What is next post FIRE...should I be doing more?

[Barrtim]

So to cut the story short....I stumbled across the MMM website one afternoon when the market was quiet, realized that if I/we stopped doing stupid things and living in one of the world's most expensive and consumerist cities, I could FIRE that day. After a short notice period, I dropped the Crackberry down the toilet and set off to Western Australia/New Zealand to detox the body and soul. Obviously not having had more than two weeks of consecutive holiday in thirty years of life on a trading floor I now feel great but after 10 weeks I am starting to feel a little self-indulgent and feeling like I should be doing more/working harder. How do you manage the transition from 'extended holiday' to 'life'?

We spent 10 weeks in Fremantle, Australia, just sleeping, exercising, cooking our own healthy food and reading books. Great tan and 17lbs lighter.

Off (and off the grid) today to the Gobi desert with some friends and their young daughters before settling down for six months in New Zealand to continue rebooting...more sleep, more exercise, good food and time in the mountains and forests. One year there costs less than one month where we lived before sanity re-asserted itself.

It all sounds like a holiday..which is great of course. But...there is this little Calvinist voice, which any MMM reader might recognize, in me, whispering that at some point more structure and achievement is needed.

For those who have gone through this stage, do I just trust that this just takes time to figure out? I did this 'cold turkey' rather than really planning the rest of my life. Is that how it works?

[MDM]

...at some point more structure and achievement is needed.

That is likely what your aforementioned 30 years of working for someone else have conditioned in you.  That is certainly not all bad, as it helped you navigate through your career to get where you are.  Now, rather than having someone else (e.g., your boss, your boss's boss, etc.) define achievement for you, you get to define it for yourself.

It's a reasonable bet that if you continue to exercise your mind as well as your body, you will find new areas for mental and/or physical accomplishments just as gratifying as any pat on the back you received at your previous job.

[CowboyAndIndian]

Look at our own Dr Doom's articles. I have found them to be insightful.

This particular one seems to answer your question on what to do in FIRE.

http://livingafi.com/2015/03/09/building-a-vision-of-life-without-work/

Best of luck!

[Barrtim]

Thanks for that link...enjoying it

[CowboyAndIndian]

Thanks for that link...enjoying it

Thanks.

Would appreciate more information about where you were, where you are going and the path you are taking in FIRE.
It would be very motivational for a lot of readers.

[Retired To Win]

So to cut the story short....I stumbled across the MMM website one afternoon when the market was quiet, realized that if I/we stopped doing stupid things and living in one of the world's most expensive and consumerist cities, I could FIRE that day. After a short notice period, I dropped the Crackberry down the toilet and set off to Western Australia/New Zealand to detox the body and soul. Obviously not having had more than two weeks of consecutive holiday in thirty years of life on a trading floor I now feel great but after 10 weeks I am starting to feel a little self-indulgent and feeling like I should be doing more/working harder. How do you manage the transition from 'extended holiday' to 'life'?

... But...there is this little Calvinist voice, which any MMM reader might recognize, in me, whispering that at some point more structure and achievement is needed.

For those who have gone through this stage, do I just trust that this just takes time to figure out? I did this 'cold turkey' rather than really planning the rest of my life. Is that how it works?

Even after having earlier retired 14 years ago, I still have that "structure and achievement" imperative.  But I also completely reject inflicting self-imposed deadlines and obligations on myself.  So my answer to your question is "the project."  Undeadlined goal/output producing activities.  Here's a few on my plate right now: (1) writing a new article for my blog... (2) setting up a "science place" in one of my rooms... (3) mapping out an as-yet unmapped long trail in one of the parks I frequent... (4)planning my next Civil War battlefield exploration trip.

I balance my project time with plenty of daytime active fun time (like almost daily hikes) and evening passive decompression / goof off time. (I love watching movies.)

I hope that helps.

Good luck.

[Gone Fishing]

It's still early most say 6-12 months to fully adapt, and travel can actually delay the process.  For me, it will be fishing, hunting, and gardening.  All take up a fair bit of time and energy and yet tend to yield a product (usually) and certainly a feeling of accomplishment.  I also plan on playing more board and card games with the family which can also create that "winning" feeling of accomplishment.

[Greystache]

I've been FIREd for about 9 moths now. Like you, I went 30 years without more than a 2 week break.  I still have difficulty just doing nothing. I feel like I should always be doing something awesome now that I have the time and money. It is hard for me to just accept that this is a good day to lie in the hammock and catch up on my reading.

[smiller257]

I totally understand where you're coming from. I retired 3 years ago we began traveling right away. After we returned from 3 months of travel, I began to get a bit bored and had a lingering feeling that I needed to do something to keep my mind busy.

I first decided to keep myself busy with new hobbies. Things I always wanted to do but never had time for. Photography, golf, boating, fishing, cycling, working out, etc. Now I embrace those hobbies and do them regularly.

However, I still needed a little something extra to keep me busy during times of cold or rainy weather so I started blogging and I started developing mobile apps in my spare time. I only work a few hours a day but it is just the right amount to keep me intellectually challenged while providing the freedom to enjoy the rest of the day as I like.  The blog I write is at http://www.WeRetiredEarly.com if you care to look at it.

All the best, you will become to love the freedom FIRE provides.

[Financial.Velociraptor]

I just got back from a trip to Del Rio to visit a friend.  I left Thursday and came back Sunday.  Didn't have to get anyone's permission.  You learn to make the most of it.  I'll be writing a book soon.  What winds your spring?

[Dicey]

It's been three years for me and I also retired rather more quickly than I expected to. I'm here to tell you that the "Hmmm, is there something I should be doing?" feeling never quite goes away. I embrace it as a reminder of how lovely it is not to have to get up and go to a job that most of the joy has been snuffed out of. Woo-hoo! Lately, my days are about as full as I want them to be. Not having a job means that I can grab whatever opportunities intrigue me or do nothing at all. Gawd, I love it!


Edit: For punctuation, oops!

[Miss Prim]

I too am newly retired and I have that same feeling that if I am not productive in a day, that I have frittered it away.  We went on a month long trip to the western states of the US and I didn't feel this way there.  Only when I got back home did I get that feeling again. 

I feel like now that I am retired, my house should be spotless and organized, but I don't feel like doing the work to make it that way, so I feel like a slacker!  I am doing more cooking now, so that has helped with those feelings, but I feel like I need more structure in my day.

Hopefully I will find a balance and not have these feelings.                      Miss Prim

[Jon_Snow]

I always viewed the desire to become FIRE'd as a desire to become FREE.

Free to do AS MUCH or AS LITTLE as you want to on a particular day.

Personally, my plate is wonderfully FULL of things that fascinate me and that I enjoy doing. Upon waking up in the morning I feel a desire to use my FIRE status in a positive way. I can count on one hand the days I have stayed in my PJ's and got little accomplished other than completing DragonAge Inquisition. ;)

If anything, it seems like I somehow have LESS time to dig into my "to do" list post-FIRE. I think this is because without the time-constraints imposed by my career, my list has started to grow faster than my ability to cross them off...but really, I don't view this as a negative. :)

[G-dog]

You should be happy. If that means doing more, or doing less, or being spontaneous, or planning your weeks/days/hours, or having more time alone, or sounding more time with others, or staying home, or traveling more.

The world is you fucking oyster now - shuck that bastard any way you want to!

[Barrtim]

Thanks for that link...enjoying it

Thanks.

Would appreciate more information about where you were, where you are going and the path you are taking in FIRE.
It would be very motivational for a lot of readers.

Thanks all who weighed in on this....and sorry I didn't say so earlier. My excuse being that I was out in the middle of the Gobi desert in Mongolia in a yurt with no wi-fi. We disappeared there for 10 days with two friends and their young daughters. Just stunning and magnificent space. Blue sky and total emptiness.

But now we are going to settle down in NZ for six months in a small town in the middle of the North Island and just focus on living a simpler and healthy life in the mountains and forests there. This is the serious reboot time now that we have spent 10 weeks getting fit (well fitter really) and knocked off a bucket item. It costs less there in NZ for a year than it does for a month where we lived before.

We are less structured  financially than some on this forum..mostly because we stumbled into the FIRE concept when I came across some MMM guy and his website. Some of the tax efficiencies and structures discussed here are currently not relevent/available as I have been in a super low tax jursisdiction the last six years (sort of why I can do this now as paying virtually no tax adds up quickly). But roughly I am 70% global equities, 5% real estate (a left over from my wife's side) and the rest as very liquid/cash. I know that cash level is very high by most recommended approaches on this forum but the thinking behind the 'risk barbell' structure is that I feel there will be some very good buying opportunities in the coming year and I will scale funds in over that time and fixed income returns are so horrendous. Does this make sense to you wiser ones?

The plan is also to start to add some more intellectual projects and learning into the time. Right now I am just trying to learn a bit from y'all.

[CowboyAndIndian]

Thanks for that link...enjoying it

Thanks.

Would appreciate more information about where you were, where you are going and the path you are taking in FIRE.
It would be very motivational for a lot of readers.

Thanks all who weighed in on this....and sorry I didn't say so earlier. My excuse being that I was out in the middle of the Gobi desert in Mongolia in a yurt with no wi-fi. We disappeared there for 10 days with two friends and their young daughters. Just stunning and magnificent space. Blue sky and total emptiness.

But now we are going to settle down in NZ for six months in a small town in the middle of the North Island and just focus on living a simpler and healthy life in the mountains and forests there. This is the serious reboot time now that we have spent 10 weeks getting fit (well fitter really) and knocked off a bucket item. It costs less there in NZ for a year than it does for a month where we lived before.

..

Some serious motivation for the rest of us. Thanks.

[Cookie78]

Thanks for that link...enjoying it

Thanks.

Would appreciate more information about where you were, where you are going and the path you are taking in FIRE.
It would be very motivational for a lot of readers.

Thanks all who weighed in on this....and sorry I didn't say so earlier. My excuse being that I was out in the middle of the Gobi desert in Mongolia in a yurt with no wi-fi. We disappeared there for 10 days with two friends and their young daughters. Just stunning and magnificent space. Blue sky and total emptiness.

But now we are going to settle down in NZ for six months in a small town in the middle of the North Island and just focus on living a simpler and healthy life in the mountains and forests there. This is the serious reboot time now that we have spent 10 weeks getting fit (well fitter really) and knocked off a bucket item. It costs less there in NZ for a year than it does for a month where we lived before.

..

Some serious motivation for the rest of us. Thanks.

No kidding!
+1

[Exflyboy]

Thanks for that link...enjoying it

Thanks.

Would appreciate more information about where you were, where you are going and the path you are taking in FIRE.
It would be very motivational for a lot of readers.

Thanks all who weighed in on this....and sorry I didn't say so earlier. My excuse being that I was out in the middle of the Gobi desert in Mongolia in a yurt with no wi-fi. We disappeared there for 10 days with two friends and their young daughters. Just stunning and magnificent space. Blue sky and total emptiness.

But now we are going to settle down in NZ for six months in a small town in the middle of the North Island and just focus on living a simpler and healthy life in the mountains and forests there. This is the serious reboot time now that we have spent 10 weeks getting fit (well fitter really) and knocked off a bucket item. It costs less there in NZ for a year than it does for a month where we lived before.

We are less structured  financially than some on this forum..mostly because we stumbled into the FIRE concept when I came across some MMM guy and his website. Some of the tax efficiencies and structures discussed here are currently not relevent/available as I have been in a super low tax jursisdiction the last six years (sort of why I can do this now as paying virtually no tax adds up quickly). But roughly I am 70% global equities, 5% real estate (a left over from my wife's side) and the rest as very liquid/cash. I know that cash level is very high by most recommended approaches on this forum but the thinking behind the 'risk barbell' structure is that I feel there will be some very good buying opportunities in the coming year and I will scale funds in over that time and fixed income returns are so horrendous. Does this make sense to you wiser ones?

The plan is also to start to add some more intellectual projects and learning into the time. Right now I am just trying to learn a bit from y'all.

I think your NW must be well north of $5M.. Either that or living in NZ is not as expensive as I thought...:)

[Ozstache]

For those who have gone through this stage, do I just trust that this just takes time to figure out?

In a nutshell, yes. Don't be afraid to just go with the flow. If that means re-introducing structure and it starts to annoy you, just drop it again!

[Barrtim]

Thanks for that link...enjoying it

Thanks.

Would appreciate more information about where you were, where you are going and the path you are taking in FIRE.
It would be very motivational for a lot of readers.

Thanks all who weighed in on this....and sorry I didn't say so earlier. My excuse being that I was out in the middle of the Gobi desert in Mongolia in a yurt with no wi-fi. We disappeared there for 10 days with two friends and their young daughters. Just stunning and magnificent space. Blue sky and total emptiness.

But now we are going to settle down in NZ for six months in a small town in the middle of the North Island and just focus on living a simpler and healthy life in the mountains and forests there. This is the serious reboot time now that we have spent 10 weeks getting fit (well fitter really) and knocked off a bucket item. It costs less there in NZ for a year than it does for a month where we lived before.

We are less structured  financially than some on this forum..mostly because we stumbled into the FIRE concept when I came across some MMM guy and his website. Some of the tax efficiencies and structures discussed here are currently not relevent/available as I have been in a super low tax jursisdiction the last six years (sort of why I can do this now as paying virtually no tax adds up quickly). But roughly I am 70% global equities, 5% real estate (a left over from my wife's side) and the rest as very liquid/cash. I know that cash level is very high by most recommended approaches on this forum but the thinking behind the 'risk barbell' structure is that I feel there will be some very good buying opportunities in the coming year and I will scale funds in over that time and fixed income returns are so horrendous. Does this make sense to you wiser ones?

The plan is also to start to add some more intellectual projects and learning into the time. Right now I am just trying to learn a bit from y'all.

I think your NW must be well north of $5M.. Either that or living in NZ is not as expensive as I thought...:)

Auckland isn't that cheap (and real estate there is pretty silly now) but the small inland towns can be if you live simply...I'll let you know how it goes however

[Arktinkerer]

I have a few rentals as part of my retirement.  So those keep me somewhat busy.  Spend more time in the garden growing our own food.

Main thing for me is, I'm not rushed to get things done.  I can work on a rental a few hours and quit for the day--I know I have plenty of time to get things done.  Meeting someone at one of the houses is easier to arrange but actually more irritating--I no longer like having to schedule a definite time for things!

Been a few months now and I am still adjusting.  Haven't really gotten to any of MY projects yet.  Just cleaning up the huge backlog of things that got built up in the last year of work.

[kat911]

Enjoying the posts and thankful to everyone for their insights. I've been FIRE'd for 3 weeks, and still feel like I'm on vacation and have to go back to work soon. But the good news is if I choose to do any work, it will be a choice I make. One thing I have been doing is regular workouts everyday plus walking the dog. The stress is leaving my body fairly quickly, and that was the biggest reason I retired early. Now the goal is to live as long and healthy as I can. 

[arebelspy]

Doom's latest two posts are both relevant and super insightful/quality.

http://livingafi.com/2015/11/06/done-detoxing/

http://livingafi.com/2015/11/17/doombook/

[JN2]

Ars, thanks for the Doom links. Excellent!

I'm currently cruising Tuscany for four weeks, visiting mediaeval hill top towns and enjoying good fine and wine. Wonderful :)

[rtrnow]

The Doom posts are really helpful. I was definitely one who focused on the finances without enough thought about filling my days with other stuff in ER. The tree exercise is a great idea. I have floundered a bit in my first year of ER, but am starting to have more of a plan now. The loss experience of leaving a job really resinated with me even though I was tried of it and ready to go. I would really encourage others to think about this stuff more while still working if you have the chance.

[Venturing]

As a New Zealander: you certainly don't need North of 5M to fire here, how do you think us locals manage to survive ;)

as long as you don't want to buy a house in Auckland which is one of the most expensive cities in the world to buy real estate in. Although even that depend very much on exactly where and what you buy.

Even other larger nz cities are nowhere near as expensive as Auckland, according to my Texan friend our regional City costs about double what property does in Fort Worth, not cheap but not horrendous. And most who don't live in Auckland can't imagine why on earth anyone would want to anyway. If you want a guide to house costs check out realestate.co.nz