Eyeballing Full-Time Semi-Retirement

Now hear me out. I think I can accomplish this. I am calling it full-time semi-retirement, and I happen to think this is not only the best of both worlds, but brilliant as well if I can actually pull this off.

I have actually already begun to set this plan in motion. For example, I decided to take a vacation day one day every other month and have told the boss this is an absolute plan.

I have three weeks of vacation currently, so this only eats up one of them.

So, what would the benefit of full-time semi-retirement be? Well, first and foremost it allows me to free up some personal time and be away from the "work environment" more. Plus, at the same time, I don't lose any money.

But 6 days out of a year isn't exactly retirement right? It's not even exactly semi-retirement. And you are absolutely right.

Think about this another way if you will allow me to explain what I am thinking here. Having that day coming up every other month gives me something to look forward to. And because the time taken is not tied to something like a longer vacation going somewhere, it's more like a personal day. It's a day to do whatever I want.

And let's face it. Sometimes a vacation going somewhere is more time consuming, hectic and stressful than going to work. When you are on vacation you want every minute to count, and so it's go-go-go.

One of the benefits of the job I do is that it is something that, if the need arises (and it has), I can do it from home. So, this thought brings me to the next part of my full-time semi-retirement plan.

Working from home 2-days a month.

Granted, this is different than the vacation day every other month since of course working from home means exactly that. You are still working. It's not like it is a day to just squander and do whatever you want. You still have to complete your daily tasks and be productive.

But there is something of an advantage to being able to not be physically in the office. There are other "freedoms" offered by this. Less distractions being a big one. I actually think these two days working from home would result in me being more productive anyway than if I were to physically be in the office.

Eventually I would want to transition into working from home one day each week. But one-step at a time as they say.

Besides the advantage of a little more time away from the office and keeping my full-time pay, there is another advantage here which I think can make this plan even more probable, and could be quite beneficial to the boss.

The thing is, he knows I have a plan to consider at least semi-retirement. That is, taking on a different job that requires less hours for me. As he puts it often, "I know you are on a clock and it is just a matter of time before you decide you are done."

He's right.

He also knows that I am a good salesman that makes a lot of money for him and for the company. So, I think in that light, he knows that I bring value to the table while I am there, doing the job.

I don't want to necessarily walk away from the financial opportunity I have if I continue to work, and he does not necessarily want to walk away from the financial opportunity I provide working for him—plus, he has the burden of then having to find someone else to fill my position.

Not that anyone else can't do my job, of course. Hell, there is probably someone out there that can do my job better. But there would still be a two-year or so curve that the boss would have to deal with while the new guy learned the ropes. And that would cost the boss money in the short term.

My plan costs him nothing.

I also happen to live about 5-minutes from the office. So, if it was absolutely necessary for me to go in for something, I could be there in no-time flat. Working from home would virtually be as though I was right there in the office, readily available at a moment's notice.

If I could get the boss on board with this idea, something I am thinking about proposing next year to him, I could probably keep this going for at least another 5-years or so.

Of course, if I can't get him onboard with this idea, I will likely make the decision to semi-retire in a year or two. I honestly believe that forcing me into this decision would be more costly to the boss ultimately.

We have a pretty strong relationship, and that makes bringing a proposal like this to him a bit easier. He also trusts that I would have no ill-intent in trying to do this. I am an honest guy who is not interested in stealing time nor money.

Full time pay for semi-retirement. I really do like the sound of that.

Lead image courtesy of Pixabay, user QuinceCreative. Piggy Bank Money - Free image on Pixabay