Do you ever feel like you don’t have enough time in your life? I know I do.
More recently I worked a 4 day stretch in a row which left me feeling exhausted. I realize it was only 4 days, but it seemed like a never-ending cycle of waking up, bathing, force feeding, commuting, working, eating, then going back to sleep. Even the downtime is work in the form of preparation for work.
Anyways, being short on time is one of the main reasons I am pursuing financial independence through blogging and investing. Eventually I plan to cover my expenses by owning dividend stocks and by blogging.
But it can take decades to reach financial independence, depending on your individual situation. It could take 5, 10, or even more than 15 years.
In my case, I was on track to reach financial independence in 10 to 15 years until I stumbled onto a Barista Fire-like job in 2019.
This is ultimately why I shifted to slow FI and why I now work a part-time job. It all comes down to having more time now.
Short on Time? There are alternative options to waiting for FI
I’m currently reading Early Retirement Extreme by Jacob Lund Fisker, which is about reaching retirement in 5 years or less. It’s an eye-opening read that opens your mind up about the options for saving money. I would highly recommend it.
However, retiring in 5 years or less is not possible for everyone. At least it’s not for me.
There are certain pleasantries in life that I’m not willing to give up. I want to enjoy each and every day, which is why I seek balance.
You wanna know why? Because it’s possible to achieve both—you can save and reach financial independence while maintaining a balanced, sustainable lifestyle. It hardly even requires sacrifices if smart, frugal decisions are made based on individual values.
Moreover, there are alternative options to waiting for Financial Independence. I can also confirm these alternative options work because I tried them. I took a year off work in 2016 and I began working part-time in 2019.
Here are 7 ways to acquire more time before financial independence:
Time is money.– Benjamin Franklin.
Take a Year Off Work
If you’re having a difficult time coping with day to day life, contrary to what society would have you believe, you can quit your job and take a year off. I know because I did it.
Related Post: Ultimate Reflections on Mini-Retirement
Taking a year off is a great way to regenerate and to slow down the pace of life enough to think about what you truly want.
I spent my year off working out, blogging, travelling, and with family and friends. I did whatever I wanted for an entire year—I was never bored once.
Anyways, if you can handle the pressure and judgement, and if you have the means, taking a year off is an excellent way to obtain a pocket of extra time at a point in your life.
Regardless of how you decide to spend your mini-retirement, I can assure you that it will be an unforgettable experience.
If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.-Bruce Lee
Work Part-Time
In my humble opinion, working 3 days per week is an optimal FI solution. This is how I am currently adding more time to my life.
If you’re someone like me that needs more space to yourself during the week, it’s the perfect way to reverse the crush.
Since I’ve been working part-time, I no longer carry around that bitter, resentful feeling that caused me to write posts like Why I have No Choice But To Pursue FI.
I’ve even come to believe that I could handle a longer career with a shortened schedule like I have now.
Based on my own experience, cutting your hours down through a high paying part-time job is a perfect way to obtain more time now. It just requires a calculated plan.
Request a leave of absence
Prior to my year off, I took a brief leave of absence. It was only a few months long and it was definitely needed. It provided enough time off to realize I needed more time off lol.
I was never one of those people that called in sick much before that, by the way. I always felt too guilty and embarrassed to do that.
However, once I saw the bigger picture, I realized that health is more important than an attendance record. This is not to say that attendance is not important. My goal is to never miss a day at my current job (still haven’t yet). But health should be prioritized over everything. Nothing matters without good health.
Of course, you may need to provide proof that a leave of absence is necessary. But it’s totally worth it if your health is in jeopardy. And most quality employers will understand.
Avoid Time Obligations
I am often in awe of new parents and how much of their own time they sacrifice.Their dedication is admirable.
It’s honestly difficult to fathom, though, because I feel like I hardly have any time as it is with a part-time job and no kids lol.
Anyways, I’ve come to realize that one of the most effortless ways to have more time now is to avoid time obligations.
For example, buying clothes that require dry cleaning creates a time obligation. Not only are dress clothes overpriced, they immediately subtract time from your life. They must be dry-cleaned on a regular basis. To be perfectly honest, I don’t get it. Affordable stores exist now that offer stretchier, more comfortable dress clothes that can easily be washed at home. And they’re cheaper!
Another example is owning a car. Yes, it’s obvious that owning a car is a great convenience. But it’s not that convenient if you live in a big city. Setting up insurance takes time, car payments take time, oil changes take time. I used to dread taking my car for oil changes every 4 months. Half my Saturday was gone before the weekend started.
Obviously time obligations are different for everyone. It depends on individual values. But avoiding time obligations is an easy way to keep more of the precious weekend to yourself.
Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.-William Penn
Stop Worrying About What You Can’t Control
I tend to be an over thinker so I know all about worrying about what you can’t control.
Overthinking is one thing, though… taking action on something you can’t control is totally different.
For example, while I was working in the finance industry, I received many chats and calls from individuals trying to determine if their application was processed before the date it was expected to be processed. Connecting with a representative requires effort and is an unnecessary waste of time in most cases.
Rather than patiently waiting 3 days for the application that was supposed to take 3 business days to be processed, these time-wasting individuals will call on the 2nd day hoping the application was completed sooner. Don’t they have anything better to do?!
Essentially, I am suggesting that it is wiser to become more efficient with time. Prioritize what needs to be done and focus on what can be done right now.
Let The Small Stuff Go
I used to hold grudges until I realized that it’s more of a negative impact to myself than it is to the person I’m holding a grudge against. It accomplishes nothing.
For selfish reasons, I have learned that it is much wiser to forgive. You just feel better. After all, none of us are perfect.
Not to mention holding a grudge requires effort and energy. The effort spent on thinking about revenge or the situation could be used on something more valuable.
So forgive, move on, live in the present and focus on the future to have more time now.
We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.-Nelson Mandela
Get To The Point
I have many, many years of experience working in the customer service industry.
I worked in retail, outbound calling, inbound calling, chat, e-mail, and with social media.
One of the things I’ve noticed is how different personalities address their issues.
Frankly, most people are all emotions and run-on sentences without any logic.
I’ve also noticed that broke people are usually angry. They’re rude, unfriendly, and they can even be slightly aggressive. Worse, they don’t even know how to deal with a problem. In fact, they make it worse by ranting about their issues instead of pinpointing the issue itself. It’s as if they get some sick pleasure from making you figure out their problem. Sometimes I don’t even think they want the problem to be solved. Instead of voicing the issue, dealing with it and moving on, they will make it take double as long as it should have taken.
On the other hand, wiser folks, that typically have money in the bank (go figure), are calm, respectful, and to the point. They realize that time is money. And they know how to get what they want by addressing the problem directly. The conversations are so much smoother… They describe the problem….then they wait for the representative to do their job…patiently and respectfully. Their goal is to get the problem over with.
So the next time you contact a customer service representative, be direct, polite, and respectful. Don’t rant, whine, or blame. I promise you that time will be saved.
Concluding Thoughts
Congratulations, you’re no longer short on time. There are alternative options to waiting for financial independence to obtain more time now.
It should be noted that one must be organized to accomplish almost any of the above methods.
In addition, to add more time to your life and stay on top of your financial situation, it’s important to maintain a schedule and to create lists. Otherwise time can easily be procrastinated away. And that’s a subtractor of time.
Moreover, this post is intended to discuss the various ways to add more time to your life prior to reaching financial independence. I’ve personally utilized a year off work and am currently utilizing a part-time job to enjoy more life now.
Money is not the only way to add more time after all (but it certainly helps).
Quotes obtained through actiTime:
I am not a licensed investment or tax adviser. All opinions are my own. This post contains advertisem*nts by Google Adsense. This post also contains internal links, affiliate links, links to external sites, and links to RTC social media accounts.
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