Let’s just get it out of the way:
There is no way to escape the need to provide for yourself.
Whether that means getting a career, starting a business, or going entirely off-the-grid.
There are many ways, however, that you can arrange your life to make work seem less like work, increase your freedom and flexibility, and have more time to enjoy life.
Building a lasting work-life balance will look different based on your current circumstances: how much time, money, and property you have to invest. It’s up to you to configure a plan that meets you where you are now.
That said, let’s get into it.
What exactly does it mean to be free of the rat race?
It means being free of constantly having to work– of the going-going-going lifestyle that accompanies a full-time job, and of the need to spend so much time and energy doing something you don’t care about. It can be exhausting, and for some personality types, downright unhealthy.
A little stress is good. It keeps us on our toes, challenges and stimulates us. But prolonged stress has been linked to chronic disease, and work/money is the number one cause of stress in the United States.
While some people truly thrive in a fast-paced lifestyle, many of us are not cut out for it. We dream of a more leisurely way of life, one that allows us to really smell the flowers.
Are there ways to escape the rat race immediately?
Yes and no.
It depends on how much money you have, your standard of living, and what resources you have available to you.
There may be ways to leave immediately, but they may not be safe, practical, or feasible for you right now, or in the long term.
Ways to leave the rat race immediately might be:
- Work part-time
- Buy rental property
- Buy a business
- Win the lottery
- Do gig work
- Live in a camper van
- Camp
- Couch surf
- Work on a farm in exchange for room and board
- Stretch out your savings in an affordable location overseas
- Inherit money
- Live with your parents
The best way to build a lasting work-life balance is to ask yourself what you want your life to look like, and plan accordingly.
Make a long-term escape plan
It’s important to know what you want. Because it’s surprisingly easy to get caught up chasing things you think you need, or ought to have.
Before you get all lofty with your goals, I want you to stop and consider something:
What do you actually need to be happy? Take your time with this one.
Who are you, what are you about, and what are the core things you need out of life? And nothing more. No fluff. No excess.
It’s important to distinguish between the things you want, and the things you MUST have.
For example, I really want a 100-acre ranch, but if I’m being honest with myself, I don’t need it. I do, however, need a place that feels like home where I can have a garden and raise some chickens, at the very least.
I’m definitely not saying that you shouldn’t dream big, but if freedom is your goal, then it’s important to understand that the more you own, the more you have to maintain. And the more you finance, the more you owe, the less freedom you have.
You might find that the joy and peace found in a simple life is far richer and freer than the bedazzled life we’ve all been sold by movie, magazines, and wall street.
Is it a coincidence that some of the world’s poorest people are not only the most generous, but also the happiest?
So, be modest and realistic with your goals. Don’t spend your life chasing a lifestyle that is as unattainable as it is undesirable.
Most people just want the following core essentials in life:
- Financially stability and abundance; enough to take proper care of yourself and your family, without worry
- A decent home
- Freedom and agency
- Community, family, or strong connections
- Adventure/creative expression
You don’t need to be a millionaire to have these things.
It’s up to you to discover what your life should look like. Don’t decide by comparing yourself to other people. Find a path that aligns with who you are.
Do a little of this, and a little of that
This is my go-to for people who don’t want to work full-time.
If you think about it, there are a lot of ways to make money.
An effective way to think about this is to consider how much money you need to earn per day for your desired lifestyle.
Here’s an example:
I need $3000 per month. I want to work 4 days per week, or approximately 16 days per month.
$3000 / 16 = $187.50
I need to make $187.50 per day, or $750 per week.
That seems perfectly doable!
How can you make 187.50 per day?
Now, take what you have available to you and combine them.
Maybe you do Instacart or get a part-time job for 3 days a week, then you babysit your niece on the weekends.
Or maybe you do housekeeping on the weekends and start a dog-walking business during the week.
It might not be a permanent solution, but it’s dynamic, flexible, and you can adapt it as you learn what people need and want. Just keep trying things, and eventually something will stick.
With multiple income streams, you have more security in case one falls through. And it gives you the opportunity to dip your toes into a new business venture.
It also keeps things flexible enough to pursue other interests and hobbies outside of work altogether.
Decrease your cost of living
Needing less = freedom.
Here are some ways you can decrease your cost of living:
- Live with other people: co-own, find roommates or some other type of creative communal living
- Move somewhere more affordable
- Rent part of your property – a spare room, garage, or parking space
- Get rid of your car and use public transportation, or get an e-bike
- Stop eating out; cook your own meals
- Cancel cable
- Only use one streaming service at a time: binge everything you want to watch on one service, cancel, and sign up for a different service.
Choose a vocation or business that allows you to work less
This one is kind of a no-brainer.
There are lots of professions that offer a part-time schedule.
By learning a high-paying skill, you’re raising your baseline, so you’ll never have to find entry-level work again.
Here are a few starting points:
- Teachers – summers off
- Massage therapists
- Court reporters
- Bartenders/servers
- Bookkeepers
- Freelance jobs (writing, web development, photography, etc.)
- Medical transcriptionists
- Nurses
- Housekeepers
- Dog walkers
- Therapists
This is by no means an exhaustive list. You may want to take into consideration automation and opt for something that require that special human touch.
It’s never too late to start a new career path. In fact, it can be extremely rewarding!
Make work part of what you live for
It’s important to make a living, but what about the things that make life worth living?
They are two sides of the same coin.
Let me explain:
You need money.
I would guess you also need some direction and fulfillment, especially if your job is a menial and listless one.
Why not kill two birds with one stone and build a business or choose a career path that you can actually feel proud of? Something that makes you want to get up each morning.
The reason work is such a grind is because most of us are doing work that we don’t care about or that doesn’t jive with the type of people we are—our skills, values, and preferences. We are swimming against the current, and it feels like it.
Human beings have had roles to play in society since the Stoneage, so it’s not crazy to feel an instinctual pull toward a meaningful vocation.
However, sometimes that instinct doesn’t translate perfectly to a modern, capitalist career path.
In a perfect world, your source of income would not only take care of you, but other people. Because if you find a way to actually help people, you’re likely to be successful.
Not only that, but it might even make the world a better place. Isn’t that what work should be about?
That said, let’s be realistic. The world is not a perfect place, and the methods that make the most money aren’t always the most ethical or wholesome.
We can’t change it overnight, and we still have to live here.
So, the best we can do is to find our own path toward what the Buddhists call Right Livelihood—a way of making a living that harms no one, including ourselves. And find some patience and humility with our work, even when it’s imperfect.
You may be one of those people that just needs to make work as painless as possible, because the things that make life worth living, for you, have nothing to do with business and money. And that’s okay, too.
There is no right or wrong answer, it’s about finding something that works for you.
Finding meaningful work that offers you freedom and well-being is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself in today’s world. I believe that life is sacred, and that everyone deserves the time to observe and appreciate it.
There may be a lot of work that needs to be done in the world that no one will be paid for. And it will never get done if we don’t have the time, freedom and flexibility to do it.
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