1. I wish I thought of Quiet Quitting before I quit. Alas my personality wouldn’t allow me to not try to problem solve everything that came my way. Severing the cord by using the IRS rule of 55 was my escape route. Finding the loophole in my company’s 401(k) plan which allowed my to rollover any outside retirement accounts into the last employer’s 401(k) was my ticket out of prison.

   1. LL – I also incorporated the Rule of 55 into my escape plans (one of the reasons I chose 55 vs. 54 for my retirement age), but it now appears I won’t be needing to pull that trigger. Like you, my personality would never have allowed me to QQ, though I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t nearly as motivated in my last 5 years of work as I was in my first 5 years.

2. It’s quite an extreme analogy for some of us, a group that includes you I suspect. One often overlooked relationship is that those who succeed at work generally enjoy work. I doubt anyone who feels they are in any version of hell at work are likely to be a 5% top performer. But point taken, life after work should be better than life while working. I know mine is. Plus I never worked a day from a cubicle, or hamster farm, as we referred to them.

   1. I wouldn’t argue that it was an extreme analogy, Steve, but it made for an interesting article to write (and, hopefully, to read). Like you, I did generally enjoy my work, though that enjoyment diminished the closer I got to The Starting Line. Also, for the record, the last time I worked in a cubicle was age 23, but I thought cubicle was good in the “prison” metaphor since it does resemble a cell. I also liked the title, and trust folks know the cubicle was an analogy for paid work in general.

      Even my best day of work, however, is no comparison to the joy I’m finding in retirement. I’m currently living the best years of my life.

3. Hi Fritz,
   Interesting post (as are all of them!) and this one is hitting particularly close to my situation. I am actually pursuing Option 2B – Keep Working From Home – by finding a new job at a remote-first company.

   After being forced back into the office AND receiving no significant promotion or raise during the last review period, I’m now looking for a fully remote job that pays more (hence the anonymous name for this as my current employer doesn’t know I’m looking). I’ve got about 4 years to go before retirement and am hoping to spend it all working from home.

   1. Anonymous Cuber, love the nic you chose for your comment, and wish you the best of luck landing a fully remote job. Being only 4 years from The Starting Line certainly makes “remote-first” a more viable escape plan. I hope those German Shephards don’t pick up your trail…

   2. I’m coming up on my 1-year anniversary at the fully-remote job I took after over 20 years at my last gig. The nudges to start getting back to the office were the final nudges I needed to get serious about the job search. I had really gotten out of the habit of being the new guy, and it’s honestly been a bit of a roller coaster. But a lot more good days than bad, so definitely no regrets. It was past time for a new professional adventure for me. I’ve also got just a few years to put in, and I absolutely intend to finish out my sentence under house arrest. (With some stints as a working nomad, trying out some long-term Airbnbs or whatnot).

      One interesting observation is that committing to being fully remote has really transformed recruiting for my new organization. Being able to find talent all across the country has been a game-changer in a somewhat specialized technical niche.

      1. Dave, thanks for your insightful comment. I love the “house arrest” line, and your point about WFH expanding the talent pool is a nice addition to the discussion. Thanks for stopping by.

4. I worked in a cubicle in one of the largest cities in America. Our department of 80 people put in for permanent WFH after they required us to come back in only two days a week. People started quitting. Even two days was too much. They just approved permanent WFH. I know exactly which of my coworkers are “quit quitting”…they don’t return emails.
   I love your articles.

   1. Had to laugh at the “tell” you’ve discovered for Quiet Quitters. Tip to QQ’s out there: answering emails is part of what you’re paid to do. I’m sure a LOT of folks are quitting as the warden starts calling them back. Most companies I know are starting with a 2-3 day rotating schedule of some sort, and (as you experienced), even that is too much for many folks. It’ll be fascinating to watch this all play out…

5. I actually really liked having a cubicle – it was the damn open office that drove me batty!! I also get what you say about loud working, but it is all dependent on the management of your company. I ended up not performing as well as I could after I realized our management team were quite dysfunctional. I made decent salary though and controlled against lifestyle inflation so didn’t let it bother me too much. After being with the company 20 years and then finding a new position, I realized staying that 20 years had been a mistake. Just the exposure to other ways of doing things was eye opening. The other company – we had all been there for 10+ years (including the management team) with no layoffs. You need the turnover to bring in new blood and ideas!

   As for the end of WFH, I think smart employers should realize that hybrid working is best for most people. Especially women who usually still get left to deal with logistics of sick kids, trades people around the home, etc. I think everyone can enjoy at least a day at home every week – as we managed through the pandemic without goofing off!

   Glad I retired early though – no more need for my headphone collection to block the noisy open office distractions 🥳

   1. I really liked having my own office with walls and a door. I lucked out in when I switched companies, the new company had open offices, but also had grandfathered single offices for managers because the bean counters didn’t want to pay to tear them down and renovate. In my last company move, they had open offices, but then the pandemic hit and I worked entirely from home. But the best office included a full wall of windows with no buildings blocking my view of the horizon. My immediate view in the distance was an empty parking lot and a university basketball stadium, then trees and the rest of the city. So I’ve really never experienced working in an open office full-time. The 3rd company I worked for even went so far as to not have any assigned seating. You showed up, found a spot to unpack your backpack, and spent all day playing Where’s Waldo looking for the coworkers on your team. They allowed people to habitually work from home and come into the office as needed, but without assigned seating and no way to reserve a cluster, it was utter chaos.

   2. Fiona, no doubt about it, changing employers is a great choice for many, and the data suports that it does lead to higher pay vs. staying put. I also hated when we moved to an open office concept (tho I was fortunate to get one of the few offices), and think I’d hate even more the “hoteling” concept many companies are now adopting.

      Finally, I agree that “smart” employers will find the right balance, and the best performers will be drawn to the companies that find the best solutions to the delicate situation.

6. I retired at age 49 from a 33 year career with strictly defined ‘golden handcuffs.” My attitude and well being changed significantly when the conditions for retirement changed completely to my choice. In other words, all the conditions of the release from those handcuffs were met. So, year 21 became a choice. As did year 22, 23, 24…..The job didn’t become less challenging, less rewarding, or even fewer really hard periods. But, it was my choice. Choice made all the difference. Having options made that difference very sweet.

   1. Ginzu, no doubt about it, those walls are much less constraining when you know you’re in there by choice. Even with that improvement, I don’t think I could have hung in there the 4 years you did after achieving FI (I did One More Year to pad my numbers, and that was all I could handle).

      1. “Choice made all the difference” Well said, I fully agree. This is my last year of a 32 year professional career I once loved, now tolerate. I can reflect back with gratitude and not just frustration because I will be stepping over the starting line in 8 months.

         Being Financially Independent allows choice, a message I am pounding into my 24 year old as she starts her professional career.

7. Firstly thanks for the shout-out and link-love! I too followed the “loud working” strategy and it allowed me to move up the ranks very quickly and get to FI in my mid-40’s. I’ve stayed part time for a while because I still like the industry but that enthusiasm continues to wane as my life moves on and my interests keep gravitating more to the health and wellness aspects of life.

   I strongly believe the modern white-collar cubicle environment is very detrimental to physical health, and this post is a great rundown on options to get around it or avoid it as much as possible. Lastly I too still have dreams of being a park ranger or working for the National Parks or Forest Service in some capacity. And who cares if the pay sucks – it would be a lifestyle job and a very cool one. Being FI unlocks that world and it’s such a powerful thing!

   1. Happy to share your post, Dave. I really enjoy your writing, and that one was a great compliment to today’s article. Pink Floyd and National Park Rangers, I sometimes wonder if we aren’t brothers seperated at birth?

8. My husband didn’t QQ, but he did raise his hand when he heard there was a “list”. He had been with a company for 13 years that grew too “big, corporate, and political”. Between severance, budgeting, and occasional sub days for me, we bought ourselves a year of travel and volunteering and are enjoying every minute. We still have a few years of “paying the monthly bills” before official retirement until our kids are through college but the past six months have given us the break from cubicle hell for husband. Worth every day of our new budget!

   1. I’m envious of your husband. Wink. I was hoping for a downsizing in my final years, but it was never meant to be. Good for you for getting that extra year of travel and volunteering, enjoy the break!

9. Hey Fritz, great article but not all of us got the option of work from home during the pandemic. I’m a librarian who worked in an empty library without the public for months. My husband works for a major government contractor in a chemistry lab testing rocket fuels, not something he could do from the home office. We experienced COVID much differently than most. Also we have been 401K millionaires since we turned 45, approximately 10 years ago. We really love our work but after years of saving between 25 and 30% we plan to retire when I turn 55 next year (if the market recovers some by then). I agree with many of the other comments these folks who are quite quitting aren’t driven to perform and aren’t the top 5%. If I worked in a cubby hole I might feel differently, but I feel quite quitting isn’t the answer. Great suggestion to take vacation time to enjoy life! We take all 5 weeks we earn every year and travel all over. Thanks for the article.

   1. M, thanks for pointing out the millions who never got paroled, it was an omission in my article and I appreciate you rectifying my oversite. Glad to hear you agree with my views on Quiet Quitting, though I encourage you to be very careful about following the Loud Working path.

      ‘Cuz, you know, you work in a library….

10. I’d say these points are really variable depending on who you are and whom you work for. For example, my husband was working from home about 90% of the time before COVID and 100% since. He hasn’t taken a business trip or spent a day in an office since March 2020. My sister resisted mightily going back to her office; she has bad asthma and didn’t feel safe in a cubicle or conference room. She has things arranged now where she only goes in occasionally when there’s a meeting (or onsite visit) that must be done in person—plus they let her work remotely when she goes to her second home in Italy for three months each year.

    In both of their cases, they’re extremely valuable at what they do. My sister has an in-demand skill set and could easily get another job. My husband is a “unicorn” of sorts at his firm (in terms of his knowledge, connections, etc.) and they don’t want to lose him, nor do they want him to retire one second early. So both are getting accommodated when it comes to WFH.

    I’m a university professor nearing the end of a long career. I’ve also been in management in my department for many years and have been part of a cajillion performance reviews of our faculty. So I know the difference between someone who’s busting their tail, someone who’s putting in just enough effort to not get fired, and all those in between. But our faculty either have union protection or tenure. The tenured ones do have to continue producing if they want to climb the ladder, and I suppose some could target being administrators, which is where the money is in a university career (but you couldn’t pay ME enough to go that route!). The ones in a union just have to avoid doing something really, really bad (and even if they do, the union will still fight for them), and there are few rewards in the system for being “rock stars.” So, depending who you are and what your work ethic is, a degree of “quiet quitting” is absolutely possible in this context.

    In my own case, I’m very advanced in rank/salary scale and just had my three-year merit review earlier this year and got the biggest possible raise. But I will almost certainly retire before my next review, so I have no external motivation not to dial it back. And I am downshifting. My students—in the classes I’m teaching and the doctoral students I advise—will always get my 110% best effort until the day I retire. But I’m about to publish what will very likely be my final book, I’m traveling to fewer conferences (not COVID-related, just tired of it), and I’m considering resigning from the board of a journal I’ve served since 1998. Just ready to live a more balanced and less driven life, and yes, WFH during COVID taught me more about how to do that. Is that “quiet quitting?” Not exactly, but it’s less than I’ve done before.

    Thanks for the post—your articles always make me think!

    1. Great comment, thanks for adding insight into how individual circumstances are always a factor in macro-trends. Gotta say, your sister getting to work 3 months in Italy is a great perk. It goes to show the value and leverage one achieves when they Work Loudly and earn a reputation as a resource a company can’t do without. Thanks for adding value to the discussion.

11. Thank you Fritz. For me, it was indeed Cubicle Hell as you describe it. Legions of cubicle-dwelling corporate drones working in soul-sucking jobs.
    As Drew Carrie quipped: “There’s a support group for people who hate their jobs. It’s called ‘Everyone’.”

    Hallelujah for the freedom of early retirement!

    Carry on.
    -Bill

    1. Haha, hadn’t heard the Drew Carrie quote, thanks for the smile.

12. I escaped from cubicle hell, but prior to that, working in healthcare during Covid it was a constant reminder that things had changed, daily emails with info about how many were currently hospitalized with Covid and/or info if someone you worked with came down with Covid and you were possibly exposed became the norm. A caveat to this, my office was just renovated to put even more people in the building right before Covid hit. My cubicle turned into a shared office space which when Covid hit quickly reverted to one person in there at a time, so a revolving WFH schedule or staggered work hours evolved both for those in the cube farm and those in semi private offices like mine. After a year of this, being age 66, I really put my wish to retire into motion, starting lining up my ducks and finally gave my notice to retire or go part time in November 2021 (by then I was WFH full time and going into the office once a week just because I wanted to visit my desk and see people). I was offered to keep on very part time, only 10 hours a week in January 2022 and that’s worked out fine so far. But yes it will be interesting to see how all this turns out. Seems there’s a lot of office space that’s available now, maybe that will be turned into housing…who knows.

    1. Denise, great point about “a lot of office space…available,” I suspect the commercial real estate market will suffer for years and companies reduce the amount of square footage they’re leasing and move to a rotating WFH model. Glad you’re enjoying your 10 hours/week gig, sounds like a nice way to transition to full retirement.

13. I’ve worked from home for the past 15 years, not sure I could work in an office anymore or that they’d want me to. If I was told to go in now, I for sure quit. I’ve also been “quiet quitting” for the past 3 years but it’s more I’ve informed management that I have no desire to move out of an individual contributor role or be promoted to a senior role. Reason was simple. I’m in the process of winding down my career and not climbing the ladder. Last thing I want to do is take one of those roles and take that from someone that wants to climb the ladder and is earlier in their career. My goal is to walk away completely in the next year or two.

    1. You trendsetter, you. 😉

       Enjoy your full escape in the next year or two. Don’t wait too long, life’s a lot better on this side of The Starting Line.

14. Fritz,

    Have really enjoyed reading all your posts. I wish I had found them years earlier. My “Starting Line” is 130 days away and I’m so looking forward to it. At 59, I haven’t really QQ’d, but now down to only 3 days a week, I’m definitely not LW’ing! Thanks again for all you do.

    1. 130 days to go. You’ve broked out of the cell and you’re 3/4 of the way across the exercise yard. One more fence to scale and you’ll be free. Enjoy the escape. Excited for you, Curt. Glad my words are of value during your journey. And, you’re welcome.

15. excellent metaphor, fritz. i can tell you from recent experience that my opportunities for promotion came too little and too late. for a variety of reasons i didn’t get much traction during my earlier years of the slog… but i saved and invested well. then, with some new management the past couple of years i had a real chance to move up but i told them it was too late and twofold. one: i deserved this years ago and don’t want to work that hard now. two: i no longer need the extra money or even the money i’m making now except for some luxuries i enjoy. i simply told the new manager i’ll stay right where i am until i am done.

    in my role we never worked from home. i really don’t mind coming here for the short commute. it keeps me off the streets and out of the bars, after all! p.s. go dodgers!

    1. Thanks for your kind words, Freddy. Nice for you to be in a position to tell them they were too late in recognizing what a star they had, though sorry to hear it came so late in your career. Well played, given the circumstances.

       BTW, you had me until your final two words. Go Braves!

16. Well thought article on remote working. My co-workers are now being forced to return to their cubicles for at least 2 days a week. I’m sure it will increase as time goes by. I gave my employer an ultimatum. Let me work remotely or I’m retiring. In my case, this worked beautifully. I now work in a beautiful lower cost location in the USA and could not be happier. As I type this, from my deck overlooking the Blue Ridge mountains. This is my new office :). My only regret is I was not focused early in my career to save more. I could have been financially independent even earlier. ‘Quiet quitting’ only makes sense if you are close to the end of your career IMO. Here, extra income means much less and your time is more valuable.

    1. Isn’t it great to be able to issue your employer an ultimatum? Many folks discover how much leverage they really have once they’ve achieved (or are very close to) FI and are no longer dependent on that paycheck. Enjoy that deck, we’re looking at the same mountains (loving them this morning with the Fall colors…)

       1. Truer words have never been spoken. I gave myself a promotion that is more valuable to me than any move up the company ladder. If you are a valuable employee, you always have leverage. Having financial independence gives you the confidence to act on your leverage.
          My summer job during college was building office cubicle panels for Herman Miller in Michigan. Little did I know was going to be inside these panels for the next 30 years…
          My Blue Ridge mountain view is a little north of your home I believe. I’m in Lexington, Virginia. Love the Blue Ridge Parkway and the mountain rivers here. The fall colors here won’t be as spectacular as where I moved from in Vermont but they are beautiful in their own way.

17. In line with your Loud Work premise, there is a poster/photo I sent to my kids as they started their careers. Below are the bullets:

    These require zero talent

    Being on time
    Work ethic
    Effort
    Body language
    Energy
    Attitude
    Passion
    Being coachable
    Doing extra
    Being prepared

    1. An excellent list of what comprises a “Loud Work” attitude, Dom. I hope your kids are paying attention…

    2. Those are good!

18. Very timely article for me. I am 57 and had considered retiring at the end of last year, but due to what I will refer to as “bronze handcuffs” in addition to general fear of the uncertain, I decided to give it at least one more year even though the numbers looked fine. Well that year is almost up and my employer is talking about people going back to the office in some sort of hybrid environment (some have already had to go back a little each week). My job can clearly be done remotely, and while I was working from home a couple of days a week before the pandemic, my commute on the other days was horrendous. I guess I’m in an enviable position to be able to walk if they don’t come up with something I want to live with. But even if they do, perhaps it’s time make that leap.

    1. Given that you’ve already put in OMY, I’d agree with your last sentence. Only you can decide if it’s time for a full escape, but it sounds like you’re ready. Best of luck on your journey.

19. Timely article on QQ which is an interesting term. Why stay at a job that you don’t like and sit there QQ? As you suggested, there are more productive ways to give shorten whatever road you are on. I’ve been a remote worker for 33 years as a field sales rep or field sales leader. It’s like running your own business from a turn key product line and infrastructure. If you don’t want to sell, there are field supporting activities that keep you out of the cube, no matter the industry. The closer a worker is to the customer, the more earning potential there is.
    I have 196 days left until my next attempt at retirement. I’m counting the days, and making everyday count. I have glide path, but I’m busy traveling and attempting to pass on whatever skills that can be transferred to the next gen. Quiet Quitting never crossed my mind, though I do have a clear glide path to just get by. It’s not part of a customer focused sales professional character.

    As for the Quiet Quitters out there, I can only ask: Why would someone hire you for your next job anyway when don’t even want what you currently have?

    1. If you have the means to retire comfortably, why worry about your next job, when the next job is living a life of leisure? After I quit, I started renovating an antique airstream and don’t miss the endless emails, meetings, and dealing with customers,

    2. Francis, those 195 days will pass quickly. Glad to hear you’re making every one of them count, best to escape with no regrets. Enjoy your final sprint to The Starting Line.

20. I largely agree with the article and am old-school in regards to work ethic, I do wonder however if we shouldn’t re-frame our performance measures. Bob and Sue are both go getters working an extra 10-15hrs/week to impress the boss and advance. Why not make the expectation that we work 40hrs/per week? The person who advances is the one who is most is the most productive within this constraint. In general, business demands free labor (work over 40hrs/week), which is currently the norm, but does not have to be. Why the split between hourly vs. salaried workers? CEO’s are know for working crazy work hours. This is not cast in stone, the job could be split into 2,3+ jobs for a better life/work balance. Would bring in more talent, workers who have obligations outside of work (women). A CEO with family, pretty much must have a stay at home spouse to compete currently.

    1. Frank, I like your vision, but I struggle with how we’d ever get Corporate America to adopt the new performance measures. Profit is king, and if they can encourage more work for the same salary, why wouldn’t they? There will always be people willing to do more to get ahead. Other countries may have been successful in better work/life balance, but I wonder how much the hustle attitude is embedded in our cultural roots. They’ll take a while to pull, but I do see the ground softening…

21. “Crush it early” is so important and has been huge for me my entire life. It wasn’t really calculated, probably more just trying to earn respect and prove I belong, but I quickly learned how much it meant. Basically come out of the gate with the list Dom S posted and you’ll be pushed up the ladder.

    1. No doubt, those first 5 years in a career matter. A lot.

22. Great post Fritz and BTW, I love the ‘loudly working’ term you coined! I wish I would have increased my savings rate when I was younger and invested ‘conservatively’ rather than trying to chase the next shiny 100 bagger investment. If young people would just: (1)pay themselves first, (2)minimize debt, (3)increase their savings rate, (4)choose long term conservative holdings, they wouldn’t even have to work beyond 50. Take it from a guy in his 50’s who still has to work!

    1. 4 good tips, let’s hope some youngsters are reading this retirement blog…

23. Fritz,
    I have been reading your blog for a while now and I have found it to be immeasurably helpful. I’m 59 and wish that I had pursued and found this type of information much earlier in life. I’m on track to reach The Starting Line in 2-3 years, so I won’t be retiring early, but thanks to you I will be much better prepared in every way to maximize my life after work. I’m also enjoying myself more now from the knowledge and reassurance that I have gained from all the information that you have made available on this site! I have been encouraging my son, who has just begun his career, to take full advantage of all the information that you continue to share. Thank you Fritz for giving back so much to benefit others.

    1. Thank you for your kind words and encouragement, Bill. I’m pleased that my words are helpful for your journey, and hope they do the same for your son. Here’s one he may enjoy: The First 6 Steps To Financial Wealth. Thanks again.

24. My though on today blog…

    1. I am hoping that the next wave of the new Americans do not believe in “working” is “hell”. I cannot imagine the world that I will live in for the next 50 years will be like if the Americans are not capable of showing the world that we are “productive” with our lives. The world is looking up to us and feeding us because they are believing in the American dream.

    2. I do not believe in escape away from anything because if you are “escaping” from anything in life, you will have to continue to escape from “something” else along the newly found road. When I came across an unpleasant situation/place in life…
    1. first and foremost, I take “accountability” of myself and came to term that I have put in 100% and it is time to “move on” not “escape”.
    2. Moreover, I will not label the situation/place as “hell”, because I can clearly see others are thrived in the same situation. Meaning, I do not have the skills and/or personality to fit with that place.
    3. Once I have moved on, I will not choose the same situation/place again. Unless, I have trained with the required skills and/or “acquiring a new personality” (note, 99% of the world population personality is solidly set at puberty).

    1. Your post resonated with my experiences in the “work place” and the lessons can carry over to retirement as well. Many have “Destination Disease” and find little has changed when they get to their new job or situation in life. Our attitude and habits play a significant role in finding meaning and purpose where ever we find ourselves. We live in a “paradise” community, but it’s telling how many spend so much energy in complaining about security, the food in the restaurant, or how many people are playing pickleball, or how loud the boats are. I have been fortunate to believe passionately in the work I have done for almost 40 years. Life is short, so squeeze the most our of each day and opportunity.

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