Author Topic: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?  (Read 2662 times)

deek

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 449
Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« on: July 12, 2021, 03:13:51 PM »
In the next few years, I'm hoping to either work for myself or work for a company that understands that an 8 hr work day is a waste of time and money. My work day is 8 hours, I've made the most money I have ever made in my life, I'm accomplishing all my goals at work, and I'm working probably 4-5 of those 8 hours most days. I like the people I work with, but I'm striving to work independently, on my own time, to achieve my financial and outside-of-work goals in life.

I've realized in working from home that I'm much happier working while I'm able to accomplish stuff at home at the same time. I'm curious about different careers that people have where person to person interaction is minimal - and even more interested to hear from people who are their own boss and are loving it. Thanks all!

dodojojo

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 806
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2021, 07:12:04 PM »
I WFH and if I was disciplined enough, I could my job in 4-5 hours a day.  Sure there are a handful of weeks when it gets a little crunchy but otherwise, I don't really need all 40 hours.  Yeah, if I look back, it's kind of pathetic how much time I have wasted.

Metalcat

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 17391
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #2 on: July 12, 2021, 07:14:32 PM »
I'm not really clear on what you are asking about.

Are you asking about people who work from home or people who are their own boss? Because those are very different questions.

deek

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 449
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #3 on: July 12, 2021, 07:21:08 PM »
I'm not really clear on what you are asking about.

Are you asking about people who work from home or people who are their own boss? Because those are very different questions.

More so about people who are their own boss

Zikoris

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4536
  • Age: 37
  • Location: Vancouver, BC
  • Vancouverstachian
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #4 on: July 12, 2021, 07:45:33 PM »
My boyfriend is a freelance editor and works about 3 hours a day. Going from working in an office to having his own business was a HUGE lifestyle upgrade for him, especially in terms of flexible hours and only working with people he likes. If it's a nice day and he wants to go to the beach, he just goes. If a client is an asshole, he fires them. If he wants to sleep in or not wear pants that day, there's nobody who can tell him no. It's really a perfect situation for him.

deek

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 449
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #5 on: July 12, 2021, 07:47:57 PM »
My boyfriend is a freelance editor and works about 3 hours a day. Going from working in an office to having his own business was a HUGE lifestyle upgrade for him, especially in terms of flexible hours and only working with people he likes. If it's a nice day and he wants to go to the beach, he just goes. If a client is an asshole, he fires them. If he wants to sleep in or not wear pants that day, there's nobody who can tell him no. It's really a perfect situation for him.

I'd love to hear more about what his job entails and how he got started acquiring clients!

Metalcat

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 17391
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #6 on: July 12, 2021, 07:50:49 PM »
I'm not really clear on what you are asking about.

Are you asking about people who work from home or people who are their own boss? Because those are very different questions.

More so about people who are their own boss

Then I recommend changing the thread title to clarify that you are looking for info on part time self employment.

Also, it's hard to give you specific advice without having any idea what your current industry and skills are.

Zikoris

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4536
  • Age: 37
  • Location: Vancouver, BC
  • Vancouverstachian
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #7 on: July 12, 2021, 07:54:44 PM »
My boyfriend is a freelance editor and works about 3 hours a day. Going from working in an office to having his own business was a HUGE lifestyle upgrade for him, especially in terms of flexible hours and only working with people he likes. If it's a nice day and he wants to go to the beach, he just goes. If a client is an asshole, he fires them. If he wants to sleep in or not wear pants that day, there's nobody who can tell him no. It's really a perfect situation for him.

I'd love to hear more about what his job entails and how he got started acquiring clients!

It's standard book editing, except the clients are the authors themselves rather than working for a publishing house. People email him manuscripts in Word, he edits them and emails them back. Super simple business model with basically zero overhead. He originally intended for it to be a side gig, basically just started cold-contacting authors, and two months later he was so booked up he quit his day job.

dodojojo

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 806
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #8 on: July 12, 2021, 08:03:51 PM »
A decade ago I was at a nonprofit and part of my remit was publishing glossy bound reports no one read.  We were paying copy editors $50 an hour initially.  Then we wanted to go with a really good one and she was charging $100 an hour.  The work can be tedious, but man, I would love to be a freelance editor.

deek

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 449
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #9 on: July 12, 2021, 08:12:49 PM »
A decade ago I was at a nonprofit and part of my remit was publishing glossy bound reports no one read.  We were paying copy editors $50 an hour initially.  Then we wanted to go with a really good one and she was charging $100 an hour.  The work can be tedious, but man, I would love to be a freelance editor.
Definitely interesting. I majored in comms and enjoyed writing myself so I think it's something I could excel at. Just wonder how to go about getting some type of portfolio. Or is it a better idea to work for free to prove yourself?
« Last Edit: July 12, 2021, 08:17:52 PM by deek »

dodojojo

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 806
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #10 on: July 12, 2021, 08:27:02 PM »
A decade ago I was at a nonprofit and part of my remit was publishing glossy bound reports no one read.  We were paying copy editors $50 an hour initially.  Then we wanted to go with a really good one and she was charging $100 an hour.  The work can be tedious, but man, I would love to be a freelance editor.
Definitely interesting. I majored in comms and enjoyed writing myself so I think it's something I could excel at. Just wonder how to go about getting some type of portfolio. Or is it a better idea to work for free to prove yourself?

Haven't a clue, I just worked with them on a couple of reports.  I was at a large nonprofit that published reports regularly.  Good editors were known to the organization and it was easy to contract them for each report. The best ones weren't just about the Ps and Qs of grammar but offered substantive feedback on readability and messaging.

Evgenia

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 202
  • Location: California
    • Evgenia Got FI
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #11 on: July 12, 2021, 09:20:30 PM »
I am technically FIRE, but yes (though this was true before and after FIRE). I have two vocations, one in agriculture and one in writing, and I work a couple of hours, not every day, and make enough to cover expenses and save.

MrThatsDifferent

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2317
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #12 on: July 12, 2021, 09:40:46 PM »
OP, have you read the 4 Hour Work Week?

yakamashii

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 193
  • Location: Japan
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #13 on: July 12, 2021, 11:48:27 PM »
I'm a freelance translator, and I work 3-4 hours a day on average. At home. Any 3-4 hours I want. Nobody cares as long as the work is done. Best job ever.

Zikoris

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4536
  • Age: 37
  • Location: Vancouver, BC
  • Vancouverstachian
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #14 on: July 13, 2021, 12:18:47 AM »
My dad also has a pretty sweet retirement gig. He retired from a full career as a high school shop teacher, and the school district immediately hired him to maintain/repair shop equipment for the local schools. Very part time, good pay, and up to him what his schedule looks like - he can get a bunch of maintenance done at once and then take off for a month long vacation, etc.

Again, this is another example of a job basically designed around someone's specific qualifications and background (same as my boyfriend's freelancing), so not really something a person can just pick up because it sounds cool, but another data point nonetheless.

Metalcat

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 17391
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #15 on: July 13, 2021, 06:41:40 AM »
My dad also has a pretty sweet retirement gig. He retired from a full career as a high school shop teacher, and the school district immediately hired him to maintain/repair shop equipment for the local schools. Very part time, good pay, and up to him what his schedule looks like - he can get a bunch of maintenance done at once and then take off for a month long vacation, etc.

Again, this is another example of a job basically designed around someone's specific qualifications and background (same as my boyfriend's freelancing), so not really something a person can just pick up because it sounds cool, but another data point nonetheless.

Exactly, there are two ways to do this: use your current skills and network or try to start from scratch.

I have multiple examples of this kind of work that I've done, but no one else can do them without the background and skills that I have, so they're useless to share in terms of the specifics.

That's why I'm trying to figure out exactly what advice OP needs.

I agree that 4 Hour Work Week might be a good place to start.

Junco

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 41
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #16 on: July 13, 2021, 07:34:37 AM »
I quit my corporate job this year after having my running coaching business on the side for 2 years. I coach 17 adults who are training for marathons and bringing on a new client every couple of weeks. Eventually I will get to 30-50 and will likely hit my limit.... but that will be very good money.

I am coast-fi and making enough now to get by plus a few hundred per month for additional savings. I work about 7 hours monday but otherwise only work about 3-4 hours a day M-F. I could work more to grow it faster but dont really care to. Work entails writing training plans, checking in with athletes, being their mentor, cheerleader, and therapist in many ways, and doing social media and web marketing. All this is done remotely. At this point I only need to work with people I like.

Do you have any unique skills that you can teach others for a monthly fee?
« Last Edit: July 13, 2021, 07:39:38 AM by Junco »

deek

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 449
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #17 on: July 13, 2021, 07:43:20 AM »
I quit my corporate job this year after having my running coaching business on the side for 2 years. I coach 17 adults who are training for marathons and bringing on a new client every couple of weeks. Eventually I will get to 30-50 and will likely hit my limit.... but that will be very good money.

I am coast-fi and making enough now to get by plus a few hundred per month for additional savings. I work about 7 hours monday but otherwise only work about 3-4 hours a day M-F. I could work more to grow it faster but dont really care to. Work entails writing training plans, checking in with athletes, being their mentor, cheerleader, and therapist in many ways, and doing social media and web marketing. All this is done remotely. At this point I only need to work with people I like.

Do you have any unique skills that you can teach others for a monthly fee?

I buy and sell sports cards and have done very well, but I have an ethical dilemma about charging people for my strategies. I won't do that. I do play golf, but am by no means a pro or even close. I think I could help people that are 10-20 handicaps but don't want to pay an arm and a leg for lessons.

Metalcat

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 17391
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #18 on: July 13, 2021, 08:52:57 AM »
You obviously have some kind of valuable skill or knowledge otherwise you wouldn't be employed.

Look at what consultants in your industry do, look at what type of experience and knowledge you have that might be valuable to a company who can't afford to pay someone full time for it.

Think broader about what you have to offer and what kind of people might benefit from whatever you know.

MagneticNorth

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 36
  • Location: Pacific Northwest, USA
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #19 on: July 13, 2021, 09:20:22 AM »
My dad also has a pretty sweet retirement gig. He retired from a full career as a high school shop teacher, and the school district immediately hired him to maintain/repair shop equipment for the local schools. Very part time, good pay, and up to him what his schedule looks like - he can get a bunch of maintenance done at once and then take off for a month long vacation, etc.

Again, this is another example of a job basically designed around someone's specific qualifications and background (same as my boyfriend's freelancing), so not really something a person can just pick up because it sounds cool, but another data point nonetheless.

Exactly, there are two ways to do this: use your current skills and network or try to start from scratch.

I have multiple examples of this kind of work that I've done, but no one else can do them without the background and skills that I have, so they're useless to share in terms of the specifics.

That's why I'm trying to figure out exactly what advice OP needs.

I agree that 4 Hour Work Week might be a good place to start.

Personally, I appreciate that the OP has left this thread so open-ended, as I would also be curious to hear what's out there and how people find opportunities for part-time work, especially self-employed or working from home.

Malcat, I'd be interested to hear your examples even if the specific work isn't something I or the OP could do, as hearing how you got into it might give me some ideas of places to look, connections to keep up with after FIRE, and just broaden my mind a little about what's possible.

If people want to give specifics for my personal skillset (I am not OP); I work in the tech industry, with particular skills in data science, statistics, programming. My academic background is in mathematics and I used to tutor math on the side when I was in school, which I enjoyed, but that was through my school so not sure how easy that is to get into once I'm a retiree without  academic connections. Hobbies include reading, hiking, backpacking, cooking, gardening. Have considered getting into crafting & selling on etsy or at a farmer's market stand, if anyone has done that.

clarkfan1979

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3352
  • Age: 44
  • Location: Pueblo West, CO
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #20 on: July 13, 2021, 09:39:59 AM »
Are we talking 5 days/week or 7 days/week?

I make a good living working approximately 1,000 hours/year as a community college professor. If you divide 1,000 hours by 52 weeks, it's 19.23 hours/week. Based on a 5 day work week, it's 3.85 hours/day.

In reality, I'm on campus 9:00-3:00 (M-Th) for a total of 24 hours. I still take time for lunch, so I'm not actually working a full six hours. Over the weekend, (Fri-Sun). I will have 5 hours of remote work (course management, emails, grading papers). Let's ignore the lunch, round up and call it 29 hours/week.

We are required to have 15 weeks course content over a 16 week semester. Some faculty end the semester one week early. I actually meet during the entire 16 weeks, but will provide "off days" during the semester to give myself and my students a break.

I also have one week of prep for each semester. For me it's 29 hours/week x 34 weeks for a total of 986 hours/year.

I have a Ph.D. and 15 years of experience. It took a few years of streamlining my teaching to get it down to 1,000 hours/year.

darknight

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 174
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #21 on: July 13, 2021, 10:17:22 AM »
I have realized that the #1 thing to do before considering a 3-5 hour work day is changing your lifestyle. Adopt more MMM principles and learn to live on less. Silly and cliche? Yes and yes.

My wife and I have a small LLC doing graphic design, print Tshirts, do photography and social media management. We each work roughly 2-5 hours a day and have 2 kids, so every day is different on how it's split up. I've done plenty of side jobs to make ends meet, waiting tables, plowing snow, teaching a the local community college (foreign language) as well as 1-on-1 tutoring.

THE BIG CHANGE of being able to work as we do is changing our expectations. When I worked 8-5 I was looking at a new car to buy, 4 wheelers, etc etc things that make the weekends more fun. Adopting MMM principles, getting to a positive NW allowed us massive creativity and ability to do more on our own terms. With the market in the toilet we stopped trying to look for a place to buy and now are happy renting a nice condo, have a positive NW and still have too many weekend toys (kayaks, dirtbikes, bikes).

MrMoogle

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1136
  • Age: 38
  • Location: Huntsville, AL
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #22 on: July 13, 2021, 10:47:52 AM »
I'm not self employed, but I work 4 hours a day, 5 days a week.  I was planning on requesting to switch to part time, but then got sick, and was out on medical leave for a while.  Then when I came back, I requested 20 hours per week, and they agreed.  I do have to go in to work, and can't work from home, but it's pretty great. 

I do have some specialized knowledge in my group, that no one else seems interested in.  I'm also one of the people who management will go to when our group hasn't done something before. 

Before it was ~3 hours per day of my specialty or figuring new things out, and 5 hours of boring work.  Now it's 3 hours of the fun stuff, and 1 hour of the boring stuff.  So it's more free time, and I spend a higher portion of my work day doing work I like.  I can't imagine going back.

Metalcat

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 17391
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #23 on: July 13, 2021, 10:50:38 AM »
My dad also has a pretty sweet retirement gig. He retired from a full career as a high school shop teacher, and the school district immediately hired him to maintain/repair shop equipment for the local schools. Very part time, good pay, and up to him what his schedule looks like - he can get a bunch of maintenance done at once and then take off for a month long vacation, etc.

Again, this is another example of a job basically designed around someone's specific qualifications and background (same as my boyfriend's freelancing), so not really something a person can just pick up because it sounds cool, but another data point nonetheless.

Exactly, there are two ways to do this: use your current skills and network or try to start from scratch.

I have multiple examples of this kind of work that I've done, but no one else can do them without the background and skills that I have, so they're useless to share in terms of the specifics.

That's why I'm trying to figure out exactly what advice OP needs.

I agree that 4 Hour Work Week might be a good place to start.

Personally, I appreciate that the OP has left this thread so open-ended, as I would also be curious to hear what's out there and how people find opportunities for part-time work, especially self-employed or working from home.

Malcat, I'd be interested to hear your examples even if the specific work isn't something I or the OP could do, as hearing how you got into it might give me some ideas of places to look, connections to keep up with after FIRE, and just broaden my mind a little about what's possible.

If people want to give specifics for my personal skillset (I am not OP); I work in the tech industry, with particular skills in data science, statistics, programming. My academic background is in mathematics and I used to tutor math on the side when I was in school, which I enjoyed, but that was through my school so not sure how easy that is to get into once I'm a retiree without  academic connections. Hobbies include reading, hiking, backpacking, cooking, gardening. Have considered getting into crafting & selling on etsy or at a farmer's market stand, if anyone has done that.

I'm a medical professional, so my side hustles typically involved work that you have to be licensed to do, or have had licensed work experience to understand. That's why it's very specific.

That's the thing, there's a HUGE difference between building a self employed business that has a high barrier to entry vs a low barrier of entry, like crafting or freelance writing.

FreelanceToFreedom

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 129
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #24 on: July 14, 2021, 10:44:25 AM »
Yep, I'm a freelance writer and I work anywhere from 10 to 30 hours a week depending on current workload and what's going on in my personal life. It's very flexible. I make $50-$90 an hour depending on what I'm doing.

Freelance writing is a pretty easy industry to get started in, but it takes a while to build up to the point where it pays well. But in terms of side hustles, it's probably one of the easiest to break into IF you have decent writing skills.

pdxvandal

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 501
  • Location: Earth
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #25 on: July 14, 2021, 11:52:24 AM »
@FreelanceToFreedom  - I just DM'd you.

deek

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 449
Re: Who here makes a living working 3-5 hours a day?
« Reply #26 on: July 14, 2021, 01:33:47 PM »