love both! I am a no alarm clock person too. I didn't even think of that one. Also love the late night work session thing because its easy to let that one slip away because of how much we orient the idea of work around working from 9-5!
One of the "scripts" that I have been following for many years is to always keep cash reserves that allow me to live 2-3 years pretty comfortably on my average level of expenses.
Paul, I have only recently started to dig around your writing.
Seems like some of your takes are resonating with me quite a bit.
I have never been employed by a larger corporation... but I have been in and out of academia in various roles and positions. A kind of love and hate relationship really... I mostly enjoy working with students. Hate all the admin and public service bullshit and insane regulations, etc. that come on top of it. I will never be able to become a real "organisation man". This is pretty clear.
I have practiced a good range of what I have seen you writing about. Lived abroad many times, worked as a freelancer for some years, own no car, carry 0 debt, took sabbaticals (12 months to concentrate on my PhD thesis), went several times into unemployment for a few months between jobs/positions to slow things down, do 10-12 km forest walks almost every day since last summer, and so on. I have never felt that the general middle class script was calling me. At least not in its entirety.
Glad to hear it is resonating! I have done some work in Academia too and the real shame is that its almost impossible to find a role purely working and/or teaching students. Too much admin and other stuff.
1. Own a home AND never have to own a car: No home (not now, not ever), I have been happily car-less for about 10 years (and previously I always shared my car with someone, can't say I ever owned a car in 20 years of having a driver's license really...)
2. Give away 50% of my income above $X: I'm not that extreme but I do support a couple of charities and regularly invest some money on Kiva.
3. Never wear a dress shirt for anything work-related: this is easy man.
4. Move every three years: interesting, not there yet.
5. Pay for a yearly vacation for close friends and family in a unique location: did that for my mum and brother a couple of years, felt good (Seville, Christmas).
6. Never work past 5pm, ever: been doing this for the past four years, feels good.
7. Live in a place where I can bike as my primary mode of transportation: not yet there because I'm scared of the traffic, might need to move to a smaller or more bike-friendly city for that (but see above: no car for 10 years).
8. Only work on things that can be done asynchronously or earn money passively: working on it.
9. 4-Day Workweek or Busy: on average, I'm probably there already.
10. No work for first 10 years of kid’s lives: I'm not planning for kids, but this is something I think a lot about as a really great principle (I grew up with hard-working, working class parents, hits close to home).
I wasn't thinking in terms an assessment either, more about self-reflection.
Most of this script-breaking came along by accident for me, only a tiny part has been deliberate.
These prompts are useful not only for those who think they are at "square one", but also for those of us who might be at some advanced point there but more for luck than for skill.
If I have to single-out the major challenge for the next years, for me, it's creating a flywheel that will make everything more sustainable: right now I feel like most of these goals I reached might disappear at the tiniest disturbance, I have a house-of-cards feeling and I don't like it 🙂
NASA--Not A Single A-Hole. Won't work with them, sure won't work for them.
YES
My alternate scripts are:
1. Wake up without an alarm clock on days I'm working
2. Late-night work sessions
love both! I am a no alarm clock person too. I didn't even think of that one. Also love the late night work session thing because its easy to let that one slip away because of how much we orient the idea of work around working from 9-5!
Paul this is fantastic. Stay weird :)
One of the "scripts" that I have been following for many years is to always keep cash reserves that allow me to live 2-3 years pretty comfortably on my average level of expenses.
love that one!
Paul, I have only recently started to dig around your writing.
Seems like some of your takes are resonating with me quite a bit.
I have never been employed by a larger corporation... but I have been in and out of academia in various roles and positions. A kind of love and hate relationship really... I mostly enjoy working with students. Hate all the admin and public service bullshit and insane regulations, etc. that come on top of it. I will never be able to become a real "organisation man". This is pretty clear.
I have practiced a good range of what I have seen you writing about. Lived abroad many times, worked as a freelancer for some years, own no car, carry 0 debt, took sabbaticals (12 months to concentrate on my PhD thesis), went several times into unemployment for a few months between jobs/positions to slow things down, do 10-12 km forest walks almost every day since last summer, and so on. I have never felt that the general middle class script was calling me. At least not in its entirety.
Nice to read about your path.
Thanks for sharing!
Glad to hear it is resonating! I have done some work in Academia too and the real shame is that its almost impossible to find a role purely working and/or teaching students. Too much admin and other stuff.
1. Own a home AND never have to own a car: No home (not now, not ever), I have been happily car-less for about 10 years (and previously I always shared my car with someone, can't say I ever owned a car in 20 years of having a driver's license really...)
2. Give away 50% of my income above $X: I'm not that extreme but I do support a couple of charities and regularly invest some money on Kiva.
3. Never wear a dress shirt for anything work-related: this is easy man.
4. Move every three years: interesting, not there yet.
5. Pay for a yearly vacation for close friends and family in a unique location: did that for my mum and brother a couple of years, felt good (Seville, Christmas).
6. Never work past 5pm, ever: been doing this for the past four years, feels good.
7. Live in a place where I can bike as my primary mode of transportation: not yet there because I'm scared of the traffic, might need to move to a smaller or more bike-friendly city for that (but see above: no car for 10 years).
8. Only work on things that can be done asynchronously or earn money passively: working on it.
9. 4-Day Workweek or Busy: on average, I'm probably there already.
10. No work for first 10 years of kid’s lives: I'm not planning for kids, but this is something I think a lot about as a really great principle (I grew up with hard-working, working class parents, hits close to home).
Ha wasn't planning this as an assessment but sounds like you are doing pretty well!
I wasn't thinking in terms an assessment either, more about self-reflection.
Most of this script-breaking came along by accident for me, only a tiny part has been deliberate.
These prompts are useful not only for those who think they are at "square one", but also for those of us who might be at some advanced point there but more for luck than for skill.
If I have to single-out the major challenge for the next years, for me, it's creating a flywheel that will make everything more sustainable: right now I feel like most of these goals I reached might disappear at the tiniest disturbance, I have a house-of-cards feeling and I don't like it 🙂