Even when early retirement is great, it still makes sense to pause for a moment and see if some tweaks could be useful.
That's the case for me now. I retired seven years ago, when I was forty-seven, and I love it. None of the concerns I had at the start, such as, would I be bored, would the finances work, would I be lonely, have come to pass. In fact, if the next seven years of my early retirement were to be the same as the first seven, I'd have little to complain about.
But just because something is good, doesn't mean it should always stay the same, and doesn't mean it can't benefit from some new thinking. Maybe good can become even better. When things aren't working, it's obvious to think of making a change, but when things are going well, our instinct isn't usually to consider doing things differently.
My wife, Sally, gets annoyed when I think like this. She prefers, "if it isn't broken, don't fix it". If I run a marathon and get a new personal best time, it frustrates her when I say, "I'm pleased, but maybe if I'd done this or that thing, perhaps I could have been a little faster." She rolls her eyes in exasperation. I, on the other hand, think that trying to make things better is a good attribute.
So, after seven good years of early retirement, are there any changes that might make it even better? Here are some of the areas I'm starting to think about:
Relaxing my fixation on routine and targets
I've often written about my routines and my target/goal setting, and still believe they are key tools that help make my early retirement a success. They give my life good structure and stop me being lazy, so I'm not about to ditch them. However, maybe I can be too fixated on them, doing something simply because it's on my list rather than because it's the best thing to do at that time. Could taking a more relaxed approach be better? This might sound simple, but it's quite a shift - routines and targets have been a cornerstone of the first seven years of my retirement, as well as the almost thirty years of my working life before that.
Should I continue with my blog?
I've loved doing my blog. It's something I've enjoyed, and an activity which takes more time than you might imagine. Through it, I've physically met up with people in the USA, Australia, Thailand, the UAE, and France, and corresponded with many more through the comments or by email. I never imagined the sense of community I'd find in it. Having a blog has encouraged me to think of new subjects, to think about things differently, and to delve more deeply into some topics. However, after seven years (this is post number 320), I'm not sure how much more I have to say about financial independence and retiring early. I want to continue to "think in ink", something I've found to be fun and rewarding, but I'm questioning whether I should continue this via my blog or through some other method.
Growing my community
My previous post was about how I could use the Blue Zones Power 9: Lifestyle Habits of the World's Healthiest, Longest-Lived People as a retirement model. One of the Blue Zones lifestyle habits that I want to think more about is community. I consider myself an introvert who puts a good amount of effort into trying to push through/disguise this. I'm not a loner, but I am comfortable in my own company, and I don't need a lot of friends. I could stick with the "if it's not broken, don't fix it" ethos, but the more I think about it, the more I believe that life could be even better if I can grow my community. This is an easy thing to say, but probably harder to do.
This is a work in progress for me, and I'm thinking of evolution rather than revolution. As I said, my retirement life is pretty great, and the easiest thing would be to keep things the same. However, that might mean missing out on something even better. I haven't yet figured out the answers, but I do believe that taking a pause to think about them is a good way to ensure I get the most out of my early retired life.
Hi David. I've just stumbled upon this blog and it's just what I need! I retired in Oct 23 aged 53 and so far so good, but there are some buts! So I'm going to read your blog as I've already seen a few things that can I think guide me in the right direction.
I'd always had a target, perhaps a bit obsessively, that once the numbers worked out I'd quit work, so I did and the massive feeling of relief is wonderful. It was also good timing that the last couple of years was the limit for me and the work was no longer of interest. So there's absolutely no regrets in quitting work and I'm desperate not…
Hi David, I'm a long time "quiet" reader of your blog and have enjoyed reading your posts over the years for which I thank you. Yours has been one of the few interesting blogs I found with someone posting about their retirement experience rather than just the journey to get there. I will join the voice of others here and encourage you to keep going with the occasional post if you are able to!
I have been retired nearly 3 years now but rather late at 57. I tried part time for a while but my employer cured my one more year syndrome by making me redundant during the pandemic, a blessing in disguise really! In contrast to yourself I…
Hi David, you've got another person in the "keep going" camp. As with your other readers I have similar feelings. Even though I only retired in the last month we both retired the same age, and seem to have similar interests / thoughts in our post-fi life. There's plenty of pre-fi blogs out there but not that many post-fi ones. Like others, I seek your wisdom and musings to keep me inspired, and thinking constantly, in my post-fi journey. Thanks for the blog thus far and totally understand if you decide to stop.
Hi David. I have enjoyed reading your blog since my early retirement 3 years ago. As a retired accountant I like your thought processes around target setting and measuring your performance as well as your financial monitoring as it is similar to what I do. So please keep the blog up if you feel able to as it is appreciated.
Hi David, another great blog and very thoughtful, I've really enjoyed your musings over the years, to continue to read your thoughts, even if on a less frequent basis, would be great. All the best as you navigate through the next steps of the journey. PS hope the snow is falling and you get some decent touring in this year :-)