FIRE and Boredom

Following my latest post yesterday I received an excellent comment from a regular reader. I thought it was good enough, and important enough, to build a separate post around. Here is the comment:

MaximTsigalko wrote…

I honestly don’t understand the “won’t you get bored” angle and it feels like an excuse people make to themselves to justify why they shouldn’t take control of their life. 

And I genuinely mean take control. An interesting thought process / question to ask someone who is part of the “won’t you get bored” brigade would be to ask why they work the 37.5/40 hours a week they currently do? Was it by a design that you asked your employer to work these hours as that perfectly hits the amount of entertainment you need from work, or was it because nearly 100 years ago Henry Ford chose that amount of hours for his employees and employers have stuck to that idea ever since?

And do you want to work until your mid to late 60s by design, because by that age you’ll have some how figured out how to avoid being bored and it would be impossible to work it out before then, or is it because politicians in Germany designed that to be the age when someone has outlived their usefulness and need be to be paid to not work so that job can go to someone younger and more productive which benefits the wider economy?

The fact that people ask that question actually shows how little they understand about the lack of control they have taken within their life, and highlights the lack of planning and foresight they have given to their existence. 

It genuinely does frustrate me when people give that response and shows such a level of shortsightedness over their options. 

In reality, I ask these people if they get bored on the weekend, in their annual leave etc. I ask if they enjoy the crammed shops and restaurants outside of standard office hours, or if they’d prefer to do these things when less people are around. 

I also find it fascinating people say about getting bored, when out of a year, assuming 40 hours a week like Henry Ford said, that a person works 2080 hours out of the total of 8736 hours, and that ignores annual leave and public holidays. That means a full time worker taking zero leave works 23.8% of their year. The real question to ask someone who says that, do you get bored in the circa 76% of the year you’re not at work? Does that 24% of the year light you up more than anything else and are you sad that you don’t work more than 1 in every 4 available hours each year?

On the “it must be nice to be rich” my actual response is “yes, yes it is. It gives such a high level of contentment and security.” 

My final point of what is a lengthy comment is, most people want to be rich so they can spend themselves poor. The amount of people who I’ve mentioned about having money and they say something along the lines of “you could buy x” or “if I was you I’d spend more on y” is incredible. That is the very reason you’re not in the financial position I am, because you would spend money and I wouldn’t.

My thoughts…

One of the biggest misconceptions about financial independence is that those who achieve it will inevitably become bored. This assumption often comes from people who have spent their entire lives working full-time, structuring their days around employment and haven’t had the opportunity to consider what life outside of work could look like.

But here’s the truth: boredom in early retirement or financial independence is not a given – it’s a choice. It’s simply a lack of imagination. Please don’t misunderstand the point I’m making. I’m not saying that if you can’t afford to retire early, you lack imagination. I’m saying that if you have the means to retire early and you don’t because you think you’ll be bored, you lack imagination.

People who worry about being bored after reaching FI often fail to realise just how much of their lives are currently dictated by work. They wake up early, maybe commute, work for eight or more hours, and then return home exhausted, often spending their evenings recovering rather than engaging in fulfilling activities. Because of this routine, they haven’t developed hobbies, passions, or goals outside of their careers.

What FI Is Not…

Financial independence isn’t about stopping life; it’s about starting it on your own terms. With the constraints of work lifted you gain the ability to explore interests you never had time for. Whether it’s travelling, learning new skills, starting a business, volunteering, or simply spending more quality time with loved ones, FI provides endless opportunities to pursue a meaningful and fulfilling life.

It’s also worth noting that people who achieve FI are often driven and goal-oriented individuals. The same discipline that led them to financial independence is the same mindset that will drive them to seek purpose and fulfilment beyond work. They aren’t the type to sit around doing nothing. Instead, they find ways to challenge themselves in new and exciting ways. FI followers aren’t escaping work; they’re escaping work that doesn’t provide them with purpose.

Boredom in FI is only a reality for those who lack the curiosity to explore the world beyond their job. The key to avoiding it is to cultivate interests and passions long before reaching financial independence. By doing so, you ensure that when the time comes, you’re not stepping into a void but rather a world full of possibility and excitement.

The real challenge of FI isn’t avoiding boredom, it’s deciding which of the many possibilities you’ll pursue first.

What do you think? Leave a comment and join the discussion.