How to Escape 9-5 Using Minimalism
Most people today are stressed and unhappy with their jobs. According to research, only 34% of employees feel enthusiastic and engaged about their work. If you’re in this statistic, congrats, but if you’re not happy with your 9 to 5 which leaves you miserable at the end of each day, then you have to take another route. It’s time for a change.
Theoretically, the act of quitting a job is pretty easy. As The Minimalists would say:
Simply walk into your boss’s office and yell, Screw you, I quit!
But what happens afterward can be hard.
We all know we’re not only rational beings, we’re also emotional beings. And that’s why quitting a job is such a hard thing to do.
Why is so Hard to Quit Our Jobs?
There are many reasons for this, from questioning how we will earn money, how we’ll pay the bills, to the loss of social status among friends. But one of the main reasons why it’s so hard to quit is because we’re living beyond our means.
There are a number of factors that contribute to our permanent servitude to the company we work for. Some of them might include:
- House too large for our needs
- Credit card debt that hasn’t been paid off
- Expensive car payment and insurance
- College debt
- Subscriptions to services we no longer use
- Buying Starbucks every morning and eating out every meal
- Driving around all the time even when our next destination is just 5 minutes away
- Spending on stuff we don’t need because advertisement or social pressure says we need it
- Holding on all stupid knick-knacks we never use
In summary, our lives cost so much that the moment you don’t have a steady paycheck every month, everything comes crashing down around you.
How to Escape 9-5 Using Minimalism
We all need more freedom. Freedom to do with our lives what we truly want, to chase our dreams, to travel, to spend time with people we love, etc. And this freedom is easy to attain.
Here are 7 ways to apply minimalism and escape 9-5:
1. Stop Unnecessary Consumerism
Decide you won’t be a slave to the advertisement and social pressure. Leave FOMO (Fear of missing out) to other people.
Stop buying things you don’t need. Companies have scammed you into thinking that the only way other people will accept you is if you have a new blazer every time you go out. Or a new car every year, latest smartphone, designer sneakers, etc. This cannot be further from the truth. A week’s worth of simple and durable clothes is all a person needs to live comfortably. Your used car will work just fine, and the old smartphone will serve all your needs exactly like a new one.
Knowledge of the truth can free you from thousands of $ a month of needless expenses. Stop shopping, start living.
2. Focus on Things that Truly Matter
We want to live a purposeful, enjoyable life, but in reality, we settle down for a life we’re not completely satisfied with. And then, as time passes, we become frustrated and saddened when our future visions don’t come true.
When you focus on a few truly important things in life, you actually succeed at them. What is important to you? Write it down somewhere where you can see it daily, and start chasing that. And only that!
3. Reduce Your Possessions
The biggest mistake people make when they decide to quit their job is thinking they can live exactly as before. If you own a big house full of stuff and you leave your job, you’ll still have to pay for the house and for the space to store all those things (most of which you don’t actually need).
Living with a lot of stuff also encourages consumerism, therefore the secret is to reduce your possessions to a minimum. When you find yourself living with less, you’ll start to notice how much freer you are. Suddenly your mind is free to think and focus on things that truly matter to you.
Find your optimal number – your enough, and try to maintain it.
4. Remove Expensive and Needless Entertainment
In today’s modern age, there are usually more screens than people in the household, and we’ve been trained to think our precious lives should be spent in front of them. TV, tablet, smartphone, computer…
This is absurd. Sell your TV, unsubscribe from cable, NETFLIX, and other entertainment services. Go out in nature and enjoy the most beautiful and exciting entertainment you can find. Bonus, it’s absolutely free.
All costs add up, no matter how small they seem. 4.99$ per month fast adds up, and that’s why you are in a situation where you have to work 60+ hours a week just to survive.
P.S.: I’m not saying you can never watch something, ofc you can, just keep in mind that most stuff can be found online for free.
5. Move to A Cheaper City/Country/Continent
Do you spend a lot on the mortgage, rent, utilities, taxes, etc. in the city where you live? There is always an option to relocate to a cheaper city, country, or even continent. Plus, when you have less stuff, it’s even easier to move wherever you want.
Relocate to a city with amazing public transportation, and you can also drop a car from your life. Go car-free and you can save between $6,000 and $12,000 per year. That’s a lot of money. In some places, you can even live comfortably on those savings alone.
6. Find Joy in Simpler Things
Many of the best pleasures in life are completely free and infinitely more fulfilling than shopping. Go for a walk without a destination. Sit on the beach or in a park whole day. Watch the stars at night. Plant a tree. Climb a mountain, read a book, cook a meal for loved ones… Minimalism doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, it’s the opposite.
7. Choose Happiness
Are you willing to sacrifice your happiness in order to maintain a white picket fence in a 3,000 square foot home? If your stuff is holding you a prisoner, and you need to work long hours to maintain the status quo, you know what you need to do. Ask yourself: “What makes me happy?”
Is it your marriage, hobby, or something else? Whatever it is, give to it your full attention. You won’t regret your decision. Choose happiness over the stress and start living your life again.
…
Here’s the thing. If you don’t make any changes, then nothing in your life is going to change. It’s as simple as that. Are you willing to continue working on your boring day job under fluorescent lights while time passes and you get older day by day, or has the time come to take action?
If you’re not sure how to answer, pause and ask yourself another question:
Will I regret the life I am living on my deathbed?
Only you know the answer to that, but if you’re reading this post, then something certainly needs to change.
Whatever your answer is, one thing won’t change though, someday you’ll run out of time. And when that happens, you can do one of two things. You can look back at your life with a sense of fulfillment, or you can create a list of regrets for all the things you haven’t done because you spent most of your time working on a job to buy stuff you don’t even remember.
Therefore, pursue a simple life first, and then you can quit your job and follow your dreams.
Cheers!
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