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Achieving the four hour work day isn’t something that should be taken lightly. I’ve heard people say that my generation(I’m 26) thinks that they deserve to work at a job they love, should be compensated more than they’re worth and should be given time off to enjoy all that life has to offer. What’s so wrong with all that? In today’s day and age, those goals are completely realistic and exactly what I’m striving for. The people that say this can’t be done tend to be older, stuck in their ways and probably just plain jealous. But the internet, social media and technology has created a wave of overnight success stories and they all started out the same way.
Work Can Be Fun
Believe it or not, I like working. I like working so much that when I get home from my day job, I work some more as a personal finance blogger. And when I’m done with that job, I work some more as a freelance writer. The only difference is that my day job is a soul-sucking enterprise that forces me to sit inside for 8-10 hours a day and depend on anyone and everyone but myself to get things done. Why do I do it then? I do it for the money! I get paid a lot to sit behind a desk and work on a computer all day. Go drive by a Walmart and you’ll quickly see that there are much worse jobs with much worse pay yet they still work the same number of hours every day.
With blogging and writing, I’m free to set my own schedule(within reason), work from anywhere on the globe(with wi-fi) and I don’t depend on anyone but myself to get the job done. I’m my own boss and the best part about it is, I see a direct correlation between how hard I work and the success of my businesses. Since I only have a few hours of free time after work, I rarely spend more than 2-3 hours a day on my online endeavors anyways. Even though I’m making good money online, it’s not enough yet to make the jump to full time.
Work Hard Early On
I learned about the power of compounding interest at a young age. It’s a relatively simple concept, but one that many people still fail to grasp. Some of us won’t have their ‘savings epiphany’ until it’s too late, but for those that catch on early, saving will become that much more fun. I know countless people who tell me they would be able to save more if only they made more. Hey Dummy, that’s not how it works. There’s something called lifestyle inflation – which means that as you make more, your tastes will inflate accordingly. Don’t think you’re the exception to this rule, instead, focus on your rate of savings right now.
Passive Income Paves The Way
Once my secondary income sources(blogging, writing, real estate, dividends, etc) equal my day job income I’ll be ready for the four hour work day. At first, I thought I wanted to retire early, but then I realized something: I like working. I find that I do my best work in the first four hours of the day, but after that it’s all downhill. I don’t think blogging and writing will ever make as much as my day job but with a little boost from passive income, it gets a lot easier.
We all strive for passive income, but it requires active income first. You can’t invest in real estate if you don’t have any money and a job. I’ve worked like hell the past four years to build up my income and save as much as I could and now I’m starting to see an end in sight. I was able to save over a $100,000 across my 401(k), Roth IRA and HSA in just four years and give myself a huge head start on my peers. When I finally make the jump to the four hour work day, it will be with a nice nest egg in tow and plenty of financial security.
Achieving the four hour work day might take some people 5 years, for others it might take 15, but the important thing is that you set the goal and do everything you can to achieve it. It doesn’t matter what motivates you as long as you are motivated enough to save more, spend less and still find time to live.
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Here are just a few of places our site has been featured:
- Feature on LifeHacker: Save Money and Become Happier Simply By Wanting Less Stuff
- Feature on Rockstar Finance: The Fastest Way to Increase Wealth: Want Less
- Interview on Debt Free Guys: Money Masters: Four Hour Work Day
- Guest post on Beating Broke: 5 Tips to Do More With Your Time
- Guest post on Make Money Your Way: How to Set Rates for Your Side Hustle
- Guest post on Frugal Rules: Balancing Your 9 to 5 With a Promising Side Hustle
- Guest post on Budget Blonde: The Importance of Your Personal Brand
- Guest post on Bryan Maltier: Questions To Ask Yourself Before Quitting Your Day Job
- Guest post on Making Sense of Cents: The Problem With the Traditional 8 Hour Work Day
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