I met up with an acquaintance recently, and she asked me how my part-time work schedule was going.
I love having the opportunity to catch up with people after a period of time. We often have different types of discussions than I do with people I regularly see.
My close friends or family ask, “How are you?” on a regular basis. This allows them to infer how things are going in the grand scheme of things. We don’t always reflect on the bigger picture.
It’s fun to catch up with someone I haven’t seen in 6 months or more. We’re more likely to ask overarching questions and share higher-level, more reflective responses.
When this acquaintance asked me how my part-time schedule was going, I had so many positive things to say. With close friends, I discuss the daily ups and downs. This was an opportunity to step back and reflect on the big picture.
I love working part-time. Everything isn’t perfect, but it’s a significant improvement. A little over a year ago, I was working 50-hours/week, commuting 90 minutes a day, and I was miserable.
This isn’t the case for me anymore. Working part-time has given me my life back.
Benefits of Working a Part-Time Job
By working part-time, I have taken a step toward my ideal life. While there are some challenges, it has been a very positive experience for me. It’s so great, in fact, that I will likely never go back to full-time work.
1. Work Fits Into My Life: Not The Other Way Around
As many of you know, I used to work 50 hours/week in a very stressful work environment.
After four years in my last organization, I burned out. I ended up taking about 6 months off of work to deal with a health issue.
Like many young people today, I thought that I should find meaning and purpose primarily in my job. This pushed me to work too hard and not prioritize other important aspects of my life (health, relationships, etc.).
When I went back to work earlier this year, I knew that I wanted to have more balance in my life.
I now know that there is so much more to life than work.
I count myself lucky to work in a nonprofit organization whose mission I believe in. I am happy that the “traditional” work that I do is contributing to something bigger than myself. Yet, I have many things in my life that give me meaning and purpose. I don’t need any job to feel like I matter.
My work can be meaningful. At the same time, it doesn’t have to take over my life.
2. Time to Focus on Important Things
Because I only work three days/week, I have regained about 20 hours of my time each week. That adds up to over 1,000 hours each year.
Because I work less and have more time, I no longer feel constantly frazzled. I am not running from one thing to the next, trying to keep my head above water. I have the opportunity to do things at my own speed and have time to focus on things that are important to me.
Focusing time on mental and physical health has been important. I see my therapist weekly on one of my days off. I no longer push off doctor’s appointments because it’s hard to schedule them during the workday. Cooking healthy meals is now a priority and doesn’t feel overwhelming.
I also have time to focus on doing things I enjoy. Spending time with family and friends is high on my priorities list. On almost every nice day, I take my dog for a long walk. I have time to write and rarely feel stressed about deadlines or my posting schedule.
Slowing down has allowed me to focus on things that are important to me. This has increased my happiness and quality of life.
3. Setting Firm Boundaries
When I worked full-time, I had a hard time setting boundaries. I felt like I needed to say “yes” to requests. I used to think that full-time work meant that you needed to get your work done, even if it took more than 40 hours. I didn’t realize how important it was to set boundaries within a full-time job.
Working part-time means I work 60% of a full-time employee or 24 hours per week. I don’t get paid hourly and sometimes I do work a little more or a little less. But, it’s only ever a small variance.
When I worked full-time, I would work 50 or 55 hours a week, and it would feel normal. Now, if I worked 10 to 15 hours extra, my employer would need to pay me a full-time salary.
From the beginning, I set clear expectations about my work hours. My employer is now very open to pushback about priorities and projects. This level of flexibility and autonomy isn’t always extended to full-time employees.
4. Paid Time Off Goes Further
My organization provides a lot of time off – 18 vacation days, 3 personal days, 10 sick days, 6 holidays, and 4 floating holidays.
I was somewhat disappointed when I realized that I only got 60% of them, although it makes sense. This means I get 10.8 vacation days, 1.8 personal days, 6 sick days, and 2.4 floating holidays. On top of that, I only get paid for holidays that fall on my regular workdays. I worried that this would feel meager.
After I thought more about it, I realized that every weekend is a 4-day weekend for me. This means that I don’t need to take sick time to schedule doctor appointments. I can schedule them on my days off. To take a long weekend trip, I don’t need to take any vacation time at all.
We did a ton of travel this year (Panama, Vermont, Cape Cod, Washington DC, and Chicago). Even with all this travel, I still had a lot of vacation time left. It was enough to take off the entire week of Thanksgiving and the two weeks between Christmas and New Years. With all this time off, I will still carry over a few vacation days into next year.
Because I work part-time, the paid time off that felt meager actually stretches quite far. I will need to be more even more proactive about using my vacation time next year.
5. I Spend Significantly Less Money
Now this one is counterintuitive. You might think that if someone has more time, they might spend more money. I’ve found this not to be the case.
Within the last year, we’ve spent about $17,000 less than the year before. I attribute this to both beginning our journey to financial independence and working part-time.
Why?
I now have the energy to cook and meal plan. We find ourselves eating out or ordering take-out less frequently. I prepare lunches at the beginning of the week and brew my coffee at home.
I’ve had time to consider the best new credit cards that will enable us to travel for free. For our Panama trip this year, we covered our flights, hotels, and some activities with rewards points.
Most importantly, I have more time to reflect on what I actually value. I rarely buy random things to make my life more bearable or convenient. I also don’t settle for buying something that isn’t the exact right thing I need.
Because we spend less money, working part-time hasn’t had as large of an impact on our savings rate as we thought it might. We can still save 50-55% of our income and have much better lives while doing it.
What I Don’t Love About Working Part-Time
While working part-time is more aligned with my ideal life, it is not perfect. Part-time work provides me with a quality of life that makes me feel like I don’t need to sprint toward the financial independence finish line. Yet, there are still aspects of my ideal lifestyle that part-time work doesn’t support.
1. Location Dependence
One goal that we have is to become location independent. We won’t become nomadic travelers, but we would like to be able to travel for 1-3 months at a time.
With a part-time schedule, I get a lot of time off. I work fewer days (3) than I don’t work (4) each week.
Because the time-off isn’t concentrated and my job requires me to be in the office, I am still location dependent. I would not be able to take a vacation that is longer than a few weeks.
This is okay for us right now. The main reason is that Corey has a full-time job that he enjoys, so this is not an option for him yet either. At some point, we do hope that our business grows to the point where we will no longer be location dependent.
2. The Pressure to Work More
Most people don’t understand why I’d choose to work part-time. The idea that I’d trade money for more time is completely foreign.
I’ve had more than a handful of people say things like, “Maybe your job will eventually become full-time” or “I hope this job becomes full-time.” To which I respond, “I hope not.”
I am lucky to have a boss who respects my boundaries, even if she doesn’t completely understand them. Even with a supportive boss, I often feel the pressure to work more.
I have to continually set firm boundaries. It can be exhausting when people don’t understand why you can’t just do this “one more thing” for them.
To complicate things, my organization is growing. Many people would like me to work full-time, but I’m lucky that my boss is a strong advocate for me.
We’ve come to the solution that we’ll hire a full-time junior HR Specialist to work under me. In this situation, this is the best solution possible. At the same time, I am worried that having a direct report will cause my boundaries to break down over time.
3. Every Monday Feels Like I’m Coming Back from Vacation
Do you ever get the “Sunday Scaries?” I sure do. My Sunday Scaries are made worse by the fact that every Monday feels like I’m coming back from vacation.
When I worked full-time, I was reasonably sure that nothing “blew up” over the weekend between Friday and Monday. When I leave work on Wednesday evening and return on Monday morning, I have no such reassurance.
When I open my computer on Monday morning, I’m also usually greeted by at least 60 unread emails that I need to catch up on.
This might sound like I’m complaining about something that isn’t so bad. While these feelings have gotten better over time, I want to be honest that this is a challenge for me. As someone who struggles with anxiety, the anticipatory nervousness about what I might find when I arrive is heightened.
4. 20 Extra Hours Isn’t That Much Time
On the one hand, 20 hours/week is a lot of time. It provides me with time to focus on my health, writing for the blog and relaxing.
I still don’t feel like I have time to do everything I want to do. I’d like to spend more time writing for other blogs. I don’t have enough time to do that as often as I’d like and write for my own site.
I would love to start a career coaching business. I have begun to create a course on salary negotiation. On top of keeping the blog running, it is hard to find the time to work on another project. I am slowly working on this, but it must take second priority.
I’m worried that if I take on too much that I’d get overwhelmed by all my “passion projects.” Then, I might not enjoy them as much.
I’d also like to spend more time keeping in touch with family and friends and exercising. These things have improved since having more time, but they aren’t “fixed.”
Life is all about trade-offs. Even with 20 extra hours per week, my time is still limited. I still struggle to prioritize my time and focus on the things that I value most.
Money Isn’t on Either List
Yes, you are reading a personal finance blog, and I didn’t include money on the lists.
For us, the point of pursuing financial independence is so that you don’t need to worry about money. It’s not about getting to a particular number so that we can retire early and never work another day in our lives.
Our strong financial foundation allows us to make decisions to improve our lives.
We created this foundation by doing many things, including:
- Increasing our income early in our careers
- Not succumbing to (much) lifestyle inflation
- Reducing our expenses through intentionality
As I’ve reflected on the growth of my organization and their desire for me to work more hours, I realized something.
I don’t think that someone could pay me any amount of money to work more hours. At least not any amount of money that is within the realm of possibility.
For me, this is the benefit of Slow FI. Even though we haven’t reached financial independence, we can already use our financial stability to improve our lives. Financial freedom is not all or nothing; it’s incremental.
How have you used your incremental financial freedom to improve your life?
It sounds like working part-time is the right fit for you. That’s great. Personally, I think part-time work is the perfect situation if you don’t have to worry about money. Of course, if you can do it online, that would be even better. Having 2 extra days off is huge. Going to work takes more than 8 hours per day. The commute, lunch, and various errands make it much longer than that. Anyway, it sounds like you found the perfect situation for your family. Both of you are better off now than when you were working full-time. That’s what counts, right?
Check out my latest post – 10 Levels of Early Retirement. Where are you on my chart? 🙂
https://retireby40.org/10-levels-of-early-retirement/
Hey Joe!
Thanks for the comment. And yes, we are both better off now that I’m working part-time. It is a pretty ideal situation, although, yes I think I eventually want to work part-time online.
I also loved your 10 levels post! I’m currently at level 4. I love the idea that early retirement isn’t all or nothing either!
Thanks,
Jessica
Hey Joe, your 10 Levels of Early Retirement post crossed my mind while reading this post and how you said that hours of work in a week start to decline.:)
My experience after 2 years is similar to yours. I love being part time. I work 20 hours a week but do it in two 10 hour days so I have three weekdays off every week. It’s basically a reverse week from tne norm – 5 days off and 2 days of work. My benefits and leave are also pro-rated like yours, but that’s fair. It’s a great way to keep benefits, keep a foot in my industry, and de-stress and focus on living happily.
Hey! I love that you are able to work 2 days/week. Three works for me right now, but I’d love to back off to two days/week at some point.
Thanks for the comment,
Jessica
I work a full 40 hours but that’s a relative way of looking at it. I at the computer for 49 hours but maybe only 4 hours of that is actual work. The rest of the time I’m twiddling my thumbs waiting for the next email, during which time I can read other blogs (like I am now!) and work on my own. I even take a break every day to work out. Well, 5 days a week anyway. So o feel like I have a lot of free time despite my “49 hours” work week. I’m very lucky in that respect because it keeps the stress levels low.
Glad you found something that works for you. Obviously no job will be perfect but it sounds like this one is close enough to it to keep you happy.
Hi Abigail,
Thanks for the comment. I can imagine that having a job that only requires a small amount of work also allows you to have mental energy and pursue things that you want to during the workday.
That’s a really interesting perspective.
Thanks,
Jessica
Another super article Jessica, thanks!
After one year out of a traditional 9-5 working life I can fully relate to spending less.
You have more time to look for better deals, cheaper ways of doing, plus as you earn less, you pay less tax. So a 50% drop in gross income does not necessarily equate a to a 50% drop in net income, especially if it allows you to drop down a tax bracket.
Thanks again!
Hi Robin,
Thanks for the comment! It is pretty crazy how working less so often correlates with spending less. I’ve heard that same sentiment from a number of people this week.
Thanks again,
Jessica
Your points reminded me of the problems I used to experience with corporate life, particularly dealing with the never ending stream of emails and what a hassle they were to open after returning from vacation. I can only imagine what that’s like to deal with every week now. On a happier note, you’re not dealing with endless emails all day as a full-time employee.
You hit upon the most important points though: you have time to prepare healthy meals and to make it to doctor’s appointments. Too often, our health falls to the wayside, due to long work (and life) hours.
Hi Katie,
That is definitely an important point. When working full time, it can be really hard to stay on top of your health. When I was working full-time, I’d always push off doctor’s appointments and order food way too often.
Thanks for the comment!
Jessica
Thanks for sharing your experience working part-time. I have been working on a post about my experience after a few months now as well. I noticed a lot of similarities in our lists. Point 1 on your benefit list is very true. It feels like I’m fitting work days into my own life. I’m not sure I’ve got a handle on spending less yet. It seems like other things are coming up during my extra days off. As for your 2nd list, I would also prefer to be location independent. Toronto is expensive and it would be nice to be able to move further East. I also noticed that part-time is still not enough time off. It does feel like going back to work after a vacation after 3 or 4 days off. Thanks for sharing!
Hey,
It’s nice to hear that I’m not alone with these feelings! I’ll look forward to reading your upcoming post about working part-time.
Thanks,
Jessica
This article came at the right time for me… I recently left a full-time job to work a contract position that I am currently in. I am really enjoying the flexibility of the position because I get to completely decide my schedule. Well, the other day I was offered a job for a similar contract position, but they want me to work a little bit more than I am currently working, but they are offering more money which is nice. But I’m struggling with the decision because I love the flexibility of my current job for pretty much all the reasons you mentioned above. It’s helped me to think more about what I want to accomplish with my work at this point im my life!
“I now have the energy to cook and meal plan. We find ourselves eating out or ordering take-out less frequently. I prepare lunches at the beginning of the week and brew my coffee at home.” Also this!! This is so true for me too. I cook a lot more now because I have the energy to do it rather than coming home at 6pm and not wanting to do anything besides sleep ;D
Hi Katie,
Thanks for sharing! I love the flexibility so much that I might never go back to working full-time. It honestly depends on what your goals are and finding the right balance for you between income and free time.
I wish you the best as you figure out what to do.
Best,
Jessica
“When I worked full-time, I was reasonably sure that nothing “blew up” over the weekend between Friday and Monday. When I leave work on Wednesday evening and return on Monday morning, I have no such reassurance.”
Yes. YESSSSSS. I relate to this so much. I’ve been really surprised by how many things can blow up between noon on one day and 8 AM the next (when I’m working ~20 hours a week). It stokes my anxiety. I have to work hard not to let myself get too freaked out by the “OMG something broke HELP” emails.
I’m so glad you get it! I almost didn’t put this one in there, because I thought people would think I was just complaining about something that wasn’t worth complaining about. Thanks, friend!
Jess
Hi there,
I just googled “work part time or full time?” and came across this site. I am an RN working at the hospital… and very burnt out. I work full time – which is 12 hrs a day, 3 days a week. I am SO EXHAUSTED all the time, stressed, and angry at times because I deal with very difficult situations, and (disrespectful) patients. Sometimes I can’t believe what comes out of these patient’s mouths when all I wanted to do was help the sick. I’m trying to figure out where to go from here. I want to make more time for exercise, hobbies, mental health, to be more creative, and to be more in touch with the people I care about. I am thinking about going part time, and then transitioning myself to work elsewhere away from the bedside. I really value my mental and physical health, and I feel as this job is slowly killing me. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for posting this, because it helps me realize that when I’m not tired, I do cook more and spend less money ordering food. In the end, I probably will save money too. You made a lot of great points here and I really enjoyed reading this. I may read it again actually 🙂
Hi Shelby,
I’m so glad this information helped you. I hope that you are able to take some next steps that will improve your physical and mental health.
Best,
Jessica
Hello,
I know i am late responding to this , I just stumbled upon it, when searching for working part time.
I work full time, and i don’t mind working full-time however the employer has become very unreasonable with time off (this was before the pandemic), which is unpaid and we do not have any benefits. The employer refused to be locked down for more than a month, so we were working during the pandemic although we are not essential. Now, that we are legally reopened to customers they do not want us taking any time off, I had to remind them that they do not pay us for time off. If we take extra time off , we have to work 2 double shift days the following week. The worst thing is this is a small mom and pop like shop, that is being crazy.
I have been with this company for 3 years and i am very burned out, annoyed and stressed. Like you I have settled and loosen my beliefs and standards regarding work, because the economy isn’t as strong as it use to be, and i have bills to pay. Unfortunately, It took this pandemic for me to regain my standards and beliefs regarding work and my personal life.
I have been considering going back to part time work, so i can get my life and sanity back.The thing that keeps me from doing that is in my area part time work pay is very low, plus they do not offer benefits at all. Although the state i live in has a high cost of living, the pay for part-time and full-time is low. My bills aren’t going to be slashed in half because I make half the money. How do you deal with bills that require full-time pay ( i am mainly referring to rent/mortgage)?
I apologize for the long comment. Take care and be safe.
Hi NB,
Thanks for reaching out. This sounds like a really challenging situation that you are in. I know it’s not easy right now, but I wonder if you could try to get a different job. Maybe you could try to find something that offers paid time off and some benefits.
If you are worried about not being able to cover your expenses working part-time, perhaps you could do something that like that. Also, another option could be to shift your living situation. I understand that some living situations are more permanent than others, and I don’t know what your situation is. But if possible, would there be a possibility to get roommates or move in with family or friends for a period of time to save on housing costs? This may or may not work for you, but it’s an idea.
I’d encourage you to think creatively about the options. I wish you the best with figuring out your next steps.
Jessica
Thank You, for the advice.
Thanks for sharing your journey! I feel I would like to do 32 hours of work in 4 days and work another 32 hours on my blog in the other 3 days. I am a minimalist who pursues FI and RE.
I loved your article.m very much and agree on many points. I used to work 7 days a week, 12 hour days running a few start-up businesses in town that became huge. But I was not happy, I was miserable even though I made too much money. I was delusioned believing I would be ok. I burnt myself up. Now, I am on my second career as a nurse and with a family, I decided to go part-time. Best decision ever! Yes, to home cook meals, saving money, and creating a beautiful and relaxing atmosphere for my son and my husband to come home to! … and many, many more!