. It's just the regular groove of getting to do what I want whenever I want.

I mean, I still frequently remind myself and give thanks every single day for this freedom, but it struck me just how bizarre the notion of working full time is to me now. I think I'd be really hard pressed to go back to work full time if I had to for some reason. Anyone else notice this??

[smiller257]

I agree 100%. I can't imagine going back into the corporate life. It's really nice to tailor your day the way you wish.  I just returned from a 1 hour bike ride, just another freedom that FIRE provides -- you can do it anytime of the day.

[steveo]

I'm sitting at home thinking about how much work sucks. I suppose that is what it means not to be FIRE'd.

[Gone Fishing]

I have always though full time work was bizarre!  My wife works part time and often can't understand why I don't want to run off and do something fun on the weekend, especially on Friday nights.

[Retired To Win]

...  I was flying back from a recent trip, on a Tuesday afternoon, and it was like any other day for me with no commitments. So, rather than thinking, "Crap, it's Tuesday and my vacation is over and I have to go back to work tomorrow", now it hardly occurs to me that my time is my own. It's just the regular groove of getting to do what I want whenever I want.

...  it struck me just how bizarre the notion of working full time is to me now. I think I'd be really hard pressed to go back to work full time if I had to for some reason. Anyone else notice this??

What strikes me frequently is how irrelevant which day of the week it is (except for stock market related stuff).  I do honestly lose track sometimes of whether it's Tuesday, or Saturday or whatever.  Because it doesn't make much difference; every day is my own.

[Mr. Green]

...  I was flying back from a recent trip, on a Tuesday afternoon, and it was like any other day for me with no commitments. So, rather than thinking, "Crap, it's Tuesday and my vacation is over and I have to go back to work tomorrow", now it hardly occurs to me that my time is my own. It's just the regular groove of getting to do what I want whenever I want.

...  it struck me just how bizarre the notion of working full time is to me now. I think I'd be really hard pressed to go back to work full time if I had to for some reason. Anyone else notice this??

What strikes me frequently is how irrelevant which day of the week it is (except for stock market related stuff).  I do honestly lose track sometimes of whether it's Tuesday, or Saturday or whatever.  Because it doesn't make much difference; every day is my own.

I experienced this recently when I abruptly took 4 days of work to go work on a lot we're getting ready to build on. In the span of 6 days (adding the weekend) I was able to forget what day it was numerous times because I was so focused on what I was doing. Every time the confusion of days hit me I realized how incredibly freeing it was to not care. It seems like a little thing but it was an absolutely phenomenal feeling. Maybe that wears off a bit once you get used to it but it's one of the things I'm most looking forward to in the first few months of FIRE, that constant renewed confirmation of a weight lifted and freedom gained.

[Dicey]

Whew! That headline had me worried. I'm never going back. Several part-time or temporary things have floated my way recently, but I have zero interest. OTOH, my volunteer activities keep me busy...too busy to work, lo!

[former player]

When I retired I was strongly reminded of when I started work - the sheer shock of Monday to Friday 9 to 5 taking up so much of my life, and the need to fit everything else into the other time available - for instance, shopping on a Saturday along with everyone else (it was pre-Sunday Trading reforms in the UK, which tells you I did not retire particularly early by the standards of this forum, but at 50).

I inevitably became somewhat institutionalised over the years at work.  Going down to a 4 day week at 42 helped quite a bit, but reclaiming my life fully was the real change.  The thought of my time being at someone else's beck and call is now totally foreign to me.

[patrickza]

I'm so jealous of you lot, but I know I'm nearly there.

I get a trial run every year when I take a 2 week staycation. I spend my days playing with my son, going to gym, cycling everywhere, it really is so relaxing. But the phone keeps beeping with work emails, so I know it has to end. One day it won't...

[dude]

Returned to work last week after a 26-day absence.  Oh man, did it suck. My motivation level is staggeringly low. Thankfully, a work trip out of state (mostly a training boondoggle) next week will provide a reprieve from the office.  But damn, three-and-a-half more years of office drudgery still to go.  It's damn depressing.

[Gone Fishing]

Oh man, did it suck. My motivation level is staggeringly low.

I refer to this as the vacation hangover.  I have had them last longer than the actual vacation.

[Dan_Breakfree]

My wife and I took ten months off in 2013 to travel the world. We moved pretty fast (5 continents, 25 countries, moved every 2-3 days on average). We definitely tasted freedom, but we were so busy planning our travels and exploring that we didn't even think about how much free time we had. It was the experience of a lifetime that we want to do again (and again).

I still remember my first day back at work - Jan 6, 2014. It was tough and the anxiety leading up to it was even more painful. We've been back at it for almost two years and we're pretty numb. I guess at this point we're "coping" until we break free again, but it's like the old saying... it's much easier to never give someone freedom, than to give them freedom and then try to take it away.

My favorite quote became even more real after all of this...

"But I'd rather be a free man in my grave
Than living as a puppet or a slave"
 - Willie Nelson