Okay everyone, here we go. I have a plan.
Well, kind of. It’s only for about 4 months and, as you’ll read below, it’s lacking in detail. But I don’t tend to plan that far ahead or in any detail (as you can tell from my impromptu Cozumel trip this week – more on that in a future post – and the fact that I quit my job with no backup option ready), so this is actually pretty good for me.
The background
After my job offer was rescinded back in October, I took a step back and reassessed the path I was heading in. The thing is, after the initial disappointment, I experienced a rush of optimism, relief, and excitement. And all that happened by the time I woke up the next morning.
As I wrote in a recent life update, I’ve actually been quite busy. More importantly, I’ve realized there’s still so much I want to work on, things that require more time and space than a 40-hour a week office job allows for. I’m not just talking about tangible things like the business my sister and I started and the writing I’ve been doing. It’s also the little things that I’ve been slacking on for a long time – things that benefit my mental health, to be specific. Things like meditating, pondering, strolling aimlessly around the foothills, loving on my sweet cat Maude, cooking healthy meals, and trying new nerdy things out.
I’ve always done things like these, but it’s been a long time (since middle school probably) since I’ve let these things take precedence before work/school. In the past few months, I’ve experienced vast improvements in my mental health/depression, so I’ve decided to stick with what’s working, with what makes me happy. I am not seeking a full-time job. And I have turned down offers to meet with local VIP types who were interested in hiring me.
The plan
Now that we’ve gotten past the preamble, here’s the plan:
- Teach 2 classes (5 units total) at University of Arizona this semester. This is enough to get me healthcare and cover my mortgage, while being roughly half-time. Plus, I have flexibility with when I prep, which is really important to me. And I have graders/TAs. Perfect.
- Use the rest of my time to keep doing what I’ve been doing. That means I’ll keep a constant portfolio of a few projects, only starting new ones when old ones finish or step down in required time/effort. And I’ll keep doing things that let me nerd out, space out, and be happy.
And that’s it. My current life plan, which I’ve been working on for 5 months, has just 2 steps. As I said, I’m not big on planning!
In actuality, it’s not so much a plan as a strategy. The strategy is to cover my foundational expenses (healthcare and mortgage) in as little time and with as little structure as possible so I can do what I want with the rest of my time. The two steps to the plan just add slightly more detail as to how I’ll start implementing this strategy.
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