Three things I miss about the retired life – firstly, not being ruled by the clock (I’m writing this in a bit of a rush because I know I have to leave for work in half an hour). Secondly, the level of fitness I had last year, which I’ve blogged about before. Since returning to a desk, I’m shockingly less fit than I was last year. And finally – something which was the inspiration for this post – I really miss being able to read all the papers, articles, blogs and books that crowd in on a daily basis and attract my attention.
I feel bad about not reading blogs because it was these that helped inspire me to take early retirement in the first place. Not only did I used to read a lot of blog posts from Mr Money Moustache, Early Retirement Extreme and to discover and enjoy a slew of British FIRE bloggers, I had the time to read the comments too (sometimes even leaving my own, something that has also fallen by the wayside.) Through browsing the pages of Monevator and the always helpful weekend links to further reading, I felt I was becoming a more savvy investor too, even when I found it difficult to practice what others preached.
I like opinionated pieces and, although I’ve no chance these days of even getting through a third of The Times, I seldom miss a day of reading the columnists. I wish I had the time now to browse some of the other newspaper opinion pieces I used to look up, from The Guardian to The Spectator. I never buy men’s glossy magazines like GQ or Esquire, but there’s some great journalism I’m missing out on there too – I know because my gym has them lying around, free to read, if you have the time. Which I used to have in abundance. I really miss settling down with a coffee on a Tuesday morning in the gym’s cafe after an hour’s workout and finding a decent piece of editorial journalism to give my undivided attention to.
I could say the same for reading non-fiction too. One of my favourite reads of last year was “Sapiens”, one of those books you find yourself putting down so that it will last longer. It wasn’t exactly light reading but that was fine – intellectual stimulation was something that I sought out last year. I’m still into finding similar books to get into but last night, after returning from work, walking to the gym, swimming fifty lengths, walking back home, and finally settling down with a glass of wine at the back of nine, it seemed so much easier to just veg out in front of the box than to pick up a book. And then the evening was gone in a flash, the alarm was buzzing in my ear and the working day was about to start again.
I’m fortunate, however, to be able to acknowledge that going back to work was a choice I made. Nobody forced me, and neither did circumstances. Much as I enjoyed many aspects of the retired lifestyle, I missed the benefits of employment more. I tell myself that I still have a choice in my free time and that a natural prioritisation will happen when I mentally decide it is required. With the dark nights drawing in, for example, I’m already picking up the pace on the reading front.
It’s strange for me to think that when I had endless time available to me in retirement I feel actually became more disciplined with it and used it in a more personally effective and satisfying way. I’m not sure if this is now a sort of sentimental hindsight as the clock hollers at me to head out the door and hit the road to work, or just that I had the time to manage my time last year and I’ve lost a bit of that in going back to employment. It’s good to know, all the same, that if I increasingly need to get some of that back, then at least I can consider alternatives in a more knowledgeable way than I did before. If I know that I’m not yet ready for full time retirement, but work is back stealing too much of my life, then part time employment could be the next route to choose.
sex health money death 
Have you tried listening to podcasts or audio books instead of reading them? They’re still mentally taxing but it’s a much lower hurdle to climb over than opening a weighty book. Great for when you’re commuting or walking about (getting fitter!) too.
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I’m a fan of podcasts but finding consistently good ones is the challenge. The best I’ve found recently was Malcolm Gladwell’s – that’s really worth seeking out.
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I agree with the mighty Investor. I found I was barely getting through a couple of pages a night, before falling asleep. Spending the hour-long commute listening to audiobooks has been well worth the Audible subscription over the last year or two. Good for the kitchen too, whilst ironing…
Andrew
http://www.southcoastdad.com
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I tried audiobooks, but found them quite hard to get through unless I really made an effort. Podcasts can be a good compromise, it’s just finding the jewels amongst the dross!
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I’ve always loved reading but there was a time when I found that I didn’t have time so I thought I would try audio books during my 30-40 min commute to work. Alas, I find that my attention drifts while I’m driving (or maybe it’s because I’m too busy driving) and I wasn’t really listening properly. I realised that I had to make time to get back to reading so less television watching = more reading.
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I know what you mean – I’ve struggled with audiobooks too. Podcasts are better, but somehow they’re a difficult habit to maintain and the content is so variable. It’s maybe a bit like books where a good editor is probably behind the best of them.
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You have written a series of well constructed, thought provoking blogs and I am surprised that your blog is not as popular as I think it should be, judging anyway on the paucity of comments on this particular item.
I think the FI aspect of FIRE is far more powerful than the RE side of it and I just know that my personality would drive me to the busyness and structure of work – the security, camaraderie, and sense of purpose of work at its best etc.
Too many folk glamorise reaching FIRE but really, to me, getting to FI is the real pearl giving as it does the benefits of work with the confidence and assurance that being FI brings.
Please keep up your great work.
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Thanks for the positive feedback! One of the things that pushed me to blog was the “glamourisation of FIRE” and I wanted to write about the other side of the coin. I still have to remind myself that there ARE two sides to the coin, all the same, and that FIRE itself is a still a really worthy goal.
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This post reminded me of the recent post by Darius Foroux: The Purpose Of Life Is Not Happiness: It’s Usefulness.
Seems we all have to find that thing which keeps up moving forward.
View at Medium.com
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I think I agree, happiness is an output of doing something you enjoy. But the emphasis is on “doing something”, which is maybe partly why I went back to work.
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Love the words.
I had my ‘mini break’ last year and have re-entered the world of work. I am not FI yet and need to work a few more years before I am there. The investment roller coaster means my target fluctuates wildly for there to nearly there.
Anyhow, I now make time in my day for reading and listening to podcasts. It was something I started doing when I wasn’t working and I now make it past of my evening. I do this rather than veg out in front of the TV or news. I don’t post as much as I did when I wasn’t working, mainly then time aspect. But I have made sure that I keep some aspects of the freedom activities in my daily schedule.
i was just recapping my daily schedule freedom v. Work and I am trying to get a balance in there.
I am sure you can find slots in your day when you can fit in short reading sessions and bin some of the work based activities that have crept back into your day that you could do without.
I do agree with the comments on happiness comes from usefulness. We need to feel like we are doing something useful and from that we derive happiness. We just need to find this things that make us feel useful and fulfilled as that’s where happiness lives.
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