Mini retirements is a recently popularized term in the book The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss, but has been in practice for a long time. It used to be that the best you could hope for was early retirement and you must slog and grind to make it occur. Modern frameworks for retirement however now encompass:

Early Retirement - *Escaping the grind at ages 25 – 55. *

Traditional Retirement – Escaping the grind at age 55+

Semi-Retirement – This is a perpetual state of semi-working throughout your entire life with some concessions.

Mini-Retirements – The “interval” approach to work and life. It’s characterized by alternating intense work with rest and fun.

http://affordanything.com/2015/02/12/mini-retirements-semi-retirement-early-retirement-whats-the-most-awesome-lifestyle/

For me, the mini-retirement lifestyle has been a luxurious compromise. I first started working when I was 15 years old and have steadily gotten jobs since then. When I was in college I worked on a lot of shift work, which is why I think I am so comfortable with the mini-retirement lifestyle. With shift work if you didnt get a schedule assigned to you for the week or get a phone call, you didn't go in and you didn't earn money.

I am 28 now, and my most recent position was working in a financial services organization which I hated and suspect them of doing shady practices with clients money. I couldn't wait to get out of there and did not want to stay too long to tarnish my reputation.

In the end I ended up working there for 7 months from June to December. During this time my living expenses went up because I had to travel to work and also pack lunch (or buy if necessary) but even with those expenses I was still able to save I estimate 85% of my paycheque every month.

During these 6 months I started a few investment accounts that I can pay into at will when I want with no direct debit instructions to obligate me or penalties for not contributing regularly (ie. lapsed policies, etc.) Once I set those up I quit in December. With no woman or kids to waste money on, I have been able to enjoy the past 3 months of 2017 without work and without touching my money except to contribute into my investment accounts when I think I should.

Based on how much I saved from my half year long job, I can reasonably expect to take the entire year off work without hurting my finances because any money I spend will be for future returns anyway. My expenses are negligible at this point. All my money is for me and my future and I am having a ball of a time enjoying my year. Today I woke up after 12 pm, played videogames, made lunch and now I am juggling watching a comedy while browsing reddit.

Its Wednesday and I am planning my weekend. In perhaps another few more months I will get tired of being able to wake up whenever I want and spending the day doing whatever I want and look for a job but as of right now I am comfortable and secure knowing that money is not the reason I will be applying for a job any time soon.