Can I be motivated if I don't have to work for the money?

[limeandpepper]

Just something I have been pondering lately...

Recently I went interstate to visit my partner's hometown and we had a lovely, leisurely two weeks. I thought, "I could get used to this!" However, at the same time, I also felt we were perhaps a little bit unproductive and lazy with our time there.

Sure, it was only two weeks, and it was a well-deserved break from work, so really there's nothing wrong with being in full relaxation mode. But it got me thinking: I wonder when one day I become rich enough to not have to work for money - or only need to do minimal work to chug along comfortably - would I get pretty lazy, because the impetus to earn in order to survive is gone?

I do have hobbies. My interest in things tend to fall off after awhile, though, so when this happens I either need to revive the enthusiasm, or find something new to get excited about. I suppose this would be the key to keeping things fresh once I quit the rat race? Always trying different things, having new challenges. On the bright side, even if I start off not doing much after FI, I think I would also eventually get bored of that, and gravitate towards being productive again.

Basically, I don't enjoy being stuck in a rut at work, so I just want to make sure that I don't get stuck in a rut if I don't have to work, either.

What are your thoughts? And for those who have already achieved FI, do you have any insights or advice to share?

[matchewed]

In my opinion ruts will happen regardless of extrinsic (money) or intrinsic (cause I want to.. be a better person/learn cool things/help others). It's how you deal with ruts and move beyond them which will guide your actions. If you feel that your life is driven currently by that extrinsic motivation it is time to start shifting it to the more intrinsic ones to make that transfer a bit more easy.

Just my take on it.

[meadow lark]

I expect I will have a period of time when I really relax, eat too much junk food, stay up late on the Internet, watch too much TV, sleep until noon.  Kind of like summer vacation from school!  Then I expect I will become more productive - get motivated to travel, write, volunteer, garden - whatever.     
My wife changed jobs a year ago.  She went from a very physically demanding, exhausting job to a desk job.  Counterintuitively, she was able to lose 50 lbs.  She had been so exhausted all the time from her previous job she didn't take good care of herself food choice wise, she ate to keep up energy, she didn't want to do much because she was so tired.  Now that she isn't so exhausted she can do other things with her energy.  I see this as similar to early retirement.  I trust for me that I am not a slug, and that Given the option to sleep 22 hours a day, I will probably end up sleeping 8.  But after sleeping 4 last night, I sure want to sleep 12 now!

[footenote]

I've been in "work when I feel like it" mode for eight years. I'm currently in week 10 of a break and am starting to get antsy to get back to work... for probably no more than ~18 months before I'm ready for another break. 

Variety (in breaks, in work gigs, in hobby work) has been the spice of FI for me; given your self-description, I expect it will be for you too!

[Frankies Girl]

I expect I will have a period of time when I really relax, eat too much junk food, stay up late on the Internet, watch too much TV, sleep until noon.  Kind of like summer vacation from school!  Then I expect I will become more productive - get motivated to travel, write, volunteer, garden - whatever.     

This is what I think will happen when I hit retirement. I've pretty much been working since I was a teenager, and I'm mentally exhausted and very out of shape (high stress desk job for the last 10 years that requires much overtime), so the idea of becoming a couch potato and not being required to do anything I don't really want to do for a month is very appealing.

I've not had a vacation that was longer than 5 days in a decade. As such, they tend to be sleeping and catching up on stuff around the house. That is sad. :(

I also have quite a few hobbies that I used to enjoy and hope to get back into. I am counting on the idea that once the stress and pressure of work is gone, my creativity and interest will start coming back for my old hobbies. If not, I've still got some backup plans of things that I enjoy now but never seem to have enough time to really get into.

I know that I get bored if I don't have something to really work on, so I'm not too worried that I won't figure something enjoyable to do during retirement.

[daverobev]

I expect I will have a period of time when I really relax, eat too much junk food, stay up late on the Internet, watch too much TV, sleep until noon.  Kind of like summer vacation from school!  Then I expect I will become more productive - get motivated to travel, write, volunteer, garden - whatever.     

This is what I think will happen when I hit retirement. I've pretty much been working since I was a teenager, and I'm mentally exhausted and very out of shape (high stress desk job for the last 10 years that requires much overtime), so the idea of becoming a couch potato and not being required to do anything I don't really want to do for a month is very appealing.

I've not had a vacation that was longer than 5 days in a decade. As such, they tend to be sleeping and catching up on stuff around the house. That is sad. :(

I also have quite a few hobbies that I used to enjoy and hope to get back into. I am counting on the idea that once the stress and pressure of work is gone, my creativity and interest will start coming back for my old hobbies. If not, I've still got some backup plans of things that I enjoy now but never seem to have enough time to really get into.

I know that I get bored if I don't have something to really work on, so I'm not too worried that I won't figure something enjoyable to do during retirement.

You need to make sure you ease into retirement. Many people who work long hours, high stress jobs... die when they retire.

Yes, I know that is more 65 year old men or whatever, but within a couple of years their body just goes.. oh, we're done? Ok then.. stop.

IMHO - and this is ENTIRELY unsolicited advice, so feel free to ignore - you're exhausted and very out of shape? Deal with that NOW, not later. Before your body *can't* fix itself!

/offtopic.

[Kriegsspiel]

“I must study politics and war, that my sons may have the liberty to study mathematics and philosophy, natural history and naval architecture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, tapestry, and porcelain.”

-John Adams

Don't be ashamed that you don't always want to be productive with serious things, lots of stuff can make the world a more beautiful place.

[meadow lark]

That's one of my favorite quotes.

[Adventine]

Seconded. That is a great quote.

It takes a lot of motivation and drive to achieve FI. I don't think that kind of ambition will go away after early retirement. It'll just be channeled into something you want to do that doesn't necessarily have to earn money.

[simonsez]

I've not had a vacation that was longer than 5 days in a decade. As such, they tend to be sleeping and catching up on stuff around the house. That is sad. :(

What's wrong with stay-cations?  If longer vacations or "more adventurous" trips were your thing, wouldn't you shift your life and career to eventually align with those interests?  If it turns out those types of vacations don't interest you and you'd rather just tune out at home, then it isn't that sad after all!

[limeandpepper]

Thanks for the responses! I think I was a bit annoyed because there were days where we stayed indoors and spent a heap of time on the internet, and I thought we could've spent more time outdoors and been more active. And then I thought, gee I hope I won't be like this if I retire and become one of those cliched examples of retirees who do nothing all day!

Now that I think about it more, I think it should be alright. One lazy holiday does not a retirement make. When I was a child and had everything provided for by my parents and did not have to worry about money, I still pursued my hobbies and always seemed to have something to do. Of course, back then there wasn't the evil black hole distraction that is the internet!

It's just that I have been working for the money for so long, I suspect I might feel a bit lost - at least at the beginning - if I don't have to do it anymore. I suspect it would probably be a similar feeling to when I graduated... my friend and I walked around the campus, discussing how strange it felt... we've finally done all this, "now what?"

Having said that, I'm not exactly close to FI yet - but I am thinking about downshifting or taking a sabbatical in the near future, so this is still very relevant.

[citrine]

I am semi retired and have at least 2 lazy days every week!  I don't feel guilty about it at all, I earned the right to have them :)  I am glad that you took 2 weeks off and were lazy....our bodies and minds need that to recharge. 

[limeandpepper]

Thanks, citrine! Yeah, I agree that resting and recharging is important for well-being. :D

[brewer12345]

Why must one always be productive?  WTF?  What is wrong with just being?

[matchewed]

Cultural conditioning. I personally find nothing wrong with just being. That being said I'm of the belief that there has to be some drive or motivation for getting up in the morning, that does not necessarily equate with productivity though. I think the western mindset falls into that false equivalency too quickly.

[footenote]

Cultural conditioning. I personally find nothing wrong with just being. That being said I'm of the belief that there has to be some drive or motivation for getting up in the morning, that does not necessarily equate with productivity though. I think the western mindset falls into that false equivalency too quickly.

+1 You simply have to be interested in something; could be observing, could be doing.

I think people sometimes conflate contented "just being" with depression. And certainly our Puritan ancestors have saddled us with the thought that if you're not "productive," you are sinning.

[limeandpepper]

Why must one always be productive?  WTF?  What is wrong with just being?

When I say unproductive I meant, like: lying on the couch the whole day browsing the internet, not even leaving the house. If you read my post properly, that wasn't even really the concern, since we were on holiday - the worry is extrapolating that to the possibility of living a similar life 24/7 in retirement and becoming one of "those" retirees who do nothing but stay home and watch TV all day. Which is probably unlikely. But something I'd want to avoid.

[Mr.Macinstache]

Whats wrong with surfing the internet all day? Nothing at all. When you're retired, old and drooling all over yourself, you'll probably do that a lot. So just get comfortable with it.

[AlmostIndependent]

I found that when I have large chunks of time off I have a period where I don't do anything and then find myself wanting to be productive so I find something that interests me or that I want to get done around the house. It's a matter of balance. When you work all the time your job and other commitments dictates the pace of your life. It becomes something that you have to do yourself. Feeling too lazy? Find a project. Feeling over-extended? Take a break. It's all up to you.

[limeandpepper]

Whats wrong with surfing the internet all day? Nothing at all. When you're retired, old and drooling all over yourself, you'll probably do that a lot. So just get comfortable with it.

Well, I can see from your username that being on the computer all day is probably something you're very happy with. Not for me, ideally I'd want to be a bit more active than that. Besides, I don't know about you, but I'll still be young when I retire. But eh, enjoy your drooling, whatever floats your boat. :)

I found that when I have large chunks of time off I have a period where I don't do anything and then find myself wanting to be productive so I find something that interests me or that I want to get done around the house. It's a matter of balance. When you work all the time your job and other commitments dictates the pace of your life. It becomes something that you have to do yourself. Feeling too lazy? Find a project. Feeling over-extended? Take a break. It's all up to you.

Yeah, I suspect I'll probably find a natural balance somehow. It's just that after years of working, it's difficult to imagine having all that free time. Basically I think it just means dealing with the "what's next?" issue that has been mentioned in the blog and on these forums before.

[Mr.Macinstache]

I guess I don't have a problem being motivated to do something interesting. I have tons of interests. (They are free!) and hobbies (They cost money :( ) And I don't feel guilty the times I want to veg out playing a game or browsing online.

Those darn first world problems. ;)

[sleepyguy]

No problem with me... I've been working since 14 (34 now, no degree so started FT work early) and even though I get about 6wks vacation from work... it really isn't enough... now if they gave me 6mths vacation I might just work until I'm 50 ;)

But between family, hobbies, sports, sb ideas... I don't think there would be enought time in the day to fit in all the fun :)

[ender]

Why must one always be productive?  WTF?  What is wrong with just being?

When I say unproductive I meant, like: lying on the couch the whole day browsing the internet, not even leaving the house. If you read my post properly, that wasn't even really the concern, since we were on holiday - the worry is extrapolating that to the possibility of living a similar life 24/7 in retirement and becoming one of "those" retirees who do nothing but stay home and watch TV all day. Which is probably unlikely. But something I'd want to avoid.

I can TOTALLY relate to you on this.