The moment the power tools started, the Empire’s ( my company’s) hold on my mind was broken, if only for a few days.

A recent productive Thanksgiving long weekend at the cottage was a perfect point of comparison to a good week of work (Thanksgiving in Canada is early Oct). Both periods left me with a sense of accomplishment.

At the office, I felt accomplished after solving a complex problem and heading off a major issue that would have impacted my team for months. On the long weekend, that feeling came from building a complex set of stairs to my “Tree Chateau” with a friend and just enjoying the building process.

So, while both activities provided the same feeling of getting something done, I found a key difference between the two.

The Low-Level, Never-Ending Hum of Work

At my job, regardless of how successful I am, my mind is always spinning with the next task, some problem without a solution, or office politics that mean absolutely nothing but will still affect my team. Work comes with a low level of stress that never truly disappears.

The reality is that work is never far away. While I’m not actively thinking about it 24/7, my subconscious certainly is. I think this is partly why I’m good at my job—it’s like a tiny stress-squeeze ball my brain likes to play with. It chews on the issue until it eventually finds a solution. I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone, but that’s how my brain is wired.

The Clear End of a Personal Project

A long weekend spent with friends on a project is completely different. For three or four days, I get social fun combined with the satisfaction of finishing a project, which checks a bunch of important boxes:

• Get something done from the list? Check.
• Spend time with good friends who are helping out? Check.
• Take time to play games? Check.

You will trade your Wood for my Sheep

There’s no constant background hum of worry. When you finish or simply pause a personal project, the stress goes away.

A personal project is time-bounded. I work out the details as I go. It might take a few hours of effort and even change direction a few times as I learn new skills—which checks a new box. But then the project is over. There is nothing that continues. Unlike work, it is done. There is no low-level stress lingering in the background.

And what about my to-do list? Whether it’s the “Vader project list” or the “Padme honey-do list,” for me, the items are just there. They don’t take up mental bandwidth; they’re off until I decide to pull something from the list.

What if Retirement is This Every Day?

The long weekend is a perfect snapshot of what retirement could be: social fun time and a sense of accomplishment defined by me, and no one else, without the underlying stress. If retirement is like this every day, it sounds kind of fun, actually.

My concern is probably the same as everyone else’s at this point: Will I have enough projects to get that accomplishment feeling?

Small chores, like cutting the grass, don’t count. There’s no real sense of accomplishment there. I look at other recent retirees, including my dad, and wonder if they ever run out of things they feel they’ve meaningfully accomplished.

That’s what scares me.

Work gives you all the accomplishments you could ever want, but it comes with the negative trade-offs of stress and time not being your own. The key question is: Is there enough in my life—enough hobbies and self-defined projects—to achieve that same sense of self-worth?

I control the answer. It is my job to find enough hobbies and interests that provide this feeling. Writing is one, so far, but it’s not enough. Learning to play the guitar could be another. Volunteering or working with the community is a definite possibility.

The weekend was a small proof of concept for FIRE. It shows that my desire to retire isn’t (just) about escaping a job I don’t like, but about gaining the freedom to dedicate my time to projects, passions, and people who truly matter. That is the fundamental difference money buys: control over my time and what I do with it.

It means trading the demands of a full-time job for the discipline of self-mastery to use my time well. Playing with friends is key to the long weekend and key to retirement. But getting stuff done—and having the freedom to define what ‘done’ means—is the other key to my self-worth

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What are the top three self-defined projects you are most excited to explore once you hit your FIRE number?

And here is hoping you had enjoy your next good long weekend.