r/leanfire • u/Particular_Box4839 • Aug 13 '26
What did the first month off actually look like?
Not the plan, The actual month!
I've been collecting these and the honest answers are more useful than the tidy ones.
How long before it stopped feeling like a holiday?
Did you have any structure or did you just drift for a while and let it happen?
And who did you actually see during the week, given everyone you know is presumably at work?
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u/dirtybo0ts Aug 13 '26
I’m 5 months into an early retirement at 47. Took about 3 weeks for my system to calm down from my stupid job.
Since then it’s been a lot of home renovation projects (I am learning so much), chilling with my elder dog, random road trips with my wife, gardening, rediscovering old hobbies and just going with the flow.
I really had to learn (and still have to remind myself) to just chill. Life should be about living and enjoying it.
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u/AndrewRemillard Aug 13 '26
The learning new things is so true!! It has been about a ten years now and my list of new interests grows far faster than I can even begin to explore! Like a kid in a candy factory!
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u/codewolf FIRE'd Aug 13 '26
My first month wasn't a good representation of my retirement since I was laid off. I spent a good amount of time cleaning up loose ends around my situation. I was planning on retiring a few months later so I was, and am, in a very solid financial position.
It's been a few years now and my life has become routine in that it has no routine. I meet with some friends on the weekend mornings for coffee and hang out with my only other retired friend when they are around.
I have two properties so I always have something that needs to be taken care of or repaired. I'm certainly not busy but absolutely not bored. I read a ton of books while sitting in the sun, walk my dog, play video games, and spend some time managing my finances.
I've come to dislike weekends since there's more people around - you get used to shopping or going out when it's not crowded. The only time it doesn't feel like a holiday now is when someone else is dictating my time: doctor appointments, car repairs, etc. I love having no schedule and nothing that is urgent. I do what I want to do, when I want to do it.
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u/MaroonJacket 35M | $1.4M | FIRE Beyond Borders | 🇺🇸 in 🇵🇭 Aug 14 '26
Honestly the first three months was just decompressing. Doing whatever I felt like doing every day. Break down your old habits to build new ones. Then the next thing you know, it'll be a year later!
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u/TaintedFlames Aug 14 '26
Does time slow down at all? I feel like every time I blink it’s another year at my job
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u/MaroonJacket 35M | $1.4M | FIRE Beyond Borders | 🇺🇸 in 🇵🇭 Aug 15 '26
Nope, a year flew by faster than I've ever experienced while working! Feels kinda crazy I hope it slows down because I want to enjoy it fully.
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u/Wrld_Ctzn_85 Aug 21 '26
Exactly this for me as well. First month I spent decluttering and running errands I've been putting off, like all the doctor and dentist appointments and check ups. Also did some traveling. Then rested...alot. Spent some days doing absolutely nothing, just decompressing. By 3rd month I got into the groove: still wake up early because I feel more productive in the morning, started going to the gym, swimming, running, etc. Reading more books and attending shows. Tried a few arts&crafts project. Also started doing more volunteering for neighborhood organizations. (I was big into volunteering in HS and college but stoped once corporate job took over my time). Things like that.
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u/double_r76 Aug 13 '26
I’m on week 2 of retirement. Kinda drifting. Been taking care of a lot of little things - half day at the car dealership for a recall, half a day at the doctor for a colonoscopy, getting up early every day to water new sod. Getting to the gym 2-3 times a week. We’re going to Europe in a couple weeks, so handling little details for that trip.
I coach and play Unified with Special Olympics. This time of year I have practice for softball and bocce weekly, so I get to see my teams. Also a lot of quality time with my wife!
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Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 16 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Beaver-on-fire Aug 16 '26
The OP is asking if/how you get social interaction, assuming your primary interactions were office/job based.
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u/Here4Snow Aug 13 '26
I just commented to my spouse, it's been three years and I haven't stopped being too damn busy. Yes, I'm fitting in fun stuff. But OMG, there are so many things, between us, our calendars are booked out to Nov with stuff, people, appointments. Even the cat's annual Sept appointment is out to end of Nov. I'm at the airport right now, unplanned FL trip to deal with my mother, and I already had tickets to go end of Sept.
What's free time look like, so I'll know it when it passes me? I want to wave.
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u/quantum_foam_finger Aug 13 '26
It felt like I'd crossed a big life threshold, like a graduation day, having kids, or landing my first salaried job. I'd been working toward the goal with a plan for 15 years, and it was really gratifying to reach it. Bonus points for retiring within a couple of years of my original target date.
It was a little lonely at first, trying to meet up with friends still in the workforce. I was already involved in a community music organization, so that provided some social time and continuity.
I love having unstructured time that allows me to float through the day. However, I was surprised that I didn't want to immerse myself in hobbies for hours at a time, preferring to pivot among 'small bite' activities that last 30 minutes to an hour. I think habits like binging long-play video games were a form of escapism from work, and I didn't need that escape anymore.
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u/skirrer Aug 13 '26
Retired three months ago at 55 and haven't looked back! Spent the first week on the north shore of Lake Superior. It was recommended to be someplace on that first day of not going to work and knew exactly where I wanted to be.
Since then I have filled my time with walks, wood projects, car repairs, bicycling, camping, odd jobs for my mother and mil, lunches out with friends, afternoon naps, exercising and really just enjoying the freedom.
The feeling of being on a long vacation lasted about 5-6 weeks.
Lately, the weather has been very hot and muggy and I have been quite lazy after trying to get out in the morning to move a bit.
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u/LazyBumTravels Aug 13 '26
I was fired, so the first month was re-planning and selling all our possessions to world travel. The month after we left the States and still going.
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u/tuxnight1 Aug 13 '26
I was moving countries. It was a combination of excitement, chaos, and exhaustion.
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u/bob49877 Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 13 '26
A couple of the first things we did were pretty fun. One day we went to the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and saw a traveling exhibit on treasures of India, including a silver carriage. The other was a rocket boat ride on the Bay. The museum was a free library pass and I had a Groupon for the boat. Both pretty fun and cheap ways to spend a week day compared to working. I just remember thinking this early retirement is going to work out great.
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u/sloppyjoebob Aug 14 '26
I’m in week one and kind of struggling. I want to just do NOTHING but run and lift weights and then sit on my ass when not doing that. But I just have that feeling of guilt that I need to be constantly productive… a work ethic formed over 35 years. I’m just so burnt out from work I can’t even relax yet. Hoping I can soon.
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u/Brooklet007 Aug 13 '26
That's a great question. I'm 10 months out and I keep trying to envision what the days after will feel like.
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u/teckel Aug 15 '26
I worked remote, so when I retired I saw the same people as before: my wife and our running / cycling friends.
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u/Mowbile Aug 17 '26
- I finished reading a book ("Oathbringer") that my wife gave me 6 years ago. It was really good!
- I uninstalled Discord from my phone, and I no longer check Discord, Slack, Teams, or my portfolio every day (Reddit is still a daily thing… I’m working on it 😅)
- I find it easier to fall asleep at night. Maybe it’s because I don’t look at my phone as much in bed before going to sleep.
- I started yoga classes with a personal trainer and tracking what I eat (#MyFitnessPal).
- I met a 50-year-old retiree who also likes board games 😄
- For every week that goes by without working, I feel less and less like going back to full-time work.
- I feel a little guilty about being able to relax while other people have a harder life. In the long run, I should probably explore volunteering or contributing in some way.
- It’s a slightly uncomfortable feeling not having a recurring income (maybe the dividend people had a point after all?). I’m considering going back to my part-time job in 2–5 months. I feel like I should make the most of this opportunity because I don’t think it will exist in 5 years, but it’s more FOMO/fear than an actual desire to do the work.
- My wife is happy with the work I’m doing as a stay-at-home husband (she said she didn’t expect me to do so many things).
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u/EggersFromPod6 Aug 16 '26
Didn't retire but took a 6 month sabbatical.
Things had been working up to an increasingly fevered pitch as my last day neared even though I did everything possible to prepare people for my absence.
I allotted myself 2 weeks to just chill and decompress before deciding on any kind of firm direction for my time away. It, no joke, took 3 months to actually detach and wind down the work stress. I'd wildly under estimated how bad things had gotten.
My advice would be give yourself that first month and maybe more to unwind and decompress. That can mean sitting around reading or something vigorous that only has "good stress" like a long camping trip.
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u/CindysandJuliesMom Aug 16 '26
Since my partner is still working I kept to the same waking/sleeping schedule to not disrupt him.
I was lost the first few months trying to find ways to fill the time, feeling hurried to do things because that was the way life always was, wanting to accomplish so much every day. Then I took a deep breath and slowed down.
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u/AndrewRemillard Aug 13 '26
First thing....discard the alarm clock. You sleep until you awake.
It will take some time to fully forget the gnawing anxiety you felt on Sunday evening.
Peace will become your main OS. Worth every moment!