#35: Why Early Retirement Isn't What I Expected

October 27, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

It’s been just over 4 months since I was laid off. After about a week of getting over the shock, I became excited about my situation because I didn’t need a job for the foreseeable future.

The income I get from real estate, the temporary unemployment insurance, and the small amount I get from social media was enough to pay for my living expenses. Plus I have close to $300K in cash saved up (for investments and emergency fund).

During the four months of unemployed life, I went through a rollercoaster of emotions (and I still am).

Sadly enough, early retirement isn’t full of all the rainbows I thought it would have.

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Why Early Retirement Isn’t What I Expected

Timeline Of Emotions

  • The day I was laid off: Angry

  • The rest of the week: Sad

  • A week after: Happy

  • A month after: Comfortable

  • Two months after: Uncertain

  • Three months after: Bored

  • Four months after: Lost

This wasn’t how I expected to feel at four months, but here I am writing about my experience and reflecting on the past four months. 

The Positives

Here’s a list of the positives from this new lifestyle:

  1. I no longer have to wake up for early morning meetings so I’ve been getting A LOT better sleep. On my most recent project, I had morning stand ups at 7AM because our team was spread out globally. Now, I can wake up whenever I want, which is between 9 to 10AM. 

  2. I get to go to the gym whenever I want. My ideal time to work out is after lunch time. Why? Because the gym is empty. I also no longer skip the gym as much as I did while working because work would get in the way.

  3. I no longer have to do work that I don’t care about. Now, I’m only working on things that I care about like my social media content and the new business I partnered with a friend. Before, I was just a consultant working with a client to do the work that they don’t want to do themselves, which was reviewing data, sharing any changes, and analyzing random data they think is “good-to-know”. Really pointless stuff..

  4. I don’t have to work late anymore! Usually, I would be on PowerPoint working against urgent deadlines to win work for my firm. My manager had me put together two proposal responses alone during my last month of employment without helping me nor acknowledging that I did 99% of the work. She only reviewed and asked for small fixes.

  5. My time is under my full control. In my experience, consultants are given arbitrary deadlines that we set ourselves. Everything is urgent. And every day isn’t predictable. While most people can go about their jobs from 9-5, consultants do not. A 9-5 is not normal in consulting. When I think I’m going to get off work early, it rarely ever happens. Something comes up and ruins my plan.

  6. My anxiety is definitely down. That comes from dreading work calls, preparing for calls, anticipating questions from clients or partners, and the unpredictability of every day. It just naturally happens because consultants have to always think two steps ahead to be good at their jobs.

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The Negatives

The obvious negatives are that I no longer have a “secure” income stream and that I now have a break in my career, which CAN affect future employability due to the stigma around that.

Here are the negatives I DIDN’T expect:

  1. After 3 months of having a relaxed and flexible schedule, I got bored(?). I wanted to have a routine. 

  2. Crazily enough, I want to start working again. However, I don’t want to work in a fast-paced, cut-throat environment. 

  3. After partnering with my friend on a business venture (his idea), I thought I’d be a bit busier, but I’m also following my friend’s schedule. There are things he’s responsible for and he’s juggling a full-time job. I have a lot more free time to spend on the business but can’t move forward until he’s ready. Not ideal, but still a great opportunity to be a part of his idea.

Retirement is boring Just finished my to-do list for the day - To Do List - Nothing | Make a Meme

While I think these negatives could have been delayed if I traveled during this time, it’s not in my situation since my fiance is still working and we’re planning to move soon. I can’t just leave her at home and go to another country. What kind of partner would I be? 

In a situation where I wasn’t engaged, I’d 100% go travel to Asia and South America. Money goes a lot farther in some places so I’d be able to live large with less. After a few months, I’m sure I’d miss home so I’d be back and be in the same emotional state as I am in now.

Final Thoughts

The main point of this post is to be transparent with my early retirement journey. While I’m overall happy with where I’m at, it’s not as magical as I expected. 

For over four years since I started this journey, I’ve been aiming to reach this point. I’m sure many of you, who are reading this, are as well. 

Now that I have reached early retirement, the only question I have next is, “now what?”. I don’t imagine myself just relaxing back. However, I’m glad I’m job-optional at this point in my life where I can take a more relaxed job so I can also live more comfortably.

I’ve been applying to jobs and having some interviews, but it’s a tough market right now. I’m hoping I hear something soon but I’m not holding my breath. It’s the end of the year so business naturally slows so I’m hoping by early next year, I will have a job and a normal schedule again.

Until then, I’ll be continuing to grow my audience on this platform and working on the business, which I’ll share in the next few months! 

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