So You Want to Leave the 9-5 (do these 3 things first)

^{Read time - 3 minutes / Disclaimer}

In high school we're told:

• Go to college.

• Find a good job.

• Stick it out 45 years.

Then "retire" and enjoy life.

In short:

Build someone else's dream.

Then, spend 10-15 years in retirement enjoying your dreams.

This never made sense to me.

The 9-5 Life

Walking into the office in my 20s was a joy initially.

• Meeting new people.

• Learning new things.

• Experiencing "the hustle".

It was great.

At first...

But slowly, those feelings began to change.

Re-living the same day over and over:

• The 5am alarm.

• The work meetings.

• The 40-50 hour weeks.

Eventually...

It no longer felt "great".

It felt...

• Robotic

• Exhausting

• Unfulfilling

I switched jobs a few times hoping those feelings would change.

They didn't.

Eventually, I realized.

It wasn't the job.

It was 9-5 life.

• Having a boss.

• Having a strict schedule.

• Having your income capped.

Doing it another 30-40 years felt like eternity.

So.. what's the alternative?

Eventually, I came up with a different plan.

A plan that allowed me to quit fulltime work almost 5 years ago.

It may not be ideal for everyone.

But it's worth considering.

Here's the 3 steps that helped me leave 9-5 life:

Step 1: Track Your Money

The word budget is disliked by most people.

Public schools teach little to nothing about money.

So...

• Saving money.

• Investing money.

• Building your wealth.

...is often a foreign concept.

Instead of seeing a budget as a pain in the as* thing.

Think of a budget as a tool that helps you leave 9-5 life early.

Step 2: Save a Cushion

After committing to using a budget of some sort.

And making adjustments to:

• Lower your costs.

• Boost your income.

Saving a cushion of money is the next step.

A cushion gives you the confidence to quit.

To venture out on your own.

To try new things.

Maybe you save 6 months of your income, 1 year, or 2+ years.

The amount depends on your comfort level.

If saving feels impossible right now.

I get it.

I felt the same when starting down this path too.

Tracking your money (step 1) helps you find new ways to save.

Ways you don't normally think about until looking more closely.

Saving a healthy cushion of money gives you more options.

Step 3: Pick A New Plan

When leaving a fulltime job to do your own thing.

You need to find a new way to make money.

I worked at a local bank when planning to leave 9-5 life.

At the time I was doing home loans for the bank.

The plan I came up with was:

1. Do home loans part time for a mortgage broker.

I'd be self employed and could work when I wanted.

2. Start a low-cost online business talking about personal finance.

That's been in the works for a year now (thanks for following along).

Think through skills and knowledge you have.

Consider how you can use them to make money outside of your job.

Look around online to see what other people are doing to make money with your same skills and knowledge.

Conclusion

These 3 steps take time to figure out:

• Tracking your money.

• Saving a cushion.

• Picking a plan.

It took me a few years to work through them.

But —

A few years of planning can take you in a whole new direction.

It can take you away from the 9-5 life (if desired).

To have more control:

• Over your time.

• Over your income.

• Over your life experiences.

Step 1 is the beginning of this journey (tracking your money).

Here's some free tools:

​Microsoft money trackers​ 

I've been working on a free course to help you through steps 1 & 2.

Looking forward to sharing it.

That's all for today.

See you next week.