Retirement Version 4.0

(Photo details:  Bainbridge Island, Washington-June 2013)

I spent most of my working years hatching a plan to exit from the workplace all together.  In 2000, I got so impatient with the plan that I swerved for the turnoff to an earlier retirement, even though that meant it could only be a part-time retirement at that point.  I figured semi-retirement immediately trumped full-time retirement someday off in the future.

Retirement Version 1.0

Luckily, my employer was receptive to my plan.  We hired a new, full-time controller and I stepped aside to a part-time position handling just the tax and employee benefits portion of my former job. 

But semi-retirement didn’t resemble real retirement as much as I had hoped.  For one thing, Doug wasn’t retired yet and I was kind of lonely on my days off.  The way I had structured it was to take Mondays and Wednesdays off so I would seldom have to work two days in a row.   That way almost every day would seem like a Friday.  Instead it kind of felt like every non-work day was a Sunday, if you know what I mean.

For the most part, I used my Mondays and Wednesdays to take care of errands so that Doug and I could just enjoy the weekends together.  While I did enjoy a slightly better work-life balance, I didn’t really have a lot more time to delve into new interests.  And as it turned out, I felt compelled to keep work projects on track on my days “off,” so I didn’t really feel retired even on the days I wasn’t at the office. 

The final nail in my semi-retirement happened about a year later when the company that Doug worked for went belly up.  Which meant of a sudden he was retired, or unemployed as we thought at the time.  But we couldn’t afford for both of us to be retired yet, so I asked my employer if I could come back full-time.  Not only did they jump at the request, they offered me the CFO position, which I held for six years until I was able to retire for real.

Retirement Version 2.0

On March 1, 2008, I re-entered retirement, but this time it was all retirement all the time.  No loneliness this time because I was joining Doug’s retirement.  No pushing work projects along because I was no longer connected to a job, not even part-time.  And now errands were something to procrastinate, not something to accomplish with any urgency. 

Retirement 2.0 felt like I had all the time in the world.  As a consequence, I struggled with getting anything done at all.  Because with all the time in the world, you might as well get around to it tomorrow, whatever it happens to be.  I was surprised that my house and garden were not in the shape I thought they should be in now that I didn’t have a job to distract me from those tasks.  I was also surprised that I wasn’t in better shape myself.  Basically I just spent more time doing the things I was already squeezing in while I was working, it just took me longer to get those things done.  You know, since there’s no reason to hurry anymore.

While my house, garden, and body were in no better shape than when I was working, Retirement Version 2.0 was great for travel.  We joined friends on their vacations, took advantage of last-minute travel deals, and used our house as currency for home-exchange vacations.  We were on the road more than we were at home those first few years of full-time retirement.

Just as we were starting to tire of all the travel, I was enticed to take on a part-time consulting gig.

Retirement Version 3.0

Not only did I never expect to want to work again after I retired, I certainly never expected to actually enjoy working in retirement.  Taking on that part-time consulting gig was one of the best decisions I made in retirement.  In fact, I think that experience is one of the reasons Retirement Version 4.0 has been the best version so far.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.

I didn’t miss working at all when I wasn’t doing it.  When I was retired full-time, all I could really remember of my former work life were the negative parts.  I couldn’t really remember any of the good parts until I started working again part-time.  I loved working as part of a team that appreciated me.  I enjoyed tackling new challenges that I never really had at my former job.  And, in the end, it gave me a greater appreciation for retirement. 

Because toward the end of that gig, I started to feel like my life was racing by without me.  Like it was slipping away.  I started remembering all the parts of retirement that I had previously taken for granted.  I missed the abundance of time, the absence of hurry, and sleep that was uninterrupted by thoughts of work at three o’clock in the morning.  I remembered all the things I wanted to be doing that I hadn’t made time for in Retirement 2.0, like learning to play the piano and volunteering. 

Retirement Version 4.0

Which brings me to the fourth version of my retirement, the best one yet.  The one where I know not to worry if I don’t accomplish anything in particular on any given day.  The one where I finally take piano lessons and spend hours lost in practice.  The one where I finally managed to lose 10 pounds (and just in time for my 50^th birthday later this year!)  The one where I will probably get another dog when the time is right.  And the one where I know there will be other versions ahead, and if history is any guide, they will just keep getting better and better.

Related Posts:

            Retirement Do-Over

            Will I Ever Work Again?

            This Time Around

 

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Comments

[Tom Sightings]

I'm still in Retirement 3.0 and lovin' it. Maybe I'll get to 4.0 at some point but, for me anyway, I can't see not working at all. But I don't work every other day, or three times a week, or any other schedule that would make every workday feel like Monday. I work in fits and starts, with lots of vacation time. I'll work for 6 weeks, then have 2 or 3 weeks off; then another job comes up (just when I'm getting bored) and it keeps me occupied for the next month. And so it goes. Plus ... I like to see a nice deposit into my bank account every once in a while.

[My Life In Focus]

Geeze, I hope I am in Retirement 5. Which is, to me, I don't think about retirement at all. I'm just living and doing and enjoying being myself.

I love the way you put everything into perspective and categorize the many steps of retirement, Syd. Excellent insight and presentation.

[Retired Syd]

Tom: I can see the appeal of cycling in and out of work as long as you don't have think about work during the off time.

My Life: Unfortunately, I haven't been thinking about retirement nearly enough lately to maintain a retirement blog! Perhaps I should start a piano blog . . .

[fred doe]

Where you been syd:) Do you think once you've put four or five years at retirement that's it's like getting a PHd and now it's time to apply that sucker? I'm in my fifth year and this last was spent in pure laziness and I loved every minute of:) but now I feel like Ishmeal in Moby Dick I want to run down the street and knock people's hats off or like Capt. Willard in Apocalypse Now, in Saigon waiting for a mission. I must fine something to put my hand to and no! volunteering is not going to happen. I must be paid or I really, really have to be wowed. I think you spoke volumes in your reply to mylife: have you arrived when you don't think about retirement any more?

[Rick]

Hi Syd. I'm 6 months into 1.0, as I transitioned after 28 years from "partner" to "of counsel" at age 53, which is 12 years prior to our "standard" transition date. There certainly is more free time and a better balance for me, but there is also the ongoing technology connection that creates expectations even when I am technically not working. I have good support from the full timers and have set a good system in place, so am very fortunate in that respect. I'm going to enjoy seeing how this all plays out over time. Good to have a blog from you. Take care.

[deegee]

Syd, I went from R1.0 directly to R4.0. I worked part-time for 7 years before I fully retired in 2008. I have not done the things you have done in your R4.0 but I began doing my fun things in R1.0 which I still do in R4.0.

(And I just turned 50.)

[New at this]

The multiple versions thing is way too much torture. (and only lengthens your sentence).

Until one is absolutely convinced their nest egg is big enough, its more peaceful to just keep working.

But once you get there.....Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

[Jacq]

Well, I don't know. I'm a couple of years younger, but the impending five-0 makes me realize how short my time is on this planet. If I really want to write that novel or (insert other goal), I have to take this opportunity to do it and persevere. If I can persevere and show up day after day working at jobs I haven't cared for for X years at times over the last XX years, surely pushing through to do something I really want to do should be possible? So regular Joe work is good to teach good self-discipline.

I think that the contrasting and comparing that came with your going in and out of the workforce allows refinement. And that's a good thing. It takes time and distance to step back and think about these things and what you want your life to be about. Just pushing to a goal like FI/ER and expecting life to be a bed of roses once you're finally there is kind of naive. Wherever you go - there you are. It's like expecting that when you move to a new place, you'll magically change. Life just doesn't work that way.

[Charles]

Lovely photo. My father experienced a retirement much like the one you mentioned. I can't wait to share this with him later today. I think your perspective here is very important. Thanks for a great blog!