Joel and Mackynze from 5amJoel were in Montana for a month, so we hung out a few times! I’m a huge fan of mini-retirements and Joel is taking an amazing one. We chatted about finding work after a mini-retirement. What happens if your boss finds out your financially independent? Why Joel gets up at 5 am every day? And they brought some sweet dance moves!
Video Highlights:
- 0:01 My guests are laughing at me because I messed up the into more than once!
- 0:25 “Are we sitting under the death tree?” -Joel
- 0:57 Is there a risk in announcing you’re financially independent on the internets where future employers might see it?
- 2:40 Power of a strong network after a mini-retirement.
- 3:20 Does being FI make you a slacker in future employment?
- 4:26 Maybe the best part….Mackynze pulls the wife card and is like, “Nope!”
- 5:40 Joel admits his wife is right….and how we work after FI.
- 6:30 Why the last two weeks of work almost make you not want to leave.
- 6:57 How power dynamics at work shift when your FI.
- 8:22 I literally can’t help myself from making a Jeff Dunham reference.
- 8:30 From mocking to waking up at 5 am.
- 9:14 “Extremely rewarding and extremely difficult are a great combination.” -Joel
- 11:05 (Off camera) “We are going to do dance walking, aren’t we?!?” -Joel. “Absolutely we are.”- Jillian (Also can’t help making The Office references. I won’t even admit how many times I’ve watched every episode.)
- 11:37 Oh geesh….my intro’s need work!
- 12:00 I literally have no explanation for you. This is all my husband’s doing.
But my favorite part of the interview (also not caught on tape) was just before we started dancing and Mackynze looks at me surprised and says:
“Wait, you’re technically working right now, aren’t you?!? Like this is part of your job!”
“Yeah, I guess I am. Kind of crazy, right?”
Hanging out with friends, eating ice cream, and dancing. I grew up thinking that if you weren’t miserable, you weren’t really working. Sometimes it hard even for me to wrap my mind around this passion income thing!
Joel has been waking up at 5 am for over 500 days. His new morning routine helps him live a more productive, happier, and healthier life! Joel shares stories on his blog, 5amjoel.com. He writes about how to make better use of your time, and better use of your money. Rise early. Retire early!
5am is the BEST time of the day. My house is quiet!
My sweet baby gets up at 5am….still. He might forever be an early riser. :/
that’s an interesting point about employers and FI employees or prospective ones. i hit a basic FI number a few years ago and i work for one of those gigantic old-school employers who discourage independent anything. i went out and changed my linked-in profile to say “freddy smidlap -honest, capable, fearless” in the title. i also know how atoms fit together to make molecules and knew if somebody did come calling it was because they wanted a confident, capable independent thinker to help them solve problems. it’s my own filter from crappy recruiting calls that waste everybody’s time. nice interview.
I think that’s a great way to think about it. Finding the right fit. I’d rather employer and employee know up front if it’s a bad fit.
I recently started getting up at 5:30am on weekdays. It feels great to knock out a few key things early in the day!
That’s awesome! I love it when my first few hours feel really productive.
I very much appreciate the discussion that, once you know you can quit, the job is suddenly lighter!! I’m not yet F.I., but we’ve gotten to a very good spot, financially, and I’ve volunteered for a possible layoff (the discussion went well with the boss, and, IF they need to downsize because of some upcoming changes, I’m willing to go). And, now, I’m having a great time at work and wondering if I should have volunteered! My plan is to do a more meaningful job at half the pay because we should be mortgage free with the severance.
That’s a great spot to be in! I think once we really feel work is optional it often becomes much more fun.
I think you are right on with the idea that the bosses who won’t hire you if you’re FI are not the people who you want to be working for anyway.
Personally, if i was hiring, I would love to hire somebody who was there because they wanted to be rather than because they felt they just needed the money.
I think our best work often comes out when it’s voluntary. Plus when it’s optional, people often pick things that are a better fit rather than just pay the bills.
5 am Joel is one righteous dude. And his dance moves are pretty awesome. Great interview. I think I had as much fun viewing/listening as you guys had putting it together. Bravo.
Joel was SO excited to show off his dance moves! =)
I really enjoyed this. What y’all talk about here – more empowerment in the workplace – is something I so desire. I don’t want to feel like I am at the beck and call of a huge corporation… but that’s where I’m currently at.
My son and husband love ice cream. That’s great Joel is able to start his day at 5 AM. I wish I could get up and be productive that early!