In the spirit of moving from the work ethic to an enjoyment ethic in your post-FIRE lifetime, the question arises: How does one best do this?
Paradoxically, it often involves what we have been conditioned to think of as work.
The difference is that it is work that is more creative than instrumental. In fact, it is not really work in the traditional sense.
It is clarity and focus that matter more than end results.
And I have been learning that this is a hard thing to pull off gracefully.
There are three steps I want to discuss in approaching this, and today I will start with the first step.
You want to start getting really clear on what is enjoyable to you.
And is it really enjoyable, or do you just do it out of habit?
What Is Enjoyable?
The first step is defining what enjoyment looks like to you.
What do you actually like to do?
Really ponder this question.
Let me tell you about yesterday and what I observed for myself.
As you may recall, I am doing a bit of an experiment this week while visiting family.
I am trying to be more in the momement and go with the flow.
I got up later than normal because of a late night of partying at Oktoberfest the evening before.
That festival and the partying were extremely enjoyable, but I am focusing on yesterday.
My first thoughts upon waking were about my goals of writing a blog article every day and getting some steps in, even though I have released my need to get 15,000 per day this week.
Is that because I enjoy these things?
Well, yes and no.
I do enjoy creating these articles and walking outside.
but I have learned that these two goals are psychologically burdensome for me.
Nevertheless, that is basically what I did.
I drafted, edited, and posted the article, and then I went for a walk.
While on my walk, I also picked up a large coffee to bring back.
Then I got online to check what I needed to do for the dream certification class I signed up for and am participating in.
We had our third session yesterday, which is essentially a two-hour online course and discussion.
I discovered I actually had a homework assignment to complete and luckily had given myself enough time to do so.
The class was fun and interesting.
I do enjoy learning, particularly a shared learning experience with other people in a class or workshop setting.
By then, it was 2:30 p.m., and my mom and sister were going to visit the grand opening of an IKEA store in town.
In the spirit of spending time with family, I tagged along.
In fact, I drove us there, and that worked out great.
The store was chaos, and the clientele were strange to behold.
I grew up in this city, and I swear some people are stuck in the last century here.
They literally dress and act like people I interacted with in the early 1990’s.
That is an odd thing to behold.
Then there were the freaky people.
Strange choices of wardrobe.
Strange mutilations of their physical features.
Strange dialogues between themselves.
I don’t mean to be so judgmental here, as I find that once you get to know a person, we’re all very similar to one another.
However, it was really odd to behold this mix of people in a brightly lit, cheerful, and decidedly Swedish-infused environment.
No, I do not enjoy shopping experiences.
Crowds of people meandering around with self-possessed attitudes, looking to satisfy their needs, are not much fun for me.
I will do them, and sometimes get good ideas, but I am always hesitant to purchase on impulse.
I like to keep my money and spend it on things I truly need or value.
Thus, shopping trips are usually about people-watching and researching potential future buys.
Two things I do enjoy.
We got back home, and I decided to order a pizza I can only get in this city.
It was delicious, and I did enjoy the experience of buying it and eating it.
That’s pretty simple.
I also skipped getting something to eat at the IKEA restaurant because I like to save my appetite for something I really enjoy whenever I can.
Impulse fast-food purchases rarely bring that kind of enjoyment to me.
Exhausted and still recovering from Oktoberfest debauchery, we decided to watch something interesting on streaming.
You may recall that I have eliminated streaming and cable TV watching by myself.
But this was a communal, shared experience, so it qualifies as acceptable in my Escaping the Algorithm goal.
We ended up watching six episodes or so of a show called Below.
It is a bit of a knockoff of Stranger Things. It’s completely different but meant to hook your interest in a bizarre and fantastical story.
I must admit, I did enjoy this. It was basically the equivalent of watching two full-length movies in one sitting.
My sister keeps theater snacks on hand in her media room, so I also enjoyed one of my favorite movie candies as I watched the show.
That, too, was very enjoyable.
Then came getting ready for and going to bed. No complaints there, either.
Sleep is wonderfully enjoyable.
Thus, was yesterday an enjoyable day?
Yes, I guess it was.
It seemed sort of hodgepodge and random, but in the final review, it seems to have a nice flow and arc to it.
Would I want every day of my post-FIRE life to be like this?
Absolutely not. It was way too unstructured and random for my tastes.
It was the kind of day that reminds me of how I used to “recover” from the trauma of a full-time job and commute on the weekends.
It was a “staycation” kind of day, which is fine every now and then. And being with family is something I value and typically enjoy.
However, I want more meaningful days to make up the bulk of my post-FIRE lifestyle.
That sets us up to discuss the next two steps in an upcoming article.